Three Easy Hors d'oeuvres

Now that I’ve given you the deets on how to make super cute coasters, let me give you some ideas on what to snack on while crafting.

We enjoyed fondue with salami and French bread, crispy asparagus sticks and chocolate croissants.

Easy Hors d'oeuvre idea #1: Fondue

This was my first time to make fondue. I’ve had my fondue maker for two years now and haven't used it. What have I been thinking? It was so easy and so delicious, I will certainly be making this again very soon.

I poured in the white wine and let it simmer before adding the rest of the ingredients. When it all came together in a beautiful harmony, I turned down the heat and set it aside.

There she is on the left!

I had a platter of diced French bread and fresh salami ready to be dipped in the gooey fondue.

Easy Hors d'oeuvre idea #2: Crispy Asparagus Sticks

I was really excited to make these asparagus sticks. I’ve wanted to make them for awhile, but just haven’t had the right occasion.

After you snip the ends of the asparagus off, dip them in a beaten egg and coat in the Panko mixture.

Place on a wire rack and bake!

These were even better than I expected, even though I baked them for a little too long. I used pencil asparagus and they baked a little quicker than I was expecting. Next time I want them to be a little crunchier so I’ll take them out just as the breading gets brown.

This would make for a terrific side dish to almost any meal!

Easy Hors d'oeuvre idea #3: Chocolate Croissants

Here’s a scrumptious dessert that is so, so delicious and something you can prep ahead of time. Score! Although, even without prepping ahead of time, it’s so simple.

You simply begin with puff pastry that you will find in the freezer section.

Cut each sheet into eight triangles.

Drop two squares of milk chocolate in each triangle.

And roll!

STOP: Here’s where you can wrap these little nuggets up and store them overnight.  Place them in the refrigerator and bake within 24-36 hours.

Right before I placed them in the oven to bake, I applied an egg wash to the tops to make them golden brown.

Here they are!

These croissants are so delicious. They are flaky, buttery, decadent and will honestly make you think you're on the sidewalks of Paris.  

Enjoy, my friends!

Christi

FONDUE:

Ingredients:

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 pound shredded Swiss cheese

1/2 pound shredded Gruyere cheese

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 loaf French bread, cut into 1 inch cubes

Directions:

Simmer wine in fondue pot. Add Swiss cheese, Gruyere cheese, 1/4 pound at a time. Stir after each addition of cheese until melted. Stir in flour. When all the cheese has melted, stir in salt and nutmeg. Serve with cut-up French bread. 

CRISPY ASPARAGUS STICKS:

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus (mine had about 30 spears)

2 egg whites

1/4 cup flour 

1 cup seasoned panko crumbs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lay a wire rack on a baking sheet and coat with non-stick spray.

Snap off the tough ends of each asparagus spear. On two separate plates, add the eggs whites (lightly beaten) and the panko + flour + cheese. Season the panko mixture with salt and pepper if desires. Coat each asparagus spear in egg whites, then lay in the panko mixture and thoroughly cover. If the panko won’t stick, dip back in the egg whites and roll in panko once again. Lay each spear on the wire rack.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy

CHOCOLATE CROISSANTS:

Ingredients:

1 box frozen puff pastry, thawed

2-3 bars of milk chocolate, broken into squares

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

sugar

Directions:

After the two sheets of puff pastry have thawed, cut into eight triangles. Place two bars of chocolate into each triangle and wrap into bundles. 

Place on baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Beat one egg and add water. Baste the egg wash over each bundle and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Sources:

Fondue - http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/cheese-fondue/detail.aspx

Asparagus sticks - http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/03/crispy-parmesan-asparagus-sticks/

Do-It-Yourself Project #2: Coasters

Last week, I invited a few of my closest friends over for a fondue and DIY coaster party. We enjoyed appetizers, bubbly and each other’s company all while making neat little coasters. I suppose I should say, we had so much “fonduing” it!

QUICK NOTE: Come back tomorrow for the recipes to these tasty treats pictured above!

It’s the perfect craft to enjoy with friends all while catching up on the latest news.

I set up the working station before the girls arrived. I covered a table with a vinyl table cloth so we could get messy and not worry about it. I laid out all the supplies needed: tiles, paper, felt, Mod Podge, spray acrylic, hot glue gun and sponge brushes for each of us.

After plenty of snacking and sipping, we got to work!

We had a lot of fun selecting which paper to choose. Some of the girls even added photos on their coasters. To do this, you must print your photos on regular copy paper. Otherwise, the Mod Podge will strip the ink from photo paper.

The project is really quite simple. I picked up the tiles from Lowe’s for $.16 each. The paper, Mod Podge, felt, spray acrylic and sponge brushes all came from Hobby Lobby. It’s an affordable way to add some extra fun to your dinner party.

