Roasted Grape, Blue Cheese, & Honey Crostini

I love wine and cheese nights! This week a few friends shared in some delicious cheese, olives, and finger foods. The fireplace and conversation were sizzling.  I baked an especially good appetizer - roasted grape, blue cheese, and honey crostini. I have to thank my new obsession with Pinterest for introducing me to a link for this recipe. It was easy and super classy looking.  

Roasted Grapes, Blue Cheese, & Honey Crostini

Adapted from http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/roasted-grape-blue-cheese-honey-crostini/

Ingredients:

Approximately 1 pound of red grapes, removed from stem

1 TBSP olive oil

1 French baguette, thinly sliced and toasted

2-3 TBSP Blue cheese for sprinkling

Honey for drizzling finish

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss grapes in a bowl with olive oil. Spread grapes on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

2. Bake sliced baguette for 5 minutes at 400. Remove from oven.

3. Dress baguette slices with grapes, crumbled blue cheese, and drizzle with honey. Return to oven at 400 for another 5 minutes.

Serve! Super yummy and has great contrasting flavors that go with any wine of your choice! 

Fresh Salsa & Guacamole

I know I've bottled salsa - but when you have the time and fresh ingredients it's hard to resist.  As it is, I'm convincing myself to look at ingredients I have in the house so I don't make another trip back to one of my favorite places. . . the farm! I can't promise I won't go there again this weekend :)

Fresh Tomato Salsa

Taken from www.epicurious.com/

Makes about 2 cups.

Ingredients:

 ¾ pound tomatoes (about 2 medium), seeded, and finely diced (1 ½ cups)

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

¼ cup finely chopped white onion

1 small fresh jalapeno or Serrano chile, finely chopped, included seeds (the more seeds the more heat!) It's helpful to wear gloves here remember.

1 TBSP freshly squeezed lime juice

½ tsp fine salt, or 1 tsp kosher salt

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Season to taste with additional chile, lime juice, and salt. 

This salsa keeps in the fridge for just a day or two.  Before you serve it, stir it well drained of any excess liquid that has accumulated in the bowl.

Guacamole

Taken from America’s Test Kitchen 2001-2010. 

Makes 2 ½ to 3 cups.

 

Ingredients:

 3 medium ripe avocadoes

¼ cup minced fresh cilantro leaves

2 TBSP minced onion

1 small jalapeno chile, stemmed seeded, and minced

1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tsp)

½ tsp ground cumin (optional)

dash of salt

2 TBSP juice from freshly squeezed lime

Directions:

1. Halve 1 avocado, remove the pit, and scoop out the flesh in a medium bowl. Mash the flesh lightly with the cilantro, onion, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, and ¼ tsp of salt with the tines of a fork until just combined. (see picture for dicing avocado for cubes)
2. Halve, pit, and cube the remaining 2 avocados.  Add the cubes to the bowl with the mashed avocado mixture. 
3. Sprinkle the lime juice over the diced avocado and mix the entire contents of the bowl lightly with a fork until combined but still chunky.  Season with salt, if necessary, and serve
4. This guacamole can be kept in the fridge a couple of days.

Enjoy with some nachos! 

Thanksgiving

Megs has found one!

Megs and I went pumpkin hunting. Thanksgiving is enjoying the crisp fall air and picking out the perfect pumpkin while you dodge the running kids at the farm.  

After being overwhelmed with drool-inducing smells wafting from the farm bakery, we headed home and began the festivities of spending hours in the kitchen getting ready for our big meal.  Of course, you need some tasty appetizers and some wine do to this so you don’t pine away before supper is actually ready!  Today’s fall favorites are brought to you from Megs.

Megs’ Recipe Corner

Salmon Dip

Makes approximately 1 ½ cups.

Ingredients:

1 block of cream cheese

1-2 TBSP of horseradish

1 tsp of dill

1 cup of smoked salmon

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mash/stir with a fork until combined. Serve with your favorite crackers or Paris Toasts. Highly addictive!

Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

Recipe taken from Ocean Spray.

Makes approximately 2 ¼ cups.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 package (340g) fresh or frozen cranberries (we used fresh!)

Directions:
Mix water and sugar in a medium saucepan; stir to dissolve sugar.  Bring to a boil; add cranberries, return to boil. You will hear them popping and this is normal :) Reduce heat, boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Cool completely at room temperature and refrigerate. 

Cranberry Surprise Cake

Handed down from Megs' Mom.

Ingredients:

3 cups cranberries

½ cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

¾ cup melted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.

Grease a 10” pie plate. Spread cranberries over bottom of pie plate. Sprinkle with the ½ cup sugar.

Beat the eggs, add the brown sugar gradually. Beat until blended.

Stir the flour and butter into the egg / sugar mix.

Pour the batter over the cranberries.

Bake  45 – 60 minutes.  It takes closer to 60 minutes if you are using frozen cranberries, rather than fresh.

More from our festivities...

Sweet Potato Casserole, Cranberry Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, Turnip, Carrot, & Cranberry Dressing

Turkey