Fruit and Yogurt Dip

When it came to cooking for my last book club meeting, I just wasn't havin it.  Oddly enough, I wasn't even that busy; I just didn't want to tie myself down to preparing a specific travel-well recipe for a group.  My solution was to open up one of my "easy" cookbooks.  Every recipe in this cookbook is easy, but at the beginning of each section, they give a list of extra easy "recipes".  These are the ones that basically require zero effort but can sneakily make your meal more impressive.  It was here that I found fruit with yogurt dip.

All you do is add honey, nutmeg, and cinnamon to vanilla yogurt.  Stir it together and serve with fruit (I used pineapple and cantaloupe).  I used the 0% Tahitian vanilla Greek yogurt from Trader Joes so not only was this dip good, it was healthy.  And it was good.  One of the girls said it tasted "just like fall," which is a yay! for me (pat on the back) but a wah :( for the reminder that cold weather is approaching.  Fruit plates, like crudité platters, are the go-to buffet staple when you want to add something healthy to your spread.  But plain fruit plates are boring.  Adding this yogurt is not.

The picture is capital T terrible because there were no lights on the roof where we were holding book club.  Sorry bout that.

before mixing in the honey

Greek Salad Skewers

I remembered on Monday night that I had book club on Tuesday.  (That's the day after in case you've been working the kind of hours I have resulting in days that bleed together.)  I was right near Whole Foods so I cruised Pinterest for an easy appetizer while I walked to the store.  I found this pic for mini Greek salad skewers and loved that it was so simple I didn't even need to look at a recipe.  I bought all the ingredients and set my alarm 15 minutes early so I had time to assemble the dish before work.

The night before, I was telling my Mom about my brilliant app idea and she questioned how I would skewer the feta without it crumbling.  "Ugh, Mooom.  Clearly it works if you use good feta.  How else would they have a picture of it?"  Can you guess what happened next?  My Mom was right.  As usual.

No matter.  The toothpicks I was using were a bit tiny anyway so I just skewered the tomatoes, cucumbers, and pitted kalamata olives.  Then I crumbled some feta on top.  I figure when people pick up their toothpicks there will inevitably be some feta clinging on.  If I was doing this at home and presenting on a large platter, one update I would probably make would be to drizzle the skewers with some olive oil and sprinkle a few crushed red pepper flakes over the top.  I only remembered to snap a pic after they were almost all gone and had been sitting out for a while, pooling in their own juices.  It's not the most appetizing shot, but it's better than nothing.

Ringing in 2014

I know I must be getting older because I no longer care about going to an all-inclusive rager for New Years Eve.  Don't get me wrong, I still love the excuse to get hammered in a party dress, but I don't need to spend $150 to do so with strangers.  That's what we call maturity.

This year, I hosted a party at my apartment that migrated to a karaoke bar shortly after the ball dropped.  We still got wild, but on our own terms.  And my #1 term was that this party would be easy to pull together considering I was just getting back from a week-long ski trip with the fam.  The best way to make sure a party comes together with little effort is to take some help from the store.  More than half the food was homemade but I supplemented the spread with cheese wafers from my hometown's Byrd Cookie Company as well as 5-layer Mexican dip, mini chicken pot pies, sea salt brownies, and doughnut holes from Trader Joe's.  

Now for the stuff I made myself:  

First, I whipped up a cocktail because a signature drink always sets the party mood.  I mixed vodka with grapefruit soda and then added frozen blueberries.  The blueberries kept the drink cold without watering it down and also added some crazy color.  

Because New York has gotten quite chilly (I finally broke out the puffy coat), I thought everyone would love for the first thing they see as they walk in from the cold to be warm soup.  I bought tomato bisque from Trader Joe's but then made it my own by adding fresh basil and a homemade cheesy crouton.  For the crouton, I had the bakery counter slice up a baguette for me and then I just topped it with shredded gruyere and stuck it in the oven until it was nice and toasty.  The toppings took as much time to prepare as it took for the soup to warm (about 5 minutes).  

