Rosemary Pecans

Nuts get a flavorful bath in this roasted pecan recipe. The heat of the cayenne is balanced by the sweet sugar and savory kosher salt. Make this quick snack recipe for a holiday gathering or gift for a loved one.

Ingredients:

• 7 cups pecan halves
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 375° F. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir in the sugar, cayenne pepper, and kosher salt. Add the pecan halves and toss. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until toasted, about 20 minutes. Add the rosemary and toss to combine. Transfer to a bowl and serve warm or at room temperature.

Cocktail Meatballs For A Crowd

Meatballs can be made ahead, browned, and frozen.  When you want to use them simply thaw what you want and make up enough sauce to heat them in.

Yield 250 meatballs

3 lbs ground beef
3 cups dried bread crumbs
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons horseradish
8 beaten eggs
12 drops Tabasco sauce
6 tablespoons finely chopped onion

Sauce:
3 cups catsup
2 cups water
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons salt
4 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12 drops Tabasco sauce

To make sauce place all ingredients in large saucepan and bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes before adding browned meatballs and putting in oven to simmer in sauce.

Mix meatball ingredients and form into meatballs.  Brown meatballs lightly in sauce pan or put on baking sheet lined with parchment and brown in 350 degree oven until they brown but are not cooked through.  They can be frozen at this point on baking pan and then removed from pan and stored in plastic bag in freezer for future use or they can be added to simmering sauce and cooked in 250 degree oven for up to 2 1/2 hours.

Hummus

hummus is delicious with toasted pita chips

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons of tahini
2 or 3 large cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
(a pinch or two of sugar to balance flavor if needed)
parsley, paprika, and/or olive oil to garnish

Preparation:

Put all ingredients into food processor (except the parsley and paprika) and blend on high until it reaches the the consistency of sour cream, but granular, about 10-15 seconds. If the dip is too thick but you don't want to add more lemon juice, add a little water slowly and blend until it reaches the correct consistency.(I don't generally have to add any water since I allow the hummus to sit in the refrigerator for a day or so.)
Transfer to a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours before serving. (It can be eaten immediately, but becomes even more flavorful if left to chill well.)
Drizzle of olive oil over the top and add a garnish of parsley, sweet paprika, and/ or black olives before serving. Serve with pita wedges or slices of whole grain breads.It is also good with red, green, and yellow bell pepper strips.
Notes: Be sure to rinse the canned chickpeas well to clear away the taste of any ingredients used in the canning process.After you have the dip together, taste to see if it has the right balance . . .add a tiny bit of sugar if you find the hummus bland . . . hummus is best when it has been allowed to rest in the refrigerator for a day or two before serving.

Olive Paste

Serve with crackers or toasted pita

¾ cup Kalamata olives (pits removed)

6 to 8 cloves of garlic, smashed and roughly chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

handful of chopped cilantro leaves

dash of cayenne pepper

Saute pitted olives and roughly chopped garlic with olive oil in skillet for about 5 minutes.  Put this mixture in food processor with remaining ingredients and process to make a paste.

Note:  This paste can be served warm or chilled and will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Pesto

½ cup Thai basil 

1 bunch of cilantro leaves

2 to 4 cloves of garlic

2 to 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup walnuts

1 teaspoon sugar

juice of a whole large lemon

salt to taste

Put all ingredients in food processor and process to make paste.  Pesto is much better when allowed to rest in the refrigerator for a day or so before serving.

Notes: If you do not have Thai basil use 3 or 4 times as much of regular basil and about half the amount of cilantro.  Before adding salt, taste the pesto to see how much it needs.  I try not to use very much salt.

Jon’s Guacamole

2 avocados mashed with a fork
1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice

½ of de-seeded minced tomato

minced jalapeno to taste (we use several slices)

1 tablespoon of minced cilantro leaves

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 teaspoon of minced sweet onion

salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Note: to prevent browning allow a piece of plastic wrap to sit on top of the guacamole so no air touches the mixture while it is chilling.

Italian Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 pound (about 24) large fresh white mushrooms, cleaned 

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 

6 ounces bulk Italian sausage 

3 green onions, sliced (about ½ cup) 

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning 

½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded 

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated 

enough cracker crumbs mixed with more Parmesan cheese to top each cap

Directions:
Although this recipe calls for pork sausage, you could also substitute turkey sausage or even vegetarian "sausage" made from soy. Also feel free to use more garlic if you wish.

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Remove stems from mushrooms; finely chop enough stems to equal ½ cup and reserve. Place mushroom caps in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon oil.
3. Arrange caps cavity side up on a shallow baking pan and set aside.
4. Heat remaining oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add sausage, green onion, garlic, Italian seasoning and reserved chopped mushroom stems. Sauté, breaking up sausage into smaller pieces, for about 5 minutes, until cooked through and nicely browned.
5. Remove from heat; add both cheeses and stir just until cheese melts. 
6. Stuff mushroom caps with sausage mixture, top with crumb mixture and bake 10–15 minutes, until mushrooms are tender and cheese is slightly golden.

MUSHROOM PATE

1 lb. fresh mushrooms finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 t. oil for sauteing

16 oz. regular, low-fat or no-fat cream cheese at room temperature

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated

1/2 cup fresh parsley finely minced

4 T. soy sauce

     Saute mushrooms and onion in 1/2 teaspoon oil until mushrooms have evaporated most of their moisture.  This takes about 5 minutes over fairly high heat while tossing constantly.  Be sure to use at least a 12" saute pan so moisture can evaporate faster.  Remove from heat and stir in cream cheese.  It is helpful to break cheese into small pieces before adding to pan.  When cheese is completely melted, stir in Parmesan cheese, parsley, and soy sauce.  Use 1/2 teaspoon oil to grease a mold.  Pour warm mixture into mold and allow to chill for at least 4 hours before serving.  You can keep this pate about 4 days.  It serves about 20 people as an appetizer.  Serve with club crackers.