Party Plates: Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

Earlier this week, my parents brought over a significantly sized haul of cherry tomatoes from their garden. Since they were about to embark on a nice, long vacation to Europe (for their 30th wedding anniversary - wow!), they knew they needed to hand them off so the little gems wouldn't go bad while they were away. They didn't have to ask me twice - I took them without hesitation.

Don't get me wrong, these mini versions of one of my favorite fruits are great all by themselves. I could literally just pop them in my mouth one by one and be a happy camper (and I actually did, with a few of them). Still, I just can't help but want to try something new, and these bite-size morsels got my brain stirring. The result? A yummy little appetizer that can be quite addictive, if I do say so myself. They don't take long to make, they look great, and your friends and family will eat them right up. Even my husband loves these, and he hates tomatoes...now that's saying something!

Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

1 dozen cherry tomatoes

1 8 oz container regular cream cheese, softened

2 tbs dry italian dressing mix

Wash cherry tomatoes and pat dry with a paper towel. Slice a very small piece off of the bottom of the tomato, giving it a flat "platform" to stand on. Slice off the top of the tomato and scoop out insides with a melon baller or small sugar spoon, leaving the walls of the tomato intact.

Mix the cream cheese and dry italian mix together, stirring until well blended. Spoon cream cheese mixture into cherry tomatoes.*

*Note: If it's easier, you can also spoon the blended cream cheese into a ziploc bag, sealing the bag tightly and cutting off a small portion of one of the corners. This will allow you to "pipe" the cream cheese into the tomatoes.

At the end of the day, I have my parents to thank for the opportunity to come up with a great new recipe. After all, it was their homegrown produce that led me to this beautiful result! I can't wait until my own tomato plants starts sprouting so I can experiment some more.

Thanks, Mom and Dad - and congratulations!!!

Until next time...

Cheers!

An "Eggs"-cellent Breakfast: Ham and Swiss Egg Sandwiches

During the week, I try to keep breakfast as simple as possible; let's face it, when my alarm goes off at 5:45 a.m., I'm just not in the frame of mind to fire up a skillet and cook myself a gourmet meal. On the weekends, though, when I'm fully rested and feeling motivated, I love to cook something hot and tasty for my husband and I to enjoy.

This recipe is a slight spin on the classic bacon, egg and cheese sandwich/biscuit, and I think you'll find that it's even easier to make than the well-loved staple. If you don't like swiss cheese, you can always substitute sharp cheddar (or really, any cheese that you love). This recipe is for one, so you can double, triple, quadruple, etc. as needed.

Ham and Swiss Egg Sandwiches

1 English Muffin, sliced and toasted

2 slices of deli ham, thinly sliced

2 slices of swiss cheese

1 egg

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking spray

Preheat broiler to high. Place English Muffins cut-side up on a baking tray, and place a slice of swiss cheese on each half.

Coat a small skillet with cooking spray and heat at medium-high. Add the ham and saute for 2 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Remove ham from skillet and set aside.

Using the same skillet, coat again with cooking spray and crack the egg. Cover and cook until the whites of the egg begin to set. If you prefer your eggs over-easy, you will not need to flip them; keep an eye on the whites and, once set, remove the eggs from the pan (about 3 minutes). For over-medium or over-har, the eggs will need to be flipped. Once the whites have set, uncover the pan and flip the eggs. For over-medium, cook eggs for one minute and remove from pan.For over-hard, cook eggs for an additional 2 minutes or until yolk is fully cooked and firm. Remove from the pan. 

Place the swiss cheese-covered English Muffin halves under the broiler. Broil for 1 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

Make a sandwich by adding the ham and egg on top of the bottom half of the English Muffin. Add salt and pepper to taste and top off the sandwich with the top half of the English Muffin. Enjoy!

So there you have it: a great Sunday breakfast that's easy to make - and healthy, too! This recipe packs 344 calories, and is a wonderful way to start your day. 

I've got quite a few new recipes to share with you, including spicy cajun scallops, a steak and pesto baguette and an easy red wine sangria mix that you'll love! Tune in again soon to add these great new dishes to your own recipe box.

Cheers!

Bachelorette Bash: Chef for a Day (The Grand Gourmet)

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a bachelorette party for one of my favorite people, the future Mrs. Kellie Bates (known to some of you now as Kellie Coffey ;)). When I first got word that the planned festivities for the night including one of my all-time favorite activities (cooking), I have to say I did a little happy dance.

