A good loaf of French bread slathered with garlic, topped off with cheese and then melted in the oven, there is everything delicious in this combination of flavors – Bread, garlic and melted cheese, what more is there to say? It’s delicious 😋! Garlic bread is the feel good anytime appetizer and favorite spaghetti accompaniment for many of us. Continue reading Parmesan White Cheddar Garlic Bread
Tag Archives: appetizers
Cheesy Cauliflower Toast
I’ve probably mentioned this before, Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten is my all-time favorite celebrity chef!. I love watching her shows on Food Network. Ina’s soothing voice, her serene kitchen, her use of all-natural ingredients, her adorable husband Jeffrey, I could go on about why I like Ina Garten. I’ve also mentioned that though I love her recipes they do tend to be more meat heavy. However that has never deterred me from making her recipes, I just improvise and omit the meat and substitute with something vegetarian. This cauliflower toast on the other hand is one of Ina’s vegetarian recipes! The moment I saw her making it on one of her newer episodes I knew I had to try it right away. A gooey cheesy toast all topped with roasted cauliflower looked so good folks, that my mouth was salivating 😋! Continue reading Cheesy Cauliflower Toast
Cheddar Parmesan Caramelized Onion Baguette
My daughter Rani loves caramelized onions and tries to incorporate them in any dish she creates. She also loves garlic and as she informed me lately she prefers them cut into thick slivers so we get a garlicy slice in every bite. With these thoughts in mind she created this appetizer style cheesy baguette with caramelized onions and garlic for a Sunday night dinner to accompany her homemade soup. With buttery caramelized onions and sweet garlic all piled on top of tangy white cheddar and Parmesan cheese, then baked until golden, seriously how can anyone not like these baguette slices? These toasted baguettes are so good folks that our family had to hold ourselves back from finishing the entire loaf! Continue reading Cheddar Parmesan Caramelized Onion Baguette
Creamy Burrata Cheese with Caramelized Leeks and Onions
Good Thursday to you all. Are you missing going out to your favorite restaurant? Sitting over a relaxing meal with family and friends over candlelight? We may not be able to go to our favorite restaurants and sit together just yet, but we can at least try and bring a piece of it home to enjoy. Enter this restaurant-inspired recipe. I call it restaurant inspired because I can picture one of our little Italian restaurants serving this at the table for everyone to enjoy. In fact, that’s the best way to have this appetizer, all sitting together around a coffee table or in the garden with a chilled glass of drink, chatting and partaking of baguette slices spread with this creamy burrata appetizer. Continue reading Creamy Burrata Cheese with Caramelized Leeks and Onions
Roasted Carrot Tart
OMG!! This is one amazing tart! I am so excited to share this recipe with you all!! I came across this recipe during our Shelter in Place and here I was trying to pass my time watching Food Network when I came across a young pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz from New York who was showing Ina Garten how to make a carrot tart! Continue reading Roasted Carrot Tart
Friday Flowers. Sugar Snap Pea Blossoms & Snap Pea Stir Fry
Happy Friday!
In the garden this week my focus continued on winter pruning. I moved up to my veggie patch to prune my rose bushes and to see how my veggies were doing, and boy was I surprised to see them thriving. Here is a look at my veggie patch with its pea shoots, green peas, and super greens. Continue reading Friday Flowers. Sugar Snap Pea Blossoms & Snap Pea Stir Fry
Mutias. Gujarati Rice and Chickpea Flour Dumplings
Mutias are steamed dumplings that are a specialty in the western state of Gujarat in India. These dumplings are made with day-old rice, chickpea flour, shredded vegetables, fresh cilantro, ginger, and a few spices. This combination of ingredients is mixed together and formed into dumplings, steamed and then shallow fried with mustard seeds. No only are mutias delicious what is surprising is how filling these mutias are; it’s the chickpea flour and rice veggie combination that makes these dumplings a satisfying meal. Mutias can be served as an appetizer or as a light lunch option with a side salad. Give them a try! Continue reading Mutias. Gujarati Rice and Chickpea Flour Dumplings
Ginger Shitake Pot Stickers
Shitake mushrooms all cooked with garlic, ginger, and cilantro pesto tastes so good that my mouth is watering as I type this. I love these pot stickers! An awesome vegetarian recipe for all you dumpling lovers these shitake dumplings will taste like your favorite Chinese restaurant. What makes these dumplings taste so over the top good is the dried shitake mushrooms that have a strong pungent mushroom flavor that you just cannot get from fresh mushrooms. It doesn’t take a lot of these dried mushrooms to get the unique flavor but trust me when I say those 4-5 dried mushrooms make a huge difference. They give the dumplings that restaurant quality flavor. The other taste I really like in these pot stickers is the pine nut in the stuffing that give a wonderful bite and texture. These are fabulous dumplings that taste amazing, Give it a try! Continue reading Ginger Shitake Pot Stickers
Garlicky Greens and Snow Pea Dumplings
First off let me just say that greens sautéed in garlic ALWAYS taste amazing. Add them to pasta, in quiche, in an omelette, mixed in rice, no matter where these delicious greens are added that dish is going to taste wonderful. It is no surprise then these dumplings should taste so great! Greens such as mustard greens, Swiss chard or kale all sautéed with garlic and a few crunchy snow peas – yummy this veggie mix is! Continue reading Garlicky Greens and Snow Pea Dumplings
Masala Vadas – Yellow Split Pea Lentil Fritters
Vadas are very popular lentil fritters that are made all over India. Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, vadas are delicious appetizers and snack time treats. There are as many vada recipes out there as the various types of lentils. The basic recipe for vada involves soaking lentils in water for a few hours to soften, and then they are ground into a thick coarse batter to which vegetables and spices are added. The thick batter is then deep-fried. Vadas are usually served with a side of chutney like coconut chutney. For those of you living in the South think of these as hush puppies except these are made with lentils. Continue reading Masala Vadas – Yellow Split Pea Lentil Fritters