Last Minute Halloween Ideas

Tomorrow is Halloween.  You knew that, right?  Are you ready?  Of course, I’ve been on Pinterest and there is no end to the cute, or spooky, or spooky and cute at the same time, Halloween food.  There are thousands of recipes and ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts and anything else you can think of.  While they are all amazing, all it really does it stress me out because I know there is no way I could make most of it.  And I do this for a living.  As crafty as I am, I just don’t think that I could make Frankenstein cake pops or a cake shaped like a coffin.

I have three last minute Halloween ideas for you today, and I promise, not a one of them is too hard or will add undue stress.  My ideas are cute, or spooky, and ridiculously easy.  You don’t need more than fifteen minutes, and you might already have all the ingredients on hand.  And you know what?  Everyone can be jealous of you for pulling off an effortless Halloween.

My first recipe I want to show you is more of an idea then a recipe.  Every year, I make my little “Cookie Monsters” for my kids and sometimes even for all of the kids in their classes.  I start with already baked chocolate chip cookies, like Chips Ahoy or something similar.  Of course, you can bake your own chocolate chip cookies, but I like that these cookies are all the same shape and size and relatively sturdy. 

I assemble these little monsters by laying down a cookie, bottom side up.  I pipe red and green frosting on to form a tongue and an oozy green monster mouth.  I like to add more frosting towards the back so that the cookie sits open a bit in front when I lay the top cookie on.  I also add candy eyeballs to the top cookie.  I adhere the eyes with either frosting or melted chocolate.  From there, I get creative.  Sometimes I add candy corn for fangs or horns, or licorice strings for hair.  I’ve used sliced almonds for teeth, or even Nerds (the candy) for warts and such.  Basically, whatever you can find, you can use.  Use your imagination.  Sometimes they are funnier, then scary, but that’s ok too.  The bottom line is that kids love them, and they are so easy to put together.

 

My next Halloween treat is actually something that I bust out at most holidays….it really just depends on what cookie cutters I can find.  I like to use my themed cookie cutters to make homemade “strudels”.  They might be more “pop tart” but my kids have always called them strudels.  I use frozen puff pastry as a base for this.  I punch out themed shapes with cookie cutters and I fill these little pockets of goodness with fresh strawberries and chocolate, blueberry jam, mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, pizza sauce and cheese, really whatever I have.

I start by punching out a shape from the defrosted puff pastry.  Two really, because I need a top and bottom.  I lay the bottom piece out on a greased tray (you can’t be too careful!) and I layer on my toppings.  For the pumpkins and ghosts I used fresh thinly sliced strawberries and mini chocolate chips.  Once the filling is on the bottom piece, I use a little bit of water to seal the top piece on.  The water acts as glue. 

Then, I cut slits (for eyes and mouths) that will not only make these super cute, they also keep the puff pastry from puffing up too much.  These bake for about fifteen minutes and when they come out of the oven, they are puffed and golden and really, really delicious.  

 

These are also great for an easy breakfast on Christmas Day or Valentine’s Day.  And it gives me an excuse to use one of millions of cookie cutters. Yep, I have a ton and I very rarely make cut-out cookies.

My last recipe is my “Trick or Treat Cider”.  We never go out on Halloween night without this fantastic, spicy cider.  I make it in my slow cooker so it is ready to go for anyone that might drop by or for refills during those long trick or treating runs.  For this cider, I use apple juice, cranberry juice, pear nectar, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, ginger and a couple of clementines.  You could use regular oranges too, if that is what you have.

This is so easy….I literally just throw everything (ok, not literally…that would make a mess), in the slow cooker and let it go for about 3 hours.  The flavors will all meld together over those 3 hours.  The spices, clemetines and ginger will all release their flavors.  Then, I pull the big chunks out and it is ready to go.   I like to serve my cider with whip cream on the top, but you can skip that if you want.  The adults might want a bit of brandy in it too, especially when faced with a long night of trick or treating.  Either way, this stuff tastes like fall in a glass.

I hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween!  Trick or Treat!

Puffy Pumpkin (or Ghost!) “Strudels”

17.3 ounce box frozen puff pastry sheets, defrosted

8 strawberries, thinly sliced

¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lay defrosted puff pastry sheets on a floured board.  Using cookie cutters, cut out desired shapes.  Make sure you have a top and bottom of each shape.

