Sunday night, we held our First Annual Recipe Victim Open House at Suzanne's apartment. We combined some of our favorites from the last few months with a couple of new recipes and invited our friends and blog readers to bring along a favorite dish of theirs.
April and I started sampling the Pomegranate Vodka Coolers a little early, so we kind of forgot to take any pictures while our guests were here, but we've got some great (and quite artistic :P) shots from when we were setting up.
The Christmas tree showcased here is actually my dear grandmother's tree (it's 25 years old at least) that was passed down to me a few years ago. Turns out, I'm not the greatest tree decorator, so April came in and saved the day, adding the pretty ribbon and making everything look nice!
We had a great time last night, and we will definitely do it again! We talked about inviting people to dinner once a month (or every other month, we haven't worked out the details yet). It was so nice to take some time to just visit and chat with the people that we care about, and so frequently don't get the chance to do.
OK, so here was the menu, with links to the original recipes:
- Kick-it-up Guacamole
- Rosemary Hummus and Baked Pitas
- Sweet Onion, Bacon and Cheese Tarts
- Peppermint Criss-Cross Cookies
- Chocolate Lollipops with Cashews and Craisins
- Chocolate Toffee Puffs
- Frosted Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Pomegranate Vodka Cooler
Sweet Onion, Bacon, and Cheese Tarts
from Weightwatchers.com
1 tsp olive oil
1 large vidalia onion, quartered and thinly sliced
11/4 tsp salt
3 slices Canadian-style bacon, finely chopped
1 cup Egg Beaters
2 Tbsp fat-free half-and-half
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp black pepper 1/3 cup low-fat Swiss cheese, finely shredded
30 mini phyllo cups
Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and salt, cover and cook until onion is softened, about five minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring frequently until onion is golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer to plate. Add bacon to skillet and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350. In small bowl, whisk together egg substitute, half and half, mustard and pepper. Arrange tart shells on baking sheet. Spoon onions evenly into shells. Sprinkle bacon evenly over onions. Pour about a teaspoon egg mixture into each tart. Sprinkle eggs evenly with cheese and bake until egg mixture is set, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.
Makes 30 tarts with a PointsPlus value of 1 each.
Suz: I made the carmelized onions and prepped the bacon and cheese the day before the party. I had a hard time finding swiss cheese that wasn't sliced, so I just chopped it up with a knife. One of our friends is vegetarian, so I made 6-8 of them without the bacon and she said they were delicious!
April: loved them... they have that egg look to them which doesn't seem as appealing, but then you bite into one and it is nothing but doodness. Great blend of flavors and texture.
Peppermint Crisscross Cookies
from WeightWatchers Magazine November/December 2010
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 crushed peppermint candy canes, about15 candy canes, crushed
Place oven racks in upper and lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350.
Combine flour and baking powder in medium bowl and set aside. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter until creamy, about 1 minute. Add sugar and beat until well blended, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Beat in egg and vanilla until blended. Add flour mixture in thirds, beating until well blended. Stir in crushed candies.
Form dough by tablespoonfuls into 1-inch ball. Place balls on 2 large ungreased baking sheets 2 inches apart. Firmly press top of each cookie with tines of fork to form crisscross pattern.
Bake at 350 until cookies are golden on bottom and firm in center, 14-15 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through baking time. Let cookies cool slightly on baking sheets, about 3 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and let cool completely. If making ahead, transfer to airtight containers with wax paper between layers. Cover and store at room temperature p to 1 week or freeze up to one month.
Makes 36 cookies with a PointsPlus value of 3 each.
Suz: Amazingly delicious cookies, hard to stop after just one! I crushed the candycanes in the food processor - just be careful not to inhale any of the candy dust.
April: Will make these annually but will have to pawn them off onto others or else I will eat them all. No really I would eat them all.
Dark Chocolate Lollipops
adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot in London
1/2 cup Cashew Halves & Pieces
1/3 cup Pomegranate Craisins
Special Equipment:
lollipop sticks
plastic bags and ties/ribbon
Place 2/3 bag of chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, 30 seconds at a time, stirring with rubber spatula after each cycle to melt (this should take about 2 minutes total). Add remaining 1/3 of chips and stir until completely melted.
Using a tablespoon, drop spoonfuls of melted chocolate onto cookie sheets lined with wax paper, using the back of the spoon to create a circle. Place lollipop stick in the bottom of the circle, rolling it to ensure that it is covered by the chocolate. Sprinkle with cashews and craisins.
Place cookie sheets in refrigerator for 2-3 minutes to let chocolate set. Once set, place pops in plastic bag and tie the bottom with ribbon.
Makes 20 lollipops with a PointsPlus value of 3 each.
Suz: These lollipops are really easy to make and come out so cute! Ina originally did the lollipops with white chocolate, but I am morally opposed (it's not really chocolate!) so I thought the dark would do well. I also made these with milk chocolate - they were equally delicious. You can change out for whatever dried fruit and nuts you like.
April: These were great. I even used them to give to Alden's teachers which were cute little teacher gifts.
Rosemary Hummus
adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe
2 cloves garlic clove, minced or grated
3 sprigs rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
1 medium lemon
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp table salt, to taste
Place the beans in food processor with garlic, rosemary, the juice of 1 lemon and some salt. Turn processor on and stream in a little olive oil, process until smooth, adjust salt and transfer to a small serving bowl, surround the hummus with pita and vegetables for dipping.
Makes 12 servings (about 2 tablespoons each) with a PointsPlus value of 2 each.
Suz: The original recipe called for canellini beans, but I prefer chickpeas and it came out pretty good, I think. I doubled the recipe, so I increased the lemon to 1.5... it was WAY too much - I had to scramble to make it not taste like lemon hummus (added more salt, garlic and a little more olive oil - thank goodness it worked)! To make it a little creamier, I did add a little water - maybe a couple tablespoons. I think it came out pretty tasty in the end.
April: Good texture and flavor. There were a lot of sweets at the table.. I ate more of those than anything...
We're taking a couple week hiaitus due to the holidays, but should be back in business on January 3 with some tasty new recipes (and probably a couple extra pounds to lose!) Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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