A little closer:

I suppose this makes me two for two on DIY projects. Success!

Go get crafty, y’all!

Christi

What you’ll need:

From a home improvement store, like Lowe’s:

Square ceramic tiles. Mine were 16 cents each and about 4” x 4”. Mine were glossy tiles. It really doesn’t matter what kind you use.)

From a craft store like Hobby Lobby or Michael’s:
Mod Podge
Paper of your choice. You can use anything from scrapbook paper, special cardstock, old invitations, or photos printed on copy paper.
Foam brushes
Felt for backing coasters
Glossy acrylic sealer spray
Hot glue gun

HOW TO:

1. Cut your paper into squares 1/8” - 1/4″ smaller than your tile. Stack these up and place in your work station.

2. Brush the tile Mod Podge glue. Use a generous coat and work quickly. This stuff dries quickly! Once you place your paper, there’s no turning back.

3. Press the paper to the tile starting in the middle and work to the edges to eliminate air bubbles. Add extra glue to the edges if it’s needs a little more to stick to.

4. After about 10 minutes, apply a layer of decoupage glue to the top of the paper. Allow this layer to dry 15 minutes and repeat 2-3 times.

7. After 10 minutes of drying, spray the acrylic sealant. You should probably take this part outside. The sealant is rather strong.

8. Lastly, when the coasters are completely dried, glue the felt square to the back of your coasters.

*Wait at least one day before using the coasters to ensure they are completely dry.

Week Three Tailgate Recipe: Pretzel Bites

I am really excited to tell you about this week’s tailgate recipe. It gives you the option of both sweet and savory. The bite-sized morsels will be perfect to take with you to Saturday’s football game.

Pretzel bites that are baked, not fried!

These pretzel bites are made from frozen dough that you can find in the freezer section. It is one of my favorite ingredients to use. It’s nice to skip the big step of making dough, but still getting the same home-made taste. By the way, you can make the most amazing cinnamon rolls with this cheating way, too.

I already had a package of the frozen loaves in my freezer, so I set out two loaf in bread pans that I sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover that with plastic wrap and let it rise for about 12 hours. 

When the dough has risen, remove from pans and roll out onto a sheet of floured parchment paper. Roll out the dough until it’s about ½ inch deep.

Next, take a pastry or pizza cutter and slice into 1 inch squares, like this.

You’ll see that mine aren’t perfect at all. They don’t need to be. But, I’ll blame this on MD. He did the cutting in this batch.

NOTE:

I am making these again this Saturday. I am going to try to cut them in more uniform squares and roll them into balls. I am also going to try using the frozen rolls instead of the frozen loaves. I’ll let you know how it goes.

After all the dough has been cut, let the bites rise for about 30 minutes. They will double in size.

Once the dough is ready, bring a pot of warm water to a gentle boil. Begin dropping in ten pieces of the dough at a time. Boil for one minute and remove to a paper towel. Repeat until all dough has been boiled.

They will puff up a little like this:

Place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until the tops just start to get crispy.

Let them cool for about 5 minutes.

Bring them together and baste with butter.

I divided mine in half to coat half of the pretzel bites in a sweet cinnamon sugar and the remaining half in a savory garlic Parmesan.

Sprinkle the soon-to-be savory bites with kosher salt. Next, toss them in a bowl with shredded parmesan and garlic powder until fully coated. Set aside to cool on parchment paper.

Take the other half of your buttered pretzel bites and toss them in a bowl with cinnamon sugar until fully coated.


Since we've coated these in butter, store them in the refrigerator if you don't eat them right away. Give 'em a quick re-heat in the oven before serving. If you're bringing them to a tailgate party, they are just as scrumptious served room temperature. I'd probably make these the morning of though. 

Share with other football fans around you and enjoy!

Cheers!

Christi

WPS

Shout out: I got these cute bowls from The Container Store. I think I will live there.

Ingredients:

2 loaves Rhodes frozen dough or 12 Rhodes roll dough, thawed and cut into 1 inch squares

4 tablespoons butter, more if needed

Kosher salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup grated Parmesan

About a half cup cinnamon and sugar mix

Recipe adapted from: http://www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com

Creamy Artichoke Bisque

I would like to begin this post with an announcement.

IMPORTANT: This recipe calls for the hearts of four fresh artichokes. DO NOT put the leaves from the artichokes down your drain. Don’t ask me if I did this. Please don’t ask if I had completely clogged our pipes for a panicked thirty minutes. What I will tell you is that if you put all the leaves from four artichokes down your kitchen drain it will be bad. Very, very bad. Not that I would know.

Thanks for your attention.

We are just about a week away from the first official day of fall. I can promise you that you will see a lot of soup recipes here on Christi's Chirps. It's one of my favorite meals during the chilly months.

