A Treat of a Tart

Last weekend while thumbing through a local grocery publication I spotted a recipe that looked interesting. They proclaimed “If you only make one appetizer this season this should be it!”

Well, I thought, OK, let’s see if they’re correct and guess what, THEY WERE! It came out crispy and delicious and looked festive too. Here it is.

Caramelized Onion Tart

1 pkg Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed on counter
10 slices bacon, fried and cut into 1” pieces
½ c. cottage cheese
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. flour
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 c. grated Gruyere cheese (I substituted Swiss as the Gruyere is so pricey but it is better)
6 medium onions, caramelized
1 tsp. chopped thyme or ¼ tsp. dried

To Caramelize Onions

This is very easy to do and caramelized onions can be used in a lot of ways – on bruschetta, on burgers, not to mention they are the basis for French onion soup.

In a medium frying pan melt 2 tbsp. butter and add 3 tbsp. olive oil. Peel and thinly slice about 6 onions and add to pan. On a medium- low heat start to sauté onions. As they become translucent lower heat and let fry until they are brown and rich and not yet crispy. This may take 20 minutes or more. Remove from heat. If you are not using them right away they can be stored in fridge. Add more onions as needed for larger quantities.

The Tart

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

While onions are caramelizing, fry bacon and cut into pieces and set aside, then shred cheese so it is ready. As puff pastry begins to thaw, gently unfold it on your counter and squeeze edges together. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and place 5 sections of the pastry on the sheet. Discard the extra one or save it for some other use. Make sure pastry is thawed but still cold.

Mix in a blender or food processor (I used my mini chopper) the cottage cheese, flour, eggs, salt and pepper until smooth. Spread custard evenly on puff pastry. I sort of crimped the edges so it doesn’t run off the cookie sheet. Top with the cheese, onions, bacon and thyme all spread evenly.

Bake 30-35 minutes, let sit 5 minutes when out of oven.

Really, try this one – it is best hot or warm, but I saved a portion of it for the next day and had it cold for lunch and it was great!! It really is the best new appetizer I have found!

A Perfect 4th of July Picnic Salad

Here is a new salad to add to your list – I like it since it is not too mayonnaisey and has a lot of crunchy ingredients. After talking to friends, I think it is a slightly different version that many people make. Make it this weekend for your 4th of July festivities.

Best Broccoli Salad

3c. broccoli flowerets – just buy the crowns and trim them into mouth size pieces
½ c. raisins
½ c. chopped celery
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (in a pinch I have used Hormel real bacon pieces)
½ c. nuts – I have used cashews, walnuts and even peanuts

Mix all these elements together in a large bowl, then coat with dressing. Here is the dressing: mix ½ c. mayonnaise, 2 tbs. honey and the juice of one whole lemon. Pour on the salad and toss away. If I am making more, I use 2 lemons and increase the mayo by ¼ c.

I really liked this and so have my guests. I first had a version of it at my grandson’s birthday party that was purchased at Sam’s Club. This is my duplicate version. It keeps well and is something different than the standard fare. ENJOY! Happy Fourth of July!

Bacon Everywhere on Everything

Well, as if my great desire to eat bacon wasn’t bad enough, my dear sister just sent me a new cookbook (one of those mini pamphlets at the grocery store counter) simply entitled BACON. It is by Taste of Home magazine and really is a nice compilation of recipe cards all starring bacon.

We have bacon for breakfast, appetizers, lunch/dinner, side dishes and even DESSERT. The dessert recipes looked a little strange like Bacon Baklava (the Macedonians and Greeks are flipping out right now) and Chocolate Covered Bacon which really did not look too appealing even for chocolate girls.

Well, of course I tried a few and they were pretty good so I had to share.

First, I made an appetizer. I changed the recipe a bit as it was too cheesy, so here is my version:

Bacon Rounds

1c. mayonnaise
1 tbs. grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. garlic powder (they also included celery seed which added nothing to the flavor)
1c. shredded cheddar cheese (they used 2 cups but it was too gooey for me)
4 green onions thinly sliced
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 baguette, sliced into 48 rounds.

The original recipe also added chopped peanuts but again, not so great.

