cute caprese bites

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When the first thing out of Boyfriend’s mouth when he enters the kitchen is “OH MY GOD, ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME WITH CUTENESS!?” I consider that a win.

This army of cuteness couldn’t be easier to assemble, nor more delicious. Cherry tomatoes and basil are two things I pretty much always have on hand, I just happened to have a container of boccacini hanging out in the fridge that I just had to use up, so out came these little guys.

Sweet, salty, creamy…. perfect.

I wish I had more to say about them, but I just don’t. I think the pictures sum it up pretty good.

So the “recipe” if you’d like to call it that is as such

Cute Caprese Bites

  • 12 cherry tomatoes
  • 12 boccacini balls
  • 12 leafs of basil
  • Fleur de sel (optional)
  • Good quality balsamic vinegar (optional)

Cut cherry tomatoes in half, sprinkle boccacini with sea salt.

Place boccacini on bottom half of cherry tomato, top with basil leaf, and replace top of tomato. Skewer with a toothpick (or something fancier if you wish).

Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. I suspect a drizzle of pesto might not be a bad idea either… ooh, or maybe pesto and balsamic on the side so you can dip into whichever you prefer… mmm

Enjoy

If you can’t find boccacini, just cube some fresh mozzarella and call it a day. 🙂

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snack attack – avocado fries + onion rings

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I never fry at home… like, never.

Never ever.

Ever.

Of course, I see all kinds of recipes for fried treats that I would love to make, but I never dare make them. The danger of opening up my home to frying food ts too great. Making a batch of donuts then leads to eating a batch of donuts, then I know nothing will compare to the home made ones and I will have to make more of them, then eat more of them, then….. other things will start being fried. Everything really. Everything will start to be fried.

It’s a slippery slope there, a dangerous one, and I try to stay away from that slope at all costs.

Well, my friends, Pinterest struck again with these gosh darned avocado fries. I was so intrigued by the whole concept…. avocado FRIES??? Overcome by a recent addiction to avocado, I couldn’t resist. The image in my head of biting into a crunchy, salty exterior surrounding a warm, creamy avocado was just too much to bare. They must be mine.

So I broke my cardinal kitchen rule: thou shalt not fry.

And, while I was at it, why not throw some onion rings in there too? I always have about a thousand onions in my fridge. And I had extra buttermilk to use up anyway. I’m already breaking my rule anyway…. See? 5 minutes in and I’m already sliding down that slope… and it all started with an innocent little avocado…

Well, both were delicious. And I felt extra guilty after eating them, even though Boyfriend wandered into the kitchen at some point to help consume them… he had to run to the store in the middle of it and…  I don’t know what happened. I blacked out and they were gone…

Yeah…. too bad I can never make these again. Never ever. Ever. Make these again. But you… You should definitely make them. Even if you never fry, maybe especially if you never fry. They’re dangerously good.

Avocado Fries Recipe Adapted from Sunset Magazine

  •          Canola oil for frying
  •          1/4 cup flour
  •          1 tsp kosher salt (or other seasoning blend of your choice)
  •          2 large eggs, beaten to blend
  •         1 1/4 cups panko
  •         2 firm-ripe medium avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced into 1/2-in. wedges
  •         Grated parmesan (or other seasoning blend) for serving (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 200°. In a large saucepan, heat 1 1/2 in. oil until it registers 375° on a deep-fry thermometer. (I had to switch pans after realizing my original pan was not big enough to use my spider with) Line a baking sheet with foil, if you have a baking rack, place that on top of the baking sheet which will allow the hot air to flow around the rings while they’re in the oven.

2. Meanwhile, mix flour with 1/2 tsp. salt in a shallow plate. Put eggs and panko in separate shallow plates. (I like to use paper plates so I can just throw them away afterwards. Wasteful, I know.)

3. Slice avocado and sprinkle the avocado slices with the remaining ½ tsp salt. (Maybe a little more, be generous with it). Dip each slice in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg, then panko to coat. Set aside while you finish the rest.

