Blue Cheese Cream Toasts with Walnuts

Calabres Con Nuezes

Another tasty, yet super quick and easy, Tapas recipes!


Yield: 10-12 toasts

Ingredients

French baguette, cut in half inch slices
2 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8 oz Cabrales, or other bleu cheese (Cabrales really is the best!)
2 Tbl sour cream
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup English walnut halves, shelled

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F. Brush each slice of baguette with olive oil, and place on baking sheet. Bake for about 5 minutes, until golden brown.

In medium bowl, crumble Cabrales, add sour cream, and mix lightly with a fork. Do not overmix - mixture should not be smooth. Season with pepper to taste. Spread a tsp of cheese mixture on each slice of baguette, top with a walnut half.

That's all there is to it! Serve with cocktails, sparkling white wine, or as a finger food with other appetizers.

Tapas!

Lately, I've been having a great time discovering and creating 'Tapas', the wonderful snacks that magically appear beside your chosen drink at Spanish bars. Tapas are usually very simple, small morsels of food, often unique to local regions of Spain. Tapas are only one of the ways that the local gathering spots use to make everyone feel like 'family'.

Here is just one of the numerous Tapas you may find.
Try serving these at your next cocktail party, or game day - your guest will love them!

I will be posting more Tapa recipes soon!



Croquetas de Huevos (Egg Fritters)

Makes 36 fritters

Ingredients:

1/4 stick butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup of milk (very cold)
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped fine
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 tsp grated nutmeg
6 TBL bread crumbs, finely ground
2 large eggs, beaten
Oil (preferably EVOO) for frying

Melt butter in medium saucepan, and add flour, stirring constantly. Continiue stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Add milk slowly, still stirring constantly, until it forms a thick sauce. Fold in hard boiled eggs, season to taste, and add nutmeg. Continue to cook 4-5 minutes, resulting in a thick sauce.
Let cool completely - this is very important! Cooling overnight is best.
Form a scan TBL of the mixture into a fritter, (1.5 to 2 inch cylinder). Roll fritter in bread crumbs, coat in beaten egg, and roll in bread crumbs again.
Heat oil in large, heavy-bottomed skillet until temp reaches 350F. Fry in batches (no more than 3-4 per batch) for about 5 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove with slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and serve immediately.

"Safe" Tomatoes

Will it be a tomato-less summer for some people?

I highly doubt that the current Salmonella scare will last all summer, although the FDA seems to be having an especially hard time locating the source of the contaminated tomatoes, compared with other recent outbreaks.

On a positive note, the FDA is clearing more states' growers every day, so if you can (reliably) find out the source of the tomatoes you wish to purchase, you can check to see if that state is on the "safe" list.

The most comprehensive information I've found for all aspects of this Salmonella outbreak, including a daily updating of states where the tomatoes have been deemed safe, is Salmonellosis Outbreak in Certain Types of Tomatoes

As for ourselves, we are blessed that this year's crop of container tomatoes is an abundant one, as evidenced by the pictures. With a little work to keep the squirrels at bay, we've been enjoying these homegrown delights every day!

I hope my readers are as lucky!

Easy Broccoli Salad

This sweet but tangy broccoli salad isn't just good for you, it's super easy to prepare as a light lunch, or cool side dish for your next cookout!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbl sugar
2 Tbl vinegar
6 cups fresh broccoli florets
6 slices crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
1 small red onion, chopped

Directions:

Mix mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix lightly. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

Serves 10-12.

Sausage-Stuffed Squash

Hearty enough for a main course, this is one of our favorite recipes for squash.

Ingredients:

2 medium acorn squash, about 1 and 1/2 lbs (I occasionally substitute butternut squash)
2 Italian sausage links, casing removed
1 medium onion (or more to taste), chopped
2/3 cup chopped green pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 and 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan or cheddar cheese (your choice)

Directions:
Cut each squash in half lengthwise, scoop out and discard seeds, forming a 'cup' in each of the four halves. Place squash cut side down, in a microwave-safe baking dish. Cover and microwave on high for 10-12 minutes or until tender.
While squash is cooking, crumble sausage into a large skillet and add the onion, green peppers, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink - drain. Stir in tomato, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Turn squash over, cut side up. Stuff with sausage mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan or cheddar. Cover and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or untill heated through.

Serves 4

Great Giveaways, and a Great Blog, too!

Lori over at My Wooden Spoon has just started a 3 month weekly giveaway contest with some FANTASTIC prizes! I mean really, who wouldn't love a free Cuisinart Food Prep, or a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer??
As an added bonus, Lori's got an awesome food blog - I've spent 'way more time than I should exploring it.
Head on over to My Wooden Spoon and see what I mean! While you're there, check out her 'Buttery Shrimp Scampi with Linguine' recipe, complete with step by step directions, and wonderful photos.

Herbed Olive Oil

Some of you know that my love of gardening follows very closely behind my passion for food. As I was transplanting my little herb seedlings to their strawberry pot today, I was already making plans for the sprigs of fresh new growth they'll soon be producing. Most herbs benefit greatly by regular trimming, this provides us with a constant supply of fresh herbs over the summer.


This morning's transplanting inspired me to share one of my favorite herb recipes with you...

Herbed Olive Oil

Makes 3/4 cup

3 Tbl fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbl fresh rosemary, chopped, or one small sprig
1 and 1/2 Tbl fresh oregano, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground peppercorns
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Assembly:

In a food processor or blender, combine parsley, rosemary, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Process until herbs are finely minced. Add olive oil and blend well. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving or transfer to a covered jar and store in refrigerator for up to one week.

**Please do not increase this recipe unless you plan to share with others. Due to the lack of preservatives in this oil, dangerous bacterial growth is possible if stored for over a week, even in the refrigerator.