Category: Appetizers and snacks

Goat Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

Appetizers and snacks, Farmer's Market Finds, Vegetarian

The farmer’s market near me is in full swing! Gorgeous strawberries, peaches, lettuces, and tons of fresh veggies and honey. Katie loves coming with me to indulge in the flavored honey sticks, fresh bread, and doughnuts. It is my happy place 😉 I spied the last package of these gorgeous squash blossoms, so I got them, of course!

First I took out the staamen (super bitter), then I gently rinsed them with water. They are super delicate, but they also may have some bugs living inside, so clean them. I leave the stem on to help keep them together, but cut them off at the end.

I filled these guys up with herbed goat cheese. You could use cream cheese, ricota, mozzarella, add chopped herbs, or whatever cheese combo you have on hand. I have made these fried in oil and baked in the oven, but I wondered about the possibility of using my air fryer. It worked! I made a simple batter of 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon corn starch, 1 egg, and some soda water mixed well. I have also used beer before with rice flour, which is also great.

Air Fryer- 400 for 4 minutes. Check and turn over. Cook for about 4 more minutes. The cheese will escape and that is fine. SO GOOD!

Easy Ham and Cheese Quiche

Appetizers and snacks, Eggs, Pantry Raid, Perfect Side Dish..., Side dishes...veggies, Vegetarian

I found a random frozen pie crust in the freezer, so I decided to make a yummy quiche, which basically was just for me, because no one else ate it. You could leave out the ham and add in veggies to make this vegetarian. The crust broke on me, but it was still summer yummy! This is was all I ate this weekend 😉

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup whole milk (or half and half)
  • 1 1/2 cups diced ham
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or mix it up with what you have)
  • 1 deep dish frozen pie crust added in a pie pan
  • salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, salt and pepper.
  • Stir in ham and cheeses. Save some cheese for the top 😉
  • Pour filling into pie crust, set on a baking sheet and place in oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until set.

Cavatappi and Meatball Bake with Mozzarella Bruschetta

Appetizers and snacks, Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, Pasta

So I am on a roll in the kitchen cooking up a storm and loving it! I think I just needed a break for a bit to realize how much I missed it.

Tonight I did not have carpool duty, so I decided early on to make a pasta bake for dinner. I wasn’t sure what meat I was going to use, but I knew it couldn’t be “fake meat” because my husband does not care of it. When I got to the grocery store, I saw that meatballs were on sale, so I decided to make a meatball pasta dish. I settled on Cavatappi, which is the pasta shaped like corkscrews.

It was super easy to throw together. I cooked the pasta 2 minutes less than the package said, while I cooked the frozen meatballs in the jarred sauce. Then I added the pasta to the sauce and meatballs.

I covered the entire dish with mozzarella cheese and baked until the cheese melted and had some pretty brown bubbly spots, about 30 minutes.

A huge pan of pasta means leftovers!!!

I also made these delicious Mozzarella Bruchetta…

I grated a clove of garlic in a heaping tablespoon of butter to make garlic butter. Then I sliced an Italian loaf of bread in medium sized pieces and slathered on the butter and topped with a slice of fresh mozzarella. I put that in the oven on the second rack halfway through the pasta baking. It about 10 minutes to melt the cheese and toast the bread. Keep an eye on them. You don’t want to smoke out your kitchen!

I chopped up 2 tomatoes, some fresh basil, and mixed it with a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of balsamic glaze with a bit of salt and pepper. Topped the cheese toast with the tomato mixture and topped with more balsamic drizzle and basil. I honestly ate 4 pieces and really wasn’t hungry for the pasta, even though I still had a few bites. I could eat this everyday forever and ever…

Blender Hummus

Appetizers and snacks, Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, gluten free, Vegetarian

Becca has been begging to make hummus. This was a basic recipe that we made in the blender. We threw everything in the blender and let it whir! So easy and yummy!

1 can chickpeas

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup well-stirred tahini

3 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

Salt to taste

2 to 3 tablespoons water

Caprese Bruschetta

Appetizers and snacks, Date Night, Dinner with Friends, Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, Girls' Night Out/In

Sliced french bread smeared in olive oil, minced garlic, topped with burrata, tomatoes, and basil cooked under the broiler for about 6 minutes topped with some balsamic glaze (or thickened balsamic vinaigrette- mine was bought, but you can just add regular balsamic or use this recipe, which is delicious.)img_1770