This one is for a dear co-worker and friend. I brought these Cheddar Olives to her Halloween bash and they were a huge hit. I’d recommend making these as a great app to kick of Thursday’s full-on eating festivities. Easy, tasty and a true crowd pleaser.
1 tsp salt (I used a touch less because of the salted butter and cheese)
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Tabasco (I used a little more)
1 large jar pimento-stuffed spanish olives (I’d love to try with blue cheese)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine all ingredients, minus olives in a large bowl and mix well. Kneed until it’s a uniform consistency, mine was very crumbly at first but came together with some elbow grease. Drain olives and lay over paper towels to dry out.
Pinch off a small amount of dough, maybe 1 1/2 tsp. Form into a small round, place an olive in the center then pinch sides together to cover the olive. Roll around in hands to form a nice ball.
Continue to roll until you are out of dough and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet 1 inch apart (they expand in the oven). Bake until golden 17-22 mins.
Feel like I’m finally getting back on track. The past two and a half months have been absolutely nuts. So I’m not ignoring you little blog, just need to get back in the swing of things.
Found those letters today and love them – can’t wait until they get to Z!
That’s how east coasters say it. It’s like my “up north.”
After 16 months of waiting and planning B and I off to New Jersey to witness the wedding of two of our favorite loves, Jen and Ron. I’m thrilled to be standing next to one of my best friends on her very special day.
And, since my life revolves around food, in between all the wedding fun, I’ll be filling up on these (I’m a Pat’s fan)
And these…drenched in butter
And soaking up the New Jersey sunshine with my favorite’s from college
An early congratulations to the happy couple, love you guys!
I made it a mid-year resolution (yes you can change them from Jan. 1) to try to make one new thing a week, whether that be a full course meal or just an appetizer. I haven’t been doing well at all as of lately but my delicious “recipe” tag is out of control! After life slows down (God only knows when that is going to happen) I’m getting back on the bandwagon and back in the kitchen!
One of my best dishes (Bryan said it was the best thing I’ve ever made him) are stuffed Portobello mushroom caps with homemade marinara sauce, Last Night Dinner’s sausage and fresh mozzarella. I roast the caps, fill them with Italian sausage, top then with cheese and they come out so tasty and oozing with red sauce and tangy mozzarella.
Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Caps
1 lbs. Italian sausage removed from it’s casing (I use a mix of hot and sweet)
1 egg
1 cup of bread crumbs
1 cup of ricotta cheese
Marinara Sauce (I whipped my own up but the jar is fine too)
Fresh mozzarella cheese
4 Portobello mushroom caps, cleaned
Olive oil, salt, pepper – to taste
Pre-heat oven to broil. Start by combining de-cased Italian sausage, egg, bread crumbs and ricotta in a bowl, mix well (also see Last Night’s Dinner post). Break up mixture and fry in a non-stick pan until just cooked through.
In the meantime clean mushroom caps and place on a baking sheet with olive oil, salt and pepper. I throw mine in the oven for a quick five minutes to start the cooking process. Be careful not to over cook because they will go back in later.
Take cooked sausage and fill caps (I pile it in!). Spoon marinara sauce over them and for the finishing touch place a slice of fresh mozzarella on top. Broil in oven until the cheese is hot and melty. Enjoy!
Do you remember that show Sisters from the early ’90’s?
I tweeted about it a few weeks ago and couldn’t believe how many people remembered it! Everyone use to watch it with their mom, cry and were puzzled as to why all the girls had boy names, Frankie, Alex, Teddy and Georgie.
The Spohn girls don’t cause as much drama as the four of them but we definitely keep Dave and Kath on their toes! Al and Dre just started their junior year at Northwood and after a great summer together (minus Dre finding lizards in her FL apt) I miss them.
Loving the new Carrie Underwood single Cowboy Casanova. Starts off a little like MJ’s The Way You Make Me Feel with NKOTB’s “ooh o ooh o’s” The Right Stuff mixed in and is definitely rock/country inspired. Don’t think I’ll get sick of it the way I did with Before He Cheats, thank god.
We’re heading to Michigan for Labor Day to soak up the last days of summer (even though I’m still on team “Summer never started”). Considering we’ll be on the go from here on out until only God knows when I’m excited to read a book, be on the boat and spend quality time with the family. We love all our family but especially look forward to seeing two very special little ladies, Claire and Nora. I haven’t seen them since Memorial day and they’ve already changed so much in 3 short months. I can’t wait to have a few conversations with Claire (we’ve heard rumors she can say “Aunt Ashley” and “Uncle B” perfectly) and see Nora’s new teeth.
And yes, this picture is like a glimpse into the future, Bryan surrounded by a lot of women.
We tried to channel our inner J Crew model but that didn’t happen, I can’t keep a straight face to save my life.
The fabulous Allie offered to take engagement pictures of Bryan and I and we jumped at the offer! She is so amazingly talented and has a great eye for beautiful pictures. I was a terrible subject, laughing when I need to be serious and talking when I was suppose to be silent but in the end we got a bunch of awesome pictures.
