Brittany's PantryParmesan Dip & Butternut Squash Crostini
Brittany wrote this on 4 December 2011
butternut squash, lemon, mayo, parmesan cheese, sage, sour cream
Well, it is done. A fast and furious hour and a half long cocktail party that I have been pondering the menu for for the last year, came and went. As Selma from Night Court once said, “I laughed. I cried. It became a part of me.”
OK. So I didn’t cry. But it did remind me again how blessed I am to live in a neighborhood full of such fantastic people. Wonderfully kind and generous couples who not only make living two states away from our nearest relative so much easier, but who also adore my children. We are the youngest couple in our group by about 20 years, but the Lord knew what He was doing when we moved to this neighborhood, unknowingly giving our kids a dozen ‘grandparents’ to and hug and praise them. This makes it not just a duty to host them this year, but a joy as well. And the best part? When it was all done, I got to finish off the night with dinner and dessert at two more houses! Win win!
I apologize for some of the pictures. It was late and I didn’t have a chance to photograph everything. The food I did catch was in the process of being devoured so it is a bit untidy!
So what did we eat? Nothing all that fancy, but hopefully it was at least interesting!
Rosemary Orange Mixed Nuts
Crostini W/ Ricotta, Butternut Squash & Sage
Crudites W/ Creamy Parmesan Dip & Green Goddess Dip
Roasted Shrimp W/ Bloody Mary Cocktail Sauce & Mango Sauce
Lemon & Herb Deviled Eggs
Apricot, Fontina, & Proscuitto Bundles
Gougeres (French Cheese Puffs)
Pickles & Olives
White Cranberry Spritzers
Pop, Wine, Champagne
The Cranberry Spritzer recipe is from Cooking Light and you can find it here. The flavored syrup is made a day or two before and all you have to do is add the rum and club soda just before you serve it. Perfect when entertaining a crowd! The Gougeres, or cheese puffs, are an Ina Garten recipe and you can get it here. I actually made them several days before, froze them, and then reheated them in he oven for 8 minutes just before serving. They were perfect! The proscuitto bundles,pictured above, were exactly what they are called; just a dried apricot with a piece of fontina cheese on top and the whole thing wrapped in just a bit of proscuitto. Super easy, and can be made the morning of the party then just covered and chilled. They are sweet, salty, and wonderfully creamy. The green goddess dressing for the veggies was really good, but not blow your mind spectacular. That said, I will definitely serve it again and I got the recipe for it here. The Parmesan dip however was the overwhelming favorite.
Parmesan Dip
From Gourmet
1 c sour cream
1/4 c mayo
1 c grated Parmesan cheese
2 T lemon juice
salt and pepper
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Can be made a day ahead of time. Serve with assorted veggies.
We will cover roasted shrimp another day, but here is the recipe for the crostini. And wowzer, was it good! Beautiful to look at and perfect for any fall or holiday party!
Butternut Squash Crostini
Adapted from Bon Appetit
1 large french baguette, sliced on the bias 1/4 inch thick
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced small
2 T chopped fresh sage
salt and pepper
1 T brown sugar
olive oil
1 c fresh ricotta
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Toss the squash, sage, brown sugar, some salt and pepper and a good drizzle of olive oil in a medium bowl until coated. Spread into a single layer on a sheet pan and roast at 425 degrees until soft. Set aside. Mix together ricotta and lemon zest and set aside. Recipe can be made ahead of time up to this point. Refrigerate everything for up to one day. When ready, warm squash just a bit in the microwave. Toast the bread on a sheet pan in a 400 degree oven just until golden brown. When ready to serve, spread a generous amount of ricotta on each baguette slice and then top with 4 or 5 pieces of squash.
Sweet & Savory Mixed Nuts
Brittany wrote this on 2 December 2011 almonds, gluten-free, orange, peanuts
Every year my neighborhood gets together and does a progressive Christmas dinner the first weekend in December. Appetizers at one house, soup and sandwiches at another house (although one year we did pastas!) and desserts at a third house. Everyone decorates their houses and all the lights are on and we visit and eat and laugh! It is fairly low key and a great chance for everyone to relax without the stress of gifts or family and just catch up and have a great time. This year, now that our house is mostly done (our dining room chairs were delayed in delivery so we won’t have any until Monday-oops!) I finally get to host part of the dinner! The previous four years of events have set the bar pretty high so I hope everyone enjoys it! I have the first course so expect some great recipes and fun pictures in the next few days! But today, I am cooking and cleaning and trying to figure out which platters to put everything on!
