A Fork In Each Hand

Roasted Red Pepper and Smoked Gouda Crostini

I came up with this appetizer, Roasted Red Pepper and Smoked Gouda Crostini, while trying to think of a flavorful appetizer I could offer on Thanksgiving. The result is a tasty bite with layers of delicious flavor. Baguette slices are toasted and topped with basil, roasted red pepper, smoked gouda, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. This is an appetizer that can be made quickly if you are having a party or need a bite in a pinch. Come Thanksgiving, I hope I can steal a couple of minutes with the oven to make this because it is so tasty. I used roasted red peppers to save time but if you have fresh peppers on hand, roasting them is super easy (see below). When it comes to cheese, smoked gouda is my favorite hands down but any other smoked cheese will work here as well. This crostini is versatile too – consider tomato and mozzarella or apple and Gruyère here in place of the red pepper and gouda to make for an equally delicious appetizer. I have no doubt these will be a hit with both your vegetarian and meat-eating guests at your next get-together.

Roasted Red Pepper and Smoked Gouda Crostini (makes 12 appetizers):

1/2 French baguette
12 pieces jarred roasted red peppers (about 1 1/2 inch in size)
12 small fresh basil leaves
12 smoked gouda cheese slices cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 lemon

Note: To make your own roasted red peppers, cut fresh red peppers in half, remove seeds and ribs, flatten, and broil for 15 minutes on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place blackened peppers in a sealed zip-top plastic bag seal and let stand 15 minutes. Remove from bag, peel, and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces.

The ingredients:

Preheat the broiler. Cut bagette into 1/4 inch slices and put into a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and place under broiler for a few minutes until golden brown.

Meanwhile, pour balsamic vinegar into a small pan and bring to a boil over medium-heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until liquid reduces by half (about five minutes).

Remove bagette slices from the oven and top each piece with a piece of roasted red pepper and basil.

Cut lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the basil. Top each basil leaf with a slice of gouda cheese.

Place under the broiler until cheese melts (about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes). Move crostini to a plate and, using a spoon, drizzle balsamic glaze over each crostini. Serve warm.

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Me! 🙂

Cinnamon Chip Muffins

Need something quick and easy to make for breakfast? These Cinnamon Chip Muffins are very simple, festive, and can be made in 20 minutes. This recipe uses biscuit baking mix, vegetable oil, milk, an egg, sugar, and cinnamon chips which are all mixed together quickly in one bowl. The chips melt slightly as the muffins bake creating little pockets of cinnamony goodness in every bite. What’s better than the aroma of cinnamon wafting out of the kitchen first thing in the morning? If you don’t like cinnamon chips, chocolate chips could be easily substituted here since the batter itself is basic. If you’ve been consumed with what to make for Thanksgiving dinner and haven’t given any thought to what to offer overnight guests for breakfast, don’t stress. Grab a bag of cinnamon chips and a box of Bisquick while you are at the store and give these a shot. Warm cinnamon muffins with a spread of butter and a cup of coffee sound like a perfect morning meal to me.

The ingredients:

In a mixing bowl, combine biscuit mix, sugar, egg, milk, and oil.

Fold in the cinnamon chips.

Spoon batter into a muffin pan lined with muffin liners or sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake at 400°F for 15-18 minutes.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Hershey’s Kitchens

Apple, Ricotta Cheese, and Pecan Pizza

I admit I’m a basic, plain cheese pizza kind of girl and probably never would have tried this Apple, Ricotta Cheese, and Pecan Pizza if it weren’t for a restaurant in Philadelphia called Pizzeria Stella. Stella makes a pistachio pizza – yes pistachio! – and I kid you not, it is one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had and (gulp!) there isn’t a tomato anywhere in sight. Before trying the pistachio pizza, I might have ordinarily passed by a pizza with apple, pecans, and arugula but not this time. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this. The original recipe called for goat cheese (which I think tastes the way a dirty sock might taste, bleh!) so I swapped that out for ricotta cheese. I like the contrasts in this pizza – smooth ricotta and crunchy pecans, sweet apples and bitter arugula – which help to keep the dish interesting. The honey-mustard dressing on the arugula provided an added tasty flavor to each bite. If you aren’t an arugula fan, I think you’d enjoy this even if you left it off but I’d recommend keeping the dressing. If you’re still not sure about this kind of pizza, I’ll tell you I wasn’t at all sure about a pistachio pizza either. Now…I dream about it.