Tag Archives: appetizer

road trip { + salami puffs }

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This post is not about salami puffs. This post is about vacation.

This weekend BF whisked me off to Flagstaff to escape the heat. I never thought I’d be going somewhere that was “only 80 degrees” to get out of the heat, but I guess stranger things have happened. (Like the fact that it’s been a crazy triple digit heatwave back east, where my mom went to escape the heat… oops?) The picnic was super sweet, he made delicious Italian sandwiches on a baguette along with some pasta salad. So sweet. Plus, we got to use my giant cooler that I got on super sale at Target. I bought it specifically “for picnics”, even though I haven’t actually been on a picnic in the 3+ years I’ve lived here (and probably even a few more before that). It seemed like a good idea at the time, it was such a good deal. I was practically losing money if I didn’t buy it!

Here in the desert we don’t see a lot of green, or any other color besides brown, so it was definitely a nice change. It was nice to be able to walk in grass instead of rocks, and see flowers instead of cacti. We found a nice, shady spot near the lake and set up our picnic.

After we ate our lunch, we relaxed a bit, debated what to do next, and met some ducks. BF is so sweet, he even let the duckies join in on our picnic. Turns out they like baguettes just as much as we do.

After that we walked around downtown Flagstaff for a little while, perusing shops and whatnot. Then we decided we needed ice cream, so we looked up the nearest ice cream stops but most of them were just chains. I didn’t drive two hours to eat somewhere I could eat at home. We found a place that had good reviews in Sedona, so we decided to take scenic route 89A through Oak Creek Canyon to Sedona on the way home. The drive takes you down a windy two lane road through ponderosa pines, along canyon walls to Sedona, known for its red rocks. Once in Sedona we stopped at Black Cow Cafe for “Sedona’s Best Ice Cream”. To be honest, it was pretty darn good.

Even got to watch a storm roll in on the way home! When you live in the desert, anytime you see rain you get really excited. Weird, I know.

The weekends are generally reserved for the kitchen. Since clearly one of my days was completely taken, that didn’t really leave a lot of time for you guys. What would I do for you? I couldn’t just leave you here to fend for yourselves!

I was feeling kinda guilty about taking the weekend off, so Sunday afternoon I raided the fridge and found: puff pastry, leftover salami from the sandwiches, and pesto. Done! I give you: Pesto Salami Puff Pastry Rolls! (what a mouthful, eh?) I recommend dipping them in some marinara sauce, but that’s just me.

Pesto Puffs

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  • 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
  • Pesto
  • Salami, diced
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Parmesan, shredded

1. Unfold puff pastry, spread with pesto. Sprinkle evenly with salami and parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.

2. Roll pastry up tightly, then cut into 1/2″ slices.

3. Place evenly spaced on 2 baking sheets and bake at 400F for about 15 minutes until golden brown.

Home-made “Cheez-Its”

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Costco is a dangerous place. It lures you in with promises of cheap goods, then forces you to buy crazy things you would never consider buying otherwise… like an entire 2 lb block of cheese. There are only two people living in this house, what are we going to do with a 2 lb block of cheese? There’s no way we can eat the entire thing and live to tell about it. I can hear my arteries crying just looking at the the thing…

Well, the Boy talked me into this particular block of cheese, and while it’s delicious, it has been plaguing me for what seems like a lifetime. I’m sure it’s only been a month or so, but it’s always in there… taunting me. How many cheeseburgers do I have to make before I work through it? What about sandwiches for lunch? Shred some for tacos or enchiladas, I suppose. Maybe some nachos? Grilled cheese? But it’s white cheddar… white cheddar grilled cheese? Hmmm. Or on pasta? No thanks. A girl can only eat so much cheese…

Then – epiphany! Cheez-its are delicious, right? And gold fish crackers? Yum! White cheddar? Um, hello, way better than orange-dyed cheddar. So finally, I had something to do with my salty, extra-sharp behemoth.

Plus, I got these neat rubber-band things that I put on my rolling pin to ensure I roll to the correct thickness 100% of the time and I’ve been looking for an excuse to use them. So now I got to try them- and it was way better than guessing how thick my dough was or making futile attempts to measure the thickness, and worrying that it wasn’t rolled evenly… I swear I’m not neurotic. You worry about these things too, right?

These crackers are amazing! They’re like little pillows of cheesy, salty, buttery goodness. Plus, they’re super cute. I mean seriously. Look at how cute they are! I think I’ll make some for our next get-together so everyone can bask in the cuteness.

