Entertaining — Page 27

Raspberry Crostini with Ricotta, Honey & Walnut

April 24, 2015 By Cat Elsby Leave a Comment

Hi all, Cat from The Rustic Willow here again! I hope everyone is having a delightful spring. If your weather has been anything like Colorado’s then you’re probably experiencing sunny, 70-degree weather one day, and snow the next. My body, my lawn, and my car are so confused! Once we all start adjusting to the warmer weather, the snow swoops in and ruins our hopes and dreams.

Although I have mixed feelings about the weather of Colorado, I definitely don’t have mixed feelings about this recipe I whipped up to show you all. I’m always looking for simple breakfast ideas that stray away from the normal bacon & eggs breakfast. And this breakfast blew my socks off.

There’s nothing I love more than bread. Seriously–I think bread in everything is just phenomenal. So, having this lightly toasted bread was good enough for me. And then I topped it with creamy ricotta cheese, fresh raspberries and crushed walnuts. To finish it off I drizzled honey over everything.

The creaminess of the ricotta mixed with the sweetness of the raspberries, the crunch of the walnuts, and the deliciousness of the honey was so refreshing and scrumptious.

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Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomato Pinwheels

April 22, 2015 By Erin Skinner 3 Comments

It’s been a while, but I absolutely love hosting a good party.

Whether it’s a dinner party, a sports-related party or a get-together with friends, I love them all. I love opening up my home to entertain, and I love spending time with people I care about and making fun food to go along with whatever event we’re celebrating.

However, I’m not the best when it comes to making party-friendly appetizers and finger foods.

Main dishes? I’ve got those in the bag.

Dessert? I could probably bake something up in my sleep.

But starters? Umm…

I generally either forget about apps until the hour before my guests arrive and then frantically have to throw something together or tap a friend to bring a starter because that’s not really my forte.

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Soft Honey Oat Bread

April 21, 2015 By Jana Tolman 44 Comments

If you asked me about my favorite smell, it would probably be a tie between earth after rain (which is called petrichor–isn’t that a cool word!?) and freshly baked bread. But what I love even more than the smell of freshly baked bread, is cutting it open while it’s hot, and slathering butter and jam all over a still steaming piece of crusty, golden goodness.

This soft honey oat bread is my absolute favorite bread to make at home. The crust has the perfect, nutty chewiness to it, and the inside is soft and delicate. It’s perfect for toast, sandwiches, or eating hot with butter and jam.

As far as bread goes, this is a really simple recipe. It only has a few ingredients and the steps are very straightforward. You basically throw everything in the bowl of your stand mixer (or you can work out some tension and knead by hand!)…

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Apple Spice Muffins

April 17, 2015 By Natasha Red Leave a Comment

There’s something about a warm muffin with a pat of fresh butter and a cup of hot tea in the morning. It’s what greets me most mornings as I roll out of bed before the sun rises, searching for something to soothe my dry throat from the allergies that come along with Spring.

For our family, these muffins are the perfect breakfast and snack, and usually last all of 24 hours.

They have a slight spice from cinnamon and all spice and the familiar sweetness of gala apples. I love the chunks of apple bites that keep the muffins moist but add a crunch as well. My 1-year-old gobbles them up!

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