Lay bottom shape down on a greased cookie sheet.  Top with thinly sliced strawberries and a few mini chocolate chips, leaving a rim.  Using your finger, dab water all the way around the rim.  Press top shape onto bottom, sealing with fingers.

Using a sharp knife, cut slits or shapes on the top shape.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

 

Trick or Treat Cider

 

3 cups apple juice

 

3 cups pear cider

 

3 cups cranberry juice

 

4 cinnamon sticks

 

8 whole cloves

 

3 inch piece of peeled ginger

 

2 clementines, cut in half

 

Place all ingredients in slow cooker.  Cook for 3 hours.  Remove sticks, cloves, ginger and clementines.  Serve warm.

Makes 9 cups cider

Girl's Night In!

I hope everyone had a great Easter!  We had a fabulous Easter.  I had a brunch at my house.  It was way too much fun, and it made me remember how much I love entertaining at my house.  I hadn’t done it in a while.  We have been so busy lately that neither myself, nor any of my friends, have had the time.  But I want to change that.  Party at my house!  I’m thinking I’m going to make it a Girl’s Night In.

I have always been a huge fan of “Girl’s Nights”.  I love playing Bunco, pretending to play Bunco but really just gossiping, craft nights, etc.  Anything that gets my girls together for great food and even better drinks.  Today I am going to show you a couple of my “go-to” recipes that are super easy to make, and I promise they will be a hit.  Although if you serve enough cocktails…..does anyone care what you serve to eat?

Let’s start off with the best recipe…the crowd pleaser….the “main dish” if you will.  The cocktail.  My favorite spring time cocktail is my “Strawberry Shortcake”.  This amazing libation is a combination of cake flavored vodka, strawberry puree and club soda.  The whole thing gets topped off with whipped cream and a strawberry garnish.  It tastes just like strawberry shortcake.

 

There are probably about five different kinds of “cake flavored” vodka on the market right now.  Choose your favorite.  I chose Smirnoff Iced Cake vodka.  I also used a strawberry puree that is meant for strawberry margaritas.  There are also quite a few options there too.  I like using this kind of strawberry puree because it is very smooth.  Just make sure that the one you choose doesn’t have any tequila in it.  You just want the puree.

This is also such a pretty girly drink too.  Although my hubs has been known to knock back a Strawberry Shortcake too.

My second and third recipes are great little finger foods that are delicious and super easy to make.  First, I whipped up a batch of my meatballs (recipe below), but I made them smaller then I normally would.  These bake in the oven so they are really quick to throw together.  Once they are cooked, I top each meatball with a cooked cheese tortellini, then I skewer the whole thing with cute little mini forks that I found at Raleys.  A long toothpick would work too.  The meatball/tortellini combo gets drizzled with marinara sauce and sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

My third recipe is what I call “Bloody Mary Shrimp”.  I boil some shrimp in salted lemony water until they are just cooked.  I serve the shrimp in a little shot glass filled with my favorite Bloody Mary mix and a piece of celery.  And oh yea, depending on who I am serving these too….I might throw in a little vodka too.  But not cake flavored!  Just regular vodka.

The bloody mary mix gives the shrimp a great tang and spice.  It really works will with seafood.

The hardest part about this recipe is finding a plain shot glass that is appropriate to show anyone.  For a thirty five year old woman, I sure have the shot glass collection of a college frat boy.  My collection includes Chico State shot glasses, sorority shot glasses…..and a set of four Tupac Shakur shot glasses.  Who knows where those came from.

 

And because all my girls deserve dessert, I always whip up a little dessert finger food too.  Just one or two bites, but oh so necessary.  The dessert recipe I am showing you today is Cannoli Cups.  I love a good cannoli, but it is impossible to find the shells in most grocery stores, and I certainly am not making them.  That sounds hard and time consuming.  I use chocolate chip cookies!