Next, I took a cue from my Mom.  My mother has thrown plenty of parties and no one ever leaves disappointed.  One of the ways she ensures such a result is by serving baked salami.  Mix brown sugar and mustard (dijon or whole grain) - there are no proportions, just mix it til it tastes right.  Pierce a salami (Oscar Mayer, Hebrew National) and then spoon the sauce over the top, reserving some, and bake in a 325 oven for 30-45 minutes.  Baste midway through with more sauce.  When it's done. slice it and then quarter each slice.  You don't even get your hands dirty and every piece will be gone by the end of the party.  My Mom made this every time my Daddy had poker night and now my brother makes it for his cigar club so in a world of mini quiches, this app is definitely dude-approved.

Caprese skewers have become a big hit over the last few years (I make them all the time), but I would like to recommend miniaturizing another Italian salad, prosciutto and melon.  Just crumple up some prosciutto and skewer it on a toothpick with a cube of cantaloupe.  This one was also gone by the end of the party, I think because it's so refreshing.

When I saw a sale on phyllo cups at the grocery store, I bought three packages.  They take no time to thaw and if you pick an easy filling, the entire appetizer will be complete in five minutes.  I stuck a piece of brie inside each cup and placed them in the oven for a couple minutes - just until the brie melted.  When they came out of the oven, I topped each one with a candied walnut.  It looks much fancier than it is.  

You know what else will make anything look fancy?  Caviar.  Caviar and champagne go hand in hand when you're rich and famous.  Since it was New Years, I knew there would be champagne so I seized the opportunity to pretend I was one such rich and famous person and got some caviar.  Robin Leach would be so proud...until he learned I bought the cheap caviar instead of the good stuff.  How bougie.  Anyway, I found blinis (mini savory pancakes) at the grocery store that required nothing more than three minutes in the oven and topped those with a little crème fraîche and the caviar and I had a lovely, festive appetizer.  The hardest part about that dish was opening the caviar jar. 

Champagne wishes and caviar dreams to all of you in 2014!

Gobble Gobble 2013

This holiday never gets old to me.  I get the warm fuzzies just thinking about all the tradition.  And as is tradition in my family, I am in charge of the appetizers.  Since the caramelized onion dip I made for book club was devoured, I decided that would be my backup.  I've learned to always have a backup.  Plus, the Konters are big eaters who warrant two appetizers.

For my second appetizer, I made a Brussels sprouts and parmesan crostini.  I used this recipe and it came out perfectly.  Four heads of garlic may sound like a lot, but you'll need every bit of it and it's sweet once it's all roasted.  Yes, there's parmesan in this but it's not a ton and that doesn't really count as a real cheese anyway so this is a great way to lighten up the regularly heavy, cheese-laden appetizer spread.  It was also super easy to put together.  The only thing that takes time is roasting the garlic, but that's not anything that takes any effort - you just stick it in the oven and forget about it.  I actually recommend doing it the night before so you really don't have to worry about it.  Once you've cut the sprouts into slaw, the whole thing takes about 15 minutes to cook and assemble.

My father, who complained all day while I was cooking that he hates Brussels sprouts and I should have prepared something that he would eat, actually said this was "actually pretty good."  It may not sound like a rave review to you but considering his extreme detestation, it was a pretty high compliment.

We had a smaller crowd for Thanksgiving this year, but we didn't really know how to cook any less than we always do.  In Konter fashion, we took that as a challenge to still go through just as much food with fewer people and this appetizer was no exception.

Caramelized Onion Dip

The day before last week's book club I Googled "make ahead appetizers" and the first article to pop up was "6 Make-Ahead Appetizers" at realsimple.com.  I've made many a Real Simple recipe that turned out great so I knew I was bound to find something easy and delicious there.  I was drawn to the caramelized onion dip because I'm a fan of caramelized onions...but really because this recipe looked dummy-proof.