Almost every recipe I am making can be done ahead of time, or at least part of it. We are going for stress free here people! Between my complicated pregnancy, family illnesses, and the fact that my husband is at work 14 hours a day all equals easy, make-ahead appetizers! I’ll post the full menu later, but for now, here are some savory roasted nut snacks that I was testing out. I am still unsure which recipe I am going to serve, but they are both so good I wanted to post them here for you to choose! I have no idea where either recipe came from, as they were scribbled down in the margin of a notebook, so the creators are out there somewhere! Both are quick, very easy, and perfect for a crowd. Both recipes can easily be doubled if you think you will be snitching before the party starts! Or just whip up a batch to munch on while you wrap presents and watch Elf! That may or may not be what I was doing late last night…
Savory Rosemary Orange Mixed Nuts
2 c mixed nuts
1 T butter
2 T sugar
1 T fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Zest of 1 orange
fresh ground pepper to taste
Melt butter in a small saute pan. Add rest of ingredients and toss continually over medium heat until nuts are fragrant, about 3 minutes. Spread on a baking sheet to cool.
Sweet and Spicy Mixed Nuts
2 c mixed nuts
1 egg white, beaten
1/4 c brown sugar
2 tsp paprika
1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and then spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes, or until coating is set. The nuts will still be just barely moist when stirred. Cool completely and break apart if needed.
Wow. OK. I don’t even know how to start this post.
As good as these may look in the picture above, let me assure you. They are so much better than that.
My Mom used to make homemade doughnuts when I was really little, but as our family grew and the older kids took it upon ourselves to experiment with coffee cakes, (How much brown sugar topping can you really put on a coffee cake? Three times what it calls for in the recipe? Four times?) she abandoned any recipe that called for a vat of hot oil. But ooh! they were good. It is hard to beat a hot, fried pastry tossed in cinnamon and sugar. That said, these come close.
They have a few things going for them that my Mother’s-or Dunkin, or Krispy Kreme for that matter-did not. These are baked, not fried. They are made with vanilla yogurt, maple syrup, and canola oil, not butter and sugar. I mean, really! They are practically health food! Sure they are brushed with melted butter and then covered with cinnamon and sugar but that is neither here nor there…And in case you are wondering, when you raise the amount of gooey topping on a coffee cake, it squishes the actual cake part underneath to a very thin pancake, resulting in a pan of baked brown sugar and butter. Just so you know.
As you can see in the recipe below, I give you a maple glaze option if you don’t want to go the classic route. This was my Father’s genius idea and I am still can’t believe that I didn’t think of it first. However, after three batches and a lot of tweaking to get the consistency of the glaze juuuust right, we discovered that plain cinnamon and sugar was way better. And trust me. I am a plain glazed doughnut kind of gal. It is hard for me to admit this, but the cinnamon and sugar made the actual doughnut taste even better, not overpower it like the glaze did. In the end, the choice is yours, although I hope you make them both ways to get the full effect. Either way, you still win. And bonus! You can make a double batch and tell everyone that I made you make that many.
I think I speak for all my test subjects when I say that it was the texture that surprised us most about these doughnuts. I generally like raised yeast doughnuts more than the cake-like kind, but these are a pleasant cross between the two. Light and spongy, they aren’t heavy or dense or oily like many cake doughnuts are. WARNING: This also makes it easier to eat more than one. 
Baked Doughnuts
Adapted from Lovin From The Oven
Please note that this recipe relies on a special piece of equipment. An inexpensive, non-stick doughnut pan, available here or from any kitchen store, is absolutely worth it. This recipe is so fast, easily done in 30 minutes, start to finish, making it perfect for Saturday morning brunch or even Christmas morning!
In a medium bowl, mix together:
1 c flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
In a large measuring cup mix:
3/4 c nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 egg
1 T canola oil
3 T pure maple syrup or honey
When mixed, gently stir into dry ingredients just until incorporated. Batter should be thick but airy. Lightly spray a 6 doughnut pan and divide batter evenly. This makes exactly 6 doughnuts! Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until puffed and just starting to get golden brown on top. Let sit in pan for just a minute and then turn out onto a cooling rack. Melt 2 T of butter in a small bowl and brush both sides of the doughnuts. Mix 1/2 c sugar and 3 tsp of cinnamon together and toss the doughnuts in the mixture while still warm. Doughnuts are best eaten the same day they are made.
Maple Glaze: Mix together 1 c powdered sugar, 2 T maple syrup and 1/2 T milk in a bowl until smooth. Dip doughnuts in the glaze and set on a rack to drip.
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