I like to use a pack of chocolate chip cookie dough straight from the grocery’s fridge.  I bake the cookies in my mini muffin tin, and when they come out of the oven, they will have already formed a little dent in the middle.  I make this into a bigger dent by poking the middle with the end of my wooden spoon.  Once the cookies are cooled, I fill them with a mix of ricotta cheese, powdered sugar, honey, cinnamon, vanilla extract and mini chocolate chips.  I garnish the little cookie cannoli cups with more mini chocolate chips and some chopped pistachios.

 

These little babies taste just like a cannoli, but even better because they are also a chocolate chip cookie!  Yum! The ricotta filling is creamy and has a perfect hint of cinnamon.  The pistachios add a great crunch.  I think these are the perfect ending to a Girl’s Night In.  Invite me to yours…..I will bring dessert.

“Strawberry Shortcake”

3 ounces cake flavored vodka

3 ounces strawberry puree (strawberry margarita mix)

3 ounces club soda

Whipped cream and strawberries for garnish

Add vodka and strawberry puree to a chilled cocktail shaker.  Shake well.  Pour evenly into two chilled glasses (martini). Top each with club soda.  Garnish with a strawberry and whipped cream.

 

Meatball and Tortellini Bites

1 ½ slices white bread

¼ cup milk

1 pound ground pork

1 pound ground beef

1 egg

¾ cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chives, chopped

1 tablespoon basil, chopped

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 package (9 ounces) three cheese tortellini

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place slices of bread in a shallow dish.  Add milk and let soak for 5 minutes.  Break apart bread with your hands.

Place ground pork and ground beef in a large bowl.  Add egg, ½ cup parmesan cheese, chives, basil, garlic, salt, pepper and milky bread crumbs.  Mix together with clean hands.  Do not over mix.

Form 1 inch in diameter balls.  Place meatballs on a baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 17-20 minutes or until browned and cooked through.

Meanwhile, boil tortellini according to package directions.  Drain tortellini and mix with butter.

Place 1 tortellini on top of each meatball.  Skewer tortellini onto meatball with a long toothpick or mini fork.  Drizzle warmed marinara sauce over meatballs and sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.

Makes about 40.

 

Bloody Mary Shrimp

1 pound raw, peeled tail on shrimp (16-20 count)

2 tablespoons salt

1 lemon, sliced

2 ½ cups bloody mary mix

1 ¼ cup vodka

Celery for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add salt and lemon slices.  Add shrimp and cook until shrimp float to the top and turn pink.  This will happen quickly.  Drain shrimp and chill.

To serve:

Add 2 tablespoons bloody mary mix and 1 tablespoon vodka to each shot glass (about 10).  Add 2 cooked shrimp and a piece of celery to each.  Serve cold.

Makes about 20.

Cannoli Cups

1 package Nestle Mini Chocolate Chip Refrigerated Cookie Dough (break apart dough)

2 cups ricotta cheese

¾ cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons honey

¾ cup mini chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pistachios for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Break apart cookie dough at perforations.  Place each piece of cookie dough into a greased mini muffin tin.  Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes.  Gently press the end of a wooden spoon into each cookie to form a shallow well.  Let cookies cool for at least 1 hour before removing them from pan.

In a mixing bowl, stir together ricotta, powdered sugar, honey, ½ cup mini chocolate chips, vanilla and cinnamon.  Pipe or spoon filling evenly into each cookie cup.  Top with remaining chocolate chips and shopped pistachios.

Makes 40

Valentine's Breakfast

Ahhhhh, Valentine’s Day….A day for love.  And for me, a day for eating.  Right?  Most of us go out to eat for Valentine’s Day, or make a special meal at home.  When you are kidless, you go out for a long, romantic dinner.  When you have kids, things change dramatically.  I’ve found that staying home and cooking a special meal is the way to go.  We don’t have to get dressed up, I don’t have to wrestle my kids to brush their hair, and I don’t have to scream at them to stop hitting each other in public.  Win/win.

This year, Valentine’s Day falls on a school night.  It’s tomorrow for those of you that are mentally blocking what day it falls on this year.  I won’t be cooking a special dinner.  Between work, school, homework, etc. I would just feel too rushed.  This year, we are going to have a special Valentine’s Day breakfast.  I am going to make my amazing Red Velvet Pancakes with a Cream Cheese Glaze, Candied Bacon and my “Love Potion”.  I know my kids will love it, and it will be a great start to V-day.

