Steamed Shrimp & Vegetable Dumplings

Merry (belated) Christmas everyone! Hope you all had a fabulous holiday break even if it was just a day or two. My sister-in-law, Kathy, was my secret santa this year & part of my present that she got me was a bamboo steamer! Like the food nerd that I am I couldn’t wait to try it & I did. I love it. I don’t know why I never felt the need to get one before but now I’m so glad I have one - Thanks Kathy! It makes me feel healthier just thinking about it (- hello 2015 resolutions)!

I usually buy the veggie gyoza at Trader Joe’s & sometimes the shrimp ones. I love them & probably will continue to buy them & stash them in my freezer but I wanted to try my hand at making my own. After perusing the inter webs for a dumpling recipe I collected my findings & an inventory of what I had on hand to come up with this light but tasty recipe. 

Do you have a bamboo steamer? If so, what do you make in yours?

Thanksgiving Appetizers

clockwise from top left:  Balsamic Glazed Roasted Grapes with Lemony Ricotta Toasts;
Zucchini Butter; Simple Toasts with Marscapone, Chives & Sea Salt; Garlicky Pretzel Pizza Rolls

It's getting close! It's almost Thanksgiving. If you're not hosting you're probably bringing an appetizer. Here are some of my favorites from this year. What are you making?

Football Party Foods

Clockwise from the top left corner: Buffalo Popcorn; Wasabi Deviled Eggs; Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings; Cowboy Caviar.

The 'big game' is this weekend! What kind of snacks are you going to munch on? Here are some of my faves from the past that I might bring back even though I'm not partial to either team. (Grab the links in the caption!)

Two Bite Party Pretzels

I did it again. I made the pretzels! This time instead of looping the dough into pretzel shapes I cut them into 2 inch bite sized (ok maybe two bite) nuggets. Even easier! Being that this was my second time at the rodeo I baked them a bit longer & am pretty pleased with the almost-Williams-Sonoma-worthy-color I achieved.

Follow the same recipe as I did here & cut your pretzels into the perfect party snack. I'm bringing these babies with me to wine club tonight but if you wanted to make them for your next family gathering especially with little ones around I think they would be a huge hit. I'm going to pick up some dipping sauces too. I'm thinking a zesty coarse grained mustard & maybe a pesto. What's your vote?

Whipped Feta & Tomato Crostini

Tonight I am heading to wine club with some of my best girlfriends hosted by my friend Rose.  With wine you always need cheese, so I'll be bringing these whipped feta & tomato crostini. I prepared all of the components last night.  Chris taste-tested for me & confirmed that he "would order it again." So I packed everything up to-go.  I hope the girls like it.

Click through my recipe I adapted from Ina Garten's Tomato Crostini with Whipped Feta Recipe.

Chris's Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms

Has it been a week since my last post? Yikes! Apologies for being off the radar. I had less time than anticipated while running around visiting with family & working at Shobha.  I hope to be back in full force for the new year.

Each Christmas Eve we celebrate with the 7 fishes at my grandparents house. I always make the honey balls & Chris has added a new tradition: crab stuffed mushrooms.  (Yes, we count crab as a fish - I know it's shellfish but it still counts in my book.)

Luckily, Chris agreed when I asked if I could snap some photos & blog his recipe for some savory appetizers to the world. Be sure to click through for Chris's full recipe that he adapted from the stuffed mushrooms he likes to order at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

Lastly, enjoy the last day of 2012, I hope it was a good year for you & your loved ones & wish that 2013 will be even better! Cheers & Happy New Year!

Tomato Bites

I wanted to make these little munchies while we watched the JETS game but Chris doesn't care for olives to make these tasty apps more home team I substituted grape tomatoes for the olives.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup grated Cheddar
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 20 grape tomatoes

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and butter until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Mix in the Cheddar and Parmesan and knead lightly to combine. Form the mixture into a disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Unwrap the dough, take a small piece and cover a tomato, making sure the pastry surrounds the olive and there are no gaps. Flour your hands and roll the tomato-encased pastry into a ball; put it on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining pastry and olives. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. (Can be made a day ahead and held in the refrigerator.)
3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the baking sheets on the middle shelf of the oven and bake until the pastries are light golden, about 10 minutes. Remove the bites from the oven and arrange on a serving platter.

Greek Salad Party Kebabs

At my work we celebrate A LOT. It's pretty awesome. One of the things we celebrate for sure is birthdays. Each team member draws a name at the beginning of the year and then is in charge of the festivities for the person she has drawn. This year I got Jess.  As part of the Jess-tivities, I wanted to serve some food.  We're mad snackers in our office and Jess might just wear the crown jewel in that department which she literally gets from her mama (Happy Mother's Day Elizabeth!).

Since we would be celebrating in the happier hours of the day I thought we could just something refreshing and savory that would also pair nicely with some lets-drink-wine-at-work-to-celebrate-your-birthday-wine. They're super easy to make. No cooking involved. All you need to know is how to chop, spear, stir and pour to make these fancy little party kebabs.

Learn how after the jump!

Oh and of course: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to my Mama Jeannie, my grandma, Mary O and all of the fabulous mommies out there!