Tomato Garlic Crustini

Best summer food of 2015, courtesy of our trip to the Mediterranean back in June – Tomato Garlic Crustini.

What’s even better, we found it by chance, thanks to Fred looking up reviews on TripAdvisor for someplace to eat on our last night in Barcelona.  Not too far from the AirBNB we rented in the El Born section of Barcelona, we walked over to Melic del Gotic.  It was one of the best meals we had on our trip!  It was a small restaurant, with such a happy, fun atmosphere.  The staff and the food were amazing!

We were met outside with shots of sangria and a liqueur, Santa Fe Grosella – no idea what was in it, but YUM.  This was definitely the right place for our crew.

Our first course was this amazing food, which I could totally eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner forever.  So fresh, so good… I even absconded with the rogue piece of garlic that hadn’t been used and left on our table – a nice souvenir to use when I made it when we first got home.

The rest of the meal was fantabulous... but I'll have to write up more about this for our TripAdvisor review.

• Ciabatta bread
• Garlic cloves
• Ripe tomatoes

DIRECTIONS

1. Slice the ciabatta bread, about ¼” to ½” thickness
2. Toast or grill the slices
3. Peel a whole clove of garlic and lightly rub over the toasted bread
   (a little goes a LONG way)
4. Slice the tomato in half and rub, cut side down, over the toasted bread, letting the juices absorb into the bread; discard the outer skin of the tomato
   (depending on the size of the tomato, a half-slice may be used on more than one slice of bread)
5. Repeat with as many garlic cloves and tomatoes as you need.
6. Try to only eat one slice!

More deliciousness from our trip:

Tex Mex Corn Veggie Taco Dip

How I have missed trying new recipes this summer!!!  It has been unbelievably crazy -- Catherine graduated high school, Timmy graduated middle school, an amazing trip down to Disney World, getting ready for Catherine to head off to college... and then the loss of my mother.  So many highs and so many lows.  My family and friends have been with me through this entire journey and I am so incredibly blessed.  I have felt strengthened, sheltered, supported and loved.  There are not enough words that can express how much I thank and love each and every one of you!

My friend Karen drove all the way from North Carolina with her two munchies, to be with me.  What an amazing distraction that was!  With Karen coming up, it necessitated not one get-together... not two... but MANY!  As much as I would have otherwise just holed up at home, my friends enticed me out with their company.  The first was a potluck cookout on Sunday afternoon.   Not having done much cooking this summer, I was at a loss, so I went on Pinterest to find an easy dip to make, where I had most of the ingredients already at home.  This one sold me at "corn" and "tex-mex" (I'm so predictable).  I made it for the cookout, bringing Tostitos and Fritos Scoops, and before we knew it, it was gone.  (Confession:  I may or may not have been one of the girls planted in front of it.)  It seemed like a hit so I decided to make it again for Tuesday's Taco Night, especially since it seemed to go with the theme.  Again, I took home the empty bowl!  Definitely a blog-worthy recipe!  (And I highly recommend the Frito Scoops with it!)

• 8 oz. softened cream cheese
  (Original recipe calls for low fat, which I didn't have... but good to know to make it healthier)
• ¼ cup sour cream
  (Also called for low fat, which I also didn't have)
• 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
• 1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups frozen sweet corn
  (I made it once with defrosted corn, and once with it still frozen... it was fine both times.  The cream cheese made it "solidify" a little with it still frozen but as it defrosts, it will loosen back up.  You just need to stir it before serving.  If you use frozen, I would recommend leaving it out at room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before serving)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 large red onion, diced
• 1 jalapeño, diced finely
• Salt & pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, microwave softened cream cheese for 15-30 seconds or until very easy to stir
2. Mix in sour cream and taco seasoning, stirring thoroughly
3. Add in remaining ingredients
4. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste
5. Serve with tortilla chips or Fritos

Refrigerate up to 7 days (but it won't last that long).

Adapted from Lauren’s Latest blog

Sausage Cheese Balls

I used this recipe for New Year's Eve's ball-themed Family Game Night, however it wasn't the first night I made them.  The backstory to the recipe:  My friend Martha hosted the 4th Annual Holiday Cookie Swap the week before Christmas.  Our friend, Lorrie, brought these Sausage Cheese Balls as a pre-swap offering.  These may have been renamed that night as "hot cakes" as that is how fast they went.  They are more like little biscuit nuggets with amazing flavoring.

I made them for the first time last Sunday, for a Circle gathering to watch our adopted team, the Philadelphia Eagles, as they beat the Dallas Cowboys.  For New Year's we served them, adding a little homemade queso sauce that Catherine came up with for dipping -- it was a fantastic touch!