3. Fry a quarter of avocado slices at a time until deep golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer slices to a plate lined with paper towels. Keep warm in oven while cooking remaining avocados. Sprinkle with salt and a little grated parmesan (or other seasoning), if desired. I did some with southwestern seasoning and others just plain salt…. Both were delicious.

Panko Onion Rings

  •         1 sweet onion, cut into medium slices, rings separated
  •        1 cup buttermilk
  •         ¼ cup flour
  •         1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
  •         2 large eggs, beaten to blend
  •         1 – 1 ½ cups Panko bread crumbs
  •         Canola Oil, for frying
  1. Marinate onion slices in buttermilk 30 minutes to 1 hour. Line a baking sheet with foil, if you have a baking rack, place that on top of the baking sheet which will allow the hot air to flow around the rings while they’re in the oven.
  2. Preheat oven to 200°. In a large saucepan, heat 1 ½ inch of oil to 375° on a deep-fry thermometer.
  3. Coat slices in flour, then egg, then panko. Refill panko as needed. Set aside coated rings while you coat the rest.
  4. When ready, fry onion rings a few slices at a time, making sure to not let the oil temperature drop too low.  Place fried onion rings on the rack and keep warm in the oven.
  5. Sprinkle with final salt (or other seasoning) and serve warm (preferably with some ranch to dip them in)

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Kettle Corn

kettle corn ( and easy super bowl treats )

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Kettle corn is the perfect snack for any time of day, for kids and grown-ups alike. Plus, I hear the Super Bowl is coming up, and this would be a great make-ahead snack for your upcoming Super Bowl party – a perfect combination of salty, sweet, and crunchy all in one bite!

I compiled a short list of other great super bowl menu items with only two criteria:

   1. You must be able to make it ahead of time

   2. It must be easy to make

That sounds like two pretty good qualifications, right?

So, feast your eyes on these:

Soft pretzel bites – great served with honey mustard or a store-bought queso
Home-made Cheez ItsRestaurant style salsa– serve with store-bought chips
Beef dip sandwiches – make up to 2 days ahead in your slow cooker and serve slider rolls for bite-size treats
This Caprese Salad is a great alternative to a pasta salad, and a more healthful option (but you don’t have to tell anyone else that)
You’ve still got a few days, go ahead and infuse some vodka with berries while you’re at it Don’t forget dessert! How bout some rice krispy treats or blondies (using m&ms with your favorite team’s colors

Oh yeah, let’s not forget the kettle corn recipe! It’s more or less like this – equal parts oil and sugar, pop your corn in it, sprinkle with salt. Done!

I did 3 Tbsp oil + 1/3 cup kernels just because that’s what was on the back of my popcorn container. You can adjust for more or less, just make sure the oil coats the bottom of your pan and that you have equal parts (or close to) sugar and oil.

Kettle Corn – makes about 4 cups popped popcorn

[ Printable Recipe ]

  • 3 Tbsp oil
  • 3 Tbsp sugar
  • 1/3 c popcorn kernels
  • salt, to taste

1. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add a few kernels to the pan and cover.

2. Once those kernels pop, add the rest of the popcorn kernels along with the sugar. Replace lid and shake like crazy while they continue to pop. Be careful not to let the sugar burn (I usually swirl mine so that only part of the pan is over the burner at any given point in time). If you’re lucky, you might have one of these guys to stir for you.

3. When popping slows to a few seconds between kernels, you’re done! Go ahead and dump into a large bowl, sprinkle with desired amount of salt and toss. I usually pour half in, salt and toss that half, then pour the rest in and salt and toss again (for better coverage).

*If at any point you think your sugar is starting to burn, just go ahead and pour your popcorn into the bowl. No point in sacrificing all that popcorn just waiting for those last few kernels to pop!

*You can also add the salt at the same time as the sugar – but I like being able to taste and adjust