Warm Blue Cheese and Bacon Dip

This dip is taken straight from the recipe file of my friend Mel. She made it for our Project 320 weekend and all of us nicknamed it "Blue Cheese Crack!" It is seriously SO good, and SO addicting. I made it for bookclub last week, and Matt was sad that something so yummy was leaving the house without him getting even one bite! So I promised I'd make it again soon. We're having some friends over to watch the Oscars tonight and this will be served. If you like Blue Cheese, you'll LOVE this dip! I serve it with sliced green apples and french baguette. YUM.

Ingredients
7 slices bacon, crumbled
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c half & half (or whole milk)
4 oz blue cheese, crumbled
1 t garlic powder
2 T fresh green onions, chopped
3 T smoked almonds, chopped

Directions
Cook bacon in large skillet
Once bacon is cooked, remove from pan & let cool.
Chop cooled bacon into small pieces, set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.
Add half & half (or milk) & mix.
Stir in crumbled bacon, blue cheese, garlic powder & green onions.
Stir until combined.
Transfer to a 2 cup oven proof serving dish.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Before serving, sprinkle with chopped almonds.
Serve with sliced apples and/or sliced french baguette and ENJOY!

If you want step by step pics, visit Mel's blog. She's a photographer...so naturally her shots are great!

I'm also making Gooey Cake Bars for tonight's dessert. Check 'em out!

Tea Party

Recently my book club read Middlemarch by George Eliot and it was my turn to host. So I set up for a Victorian Tea Party. I set out fresh strawberries and cream, currant scones and lemon curd. Trader Joe's has frozen chocolate scones that turned out just perfect and so easy. For tea sandwiches I blended cream cheese with a splash of lemon juice and lemon zest, then layered it with cucumber and asparagus for an unexpected twist. But the real hit was the warm pastry we enjoyed with fresh brewed tea. I was inspired from a snack my mom makes that has blue cheese crumbles and dried figs on crackers. For this I took the same flavors, but used fresh figs and puff pastry instead. Delicious and oh so simple. 

1 sheet puff pastry 

4 oz cream cheese

4 oz blue cheese 

basket of fresh figs, halved (vertical)

1/2 jar of Stonewall Kitchen Fig & Walnut Butter

Candied walnuts 

cracked pepper

1. Roll 1 sheet puff pastry into square share (about 8 x 8), score 1/2 inch boarder. 

2. Blend cream cheese, blue cheese and cracked pepper together, then spread onto puff pastry leaving the boarder empty. 

3. Arrange halved figs face up on top of cream cheese mixture, pour Fig & Walnut Butter on top, then sprinkle candied walnuts on top. 

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 min or until puff pastry is golden brown. Cut into squares and serve.  

Let the Parties Begin!

Tonight I'm taking my sister and her girlfriends from college (all flew in from out of state) out on a Duffy Boat around Newport Bay. We'll take in the sights and sunset, chit chat, and celebrate my favorite Bachelorette! All while enjoying the following:

Sunscreen Punch
Garlic Steamed Artichoke with Lemon Tarragon dip Herb Marinated Shrimp with Cocktail sauce
Brie, Glouchester Cheddar with Stilton, & Wensleydale Apricot cheeses
Prosciutto wrapped Canteloupe
Red Velvet Cupcakes

I'll try and post pics from my phone when we are out on the boat later tonight! But pics from my phone go to "Bringing Up Burns" so check that if you want to see...

Herb & Cheese Oven Roasted Fries

Ingredients
3 russet potatoes, cut into thin wedges
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon oregano, chopped
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon parsley, chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Directions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Place potato wedges on a cookie sheet.
Drizzle with just enough olive oil to coat.
Season with herbs, salt and pepper.
Roast potatoes and turn after 15 to 20 minutes.
Sprinkle cheese liberally on potatoes and roast another 10 minutes.

ENJOY!

Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

Ingredients

Goat Cheese Filling
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces goat cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt

Roasted Tomatoes
12 Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 TBSP chopped thyme
1 TBSP chopped parsley
1 TBSP chopped oregano
1 TBSP chopped basil
1 TBSP chopped garlic
1 TBSP chopped shallots
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 recipe of Flaky Pie Crust Dough

Directions
To make the Filling:
Beat heavy cream in a large bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid mixer) until stiff.
Add goat cheese and egg and combine. Refrigerate until you are ready to assemble tarts.

To roast Tomatoes:
Preheat oven to 200°.
Line a baking tray with foil; spray a light coating of olive oil on the tray.
Toss tomatoes in a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
Line the tomatoes on the tray, spacing them as evenly as possible. (Crowded tomatoes take longer to cook. But this is not necessarily a bad thing as your home is going to smell yummy!)


Roast tomatoes about 3 hours.
Check the tomatoes after 2 hours. If you want them to get a little darker in color, raise the temperature to 225° for the last hour of roasting.
The tomatoes are done when they have released most of their juices, but are still moist and hold together. Allow to cool on the tray.

Assembling Tarts:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out dough into a large circle. (You can also do a bunch of individual tarts if you'd prefer.)
Once you have your circle formed, cheese filling in the middle and spread evenly, leaving about a 2 inch edge all the way around.
Top with tomato halves, cut sides up.
Fold up the edges of the tart and pinch to seal.


Bake the tart for 25 minutes, or until the edges of the crust are just beginning to brown.
If your tomatoes and herbs begin to get too dark, tent with foil until finished baking.
Cut into triangles and serve hot or at room temperature. Both are equally delicious!

ENJOY!

Crab Phyllo Triangles

My Covenant Group had a dinner party last weekend. We've been doing a 12 week study entitled God's Plan for Marriage - so we thought getting together with our husbands would be fun! I made these as an appetizer. I love crab. And anything wrapped in a flaky crust is a bonus for me, so I thought they were great!

Ingredients
(8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 TBSP prepared horseradish
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 cup minced green onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic salt
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP Dijon mustard

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 (6 ounce) can crab meat, drained
I package of Phyllo sheets

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine everything but the crab and cheddar cheese in a food processor. Blend until creamy. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and fold in the lump crab meat and cheddar cheese.
Lay 1 sheet of the phyllo dough on a work surface; keep the rest covered with damp paper towels.
Brush the phyllo sheet with melted butter and cut it lengthwise into 4 even strips.

Place 1 level tablespoon of the crab filling in a corner of one of the strips, about 1/2 inch from the bottom.

Fold the corner up to form a triangle.
Continue folding the triangle onto itself, across and up, until you have a neat phyllo triangle.

Set the triangle on a large rimmed baking sheet.
Repeat with the remaining phyllo, melted butter and crab filling.
Brush the triangles with melted butter and bake for about 20 minutes, or until browned and crisp.
Let cool slightly before serving. ENJOY!