Cheez-its – Adapted from Country Living

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  • 1 c AP flour
  • 4 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter; cubed
  • 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded (I used extra-sharp white cheddar)
  • ¾ tsp salt, separated into ¼ tsp and ½ tsp
  • ¼ tsp pepper (a couple turns of your pepper grinder)
  • Up to 4 Tbsp cold water
  • 1/8 tsp ground cayenne (optional)

Make dough: Pulse all ingredients (except water) in the food processor until the mixed. Slowly pour cold water (1 Tbsp at a time) through the opening while pulsing just until the mixture sticks together, forming into a ball. It’ll look something like…

Remove and gather into one solid chunk. Flatten it into a general rectangle-ish shape (it will make it chill faster and also make it easier to roll out) and place into the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

When ready to bake: Preheat oven to 350F. Roll the dough to 1/8 inch thick. Using a knife or pizza cutter, slice into squares (if you want to be fancy you can use any shape of cookie cutter your heart desires). Sprinkle with salt and place on two parchment-lined sheet pans. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until crispy and lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before transferring to a bowl or container to avoid any steam moistening the crackers.

*Tips

*I separated most of my crackers, which was tedious. There were a few towards the end that I didn’t bother separating but baked up just fine regardless (figures). I also poked little holes in the centers to look more cheez-it-y… It didn’t really make a difference.

*I added a little cayenne and it didn’t make them spicy at all, but probably added a little depth to the flavor. I think next time I will use chipotle (because chipotle owns my soul).

*Set a timer! I nearly forgot about my second batch… well, I did forget until I smelled them. Luckily I caught them before they burned!

*If you want perfect crackers you can keep re-rolling and re-cutting, I just figured all the ugly side-scrap pieces were just bonus treats for me, ya know, as quality control

*They puffed up so much that next time I will probably roll them even thinner, which will yield more crackers that are (hopefully) even crispier!

Pico de Gallo

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The thing I’m struggling with the most with for this blog is measurements. Do you know how hard it is to measure things when you are accustomed to just throwing it together? It’s the little things, like how much salt really ends up in a bowl of pico? I tried so hard to measure the salt for this recipe. I use a salt grinder, which already complicates things for recipes. How much comes out in 1 grind? I have no idea… What I ended up doing was grinding the salt over a piece of paper as though I were grinding it over the pico, and then poured it from that paper into a measuring spoon. I still don’t know if I got it right. Thank you for making me feel extra crazy. Now, to the recipe…

Pico de gallo is one of those little things that can take your taco night from ‘average’ to ‘great’! It’s so simple and takes almost no time to prepare.  The fresh mix of tomato, onion, and cilantro can brighten up just about any dish.
I’ve been known to use pico not only to adorn my chips & tacos, but also as a welcome addition to my scrambled eggs. Throw in some ham and make a tasty omelet, or try stirring some fresh pico into your next batch of guacamole for added texture and flavor.

try adding some pico to your tacos on taco night!

Plus, it’s completely customizable (I’m noticing that I say that a lot… ) I know it sounds weird but try leaving out the garlic & substituting diced, fresh watermelon for the tomatoes. Fruit can give your salsa an interesting, sweet twist (mango would work, too).  Corn is another way to make your traditional pico a little sweeter (think of Chipotle). Want it spicier? Add more jalapeno, or switch to a spicier pepper. Less spice? Leave them out entirely! If you don’t like the chunky texture of pico, just throw it in a blender and puree away to your desired consistency!

Pico de Gallo

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  • 2 tomatoes (I used Roma), chopped
  • ½ medium onion (red or white), chopped
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced (I actually grate mine) OR a sprinkle of garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
  • ½ lime – just the juice!
  • 1/8 tsp salt (Remember – it’s much easier to add salt than to take it out!)
  • Drizzle of olive oil

1. Mix it all together, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (Well that was easy…)

Tips

*Remember, I’m usually cooking for only 2 people. If you have a crowd coming over, double or triple the recipe.

*If you like a different ratio of tomato to onion, add more of one or the other. If you don’t like cilantro – leave it out! If you want more salt, add it. Don’t be a slave to recipes- CUSTOMIZE!!!

*If you replace the cilantro with basil, and leave out the lime, you will have bruschetta! Use it to top some fresh crostini! YUM!

*If you don’t like seeds, or prefer a less runny salsa, slice AROUND the core. You get all the flesh while avoiding the gooey insides. This works great for peppers, too!



Soft Pretzels

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These are not your mall’s soft pretzels. Being female, one has certain reservations about eating things that are dripping in butter. It’s hard to feel good about yourself when the grease from what you’re eating soaks through any number of … Continue reading →