Let’s start with my Candied Bacon.  I know most of you think that bacon can’t get any better.  It can.  I love bacon as much as the next guy, but I am a freak over this candied version.  It is sweet, salty and crunchy.  It’s everything you could want in a breakfast meat.

I start with thick cut bacon.  I coat the bacon in a combination of Gourmet Rooster Carolina Style BBQ sauce and brown sugar.  The BBQ sauce is a mustardy sauce that doesn’t have tomatoes in it.  It is slightly spicy, sweet and tangy.  If you can’t get this sauce, you can totally substitute Dijon mustard.

Once the bacon is sufficiently coated, I bake the bacon on a wire rack placed over a baking sheet.  I bake the bacon until it is browned and super crispy.  Your house will smell amazing.

This bacon is like nothing you’ve had before.  The mustard and brown sugar combine together into something magical.  You will love it.

My Red Velvet pancakes are ridiculously easy.  Why, you ask?  Because I use pancake mix!  I mix the pancake mix with buttermilk, eggs, unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar and red food coloring.  Basically, I follow the directions from the back of the box, but I sub in buttermilk for the regular milk and add in the cocoa and coloring.  A red velvet cake has buttermilk, cocoa powder and food coloring in it, so it’s pretty much the same….just in pancake form.  And it is fast to make…just like a regular pancake.

The Cream Cheese Glaze is cream cheese melted into whole milk with some sugar and a splash of vanilla extract.  The cream cheese melts into a thick yummy sauce.  I could eat this stuff on a shoe and be happy.  It really is the perfect topper to Red Velvet Pancakes….after all, a good red velvet cake always has cream cheese frosting.

 

Finally, every good breakfast needs a drink, right?  My “Love Potion” is strawberry nectar, peach nectar and lemon lime soda.  For the grown-ups, I use champagne instead of the lemon lime soda….usually.  This Valentine’s Day we will all enjoy this “mocktail”.  It’s a work/school day!

 

My kids love this drink.  It is sweet and fruity fresh.  The soda makes it fizzy and fancy.  And it is the prettiest shade of pink!

I hope you have a great Valentine’s Day with all of your loves.  I also hope you try one or two of these recipes!

Courtney’s Candied Bacon

1 pound thick cut bacon

¼ cup Gourmet Rooster Caroline Style BBQ Sauce

¼ cup light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Arrange on a wire rack placed over a baking sheet that has been lined with foil, without overlapping.

In a separate bowl, mix together brown sugar and BBQ sauce until well combined.  Top each bacon slice with sugar/BBQ sauce mixture, evenly coating each piece.

Bake for about 25 minutes at 400 degrees, or until bacon is browned and crispy.

Serves 6

Red Velvet Pancakes

2 cups pancake mix (Bisquick)

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

¼ cup sugar

1 ¼ cup buttermilk

2 eggs

.75 ounce red food coloring

Butter for pan

Preheat skillet or griddle over medium heat.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together pancake mix, cocoa, sugar, buttermilk and eggs.  Once blended, stir in red food coloring until desired color is reached.

Coat skillet or griddle with butter. Ladle pancake batter onto hot skillet (about ¼ a cup at a time).  Cook until pancakes look dry on the tops and edges are starting to bubble.  Flip pancakes with a spatula and cook an additional 2-3 minutes or until pancakes are cooked through.

Top with cream cheese glaze.

Serves 6

Cream Cheese Glaze

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons sugar

In a sauce pan, melt cream cheese into milk over medium heat, whisking frequently (about 5 minutes).  Once glaze is smooth, whisk in sugar and vanilla extract.  Cook until sugar is dissolved.

Love Potion

2 cups Kern’s Strawberry Nectar

2 cups Kern’s Peach Nectar

1 cup Lemon Lime Soda

Mix together in a large pitcher.  Serve chilled.

Serves 4-6

Apple Pie Moonshine

Hi guys!  Long time, no talk.  We had a fabulous family vacay at Disneyland last week.  It was great to have a week off.  No cooking, no writing, no nothin’ but having fun.  I love to cook and write for you all, but it was nice to have a break.  And to let other people cook for me.  Not that what we ate was the greatest, but I did get Dole Whip and Bacon Wrapped Grilled Asparagus.

