Happy Friday! Today is my first born’s 6th birthday. I can’t believe that 6 years ago, this morning, I was already holding her, wondering how the hospital personnel could be so stupid as to give me this baby……I wasn’t much of a babysitter in my day, so I wasn’t all that familiar with babies. They say newborns sleep a lot, but my defiant little Addy wasn’t going to conform to newborn rules. She was never much of a napper, which is weird because I would rather take a nap then do pretty much anything else. Anyhoo, the newborn days flew by, and now she is 6! It’s crazy because I remember being 6, and I feel like it wasn’t that long ago. Maybe I remember that year so well because it was the year I peaked in athletics, sadly……Enough of my rambling, Happy Birthday Addyboo!
Today I decided to completely confuse you and throw in some Thanksgiving recipes. Oops-I know I promised those on Mondays, but I ended up with too many. So today, I am going to give you two very easy appetizer ideas and one delicious cocktail…..Because dealing with one’s family deserves a cocktail, right? Oh wait, are they reading this??? What I mean is…..cocktails are great to celebrate being with your family;)
My first recipe is an appetizer on a stick, and who doesn’t love that…..especially when it has a dipping sauce! It is the flavors of fall, all on a pretty little skewer.
You will need kielbasa, diced sweet potatoes (I buy mine already diced), apricot jam, Dijon
Super easy recipe-slice kielbasa in disks and put it on a sheet tray. Toss the sweet potatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper and put that on a separate sheet tray. Put both trays in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, maybe a smidge longer on the potatoes. When you take them out of the oven, thread onto fancy toothpicks.
Meanwhile, simmer together the mustard, syrup and jam until it is a nice sauce.
So yummy and almost zero effort!!
My second appetizer is also super easy and it is vegetarian, in case you end up with a non-meat eater. Gotta throw something their way because Turkey Day must be hard on them.
To make these you will need 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms, minced garlic, butter, wine, cream and parmesan cheese…..
And bread! I sliced a baguette and drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper. I toasted the slices in the oven at 400 for about 8 minutes.
In a sauté pan, I sautéed the mushrooms and garlic in butter, until a little brown and softened. Then, I added the wine and cream. I highly recommend using white wine for presentation purposes. As you can see above, I only had red wine, and while that is super delicious, it is a strange shade of purple. I let the sauce reduce until it is thick. Then spoon over the bread slices and top with parmesan. Fontina would be delicious here too.
So, so good. These will go fast!! BTW-these mushrooms are also amazing with a steak! Don’t tell the vegetarians I said thatJ
And finally, onto an amazing cocktail. I call this a “hot apple pie”. You will need apple cider (I prefer the spiced kind), Applejack, Gingerbread Liquor and cream. OMG-What a shocker! I’m using cream! Because I totally don’t pour a little cream into everything;)
This can be served hot or cold, and I always garnish with a slice of apple and a cinnamon stick. Beware-this baby is strong, and it sneaks up on you!
Have a great weekend everybody! I might even pop up this weekend on my blog with some quick table decorating tips for you……
Sweet Potato and Kielbasa Appetizer
1 lb kielbasa
16 ounce bag diced sweet potatoes
1 cup apricot jam
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup Dijon
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Toss sweet potatoes in oil, salt and pepper. Roast potatoes and kielbasa in 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Thread onto skewers.
Simmer jam, syrup and mustard together. Serve with skewers.
Mushroom Bruschetta
3 Tablespoons butter
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
¼ cup wine
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
Parmesan cheese
1 baguette, sliced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Sauté mushrooms and garlic in butter until brown and softened, about 7 minutes. Add wine and cook for 1 minute. Add cream and cook until sauce is reduced, about 5 minutes.
Drizzle sliced baguette with oil, salt and pepper. Toast in 400 degree oven for 8 minutes. Top with mushroom mixture and parmesan cheese.
“Hot Apple Pie”
1 ½ cup spiced apple cider
½ cup Applejack
¼ cup Gingerbread Liquor
Cream
Heat the apple cider. Stir in Applejack and Gingerbread Liquor, but do not cook, as the alcohol will cook off. Stir in cream and serve warm, garnished with a cinnamon stick. Can also be served cold. Serves 2.
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