{turning spicy tuna bowls into an appetizer}

One of my weeknight dinners is a deconstructed spicy tuna bowl which I blogged about almost two years ago here!  We made these bowls for dinner the other night and I thought it would be fun to try turning this fave dish into an appetizer version by making it into bite size pieces.

Technically since this dish is a deconstructed sushi roll, the appetizer version would be turning it back it into sushi rolls.  While sushi is great, it is very labor intensive so I decided instead to arrange the ingredients on a bed of thick cut cucumber slices.  Following the ingredients and process from the original recipe, simply stack ingredients on top of a cucumber slice starting with the rice followed by the ahi, sprouts, avocado, and spicy mayo.  Sprinkle the top of the dish with panko flakes and sesame seeds.  Keep prepared slices chilled until ready to serve.

{mushroom crostini}

This past weekend we grabbed dinner a great little italian place in the River North neighborhood before we headed out to a charity event for Chris' MBA program at Kellogg.   The restaurant had a solid line up of crostini appetizers including a smashed pea and mint crostini as well as delicious mushroom crostini.  Last night we decided to recreate the mushroom crostini and I think we nailed it- recipe at the bottom of this post.

what you need (makes 4):

• 20 thinly sliced cremini mushrooms
• 3 shallots
• 3 cloves of garlic
• fontina cheese
• crusty french bread
• fresh cut cilantro

1. heat oven on highest broil setting.
2. sautee shallots in butter for a minute. add mushrooms and cook until fully cooked (5 to 6 minutes)
3. slice bread on an angle about 1 inch thick. grill slices of bread until crispy
4. top grilled slices with mushrooms and add a slice of fontina cheese to cover the top. (it helps to place fontina in freezer for 10 minutes beforehand to ease in slicing the cheese)
5. place crostini in oven under broiler until cheese is melted. 
6. sprinkle with freshly cut cilantro.
7. serve immediately and enjoy!

{pretzel, bbq pork & sweet potato burgers}

Yes- you read the title of this post correctly.  Does it sort of sound like I have lost my mind and threw a bunch of random stuff from our fridge into a burger?  I wish I could say that was the situation, but I consciously made the decision to put these ingredients together after discovering the existence of pretzel buns at Trader Joe's the other day. This burger is just that same old salty/sweet mix that never fails to satisfy so really it's not that crazy of an ingredient combo.  The salty pretzel bun mixed with sweet and tangy BBQ pulled pork makes for a pretty flavorful combination on their own- plus the pea sprouts and sweet potatoes thrown for some added crunch!

These burgers are the perfect item to bring to that super bowl party you are invited to this weekend not just because they take minimal prep and look fancy in addition to tasting good, but because they taste good cold.  Serving things at the correct temperature is always rough when it's pot luck situation where food has to travel and then also hang out among other guest's food for extended periods of time.  While I do prefer these burgers served warm, they definitely aren't going to disappoint anyone once they cool down! 

Recipe below the pretty pictures and check out what I made for the Super Bowl last year right here. 

{because sriracha makes everything better}

BBQ pulled pork pretzel burgers with Sweet Potatoes & Pea Sprouts

• pretzel buns from Trader Joe's
• microwavable container of ready made BBQ pulled pork from Trader Joes**
• one container of pea sprouts
• one sweet potato
• sriracha to taste
• mustard to taste
• 1/4 stick of butter

1. peel sweet potatoes. cut into 1/4 inch thick slices- about 2 to 3 slices per burger. brush slices with vegetable oil and roast in 450 degree oven until tender (about 10 minutes).  then pan-sear slices to add a little color and crispy-ness.
2. cut pretzel buns in half, lightly coat inside with butter and toast. 
3. heat BBQ pork in microwave according to directions on packaging. 
4. place sweet potato slices on burger, then add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the pulled pork.  Top with pea sprouts, sriracha & mustard!
5. optional: spear burger with some cute and decorative! :)

**note if there isnt a Trader Joe's near you: there is a Jack Daniels version of this BBQ pulled pork that I have seen in the frozen aisle of most big chain grocery stores. I can't vouch for the taste since I have never tried it, but I don't think whiskey ever hurt anybody...