 

So I do have a recipe for you today, and it is a quick one.  Well, it sits for a week, but it is quick to put together.  And it is a great gift idea!  What is it, you ask?  Booze!  Everyone’s favorite.  Apple Pie Moonshine to be exact.

Ok, so it isn’t really moonshine, as I didn’t illegally make it in a still out in the forest.  I wasn’t hidin’ from the cops.  It wasn’t 1922.  I wasn’t wearing overalls.  I didn’t bootleg it over county lines.  But most importantly, I used vodka.  I didn’t make anything from corn.  It isn’t White Lightning.  I just like the name.  And since I made it myself (sort of), I will call it moonshine.

Here is how I made it:

 

I used a handle of vodka and a jar of Gourmet Rooster Whiskey Apple Spread.  Easy, right?

Oh look, I used the good stuff!  Ok, no I didn’t.  I bought the cheapest vodka I could find.  Nobody will know.

 

I poured the vodka into a large jar and added the fruit spread.  If you think you have to only use Gourmet Rooster…you don’t.  You can use any kind of apple butter.

This will now sit on your counter for a week.  Go ahead and shake it every time you walk by it…..maybe 3 times a day.  This gives the flavors a chance to marry.

 

After the week (or longer) is up, pour your mixture through a strainer, a very fine strainer.  If you really want it smooth, use a coffee filter.

 

Done.  Bottle it.  Label it.  Yay!  A Christmas gift!  I used pint jars and made labels from brown craft paper.  Isn’t this the cutest gift?

As for the moonshine….it tastes like apple pie, hence the name.  It tastes of apples, cinnamon and vodka, of course. 

This recipe will give you 3 and ½ pint jars.  So three to give away and a small jar to keep for yourself. 

Watch yourself.  This stuff sneaks up on you!

Apple Pie Moonshine

1.75 liter bottle of vodka

9 ounces Gourmet Rooster Whiskey Apple Spread

Pour ingredients into a large, airtight jar.  Let mixture sit for 1 week, shaking occasionally.  Strain and jar.

Makes 3 ½ pints.

Mini Mom Brunch Part 2

Hi guys!  I am going to make tonight’s post short and sweet.  I’ve had a helluva day.  It started out great!  I walked the Spark’s Marina with one of my best girlfriends….but then got back to my car only to realize that I had brought my house key on the walk as opposed to my car key.  My car key was in my locked car.  Sometimes I am brilliant.  Seriously.  I had my head so far up my butt this morning that I locked my keys in the car…in a town that is almost a full 30 minutes from my house.  Mr. Rooster was not pleased that he had to drive me back out there tonight to retrieve my car.  Mr. Rooster is a but high strung;)  Anyhoo, between the stress of that, and cleaning my house for when my mom comes tomorrow…I’m pooped.

I told you that I would be making an “Everything” dip for mini toasted bagels….so let’s get to it.

This dip is basically everything that you would put on a good, New York bagel…..you know, cream cheese, lox, capers, etc.  I just blend it all up and make it easier to serve and enjoy.

I used cream cheese, chopped red onion, caper, poppy seeds, smoked salmon, garlic salt, heavy cream and chopped tomatoes.  I also used a lemon which seems to have rolled its way out of the picture.

I threw in the poppy seeds and garlic salt to remind me of an “everything” bagel.  So yes, there is a lot going on in this dip, but if you enjoy a fully loaded bagel….you will love this.

I put the cream cheese (softened to room temperature), capers, chopped onion, garlic salt, poppy seeds, heavy cream and the juice of one lemon into the bowl of my food processor.  I blended this until it was mixed, but still a bit chunky. 

I topped my dip with the chopped tomatoes and served it with toasted mini bagels.  Remember….this is my “Mini Mom Brunch”.

I could not stop eating this.  And I was home alone, so it really wasn’t a pretty sight.  One girl should never eat that much.

This dip is creamy, salty, briny and a bit sharp from the onions.  Theoretically, this should give you the giant New York bagel experience in a couple of bites….I just happened to eat the equivalent of 3 full sized bagels.

