appetizer -

by Emily

Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms: Your Fail-Proof Holiday App

Looking for a last minute appetizer to serve at your New Year’s Eve bash or New Year’s Day dinner? (If you’re thinking, wow, this girl just uses the new year as an excuse for one last chance to pig out, YES, you are right, what’s your point?)

These stuffed mushrooms are IT. Everyone loves a stuffed mush at a party, and these ones are especially luxurious thanks to the fact that they’re stuffed with crab! Despite their fanciness, they take about 10 minutes to put together and are almost impossible to mess up.

Festive Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

by hungry monster

Sports Snacks: Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip

Well. Fall is basically here, guys. Football season just started, so it’s time to bring on the bevy of snack and appetizer recipes.

Instead of having you heat up some deep fried frozen snacks for your guests, I thought I’d bring you some super simple sinless snack options (try saying that five times fast). That way you can cheer on your team with delicious treats while maintaining your figure. Skinny snacks, for the win!!!

This one is soooo good. I recommend making a double batch because this will be gobbled up by family and friends. You will be the hit of all football (or any other type of) gatherings!

Yes, might have a buffalo chicken obsession.

(Healthy) Buffalo Chicken Dip

by Emily

Not-so-Heavy Apps: Tomato and Sweet Onion Bruschetta Topping

When I’m having people over, I often like to serve a bunch of fancy-ish snacks (or as we would call it in the events world, “heavy apps,” but I’ve always thought that sounded gross) rather than a full meal. It’s less intimidating for you as a host and your guests as… well, guests. Unless you’re specifically throwing a full-on dinner party, a big plated meal can be kind of hard to stomach—no pun intended—compared to grazing on some indulgent snacks and sipping wine while watching a movie or whatever.

It is in this mindset that I present my 100% easiest bruschetta recipe ever. Have a loaf of nice bread and want to put more than butter on top of it? Done and done. This one almost isn’t a full-blown recipe… it’s that simple. But don’t tell your friends that, and they’ll never be the wiser.

Sweet Onion & Fresh Tomato Bruschetta

in Recipe / Veggie 0 comments

by Twin Tastes

Citrus and Cheese: Baked Feta with Thyme-Infused Candied Kumquats

We first discovered kumquats a few years ago, and were amazed that you could just pop the tiny, elliptical bright orange fruits into your mouth, rind and all. The unconventional citrus fruits have a tart pulp on the interior and sweet pith on the exterior. The contrasting flavors tantalize your taste buds in every bite. While often a rarity in grocery stores, we recommend you keep an eye out for them around the winter months and enjoy them whole, or as a standout in any tart, sweet syrup or puree.

For a quick and stunning hors d’oeuvre, we recommend thinly slicing the kumquats, and candying them over the stove with a touch of thyme. We then spoon the vibrant compote atop a block of baked feta cheese. The creamy, pungent, salty feta melts slightly in the oven and pairs perfectly with the super sweet kumquat topping. We spread the decorative melted cheese atop toasted sliced bread with a sprinkling of pleasantly spicy pink peppercorns.

Baked Feta with Thyme-Infused Candied Kumquats

in Cheese / Veggie 0 comments

by hungry monster

It is STILL Summer: Coconut Shrimp Meatball on Crostini with Fruit Salsa

Soooo, are any of you folks on Pinterest? I am and I waste hours (yes, hours) of my life looking at pins, pinning pins, liking pins and thinking about pins. Clearly, I have too much free time (at work).

It’s bumming me out lately that people are pinning Halloween stuff and (gasp) Christmas stuff. I mean, slow down, y’all.

It’s still totally summer, if you ask me. I literally just started buying and wearing tank tops because I sort of have a tan (a tan for me is not really a tan by normal standards, but at least nobody is blinded by my upper arms anymore). Also, all the summer clothes are on clearance now and that makes me happy.

Let’s just relax.

And enjoy summer.

How about a coconut shrimp appetizer for your cocktail party? It screams SUMMER!

Quit trying to plan ahead and live in the present…mostly just so I can enjoy my tank tops and flip flops for a little longer.

Coconut Shrimp Meatball on Crostini with Fruit Salsa

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by Borracho

Gridiron Grub: Can’t Get Much Wurst

Anyone with internet access or two ears has undoubtedly heard of the recent travesty that occurred at Penn State University. I will not waste much time discussing the issue on ES. but suffice it to say, it has been an extremely difficult week to spend much time paying attention to football, and particularly being a PSU fan. It’s even harder to add the typical fart jokes you’ve come to expect from ES. Come Saturday though, we’re still looking forward to watching some football.

Trying to think of a relatively simple dish for this week’s football get-together, I remembered I had a voucher for a package of The Original Brat Hans. I don’t normally shill for any specific products but their brats are a tasty guilt-free option for meat-eaters like myself. No antiobiotics, added hormones, preservatives, MSG or nitrates; even the chickens and hogs used are 100% vegetarian-fed. After seeing that voucher I ran to the store to pick some up and had the beginnings of an idea. I pulled out some of my homemade canned chili sauce to make a very typical German food truck dish: Currywurst.

in Personal / Recipe / Red Meat 1 comments

by BS

An Italian Chef Walks Into a Nacho Bar…

Chef Richard Hodge really loves nachos. Unfortunately, he works at an Italian restaurant, which makes putting them on his menu impossible. Or does it?

Hodge recently invented a way out of this horrific dilemma: pasta nachos, a new addition to his menu at Puccini & Pinetti in San Francisco.

Instead of nacho chips, Hodge takes wonton wrappers, cuts them into triangles, and fries until crispy. Then he tops them with housemade fennel sausage, a little ~~salsa~~ marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese and bakes until the cheese melts. Once cooked, it’s topped with diced Serrano chilies, tomatoes, shredded basil and red onion. Italian nachos — they really do exist! Hodge was kind enough to share his recipe.

Pasta Nachos

Makes 4 servings

in Cheese / Restaurants 0 comments