This recipe doesn't really require any work; it just takes time.  35 minutes total.  Don't try to speed up the caramelization process, the onions will just burn.  Low and slow is the motto here.  I hope you like the smell of caramelized onions (I do) because your apartment will smell like them for two days.  The dipping vehicle makes a difference here, too.  I stumbled upon waffle cut Cape Cod kettle chips, which were even thicker than a normal kettle chip.  Thickness is key.  (That's what she said - nailed it.)  Vegetable chips (like taro) would also be great with this.  I was concerned I made too much but the whole batch was gone by the end of book club.

  

Floyd's and Their Beer Cheese

I figured beer cheese was basically my beloved pimento cheese but with beer.  If anything, I thought it would just have a whippier consistency.  Unfortunately, Floyd Beer Cheese was a bit too crumbly for my taste.  The flavor was spot on.  A little hoppy from the beer, smoky from the bacon, and just a bit spicy.  I thought it would soften up when it got to room temp but it just wasn't the case.  The people who buy and sell it at Smorgasburg would tell you it's the texture I was looking for.  Maybe I got a bad batch?  If it was just a bit more spreadable, I would be eating it daily.

Though the cheese didn't quite reach my high hopes, I was a big fan of Floyd, the bar.  It's divey with an indoor bocce court and baroque couches for reading.  It was a perfect second stop on our Saturday bar crawl around Brooklyn Heights.

Herb Butter and Radish Toasts

Appetizer number two at Friday's dinner party, her butter and radish toasts, was another easy one.  Here's a tip that will make your life significantly easier if you're the kind of person who entertains: bakery counters slice bread for you.  This is a great thing to know if you ever want to use a loaf of sourdough for your lunch sandwiches, but it's even better for a party.  Toasts or crostini are a major crowd pleaser at any gathering.  They can be topped with virtually anything and are relatively easier to put together.  The only thing that can get annoying is slicing the baguette.  It take time, the bread usually gets smushed, and you're left with crumbs all over your kitchen.  Well if you just take that baguette to the counter, they'll slice it right up in perfect little rounds.  With that bit of the process taken care of, you can stick them on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and let them get toasty while you make the topping.  Sooooo much easier.

It's not so big in the US, but in France, radishes with butter and salt is a snack akin to our carrot sticks and ranch dressing.  I decided to up upgrade it a bit by using herb butter, which is easy to make.  Just mix herbs into butter and put it back in the fridge to set.  At least that was my plan.  But then I found ready made herb butter at Trader Joe's.  That made things even easier (and tastier since they put garlic in theirs).  Simply spread the butter on the toasts and top with thinly sliced radishes (I like using a mandolin to get them the right thickness).  Since my appetizers are usually heavy and cheese-laden, it was nice to have something a little lighter on the buffet.

Brussels Sprout Prosciutto Skewers

On Friday I hosted a dinner party that went off without a hitch.  Because the guests were arriving at 8:00 and I wasn't going to get to my apartment until almost 7:30, I had to make sure I filled the menu with easy to activate dishes.  I also knew I would be doing all the work for the main course (sausage lasagna with smoked mozzarella and a side of roasted cauliflower) once everyone was already there so I needed to have a couple appetizers ready to go.  That way, people could snack and mingle (mingling is always easier when there are snacks to mingle over) while I finished off the cooking.  With food to pick at, I knew they wouldn't miss me while I spent a few minutes finishing everything in the kitchen.

The first app was brussels sprout and prosciutto skewers.  The last time I made this app was over Thanksgiving last year.  I promised I would take a pic and I am now making good on that promise.  Much like anything else made with prosciutto, these guys went quickly.  They also taste fine at room temp so they're a great item to put out at a party.

Pizza Rolls

Book club starts at 7:30 and as luck would have it, I was scheduled to host during one of my busiest work weeks.  I got off the subway at 7:10 and still hadn't picked up any ingredients.  By 7:25 I was in my apartment after running through the grocery store to pick up the four items needed to make the easiest thing I could think of: pizza rolls.  I had never made them before but have seen plenty of variations on Pinterest so I just went with it.  Luckily, it worked and every pizza roll was eaten by the end of the evening...not bad for a 5 minute dish!

