Beach Bacon and Raspberry Bites

The Waller family is enjoying a week at the Outer Banks and I threw together this appetizer for happy hour (5:30 p.m. sharp!). The recipe was inspired by a similar crostini creation that my mom and I watched from Giada on the Food Network this morning.

Start with a fresh baguette. Slice thinly and toast in the oven with olive oil drizzled on top.

Meanwhile, work on the toppings. The first layer is a mix of goat and cream cheeses with crushed garlic and lemon (it actually works a little better if you prep this ahead of time and let sit for a couple hours for the garlic and lemon to settle with the cheeses). The second layer is a thin dallop of raspberry (or fig) jam with a little Tabasco. I mixed about 1/2 c. jam with 4 squirts of Tabasco and spread this across all of the crostinis. Then spoon a mixture of carmelized diced red onions with crispy bacon bits. Garnish with freshly julienned basil.

Enjoy with cocktail hour!

Pete's Spicy Hummus

Pedro makes hummus for us all the time. It's great to have a healthy snack around the house and to take to the office. The ratios listed below are rough estimates from Pedro's version, but every batch turns out a little different so play around and see what works for you!

Also note that you'll need a high horsepower blender to make the hummus smooth and creamy. Try a blendtec or vitamix from Costco. 

Add 2 cans (drained) of chickpeas to the blender. Throw in 2-3 large cloves of garlic (we like ours spicy with the garlic!), 1/4 c. tahini, juice from two limes, between 1/4 and 1/2 c. water, depending on how thick  you like your hummus, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

This makes an excellent base to play with. For Pete's spicy hummus we add one raw jalapeño with the seeds. Other examples of things to give your hummus an extra kick include sun dried tomatoes, pesto, or Asian peppers! The sky is the limit.

Serve with pita triangles and garnish with extra olive oil and paprika. Enjoy!

Cheese Cookie Logs

Another one of my favorites from mom!

Sausage pinwheels

This is one of my favorite appetizers that my mom makes. She prepared a little cooking lesson to teach me how they're made. The recipe follows but it's important to note that these should be rolled lengthwise and each full roll (1/4 of the dough ball) makes 12 pinwheels. Cut a full roll in half and freeze for convenient 6 cut appetizer available whenever!

Fanned potatoes

Fun as a tapas dish or as a fancy side, these potatoes are the perfect combination of potato chips, baked potatoes and scalloped potatoes.

Use wooden spoons to cut smallish potatoes into thin slices that are connected at the bottom like a fan. Separate each slice with a little chunk of garlic and coat the potatoes with rosemary-infused olive oil and butter. Bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes. Cover with foil toward toward the end to prevent the fan from burning.

When you remove the potatoes, wedge a couple bits of sharp cheddar between some of the fans and allow to melt. Top with chopped parsley, truffle oil and salt and pepper to taste.