Cheesy Mushroom Sliders
Add this to your Super Bowl spread for a bit of variety. Not much can go wrong here except you might run out! Amazingly simple with few ingredients. Add Italian Hot Sausage bits for the meat lovers.
Green Bean Bacon Bundles
One way to get your vegetables on Super Bowl Sunday!
You may have tried a similar recipe as a side dish but we’re having these as appetizers. A man pleasin’ vegetable everyone will enjoy!
If you like your green beans a bit crunchy just precook the bacon slightly. Otherwise, if you don’t mind a bit of browning and caramelization to your green beans, wrap without the bacon precooking and roast. That simple!
Cheese Dip Velveeta or Not
It’s really about Cheese Dip … not the meal I turned it into! Cheese Dip just sounded a perfect addition to Super Bowl Sunday. To use Velveeta or not? I went with the tradition but after tasting a slice I realized this isn’t the Velveeta of my youth. Now What? All this Velvetta! Here’s what I did.
Cooking Secrets from Stresa
Beautiful Day in Stresa Italy with my oldest!
And look what I brought back. Wine has just arrived too!
You too can have these items from Italy. Information to follow but first I’m going to tell you how easy it is to prepare an easy feast on a hot day with my selection of goodies above.
-Add the Bruschetta spices (above) to bread for sandwiches, sprinkle on roasted or mashed potatoes, on meat or fish and of course, on your pasta sauce. This combination of spices is wonderfully fresh. Place a jar on your table for sprinkling on just about everything. To preserve properly add a handful of black peppercorns to the mix.
-The dried mushrooms can be whirled in your food processor until they form a powder to be used as a condiment on just about anything you are cooking.
-The balsamic vinegar here (one is 10 years old and the other 30 years). Use your 10 year balsamic for this recipe below.
Balsamic Pate
1 T cream
8 Ounces cream cheese-room temperature (start with 4 ounces and add to taste)
2 T balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t Spices (above) optional
Mix and let set for an hour or so.
Serve on toasted bread or crackers.
-What can I say about the Truffle Sauce. 2 T of truffle sauce to a bit of cream in a skillet. Heat through. Add freshly cooked drained pasta to the skillet and sauté. So delicious! Or simply add a bit of truffle sauce to freshly cooked eggs for an extra special breakfast.
All these recipes and products are thanks to this little shop in Stresa Italy. Amazing products and super amazing Italian wines. All is shipped at a reasonable price.
La Cambusa – enoteca Wine shop Stresa
We miss you!
A Repost, It’s That Good!
For Winter Solstice our family will celebrate with Mexican Cuisine. We pretty much do this every year. I usually order out for the appetizers and stick to cooking the main dishes. When these are so easy, why? After making my Shredded Beef these Taquitos were a cinch! And I cheated a little with the Guacamole. It’s my son’s, Ian, and his wife’s recipe. Thank you Ann. Ann received her inspiration for their Guacamole from the California Avocado Commission. Check out this site for great avocado recipes of all kinds.
Easy Refried Beans
Yep, we use this easy recipe to add to our tostadas, burritos, layered dip, and all by itself. Give it a try! Use your left over pintos or if in a hurry, use canned. I used Goya pink beans for this recipe.
Recipes for those hardboiled eggs
SCOTCH EGGS
GREENS EGGS AND HAM
EGGSTRAVAGANZA
DEVILED EGGS WITH A FLAIR
Cheesy Biscuits
Whips up easily! Few ingredients … you have in your pantry. I woke up this morning craving homemade biscuits but wanted to try something that could be a standalone breakfast. Not that this biscuit in smaller form isn’t the perfect appetizer. I love the cheese and green chilies combination, but I found this quick recipe by Sargento that combines cheese and butter. Oh, and black pepper too. Rich, flakey and delicious!
Bacon Chutney
When cooking for the family vegetarians here’s a side that keeps the meat eaters happy. Great on pot beans & green beans, eggs, waffles & pancakes, hot dogs & hamburgers and maybe a crostini. Ice cream, not so much. Honestly, you can use this chutney on just about anything. Few ingredients and simply made this recipe keeps in the refrigerator for a good week. Let’s get to it!
Fried Ravioli
Pasta Sunday + Super Bowl= Fried Ravioli. You still have time and it’s easy. Grab your favorite ravioli, cook according to directions Drain and you’re ready. (This recipe was tried without precooking the ravioli and I noticed an appreciable difference but others didn’t.)