Have you ever had bisque? It’s a luxurious, velvety, creamy soup served piping hot. There are many different kinds of bisque. There is sure to be one that makes your skirt fly up. Maybe this one will.

You’ll begin with four artichokes. Trim off about one inch of the tops.

Next, lop one inch off of the stem.

Drop those in a large pot of boiling water, face first. You’ll want the water about two inches deep. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the boiling water, a dash of salt and a small spoon of garlic.

Add the lid and let boil for about 30-40 minutes. Check on the artichokes a couple of times to make sure they still have enough water.

You’ll know the artichokes are done when you can easily peel off one of the leaves. You can use tongs to do this.

Once they are done, remove with tongs and let cool.

I encourage you to do like MD and I and dip the artichoke leaves in melted butter and devour. Yes, from all four artichokes.

Once you’ve done that, it’s time to get the hearts out.

To do this, grab a spoon and gently scoop out the center. It's the remains of some spiky leaves that you'll want to toss out. 


Chop off about a half inch of the stem and leave the rest.

Here are the hearts!

Coarsely chop and set aside. 


Meanwhile, get started on the bisque. Steps for this process are provided below.

After you’ve completed all the steps below, let cool for a second.

IMPORTANT: If you add the liquid to the blender when it’s still very hot, it will explode. After it has settled for a few minutes, add a little of the liquid at a time to the blender. Hold down the lid tightly and pulse. Repeat until all liquid has been added and the mixture is nice and smooth.


Viola! The finished product!

Cheers!

Christi

Ingredients:

4 fresh artichokes
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter for boiling water

2 tablespoons butter for bisque
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 cup sweet onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup flour
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup whole milk
½ teaspoon Paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Prepare the artichokes:
Simmer clean, whole artichokes in salted boiling water for about 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick can be easily inserted in the base of the artichoke. Drain and cool under cold running water. When cool enough to handle, remove all the outer leaves down to the inner choke. Scrape the choke from the artichoke heart using a small spoon. Chop the artichoke coarsely.

To make the bisque:
In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the whole garlic cloves and sauté over medium-low heat until soft and golden but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add the onions and continue to sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the flour and mix well to form a roux. Cook the flour mixture for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, and then slowly add the vegetable stock while stirring to mix well and prevent lumps from forming. Add the artichokes and cook for 3 minutes more, then carefully blend the mixture with an immersion or tabletop blender to a smooth consistency.

Pour back into skillet to simmer. Add the heavy cream and milk and mix well. Continue to heat over medium low heat for about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika and add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh green onions if desired. Serve immediately.

Recipe Adapted from: http://gildedfork.com/artichoke-bisque/

Week Two Tailgate Recipe: Spinach Artichoke Bundles

Last Saturday, I woke up at 8:30 in the morning. MD was running around the house like it was Christmas morning while waiting for a few of his friends to meet him at our home. After they loaded up with every tailgate necessity you could think of, we smooched goodbye and I told him I’d see him at noon. 

Between the hours of nine and noon, I sat in front of a few cookbooks begging to find something appetizing to bring to our tailgate party, took our pup to his Grandparents’ home to play for the day, ran to Walmart, then hustled back home to get myself and my appetizer ready for game day.

I kept going back to spinach dip. It’s easy and everyone loves it. But, I wanted to give it a different spin. 

I have found that the best foods to serve at parties where people are mingling are small bites and finger foods that people can easily eat without getting their entire face messy.

So, I decided to wrap my spinach artichoke dip in bite-sized croissants. They were very delicious and snacked up rather quickly.

Here they are!

Let’s get started:

Whip up the spinach artichoke dip recipe. I skimped a little on the cheese that I would normally add to a spinach artichoke dip that would be eaten with chips. I didn’t want these things exploding everywhere.

Take a can of crescent rolls and lay a few triangles out at a time.

Slice them in half.

Drop a generous amount of your dip on the wide part of the crescent roll. Pull the ends of the dough out a little to wrap around the dip. Then tuck and roll until it’s bundled into a nice and neat package.

Arrange all the bundles from one can on a lightly greased baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Package nicely on a tray and securely wrap with plastic wrap.

Go Razorbacks!

WPS! 

Christi

What you'll need:

2 cans crescent rolls

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
3/4 to 1 cup fat-free sour cream

How to:

Mix the above ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

Open one can of crescent rolls. Place two to three on a cutting board and cut in half. Drop a generous amount of your dip on the wide part of the crescent roll. Pull the ends of the dough out a little to wrap around the dip. Then tuck and roll until it’s bundled into a nice and neat package.

Arrange all the bundles from one can on a lightly greased baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown.


Makes 32 bundles. 

Devour.

