January 16th, 2012 | 
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Wine Tasting and Tasty Treats
I recently got a great deal through a wine company for an in-home wine tasting and I thought it would be so much fun to invite a few friends over to learn about some new wines. Of course, it was also a great excuse to come up with some new party foods! I’ve mentioned my requirements for good party food before: great flavor in just a few bites, easy to handle and pretty presentation. There are particular considerations, however when you take on a theme. Since this was a wine party, I wanted an array of different foods that would complement the wines and not overpower them. Our wine guide brought in 10 different types of wine for us to try. She described each wine, where it comes from, poured each of us a taste, had us rate the wine, gave us food pairing ideas and answered all of our questions. We started with light and bright whites, moved to medium bodied and rich reds and finished off with a decadent creamy dessert wine that tasted just like German chocolate cake! The whole experience was very educational and we all had a wonderful time. Plus, she left behind the bottles for us to finish, which of course we did! Continue reading →
Posted in Appetizers, Desserts, Drinks, Holiday, Meat Dishes, Seafood, Side Dishes, Snack Foods | 
Tags: appetizers, baked brie, basil, beef, cheese, chocolate, crostini, eggplant, foccacia, ginger, goat cheese, greek, jam, lamb, lemon, meatballs, mushroom, orzo, parfait, party, party food, pate, pesto, pineapple, proscuitto, pudding, raspberry, roasted red pepper, salmon, sandwich, smoked salmon, sushi, tapas, tartlet, tomato, wine, wine tasting | 
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8 Comments »BBQ Salmon Tartlets
BBQ Salmon Tartlets
I am a big fan of party food. Cute little morsels that allow you to eat with your hands and still mingle around the room. The best party food packs a punch of flavor in 2 or 3 bites, doesn’t fall apart when you eat it and looks pretty! My favorite part of planning a party is all the delicious bites I get to concoct. This got me to thinking… Why do I only make party food for parties? Why not make it for me?
I made these cute little tartlets up on a lazy Saturday afternoon and was so excited about them that I had my own little one-person party! And with these calories stats, I felt perfectly fine to indulge in it. Each tartlet is almost the size of a muffin and packed with smoky bbq flavor and good-for-you spinach. Try them for your next big (or little!) party.
Posted in Appetizers, Holiday, Main Dishes, Seafood | Tags: appetizer, barbeque, bbq, brown rice, party food, puff pastry, salmon, spinach, tartlet | Print Recipe | 3 Comments »All-New Old-Fashioned Turkey Pot Pie
All-New Old-Fashioned Turkey Pot Pie
Turkey Pot Pie is the ultimate comfort food. Rich buttery biscuits cooked on top of a creamy sauce stuffed with turkey, potatoes and veggies. Wait Barbara, you say. I thought you made HEALTHY recipes! How can such a rich delicious dish possibly be healthy? Well, I say, keep reading and I will show you how!
Although I never met her, I have been told that my Grandmother McGlone was a wonderful cook. My father still has her original cookbook and copied it for me and all my siblings. I grew up trying to perfect her recipe for biscuits. They are made with white flour, whole milk and… LARD! Of course they are fluffy, rich and delicious, but not so healthy.
For my biscuits, I replaced almost all the fat in my grandmother’s biscuits with fat free cream cheese and used low fat buttermilk for richness. The cream sauce gets a lot of flavor from chicken broth and is thickened with a small amount of flour. As with many of my recipes you can even make this vegetarian by adding in more veggies in place of the turkey. You can also add more broth to the filling mixture, omit the biscuits and have a healthy scrumptious soup!
This pot pie is so mouth-watering delicious that you won’t believe it’s under 300 calories per serving! It’s time to indulge, people. You really can have it all!
Posted in Casseroles, Main Dishes, Meat Dishes, Soups | Tags: biscuit, carrot, celery, cream sauce, onion, parsley, pease, pot pie, thyme, turkey, vegetable | Print Recipe | 3 Comments »Ham and Gorgonzola Frittata
Ham and Gorgonzola Frittata
I love Saturday and Sunday mornings. Sleeping in, going to the farmer’s market, messing around in the garden and BRUNCH! One of my favorite things to make for brunch is a frittata. They are incredible simple and always look impressive. Serve for breakfast on its own or with some toasted bread and jam or have for lunch with some simple dressed salad greens.
This version combines julienned potatoes, onion, bell pepper, ham and gorgonzola. I also used more egg whites than yolks to keep the calorie count down. The gorgonzola is mild enough to please any palate and the potatoes hold the egg mixture together beautifully. Try your own combination adding meat, veggies and cheese and impress your friends and family. Warning: they’ll want to have brunch at your place all the time!
Posted in Breakfast, Main Dishes, Meat Dishes | Tags: bell pepper, cheese, eggs, frittata, gorgonzola, ham, onion, oregano, potato | Print Recipe | 1 Comment »Remixed Turkey Stroganoff
Remixed Turkey Stroganoff
Although I love to cook, sometimes I am just too busy to make a complete meal from scratch. I do have a full-time job and it can be difficult after a long day at work to spend extra time in the kitchen prepping and cooking a meal. At the same time, however, I like a lot of variety and do not like to eat the same meal several nights in a row. What’s my solution? I make a remix of another dish I cooked or prepped earlier in the week.
Just like a song that can be broken apart and remixed to make another fun ditty, you can take some of your preparations from one meal, add a little flare and create a whole new taste. You get two great meals out of one – BONUS!
This particular remix uses my ground turkey mixture from my Turkey and Wild Rice Stuffed Peppers. I made a double batch when I stuffed the peppers and saved it in a sealed plastic bag for this recipe. Combined with farfalle and an easy stroganoff sauce mix, this dish is rich, creamy and satisfying. The best part? It takes less than 20 minutes but it will look like you’ve been cooking for hours.
Posted in Main Dishes, Meat Dishes | Tags: farfalle, ground turkey, mushroom, onion, pasta, sauce, stroganoff | Print Recipe | No Comments »Turkey and Wild Rice Stuffed Peppers
Turkey and Wild Rice Stuffed Peppers
As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been all about comfort food lately. The best comfort food is home-cooked and made with love. It tells the person you make it for that you care for them and hold them close to your heart. It wraps them in a warm blanket and keeps them safe. Everyone has a different comfort food and most people derive it from their childhood. For me, one of my favorite comfort foods is stuffed peppers. Whenever I wasn’t feeling well my mother would make me turkey stuffed peppers. Each pepper felt like a little bucket of warm love made just for me.
My stuffed peppers are inspired by my mother’s recipe. I used tri-color peppers in yellow, orange and red and my turkey mixture is stuffed with wild rice, spinach and mushrooms for texture. The tomato basil topping adds a punch of flavor and ties the whole dish together. I promise they will not disappoint!
Like many of my favorite comfort foods, these can be made ahead of time and simply put in the oven an hour before dinnertime. The turkey mixture also makes a great meatloaf so if you make a double batch, you can get two meals out of one prep time! In fact, my next recipe will feature the same mixture turned into a delicious and super easy stroganoff so stay tuned!
Posted in Main Dishes, Meat Dishes | Tags: basil, bell pepper, mushroom, onion, spinach, stuffed pepper, tomato, turkey, wild rice | Print Recipe | 2 Comments »
