Food Friday- Tapas!

Welcome to a new series... Food Friday  

Every Friday we will bring you great food ideas for your event.  

Try a few out at home on your friends.

Our new favorite thing- Tapas!

Platters of yummy food you can grab and wander with. Perfect for a cocktail hour!

Smoked Paprika Almonds

head over to Devour to get the recipe

Give them something unexpected...

Serrrano Ham wrapped Plum bits

head over to DeliCooks for the recipe

Artichoke hearts are the ultimate tapas item.

Head over to Kitchen to Nirvana for the recipe

Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil Bruschetta

Head Over to My Baking Addiction for a recipe

Falafel Balls

Head over to Stone Soup for a recipe

Dolmades

Head over to My Greek Dish for the recipe

Grilled Shrimp

Head over to Closet Cooking for an awesome recipe

Hummus & Warm Pita triangles.

Head over to Inspired Taste to learn to make your own hummus.

Other great tapas ideas-

• Really good marinated olives. (Not those ones on your grocers shelf)
• Salted Edamame
• Those yummy garbanzo beans from last Friday's post make great tapas too!

Now go test out a great cocktail hour!

Food Friday- Pumpkin Season!

Welcome to a new series... Food Friday  

Every Friday we will bring you great food ideas for your event.  

Try a few out at home on your friends.

It's Pumpkin Season! We'll come close to ODing on pumpkin this month.  

But for now, bring on the pumpkin!

In the vein of enjoying the planning process too, today is recipes for an intimate weekend dinner party. Although, these are so good that if you're getting married next October you could easily incorporate some of these ideas on a grander scale.

Drinks...

Pumpkin Cordial & Pumpkin Martini

Definitely the king of the pumpkin bases... I LOVE Roundhouse Pumpkin King Cordial.  

My favorite way to drink it is just as you would drink a cordial.  A little poured into the bottom of a small glass, room temperature.

 It also makes an awesome martini served up.

Appetizers

Pumpkin Seeds

Head over to She Wears Many Hats for the recipe

http://shewearsmanyhats.com/toasted-pumpkin-seeds/
(if you're wondering about the health benefits of pumpkin seeds, click on over to Fightin Foods.)

Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Head over to When the Pigs Fly for the recipe

http://www.whenthepigsfly.com/2012/01/crunchy-roasted-garbanzo-beans.html
(if you're wondering about the health benefits of beans, click on over to Fightin Foods.)

The Meal

Roast Chicken

This is the ultimate fall meal.  It is also a very good skill to master. 

(just make sure it reads 165 degrees before you pull it from the oven.  No food poisoning here please.)

If you mess it up then send your fiance over to the local grocer for a rotisserie chicken. Or if you're short on time or desire then just do that in the first place.

Head over to Number 2 Pencil for the recipe

http://www.number-2-pencil.com/2013/12/02/one-hour-roasted-chicken/

Photo: ilovebutter

Roasted Vegetables

My favorite side- or sometimes as a meal itself.

Use any vegetables you want

Cut to approximately the same size

Drop them onto a jelly roll sheet and cover in olive oil & sprinkle with salt. (and other spices if you like.)

Roast at 450 degrees until they are brown and sweet and crispy- or until your liking.  

Desserts

Pumpkin Cheesecake

This one is swirled.  Yummy cheesecake meets pumpkin cake.  Covered in cream cheese frosting and pecans. (you were planning on running tomorrow, right?)

Find the recipe at Sally's Baking Addiction...

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/09/23/pumpkin-cake-cheesecake/

serve it with...

Photo: Alpha

Pumpkin Spice Latte. 

 Made all by yourself.

Beforehand...

Pumpkin Spice Syrup (oh the places you could use this.)

Simmer

-1C Sugar

-1C Water

when the sugar has dissolved add

-2T Pumpkin Puree

-1 T Pumpkin Pie Spice

Make you own by mixing ...

-3 Tablespoons ground cinnamon 

-2 teaspoons ground ginger 

-2 teaspoons ground nutmeg 

-1½ teaspoons ground allspice 

-1½ teaspoons ground cloves 

-½ teaspoon ground cardamom

Simmer 10 minutes.  Cool.

If you want to be really cool you could keep your pumpkin spice syrup in a cleaned Roundhouse Pumpkin bottle (since they're only 375ml) Just don't confuse the two!

Draw your espresso as usual.

Add Foamed milk to your liking.

Add 2 ounce syrup.

                              Mmm, now that's a good night.

                                                                                        Happy Cooking!

sources: http://www.rodalenews.com/pumpkin-spice?ocid=Soc_Pinterest_Food_Sept20_PSL#_a5y_p=2453714

Food Friday- Cranberry Martinis & Fall Appetizers

Welcome to a new series... Food Friday  
Every Friday we will bring you great food ideas for your event.  

Try a few out at home on your friends.

Hungry for the weekend?

This weekend's testing menu is...

Drinks...

Your Signature Wedding Cocktail

Photo: Stuart Webster

Cranberry Martini

Fill a cocktail shaker 1/3 full with ice cubes

add...
1 cup vodka
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1/4 cup cranberry juice

and shake.

make 4 skewers...
2 cranberries (frozen)
1 lemon twist

each.

Pour into chilled glasses and add 1 skewer.

Enjoy!

Serves 4 or 2 of you twice ;)

Food

Appetizers

Apple, Brie and Honey Bruschetta

Courtesy: Craving Chronicles

go see her here... http://cravingchronicles.com/2012/09/20/apple-brie-and-honey-bruschetta/

make sure you have these ingredients before you go...

1 baguette, cut into thin slices
6 to 8 ounces brie
1 to 2 fresh apples, thinly sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup toasted* or cinnamon sugared pecans, finely chopped
honey, for drizzling

Goat Cheese & Pistachio Stuffed Figs

Courtesy: A Subtle Revelry

go see her here... http://asubtlerevelry.com/goat-cheese-and-pistachio-figs

make sure you have these ingredients before you go...

Fresh figs (halved), 

Goat cheese, 

Pistachios (finely chopped), 

black pepper to taste, 

2 tablespoons of honey, 

4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar – preferably fig balsamic vinegar

Bacon Wrapped Butternut Squash

Courtesy: Holistically Engineered

go see her here..http://holisticallyengineered.com/2012/12/bacon-wrapped-butternut-squash-bites.html

make sure you have these ingredients before you go...

2 1/2 lbs butternut squash
15 slices of bacon
Olive oil
Chili powder
Garlic powder
Salt

Happy Eating!