If you're planning a get together with your friends and family, a cooking experience like this is a great idea. Even people who shy away from the kitchen will still find enjoyment in it, and they'll learn a thing or two along the way. People who love to cook (like me!) will have fun, too, even though the recipes are easy. At the end of the day, they'll get to add more dishes to their repertoire - and what chef doesn't love that?

Last night, we made a four-course meal including an appetizer, salad, entree and dessert. The recipes were delicious, but so easy and simple that anyone could easily replicate them in their own home. Not too many ingredients, not too many steps, just the right mixture of flavors!

Our appetizer was a bruschetta, made with pesto, sun-dried tomato, roasted red pepper and feta cheese (or any combination of those ingredients). I happen to love any kind of bruschetta (and there are soooo many options!), so I was excited about the first course right away! I decided to make two different types, a pesto, sun-dried tomato and feta cheese and another of pesto, roasted red pepper and feta. Once I assembled my bruschetta, they were hit with a blow torch to finish them off. YUM.

Next, we made our salads. Ingredient options included mixed greens, croutons, cayenne-spiced pecans (SO good), tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled feta cheese, and sliced strawberries with a sugar coating, with a choice of either ranch or balsamic viniagrette for dressings. I chose to do mixed greens, croutons, pecans, tomatoes and ranch...no sweets for me, of course.

I think that I enjoyed the entree portion the most (even though the blow torch was pretty exciting!), partly because I was learning to make a new recipe and partly because I just love to cook. We made Baked Chicken Parmesan, paired with pasta and vegetables for sides (we were only responsible for cooking the chicken). Before leaving, we were all given a copy of the recipe, which I've already added to my recipe box (and can't wait to try again in my own home!). I'm sorry to say, I didn't get a picture of this one...I was too excited to eat, I guess.

I skipped out on dessert because I'm not a sweets person (I know, I know - I'm weird), but the final course was a choose-your-own mixture of bite-size cubes of pound cake with all the sweet toppings you could ever ask for, including a homemade cream with Kahlua. These were served in parfait glasses and looked really pretty - and judging by the speed at which my fellow party-goers devoured them, they obviously tasted quite good as well.

In another life, I imagine that the experience we had last night is very much what I would like to do; I can see it now, a "Cocktail Cutie" boutique that teaches even the most novice of cooks how to make a great dinner for themselves, spouses, family members and friends. I'd love to do wine and cheese parties, wine and chocolate parties, cocktail mixers and hors d'ouevres hour for everyone! For now, though, I'll just stick to hosting parties like these for my closest family and friends (and teaching you how to host them yourselves). This is the kind of stuff that I love!

I'd like to give these guys my recommendation, because they were entertaining, funny and helpful, and the food was great! Check them out here: The Grand Gourmet.

I'm also going to dedicate this blog to Kellie Coffey (soon-to-be Bates) who is the reason I had this experience...and who is getting married one week from today. Congratulations, Kellie!!

Until next time...

Cheers!

Mix of the Month: The Spicy Jalapeno Margarita

It's the 4th of May, which means that tomorrow we'll all be donning our sombreros and hitting our favorite Mexican cantinas for some great food and even better margaritas. This month's cocktail was a no-brainer for me...to an extent. I knew I wanted to feature a great margarita, but I had to decide which one. With so many different ways to make this widely popular drink (and most of them excellent), how's a girl to choose? In the end, it wasn't all that difficult. I decided to go with my instincts and give you a cocktail that will give your taste buds a real kick in the mouth - in the best way possible, of course.

For this recipe, you'll need to do some prep work; if you want to make these margaritas tomorrow, you'll want to run out to the grocery store tonight and pick up your ingredients. Don't worry - the steps are easy and the reward is great. I promise.

The Spicy Jalapeno Margarita

2 oz Jalapeno Tequila*

6 oz Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix (or your favorite pre-mixed brand)

Ice

Margarita salt or Kosher salt**

*see recipe below

**optional

Place all ingredients into a shaker and shake vigorously until frost forms on the outside. Strain into a salted glass with ice.

Jalapeno Tequila

2 cups silver Tequila

3 fresh jalapenos, sliced*

Fill up an airtight container with the tequila and add the jalapeno slices. Store in a warm, dry place (like your pantry!) overnight. 

 Before serving, strain the jalapenos out of the tequila and discard.

*Note: I love my jalapeno margaritas SPICY, so I left the seeds on my peppers. If you'd like a milder version, seed the jalapenos before adding them to the tequila.

If you don't like spice at all, try my Georgia Peach Margarita - a sweet and fresh take on the drink you'll be craving all day tomorrow!

Cheers!