In a large bowl combine first 6 ingredients. Mix well and add cheese, bacon and onions. Lightly brush olive oil on the bottoms of the bread. Oil side down, place on cookie sheet and top with spread. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Serve warm. I have made these twice and the recipe does well if you cut it in half since it does make a lot. Enjoy!

Bacon Chicken Roll Ups

After the appetizer try, the next day I went after an entrée and this one was good. Seriously, this one begins with 12 bacon strips, how can you go wrong?

12 bacon strips (partially cook in frying pan but do not let get crisp or there will be no rolling)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see, there is one thing healthy about this recipe) 8 oz. softened cream cheese mixed with ½ tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Flatten chicken to 1/8 inch thickness. Spread cream cheese down the center (I used about 2 tbs. for each breast) and roll up from long side, tucking in ends. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap two bacon strips around each breast and secure with toothpicks.

Place in greased 13x9 inch baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until cooked through. These are pretty and good and I served them with glazed carrots!

The original recipe says to put sliced onions on top of the cream cheese, but who wants an onion stuck in the middle of a delicious chicken recipe? I also added the garlic powder to flavor up the cream cheese a bit.

My next try will be Bacon-Pecan Stuffed Mushrooms!

100 Days and Counting

This summer has really been hectic, so I haven't been able to blog the last few weeks. I am getting back in the swing of things and have a bunch of new entries coming your way. Here is the first of many:

I have a dear friend in St. Louis and she has been trying to sell her condo/townhome for more than a year. To date, they have shown it more than 100 times and since she has a wonderful sense of humor, together we came up with our top ten reasons it really stinks to have your home on the market for such a long time. Hope they tickle you too.

TOP TEN REASONS YOU NEED TO STOP SHOWING YOUR HOME AND SELL IT

1. Every time it is shown, that is one day you CANNOT MAKE BACON. I know this may seem trivial to some of you, but COME ON, over 100 days with no bacon. But you don’t want the smell in the house – it’s just bad news.

2. When you finally can come home after the showing, you have to wonder what bathroom the clients used-I know they go to the bathroom because we have moved so much and Mike has used the bathroom in a lot of places. Then you have to clean all the bathrooms again.

3. Over 100 times you have to clean your kitchen floor. Any of you that know me, know my strengths lie in other areas and I am happy to say my friend in St. Louis is a lot like me.

4. Over 100 times you are inconvenienced since it really seems like the realtor wants to show the house the exact minute you are due home from work and that means you have to find something else to do with yourself.

5. You have to make the bed EVERYDAY no matter what.

6. You can never turn down a showing since it might be THE ONE.

7. It doesn’t matter how many open houses they have or how good the thing smells you put in the crockpot, it still isn’t selling the house.

8. You are cranky all the time.

9. Burying St. Joseph in the backyard simple doesn’t help, I don’t care how many times people tell you to do it. Upside down, right side up, it is a plastic statue you paid $15 for and frankly, St. Joseph has a lot of great qualities but selling your house isn’t one of them.

10. And the final reason you need to sell your house is this: YOU CAN GET ON WITH YOUR LIFE AND NOT HAVE IT MEASURED BY HOW CLEAN YOUR HOUSE IS OR WHAT YOUR NUTTY REALTOR THINKS!!

California Pizza Kitchen BBQ Pizza Or My Take On It

If you have ever been to a California Pizza Kitchen, I hope you have ordered their BBQ chicken and gouda Pizza (called The Original BBQ Chicken) because it is delicious. It is great to dine at CPK, but I have figured out a way to make the pizza at home and it really is just as good!

BECKY’S CPK BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA

Please read the recipe through before starting as there is some prep work involved.

One pizza crust – now there are a lot of ways to do this. My grocery sells pre-made crusts as well as nice soft dough you can make a crust from and there is always Pillsbury with their ready-made dough in the refrigerated section of your store. You can also make your own. I taught you how to do this last summer when I made the Rosemary Pizza Crusts.

