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Archive for the ‘Appetizers’ Category

Brie and Arugula Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Posted in Appetizers, Cheese, Dinner, tagged , , , , , on July 24, 2012 | 3 Comments »

Stuffed Mushrooms Title

Brie Stuffed Portobellos

I really can’t believe I have yet to incorporate brie into one of my recipes posted here. My deepest apologies. It is one of my all time favorites… not just in the cheese category… in every category. There are very adorable puppies in this world that I don’t like as much as I like this cheese. If this cheese shows up at a social event that I attend, it is safe to say that I am giving it more attention than any of the humans in the room. I could go on. But I won’t. Because I’d like to continue to be invited to said social events.

Anyway, I was looking for some sort of inspiration on Pinterest yesterday – when I do this, I know it will end in one of two ways: Jenna becoming inspired to run a marathon and give up carbs for life, or Jenna heading home and cooking/eating anything with massive amounts of  melted cheese on it. You can see where this is headed.

So here we are, Portobello mushroom caps “stuffed” with a very simple saute of arugula and walnuts, then topped off with a giant slab of brie cheese. It really doesn’t get much better.

Brie and Arugula Stuffed Portobellos

BRIE AND ARUGULA STUFFED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS

Ingredients

3 Portobello mushroom caps

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

4 cups arugula

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

3 thick slices brie, room temperature

1 teaspoon lemon juice

lemon zest

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Wipe down mushroom caps with a damp towel.

3. Place them stem side down in a baking dish and bake for 8-10 minutes, remove from oven and set aside.

4. In a saute pan, cook the shallot and garlic in the olive oil over medium-low heat until they start to caramelize.

5. Add finely chopped walnuts, bread crumbs, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt/pepper cook for a few more minutes stirring frequently.

6. Place arugula in the pan on top of the walnut mixture and mix around until wilted and incorporated.

7. Flip Portobello caps so the stem side is up and pile some of the arugula mixture on each.

8. Bake in oven for another 8-10 minutes.

9. Remove from oven and top with THICK slice of brie.

10. Serve immediately!

Brie Stuffed Mushrooms

 

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Pepperoncini Dip

Posted in Appetizers, Snacks, tagged , , , , on May 25, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Pepperoncini Dip Title

Pepperoncini Dip 1

I, for one, really cannot believe that MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND is already upon us. How could this be?? Wasn’t it just yesterday in the cold dead of winter when I was wrapped up in three blankets on my couch stuffing my face with english muffins smothered in butter like bathing suit season was light-years away? Well folks, summer has arrived… and you know what that means… it’s time to dust off the ol’ bikini, toss it in the garbage can, go buy a one-piece, and head to the weekend COOKOUTS!

So if you are extremely popular and invited to hoards of cookouts every weekend over the summer (I’m not, but I could imagine what it would be like if I was)… look no further for the fastest, easiest, and most well received dip/app you can bring to any event. Do not be fooled by the simplicity of this recipe. I have made it on multiple occasions and it never fails to get a lot of attention. In fact, the first time I tried it I distinctly remember harassing (“I LOVE THIS DIP! GIVE ME THE RECIPE! Will you be my friend!?”) the poor girl who made it until she finally gave up the recipe… Actually, it probably took her all of 30 seconds to give up the recipe, after that I’m sure our relationship consisted of me following her around gabbing about garlic with her dip and a loaf of bread in my arms.

ANYWAY, I am now dying to try this dip in different forms… like putting it in a blender with some cream cheese to make it a creamy dip, or tossing pasta and summer veggies with it for pasta salad, or my boyfriend’s mother, Rebecca, suggested mixing it with hummus or chickpeas for a dip or spread. The possibilities are endless, but here, I give you the Pepperoncini Dip in its simplest form. Spend the 5 minutes it takes to make it and grab a fresh loaf of crusty bread (as well as some mints or gum because this stuff is POTENT) on your way to that Memorial Day cookout and you are in business. Happy Summer!