Croque Monsieur

A little over two years ago, MD and I whisked off to spend ten days in Paris for our honeymoon. It was incredible. We fell in love with the city the moment our feet hit the Parisian pavement.

After a nine hour flight and two Metro rides later, we were walking down the sidewalks of Paris ignoring our jetlag and looking like quite the tourists with our large suitcases rolling loudly behind us. We stopped every block or two to admire the beautiful architecture, colorful produce stands, restaurants we wanted to remember to visit during our stay, and of course the beautiful people.

Once we checked in to our lovely little hotel, we were only concerned with one thing: LUNCH!

Although MD did more than enough research prior to our visit, we weren’t quite sure where we should dine first. We walked out the sliding glass doors at the front of our hotel, took a left and set out to have our first meal in Paris.

Nearly every single restaurant has tables and chairs in front of their entrance that spill out onto the streets. We walked by a few restaurants near our hotel and peered onto the locals’ plates to see what caught our eyes.

It didn’t take long for us to end up at the Bar du Marché. 

(I snapped this photo later that night. We also came home with a beautiful painting of this special restaurant.)

We took our seats next to two beautiful ladies. On one of their plates was a slice of cheesy bread and a side salad. I compared what I saw on her plate to the menu until I finally figured out what it was.

Enter Croque Monsieur. 

Here's a picture I snapped before I devoured it.

Our first meal in Paris.

Here I am eating it again at another restaurant a few days later.

When translated, Croque Monsieur means “mister crunchy.” It is a slice of French bread with a generous spread of spicy Dijon mustard, topped with a slice of Virginia ham and Gruyere cheese baked until golden brown.

It’s heavenly.

Serve it with crispy French fries and a side of the spicy Dijon mustard. Never ever eat ketchup with this meal.

Here's our creation made in America. 

Here’s what you’ll need to make one sandwich:
One slice French bread
Once slice Virginia ham
Spicy Dijon mustard
Shredded Gruyere cheese
French fries

How to make it:
Take your slice of French bread, spread an even, generous layer of spicy Dijon mustard, top that with a slice of ham and sprinkle the cheese on top. Place onto a baking sheet and bake on 375 degrees for about 12-15 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Serve with French fries and chilled white wine.

Bon appétit!

Christi

Week One Tailgate Recipe: Crab Rangoon

For the next twelve weeks, I will feature a winning recipe to take to your Saturday tailgate party. There are four things I think about before deciding what I want to share with my friends and fellow Razorback fans:

1.       Is it quick?

2.       Is it delicious?

3.       Is it portable?

4.       Is it pretty?

Today I am featuring something I’ve made for several tailgate parties. It’s delicious, quick to make, travels well, and does a great job at enticing fans to dig in.

Let’s go with Baked Crab Rangoon’s this week!

For this simple and scrumptious appetizer all you have to do is mix five ingredients together and spoon into won ton wrappers and bake for about 25 minutes total.

I let these babies cool a bit before packing them up to take with me. I place several of the Rangoon’s on a paper plate and place into a large Zip-loc bag. It will probably fill about two to three bags. The Zip-loc's make it great to stack and open up the bags as you need to refill your platter. This way, you can toss everything and not worry about forgetting a platter or dish you need to take home.

I forgot to snap a photo of them packaged in a Zip-loc bag. Forgive my irresponsibility. 

I spooned a small amount of Sweet and Sour sauce found near the soy sauce in the Asian isle. It really gives the Rangoon's a sweet kick. I've also tried dipping them in soy sauce, but found I like the sweet taste over the salty taste.

Shout out: Now that you've got a delicious and simple tailgate appetizer to take with you, you need stylish ideas for your attire. Check out this fantastic blog today on Find it Fab it! She has some beautiful pieces for game day wear, even though she is an Auburn alum and a devout fan. Her blog showcases fantastic ideas for DIY projects, beautiful antique finds and so much more. Go check her out!

Here’s the scoop:
1 can (6 oz.) white crab meat, drained
4 oz.  (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened
2 green onions, thinly sliced (reserve more for garnishing)
1/4 cup  light mayonnaise

Sprinkle in some salt, pepper and garlic powder
12 won ton wrappers (found in the produce section)
Sweet and sour sauce

Make it:
Heat oven to 350°F.
Mixfirst 4 ingredients.
Place 1 won ton wrapper in each of 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray, extending edges of wrappers over sides of cups. Fill with crab mixture. You can also use a mini muffin tin and fill 24 cups for smaller bites.

Bake 18 to 20 min. or until edges of cups are golden brown and filling is heated through. 

Garnish with remaining green onions and sweet and sour sauce.

Place on paper plates and pack in Zip-loc bags if you are traveling with them.

Cheers!

Christi

WPS

Idea from Kraft: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/baked-crab-rangoon-95157.aspx