I'm sure when you read pizza rolls, you're thinking Totino's from the freezer aisle.  That's not these.  But don't knock those frozen babies - that was the drunk food of choice for my apartment senior year.  It's amazing how quickly a group of four girls can tear through a large bag (90 count) of those after a night at the bars. Anyway, this is a different take that's just as easy to make:  Fill Pillsbury crescent rolls with shredded mozzarella and pepperoni.  Bake according to package directions.  Heat up marinara sauce in the microwave.  Serve.  It may not be fancy, but it's good.

Baked Ricotta

Since my apartment is relatively close to Gramercy Theater, I decided to have the girls over for food and drinks before we headed to Yacht Rock later that night.  Most of the food came from Trader Joe's because no one can complain about going with store-bought food when it means you're munching on mac and cheese balls.  I did, however make one dish: baked ricotta.  I used this recipe for the ultra simple dip and it couldn't have come out better.  It's basically lasagna without the noodles and great when scooped up with toasted baguette slices.  I didn't take a picture of my version, but it actually came out looking a lot like the one from the recipe so click your way through the link above...you might even discover you like the blog it came from, Sarcastic Cooking, as much as I do.

Ringing in 2013

I just realized I never filled you in on New Years Eve celebration!  I was surrounded by tons of my closest pals so we could have done anything and had a great time, but it just so happens that the events of the evening were fun as well.  A friend of a friend rented out the downstairs of Park Avenue Tavern so for a low price (by NYE standards) we had appetizers, open bar, and tons of fun hats waiting for us just a few blocks from my apartment.

Because people rarely eat at those things, I decided to have a little pre-party soirée so everyone could coat their stomachs before heading to the main event.  Once the party grew to 12 people, we were no longer talking about a sit down meal so I had to think of items that are as easy as apps to eat but heavy enough to be considered dinner.  Unfortunately, I was terrible about taking pictures so there's only one awful one to share, but I encourage you to use your imagination.

The first of the heavier dishes was the antipasto lettuce wraps I posted about recently.  The other more dinner-like dish was buffalo chicken sliders.  I set out slider rolls and then allowed everyone to serve themselves from the crock pot where I had let chicken, cream cheese, and Frank's Red Hot simmer away for hours till it was pull apart style.  I set up some blue cheese right next to the pot so they could assemble their sandwiches as they pleased.  This was the winner of the evening - people went up for thirds!  I made stuffed mushrooms using crab dip as the stuffing (basically crab, onion, mayo, cream cheese, old bay, lemon juice, and hot sauce), set up some hummus and carrots for munching, and made dates stuffed with manchego for something on the sweeter side.  Dates are a hard thing to get people to try.  They don't look very pretty (just look at that pic below), and they're not common enough in America to not be a little on the scary side.  Once people taste them, however, they usually enjoy them so I recommend giving them a chance.

Of course, it's not New Years without a little bubbly, as evidenced by the six bottles of champagne our group went through in about two hours.  I pre-loaded each champagne glass with rock candy to make it even more festive.  It looks gorgeous and will make even the cheap champagne drinkable.  After the first round, we started adding a dash of pomegranate juice to the glasses as well for a little extra flavor.  Drinking fancy cocktails while dressed in sparkles makes you feel untouchable - a great way to start the New Year.

 

Prosciutto Arugula Bundles

I had mentioned in my Oyster Roast post that Allison made an appetizer that I had plans to steal and this week I did just that at book club.  I promised I would give Allison full credit and here I am, giving her a big pat on the back for sharing this recipe because it was a hit.

This is a great recipe for just about any occasion.  It's perfect when you're hosting a party because it only takes a minute to throw together, leaving you time to focus on other dishes, decorations, or mingling with guests.  It's also great for a potluck because it can be made in advance and then travels well, served at room temp.