Lay the dough on a cookie sheet. Top with your favorite BBQ sauce (I love Cincinnati’s Montgomery Inn Sauce) and spread to the edge. Don’t overdo it – this pizza is not as mellow as a traditional pizza. Top with about 1c. shredded mozzarella. Next, top with 1-2 chicken breasts you have already roasted and diced into small pieces. Now, here, we vary from CPK and we add my FAVORITE ingredient – BACON! Fry about 6 slices of bacon in a pan, drain and chop and layer on the pizza. Top with sliced or shredded smoked gouda cheese, then drizzle with more BBQ sauce. Cook in a 425 degree oven about 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bottom of crust is nice and brown.

CPK adds sliced red onion but I personally feel it can overpower the cheese and chicken and let’s face it – I just love bacon way more! I think this would be a great cocktail appetizer – cut the pizza in small squares and serve with drinks. Your friends would love it!

Debbie's Recipes

My friend Debbie is a great cook and recently shared a couple of recipes with me. I thought you would enjoy.

Debbie's Cheese and Onion Bites

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
8 slices bacon - slightly sautéed and chopped
¾ tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
½ c. chopped onion
1 tbs. chopped parsley

Mix all ingredients together. Pile on slices of French baguette and cook @ 350 for 15 – 20 mins.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

5 slices bacon
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped celery
¼ c. finely chopped green pepper
3 c. water
2 c. peeled, diced potatoes
1 c. diced carrots
1 tbs. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. thyme leaves crushed
1/8 tsp. pepper
3 cans minced clams (drained)
16 oz. can un-drained tomatoes
One bay leaf
One or two shakes Tabasco sauce

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from saucepan reserving 2 tbs. drippings. Crumble bacon and add back to the pan along with the onions, celery, and green peppers. Add all other ingredients, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf. Heat gently, stirring frequently, do not boil.

*Debbie Knows Everything: Make this a day in advance to let the flavors blend.

Two Shirts and a Dip

This is a goofy story, but if you read to the end there will be a delicious dip recipe for you.

A few weeks ago I traveled to Boston to visit my daughter. After driving through heavy rain on a 7 ½ hour trip (that usually takes 6 hours), I was thrilled to arrive.

Adrienne was working so I had a few hours to myself. Hmmm…what to do, what to do? Here were my two top choices – stop in at Abe and Louie's, a terrific Boston steakhouse and one of my go-to places for a snack and a drink, OR go shopping at the nearby Lord and Taylor, where the SALE signs were everywhere. Shopping won. I headed to the clearance racks and quickly found several tops that I thought were pretty and now affordable.

In the dressing room, I rejected 3 tops but liked 2. One was a Calvin Klein blue top with pleated detailing at the front and sort of puffy sleeves. The other was a white eyelet number with a V neck, short sleeves and gathering under the boob line. Frankly, as I type this description I am thinking, “WHAT was I thinking?” – I mean what 58 year old should be wearing a white eyelet shirt that looks like a maternity top? Must have been the lighting and mirrors because I thought I looked good and I hadn’t even had any wine yet. I returned to Adrienne’s apartment to make a new dip recipe to serve when she and Jimmy (her cute husband) came home from work.

After assembling the dip, I thought I would change into my new blue top so I would look spiffy when they got home. I was feeling good and was so excited to see them. I am sure you know where this is going. The dip is out of the oven, the wine is poured and the baguettes piled high on a pretty decorative platter. As a newlywed Adrienne has some really cool new stuff. We were all sharing the dip when I did what I always do, I “schlopped” it on myself. (This is a family word that means you have once again spilled food on yourself). The dip fell off the baguette and landed right on the front of my new shirt. I tried to clean it up, but no go. One top down and I had only owned it for 2 hours.

I would tell you the story about what happened to the white top, but it’s too long – let’s just say it is no longer with us. All that is left of the two tops is the Lord and Taylor bill which came yesterday!

Now, as promised, here is your reward – a new dip recipe.

Kathy's Deluxe Dip

Another great dip that features our favorite thing, BACON!!

8 oz. cream cheese
One pkg. shredded swiss cheese (6 oz.)
3 oz. pkg. Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits
1/4 c. mayonnaise (and use the real Hellman's please)
3 green onions, chopped, including the green tops

Mix all ingredients together, put in a pretty casserole dish (that can go into the oven) and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. The original recipe uses “Frito Scoops,” but I think they are too thick and heavy. I would use regular Frito chips or even better, toasted baguette slices. This is a truly yummy dip and the next time I get invited somewhere it is going with me.