• 3 cups Original Bisquick mix
• 1 lb. uncooked bulk pork sausage
  (I used half Italian sweet sausage and half hot sausage)
• 4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (16 ounces)
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup milk
• ½ tsp. dried rosemary leaves, crushed
• 1 ½ tsp. chopped fresh parsley or ½ tsp. parsley flakes

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350ºF.
2. Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients using hands or a stand mixer.
4. Using a small scoop, shape mixture into balls and place on the baking sheet.
5. Bake 20-25 minutes or until brown.
6. Immediately remove from pan.
7. Serve warm with sauce for dipping -- queso, barbecue, or chili sauce, if desired

Yields about 100 meatballs

Adapted from Betty Crocker

Chicken Parmesan Meatball Poppers

A shocking statement -- I don't love Chicken Parmesan.  My husband loves it, but me?  Eh, I don't hate it, but I don't gravitate to it.  A few weeks ago, one of my friends (sorry, I can't remember who) posted the link to this recipe on Facebook.  I thought it looked interesting, and I figured I would pin it on Pinterest to save for ... whenever.  That's what I love about Pinterest -- it's a placeholder for things that doesn't clog up anywhere else, but it's right there when you need it.  When I decided that the theme for New Year's would be "balls", I saw that I had saved this recipe.  I figured I would give it a whirl, and knew that my husband would at least be happy.  What I didn't expect was how much I would absolutely love them!  I actually loved them more than he did (he said his favorite was the Arancini balls that Catherine made).  Considering there were only two left on the plate by the end of the party, I think they were a hit.  Thank you to whichever friend posted this on Facebook... YUM!

• 1 lb. ground chicken breast
• ¾ cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• ½ small onion, grated
• 2 Tbsp. marinara sauce
• ½ Tbsp. dried Italian seasoning
• 2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ½ tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  
  
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 1 cup shredded Italian blend shredded cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.
   
3. Set aside 1 cup marinara and shredded Italian cheese.
   
   
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine all remaining ingredients.
5. Mix well, but do not over mix or you will have tough meatballs.
6. Using a small scoop, portion out meat mixture and place on baking sheet.
7. After all meatballs have been scooped onto tray, roll into balls.
8. Bake for 16-18 minutes until lightly browned.
9. Remove from oven and drizzle a spoonful of marinara over each meatball and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
10. Return to the oven and either bake for another 5-10 minutes; or set oven to broil for 2-3 minutes until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.  

Yields approximately 50+ Small Meatballs 

Adapted from Parade

Arancini

There is a restaurant in Newton called Fiorella's that makes a fantastic appetizer called Arancini -- fried balls of rice and cheese covered in sauce.  In keeping with the theme of "balls" for New Year's Eve, Catherine came up with the brainchild of trying to make these and found this recipe on Pinterest.  Who knew we could make something that would taste as good at home as it does at the restaurant.  Since it was a last-minute add-on to the menu, we didn't have the cubes of mozzarella that it called for, so we improvised with shredded mozzarella and it was still delicious.  I can't wait to try them again using one of those cute little mozzarella balls.

• 2 cups cooked white rice, cooled
  
• ½ cup grated Parmesan 
• 3 eggs, separated 
• 1-2 cup of shredded mozzarella; or small cubes/balls fresh mozzarella (enough for each ball) 
• 1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
   
• Oil, for frying 
• 1 cup marinara sauce 

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook the rice as directed and cool.
   
2. Heat oil in a Fry Daddy.
   (Original instructions for those who do not have a Fry Daddy:  Place a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and add enough vegetable oil to rise 4 inches in the pot.  Oil should reach temperature of 375ºF).
   
3. Combine the rice, Parmesan and 1 egg in a medium bowl and use your hands to thoroughly combine the mixture. 
4. If using shredded mozzarella, start with 1 cup and add to the rice mixture.  If it does not seem “cheesy” enough, add more. 
5. Form each arancini by taking a small portion of the mixture to make a ball, squeezing it firmly.
   • If using cube/ball mozzarella, insert one piece into the center of the arancini and close the ball. 
6. Repeat this process to form the remaining arancini (quantity is dependent on the size of the balls you make).
7. Whisk together the remaining 2 eggs in a bowl.In a separate bowl, put in the breadcrumbs.
8. Dip each arancini in the egg bowl and then in the breadcrumb bowl, shaking off any excess.
   
9. Once the oil is to temperature, add 1 or 2 of the breaded arancini to the pot and fry them until golden brown and cooked throughout.
10. Use a slotted spoon to remove the fried arancini from the pot and transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate.
11. Immediately salt the arancini.
12. Repeat the frying process with the remaining arancini.
13. Serve the arancini warm with a side of warm marinara sauce.

Adapted from Just a GoodRecipe blog