Appetizers — Page 23

French Onion Soup Crostini

December 17, 2013 By Erin Kennedy Leave a Comment

Don’t you just love this this time of year? This exact week, to be specific? It’s that time when friends haven’t quite yet scampered off to their respective family locales for the holiday, parties are in full swing, and there’s never a lack of reason to pull your favorite sequined dress out of the closet. Festiveness is at its peak, and everyone’s trying to squeeze in all the holiday cheer they can before it’s over in a flash!

I usually like to host small, casual gatherings this time of year. After all, the last thing we need is to add more stress to our lives during the month of December. An appetizer party is a great way to accomplish this. I love whipping up appetizers that are particularly warm and cozy, like this French Onion Soup Crostini…it holds all the flavor of the beloved soup, but in an easy to eat, party-friendly fashion.

Instead of topping the soup, the crouton becomes the base…the vessel for holding all the yumminess.

The onions are caramelized to a lovely, deep brown, but just a bit of stock is added so that it keeps the consistency nice and thick and spreadable. All that gets topped with a healthy dose of gruyere and emmental…the essential ingredients!

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Easy Focaccia Bread

November 15, 2013 By Erin Kennedy 1 Comment

I think if you let me, I could live on bread and olive oil. Seriously. Is there anything better than fresh bread, warm right out of the oven? Add in fresh herbs and olive oil and I’m all set!

I used to really fear working with yeast. I’ve never considered myself to be a good baker but over the years, I have realized that baking with yeast is really not that big of a deal. Yeah, sure, you could buy bread at the store, but homemade bread is just a gazillion times better. I love focaccia bread and it’s mostly because of the topping. The smell of fresh rosemary in the oven is pure heaven! Unlike other focaccia bread recipes, this recipe will be ready in about 2 hours to prepare, most of which is just letting the dough rise. We usually eat this bread with soup or a good Italian meal!

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Easy Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread

November 5, 2013 By Erin Kennedy 1 Comment

I should really start this post with a disclaimer.

If you’re from the south, you are probably going to hate this cornbread. In fact, it is not really cornbread in the traditional sense at all. It’s more like corn cake. Actually, it’s exactly like corn cake.

I am not from the south, and am therefore not bound by tradition to make cornbread the old fashioned way. The cornbread of my youth? It’s made from a cake mix. If you don’t want to think of it as cornbread, I don’t mind. This version is sweet, and still crumbly, and despite it’s very tenuous relationship to real cornbread, it still tastes fantastic with chili.

Of course, mom never put jalapenos in her version, but me? I likey the spicy. Having that little kick of heat and the creamy cheesiness just takes this corn-whatever-you-call-it to the next level.

I will share this one piece of advice: be careful who you share your corn-cake-bread with. It could get you in trouble.

A couple years ago, I sent a pan full of this cornbread with my boys to the Boy Scout overnight camping trip, enough for them to share. In the days that followed, I received multiple compliments from the scouts, and the cornbread was specifically requested for the next several camping trips.

Granted, teenage boys will eat anything. But still.

Last piece of advice: be sure to bake this thoroughly. In a 9×9 pan, it will be quite brown on top before it’s done in the middle. If you are concerned about this, you can make a thinner layer in a 9×13 pan, and reduce the baking time to 25-30 minutes.

Then cut, eat, and brush the crumbs off your shirt!

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Cucumber Cream Cheese Ghosts

October 23, 2013 By Erin Kennedy 1 Comment

When it comes to Halloween-themed foods, I feel like all I ever see are sweet treats. There’s not enough savory recipes! As much as I like the sweet stuff, there is only so much sugar I can take!

How cute are these little ghosties?! They are basically little tea sandwiches, but in a much cooler shape. They are a lot of fun for all ages and you can use whatever flavors of cream cheese you like best! I served these at a party I had last weekend to break up all the sugary stuff.

I will tell you that it can be a little tricky to spread the cream cheese over the cucumber. Using thin slices of the cucumber and whipped cream cheese makes it easier, but if you are finding it too difficult, you could always just skip the cucumbers!

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