*Becky Knows Everything: I had a few extra slices of bacon I fried up and added to the mix. It made the dip even more delicious!!

Take Me To Your Party Appetizer Ideas

Here are are two quick, easy recipes you can take to any party.

Tortilla Roll-Ups

1 pkg. medium soft tortillas
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tsb. ranch dressing mix
3 tsb. chopped jalapeno peppers
Small can sliced black olives
6-7 slices ham, sliced but not tooooo thin

Mix cream cheese, ranch dressing mix, peppers and olives together. Spread on tortillas, top with ham slice. Roll up, using more of the cheese mixture as “glue” if needed. Chill. Cut into 4-6 pieces. These are a nice party food since they can be made early in the day and never get soggy or weird. I have had quite a few versions of these, but the addition of the jalapeno’s and black olives make these very nice.

Isn't Bacon the Best Food Ever Dip

18 oz. pkg cream cheese
2 jars Old English Cheese Spread (not refrigerated but in that same area of the store)

1/4 c. bleu cheese, crumbled

1/4 c. milk
1 clove minced garlic
2 tsb. chopped fresh parsley
3 green onions chopped, with green parts too
1/4 c. smoked almonds, ground in your mini chopper. (If you don’t have one of these, go out and get one right now. It chops nuts, parsley, celery, etc. It's a thrill!)
5 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled – fry on the stove or bake (it gets too hard in the microwave)

In a saucepan heat cream cheese, bleu cheese, cheddar spread, milk and garlic until cheeses are blended and melted. Make sure the heat is set to medium and watch this closely - the cheese will melt pretty quickly. Once it's blended, stir in onions, parsley, almonds and bacon.

Serve with sliced French bread or crackers. I like this recipe so much – you can put it in a pretty casserole dish and reheat in the micro just until it is warmed through.

Hmmmmm....Bacon Dip

Designer Mushrooms

So in some circles I am considered the “appetizer queen.” When we moved from Seattle our friends hosted a going-away gathering and presented me with a lovely, tacky tiara which I have worn on every Halloween since. Here are two of my favorite stuffed mushroom recipes:

Parmesan Mushrooms

½ lb. large (but not so big you have to cut them to eat them) white mushrooms

½ c. butter

½ c. minced onions

½ c. bread crumbs (these can be fresh or from that nice convenient can)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. fresh parsley or ½ half tsp. dried

¼ tsp. oregano

¼ c. parmesan cheese*

Clean mushrooms and removes stems. Sautee caps in a few tablespoons of butter so they are not so hard. I do this until they turn lightly brown. Drain. Melt butter in medium frying pan. Chop stems and add to butter along with all ingredients except the cheese and bread crumbs. Cook until stems are soft and garlic and onion are nicely tender. Add cheese and crumbs. Try not to eat too much of the mixture before you get it to the mushrooms. Fill drained caps solidly and put in baking pan and broil until brown and a bit bubbly (about 5 minutes in a pre-heated broiler). Of course, watch carefully as I have never had a broiler that didn’t lose control once in awhile. If you do have any stuffing left, you can use it to stuff a tomato. Enjoy!

*Becky Knows Everything: Use Kraft parmesan cheese out of the green canister - it really works best.

Bacon/Herb Mushrooms

These are very simple stuffed mushrooms but extremely delicious.

1 container of herb/garlic cheese spread (you know like Alouette or one like that)

6 slices of bacon, fried, drained and chopped into small pieces*

2 tsp. minced fresh parsley

1 lb. large white mushrooms (not too large) stems removed

Sautee mushroom caps in a few tablespoons of butter until golden and softened. Drain. Combine cheese, parsley and bacon pieces. Stuff mushrooms. Broil for about 5 minutes until bubbly and heated through. If you broiler makes you nervous, these can be baked at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, but check on them sooner. Let cool a moment before serving.

*Becky Knows Everything: If you don’t want to fry the bacon and clean that nasty pan, the bacon can be put in the microwave on a plate covered in paper towels. Ordinarily I don’t like this method since the bacon gets so hard but for this recipe, since you are chopping it up anyway, it is fine.