Lay out strips of prosciutto, put a little mound of arugula in the middle, add some blue cheese or gorgonzola crumbles, and roll up into a little bundle.  You won't even need toothpicks to secure them.  They look nice and pretty with the green poking out and arugula and prosciutto work together well as they are their own natural salt and pepper shakers.

Oyster Roast 2012

I added "2012" to this blog post's title because after the success of this year's event, it's sure to become an annual thing.  Oyster roasts are commonplace in The Lowcountry for good reason - they're freakin awesome.  Basically, you create a pit outside and roast the oysters on a grate above an open flame (we roasted 5 bushels - each weighs about 60 lbs).  Once they're cooked, you pour them out on the table and get to shucking.  The best part (other than the oysters themselves) is that everybody has great conversation while they're hunched over the picnic table, sleeves rolled up, batting away gnats with their elbows.  It's a fabulous southern tradition and one that I'm happy my brother introduced to our Thanksgiving weekend tradition.

Before I left for Savannah, Mark asked me if I would make any apps since he knows that's my specialty.  Just as I did for Thanksgiving, I made one fallback (bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers) and one new recipe. The newbie this time was Brussels sprout prosciutto sandwiches.  It was way easier than I expected.  You'd expect something this easy to be ugly, but it looks nice and pretty - like a bowl full of shiny emeralds.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture so you can't see how good they looked, but check out this recipe to see where I got my inspiration.  I tweaked the original recipe a bit: I halved the sprouts, put them on a foil lined cookie sheet, and drizzled with oil and whatever spice blend I have lying around (big fan of Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning).  Once they were nice and browned, I tore prosciutto into manageable bits, sandwiched between two halves, and skewered with a toothpick.  The original recipe calls for cooked prosciutto, but I think prosciutto is best as is.  Next to the jalapeno poppers, this app was basically a healthy salad.  I'm sure I'll make them again soon and won't forget to whip out the camera.  Allison also made a bangin app, but I'm not going to describe it now because I already have plans to steal it and make it for book club next month (giving her credit, of course) so you'll just have to wait on that one.

Photo courtesy of Greg Greenberg

 

Gobble Gobble 2012

Now that we're in year 5 of Thanksgiving at Mark and Allison's, we've started settling into our own traditions.  When we combined the Sand and Konter families we kept some favorites from each side (two turkeys, corn and carrot souffles, cranberry sauce, etc.) and then incorporated some new dishes that have since become depended upon to fill out the spread (two types of dressing).  Each person in the family has their own dish and role in the meal, including me.

My dish, however, is the only one that changes every year.  I am always in charge of appetizers, but I always make something different.  I feel like Jeff Daniels' character in "Pleasantville," the soda shop owner who gets to paint the windows at the diner for Christmas.  It's the one time a year he gets to express himself and do whatever he wants.  My appetizers may not be as artistic as all that, but it is fun to play around, especially during a holiday that's all about tradition and doing things the same way each year.  I guess for my dish, the thing that stays the same is the fact that it always changes.  Did I just confuse you?  Good.

Like always, I made one dish that I've tried before in case the new recipe didn't work.  This year's fallback was bacon wrapped potatoes with hot sauce sour cream.  They went over just as well as they did at book club a couple weeks ago.  The new dish was a hot ricotta dip.  I absolutely loved this.  I used this recipe and it turned out perfectly.

You could actually pick out the individual flavors of the lemon zest and red pepper flakes as well as the herbs - oh, the herbs!  Rosemary and thyme are so perfect for Fall/Winter and the flavor of the fresh stuff makes a real impression.  I know you won't believe that a dish made entirely of cheese won't weigh you down, but this is not a heavy appetizer.  Ricotta is a lighter cheese by nature and once the egg is added it poufs up like a souffle.  In case you didn't know, souffle is French for "classy" so make this and you'll be one fancy bitch.