Pepperoncini Dip 2 

Pepperoncini Dip 3

Ingredients

1 jar pepperoncini peppers, chopped into small pieces

2 cloves of garlic paste (See how to make garlic paste on your cutting board here!)

1 to 1 1/2 cups olive oil

pinch of sea salt (optional)

Directions

1. In a dip/serving bowl, combine all of the above. Serve with some fresh bread. That’s it.

You’re Welcome.

Pepperoncini Dip 4

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Cauli-Cakes

Posted in Appetizers, Dinner, tagged , , , , on April 3, 2012 | 2 Comments »

Cauli Cakes Title

Cauliflower Cakes

People who are close to me know that I tend to take credit for the existence of things or ideas that I might not necessarily have the right to. For instance, I have found myself defending tall claims such as my involvement in the widespread use of the straw, or my invention of the term “FUPA.” If I hear of a band before you, or wear bright blue skinny jeans a season ahead of you, I discovered them and their popularity amongst the general public is a direct result of me. (I am sometimes a real TREAT to be around if you haven’t already figured this out). I get that maybe some of this stuff is a bit extreme… but I’m telling you right now, I INVENTED today’s recipe. “Silly Jenna… everyone who creates a recipe on their own could claim that they ‘invented’ that recipe. You are insane and no you were not the first person to wear jean shorts.” Say what you will.  This one is mine. I have seen recipes for cauliflower cakes, fritters, pancakes, etc. but none like this. Therefore, it will go down in history as my invention.  You’re welcome.

Cauli Cakes

CAULIFLOWER CAKES

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 cups walnuts

1 cup crumbled feta

3 tablespoons grated Romano

1/8 cup freshly chopped dill

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 egg

Salt/pepper

Directions

1. Roughly chop up or break apart the cauliflower, toss with garlic and olive oil in a baking dish and roast at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, pulse the walnuts in a food processor until crumbled, remove and set aside.

3. Toss the crumbled feta with the dill, romano, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

4. Pulse roasted cauliflower/garlic in a food processor until chunky. Add to feta mixture and thoroughly combined.

5. Mix in egg and walnut crumbs until the mixture is thick enough to form into patties.  (I found that these come out a lot better when made into mini patties but you can certainly make bigger ones as well!)

6. Heat cooking spray in skillet over medium heat and add patties a few at a time. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until browned and heated through. Serve warm and enjoy!

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Wilfork’s Sticky Wings

Posted in Appetizers, tagged , , , on March 2, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Piece of Cake Sticky Wings

I don’t care who you are, where you’re from, or which NFL team you call your own… there is no denying that Vince Wilfork is the man. Not only is he arguably The League’s best DT… but if you ever watch him in interviews on and off the field or on the sidelines with his teammates he is the happiest, most polite, and seemingly genuine guy around. I basically want to be his best friend (so that we can have tickle fights everyday). When I asked my friend Chrissy (who I’m sure will be credited with plenty of recipes on this site) for a wing recipe, she produced one she had found in The Improper Bostonian provided by Mr. Wilfork himself. It could have been a recipe calling for pigeon wings smothered in hand sanitizer and I would have tried it. The original recipe is here but I downsized the portions, changed a few things around and my version turned out AWESOME! I made them in his honor on Super Bowl Sunday this year.

…annnnd they ended up being pretty much the only good thing to come out of that day for me. Oh well, Go Pats!

Piece of Cake Wilfork Wings

WILFORK’S STICKY WINGS

Ingredients

1 family size package of chicken wings (I used wings and drumsticks)

16oz bottle of mango nectar

12oz bottle teriyaki sauce

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons honey

3 big garlic cloves minced

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2. Combine all of the ingredients (besides the chicken) in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes

3. Arrange chicken in a large baking dish in one layer

3. Let the liquid cool for a few minutes then pour over the chicken

4. Let sit for at least 10 minutes, make sure all the chicken is fully coated, then bake for about an hour or until the chicken is cooked through

I’m sure my version’s got nothin’ on theirs but a girl can try right?

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