My next “recipe” isn’t much of a recipe.  I call it “teacup fruit salad” and it is just what it sounds like.  I simply put fruit salad into teacups and serve it that way.  Anything looks cute and dainty in a teacup.  I do make one little change from typical fruit salad though.  I serve it with a honey yogurt dressing.  I will show you how I make it.

I used honey vanilla Greek yogurt, honey and heavy cream.

I mix together the yogurt and honey and thin it out with a bit of cream.  Milk would work too.

I put my dressing into a squirty bottle so I can drizzle it on all pretty;)

Isn’t that the cutest way to serve fruit salad?

And the dressing takes it over the top.  So, so good.  If you have teacups, you must use them for this.  I am betting you don’t drink tea out of them too often, so you might as well use them for something else.  Like serving your mom fruit.

My final recipe is easy as can be.  I am going to show you how to make a Ginger Pear Bellini.  Sounds delicious, right?

All it is a spoonful of Gourmet Rooster Ginger Pear spread spooned into the bottom of a champagne flute and topped with champagne.  The flavors are meant to be together.  So much better than a typical peach Bellini, or even a regular run of the mill mimosa.

I hope you try a couple of the Mini Mom recipes.  Even if your mom isn’t mini;)

“Everything” Dip with Toasted Mini Bagels

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

¼ heavy cream

1/3 cup red onion, chopped

¼ cup capers, drained

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Juice of one lemon

3 ounces smoked salmon

1/3 cup tomatoes, chopped

Place all ingredients except for tomatoes into food processor.  Blend until mixed well.  Top with tomatoes and serve with toasted mini bagels.

Honey Yogurt Fruit Salad Dressing

8 ounces honey vanilla Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Whisk all ingredients together.  Keep cold.

The Academy Awards...Who Are You Wearing?

Hi everyone!  Happy Fat Tuesday!  Laissez Bon Temps Rouler!  That means “let the good times roll.”  So I hope they are rolling for you.  As for me….I have moved on to the Academy Awards.  Yes folks, the Oscars are this Sunday.  If you are anything like me…you could care less about the actual movies and you just tune in to see what the ladies are wearing.  And I bet you are just like me;) 

I do, however, still like to keep up with what movies are nominated for “Best Picture”.  This also helps me plan my Oscar menu.  Big surprise, but I prefer to plan my whole menu around finger foods.  I think it is more fun, and besides….nobody wants to eat a big meal when wearing couture.  What’s that?  You don’t wear your best gown when viewing the Oscars?  Tell me you at least put on your fake eye lashes!

So Like I said above, I like to use the Best Picture nominees to plan my menu.  I would love to have a dish for each movie, but there are nine nominated….and I ain’t makin’ that much.  But I do have 5 recipes planned.  Today I will show you two of them, plus a cocktail recipe.  But first….here are the nominees:

The Descendants

Midnight in Paris

Hugo

The Help

The Artist

Moneyball

Tree of Life

War Horse

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Have you seen any of these???

Let’s get started with my first appetizer recipe. I took my inspiration from Tree of Life for this one.  I like to think that if Mrs. O’Brien was attending a cocktail party, back in 1960’s Texas, she would bring this……I am going to show you how to make Rumaki, which was HUGE during the 60’s.  Any housewife worth her salt had a recipe for this.  It is basically chicken livers and water chestnuts wrapped in bacon, and broiled until the bacon is crispy.  It is also marinated in a yummy sauce before it gets cooked.  Ok, relax….I didn’t use chicken livers.  I know you were freaking out.

What I did use was bacon, pineapple, water chestnuts, ginger, soy sauce, garlic, rice wine vinegar, and brown sugar.

I love the addition of pineapple to this.  Plus, anything Hawaiian was popular at cocktail parties back in the day.  I think it was considered different and exotic.

This is a really easy and quick recipe.  I started by making the marinade.  I mixed together the soy sauce, minced garlic, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar and ginger.  I grated my ginger in with a little hand grater/zester.

Then, I wrapped two sliced water chestnuts and chunk of pineapple up in half a piece of raw bacon.  I secured mine with a toothpick that had been soaking in water.  That will help keep it from setting a fire in the oven.  Backdraft isn’t nominated this year…..ba doom boom boom.

I marinated these little bundles in the sauce for about 20 minutes.

I broiled my Rumaki in the oven for about 13 minutes. 