{appetizers for dinner}

I like appetizers. A lot.  I'm generally reminding myself at social get togethers to not embarrass myself by taking the entire plate of appetizers off of a server's tray as they are passing through.  Maybe it's because I love tiny food so much and the general idea of an appetizer is to be cute and bite size.  This past weekend, Chris and I were trying to brainstorm up a menu for a little night spend in and after only finding appetizer ideas that sounded appealing we decided to make a dinner out of a dishes you would usually find on the "starters" menu.  Rather than sit down for a proper meal, we spent the evening cooking in the kitchen together and enjoying the appetizers as they became ready.   We cooked up three different dishes (click on the different elements below for recipe links):

• grilled asparagus topped with a perfect fried egg and romesco sauce
• pan fried cauliflower with romesco and topped with flat leaf parsley & garlic toasted panko flakes
• mortadella spread with fresh baby spinach & balsamic glazed cashews (recipe at bottom of post)

 {charred red peppers for the romesco sauce}

{a maple old fashioned to accompany the cooking}

 {pan fried cauliflower on a bed of romesco topped with flat leaf parsley & garlic toasted panko}

{grilled asparagus with friend egg and romesco sauce}

                              {crostini with mortadella spread topped with spinach & balsamic cashews}

what you need

• 1/2 lb mortadella
• 1 cup chopped baby spinach
• 1/3 cup chopped cashews
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette
• 1/2 sliced french baguette
• 1/3 cup olive oil

1. Chop cashews and lightly toast. Toss with balsamic vinaigrette and set aside. 
2. Cut mortadella into small chunks and place in food processor with about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of olive oil until mixture reaches a spreadable consistency.
3. Toast baguette slices.
4. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the mortadella onto each toasted slice.
5. Top with chopped spinach and large spoonful of the balsamic cashew mixture.
6. Lightly salt to taste.

{peach & ricotta crostini}

Crostini is definitely our go to appetizer for dinner parties: it's quick, can be served cold and has limitless options for toppings.  See a few of the past crostini recipes we have made here and here.  For this past Saturday's dinner party,  I wanted to do something that was a mixture of salty and sweet. Since we had some leftover rosemary we decided on ricotta sprinkled with finely chopped rosemary then topped with a piece of prosciutto and a slice of sweet white peach.  The best thing about this particular crostini combination (other than that it obviously tastes great) is it holds up really well and can be made a few hours in advance!

{easy appetizer: goat cheese pear slices}

 Last week, we had some friends over before heading up the street to Bar+Kitchen to check out their cocktails and DineLA menu.  Since I knew I wouldn't have much time to prepare something before they came over and we wouldn't have much to time to snack on it, I wanted to find a super quick appetizer to go along with our pre-dinner cocktail.  I spotted this photo on Pinterest a while back and I just happened to already have all the ingredients on hand.  

This is by far one of the quickest appetizers I have ever made and the taste is truly spectacular given how simple the ingredients are.  I was afraid the goat cheese would overshadow the entire thing, but the flavors of the tart cranberrries and sweet pear really balance out the creamy cheese.  The best thing about this dish is you could easily make it in countless different variations based on what you have available such as using apple slices topped with brie, slivered almonds and honey.

{easy appetizer: bbq pulled pork sliders}

 

Trader Joe's is by far my favorite place to shop for our day to day groceries, but its also a great resource for fun and different foods for a small get together or even a large party.  I have blogged about their mini slider buns before when we used them for mini veggie burgers (see that post here).  This past weekend, I picked up some more slider buns and a pack of Trader Joes BBQ pulled pork.  The pork only takes a few minutes in the microwave,  meanwhile you can toast the slider buns with a bit of mayonnaise on each side and a couple minutes later, after some minimal assembly, you have a tasty appetizer. 

{summer appetizer: strawberry pesto crostini}

Okay technically this appetizer could be made all year round, but the strawberries make it feel like it belongs in summertime.  Anyways this is now my new favorite appetizer since it has everything you need; toasted bread, creamy goat cheese, tasty pesto, sweet strawberries and tart balsamic.  I originally came across this recipe on Pinterest and you can view the instructions here.  To be honest, I cheated on this and bought the pesto from the store since I was exhausted after a weekend trip to Palm Springs (yes, I realize pesto is easy to make and yes, I still choose to purchase it pre-made: it is Classico brand and it was great).  I would also recommend that instead of chopping the strawberries, you slice them in thin layers and lay them on top of the crostini.  The chopped strawberries got a bit messy and I assure you it wasn't user error, those strawberries fall everywhere.  Just do yourself a favor and slice them.

{easy appetizer: goat cheese stuffed figs + honey}

I almost let out a little scream of excitement when I saw that Trader Joe's had figs in their produce department the other day (notice I said I almost screamed...clearly I didn't actually do that because that would be embarrassing).  The season for figs is so short and they seem to be so hard to come by, so I scooped these up immediately to make one of my favorite appetizers- goat cheese stuffed figs with honey and balsamic.  You can make these up a couple hours ahead of time and just pop them in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes before guests arrive.

What you need:

• figs (2 to 3 per person)
• goat cheese
• honey
• balsamic vinegar

1. cut off the tops of the figs and then cut an X across the top about 1/2 inch deep.
2. open the X you have just cut and fill with about 1 tablespoon of goat cheese (you can put more if the figs are larger.  It's goat cheese- it going to taste good no matter what.)
3. place figs on foil lined sheet and place in 400 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes
4. place on to serving tray and drizzle with honey and balsamic. Salt to taste. 
5. Enjoy!