Yum!  Mrs. O’Brien would absolutely bring these to a party!  If she was attending parties at all….she did lose a son during this, so parties might have been few and far between for her.

I don’t think this movie will win, but this Rumaki will.  It rocks.  It is sweet, savory and completely delicious.  I totally wouldn’t have been feelin’ the chicken livers though.

My next recipe is an ode to “Midnight in Paris”. Midnight in Paris is the story of a few Americans visiting Paris.  Some are there for business, some for pleasure….It is a Woody Allen film, so that tells you something right there. 

 I am making a yummy mushroom tart with blue cheese.  They would totally snack on this in Paris;)  Maybe at a bistro while sipping wine…..

I used frozen puff pastry, a couple of cups of sliced mushrooms, Gourmet Rooster Caramelized Onion and Chardonnay Spread, Blue Cheese, and butter.

I used regular white mushrooms because that was what my store had.  You can use whatever type of mushroom you like.  Fancy ones would be great in this.

Let’s start with the puff pastry.  I defrosted it according to the package directions.  Your box will most likely have 2 pieces in it.  Use both. 

I drew a line around the perimeter of the pastry, not cutting all the way through.  This will score the pastry and give you a puffed border.  I also poked holes in the center part to keep that from rising too much.

I tossed this in the oven for about 13 minutes to let it start to brown.  If you are feeling ambitious you can put an egg wash on yours.  It will brown with or without it, so it’s up to you.

I sautéed my mushrooms in butter for a few minutes over medium heat.  Once they were softened, I added the Gourmet Rooster spread.  You can also salt and pepper your mix, but the spread is heavily seasoned…so taste first.

I spread the mushroom mixture all over my puff pastry.  Then, I sprinkled on the blue cheese.  I popped this back in the oven to melt the cheese and to let the pastry finish browning.  Blue cheese and mushrooms are amazing together.  But I am a firm believer that blue cheese goes with anything.

Oh man…..I would go to Paris for this.  If it was free and an airplane wasn’t involved.  My fear of flying doesn’t lend well to me ever seeing Europe.  Midnight in Paris might be as close as I get.

Onto cocktail time….as Sandra Lee would say;)  This cocktail is not my recipe.   Instead it is a pretty famous one that has been around forever.  It is called “The Parisian” and I am pretty sure that all of the actors from “The Artist” would enjoy one of these.  Although The Artist is set in Old Hollywood, it is a French film, chock full of French actors.

This is totally my Oscar cocktail of choice.  I will give you the recipe at the end of this post.

On Thursday I will show you a mini “Loco Moco” in honor of The Descendants, mini chocolate pies (hold the poop) in honor of The Help, and I will also include a Moneyball party favor.  Tune in!

Mrs. O’Brien’s Rumaki

12 slices bacon, cut in half to make 24

14 ounce can of pineapple chunks, you will need 24 chunks

2 eight ounce cans sliced water chestnuts, drained

½ cup soy sauce

3 Tablespoons rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

Preheat broiler.

In a mixing bowl, stir together soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic and ginger.  Set aside.

Wrap 2 sliced water chestnuts and 1 chunk of pineapple with 1 half piece of bacon.  Secure with a toothpick that has soaked in water to prevent burning.  Place bundles in marinade.  Let marinade for 20 minutes.

Broil bundles in broiler or 500 degree oven for 13 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 24

Midnight in Paris Mushroom Tart

1 package puff pastry sheets

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups sliced mushrooms

4 ounces Gourmet Rooster Caramelized Onion and Chardonnay Spread

4 ounces blue cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lay puff pastry out on baking sheets.  Using a knife, score around the edges, about 1 inch in.  This will make your “shell”.  Poke holes in the center to keep it from rising too much.

Bake at 400 for about 13 minutes.

In the meantime, sauté mushrooms in butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until mushrooms soften.  Add spread and heat through.

Divide mushroom mixture evenly over puff pastry sheets.  Sprinkle evenly with blue cheese.  Return to oven for 5 more minutes to melt cheese.

Serves 12

The Parisian

1 ounce dry vermouth

1 ounce gin

¼ ounce crème de cassis

Shake all ingredients together in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.  Strain into a martini glass.

Serves 1