Thursday, September 8, 2011

My Go-To Fall Appetizers (round 2)

My second go-to appetizer includes....wait for it....Puff Pastry Sheets!  Imagine that.  You should just go ahead and stock up on a few boxes of these amazing things!  (No, Pepperidge Farm is not paying me to say this.)  I just think they are so easy to work with and you can make so many different recipes that are delish, but really don't require that much preparation!  Genius!!  This recipe actually called for 15 phyllo sheets.  I'm sure the phyllo sheets are wonderful too, but who has the time to layer each sheet and brush them with butter and then add another sheet and on and on....not me!  

Now back to the recipe...this is a great one to make on a day when you have time and then wrap them up and throw them in the freezer.  Then you already have an appetizer made for whenever you need it! 


Make-Ahead Spinach Pastry Roll-Ups
  • 3 thawed Puff Pastry Sheets (1 1/2 boxes, since 2 sheets come in a box)
  • flour, enough for a light dusting
  • 1 egg
  • 1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
  • 1 cup crumbled Feta cheese
  • 1 tub (8 oz) flavored Cream Cheese, such as garden vegetable or spinach and artichoke
  • 4 green onions, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted (or you could use cooking spray instead if you prefer)
Mix together the spinach, egg, feta, cream cheese and onions until well blended.  Set aside.   Lightly dust flour over a flat surface. (I usually lay down wax paper and dust flour over the wax paper.)  Spread thawed out pastry sheet over the floured surface.  Spread 1/3 of the spinach mixture along 1 long side of the pastry sheet and roll it up into a log.  Brush the ends with butter to seal.  Brush butter lightly over the entire outsides of the log. Make small cuts along the top of the log at about 1-inch intervals.  Wrap log tightly in plastic wrap and place in freezer.  Repeat two more times with remaining two puff pastry sheets.

The spinach roll-ups can freeze up to 3 months.  Whenever you are ready to use, remove however many logs you want to use from the freezer to thaw for several hours or place them in the refrigerator (still wrapped) to thaw overnight.  When ready to bake, unwrap and place on a cooking sheet.  Bake in the oven at 375* for 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool for about 5 minutes.  Cut logs into pieces as show in the picture above and serve!!  

My friends LOVE these and always eat them very quickly!!

Tara

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

My Go-To Fall Appetizers (round 1)

September is finally here, and images of Fall are buzzing around everywhere!  I love this time of year, and believe it or not, the weather finally feels decent outside, kind of nice actually.  Although we won't be pulling out sweaters and boots down here in Houston just yet, it's fun to start thinking of the cooler days ahead.  When it's chilly outside, I love to have something warm baking in the oven, especially when company is coming over. 

Here are my favorite two go-to appetizer recipes that are perfect for Fall and Winter.  It only calls for a few simple ingredients that you can keep on hand and quickly throw together if you are in a time crunch.


Puff Pastry Baked Brie
  • 1 sheet of puff pastry (thawed)
  • 1 wheel of Brie
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp. of water
  • flour (for a light dusting)
Heat oven to 400*.  Sread a flat surface with a light dusting of flour.  Get egg wash ready by whisking 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water.  Spread out thawed puff pastry sheet over flour.  Place brie on puff pastry sheet and wrap sheet around brie using the egg wash to seal the edges.  Cut away the excess dough.  (You can use the excess to make designs for the top of the pastry if you desire although I never personally do but maybe one day...)  Brush egg wash over entire pastry and place on a baking sheet with the sealed side down.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until brie is melted and pastry is a light brown color.  Cool for 10-20 minutes before serving.  I usually serve this with baguettes, crackers or apples and pears.  It's always a hit!

Oh, and of course you can add fruit preserves, honey, nuts, or herbs to the brie inside of the pastry if you want to change it up a bit!  However, I think it's delicious just as it is, but that's just me!  It's warm, gooey and oh so yummy!!  Hope you enjoy.  (I'll post my other favorite fall appetizer tomorrow...come back to see what it is!)

I linked this post up to the Fall Five Linky Party over at Schue Love



Tara

Friday, September 2, 2011

Labor Day Weekend

We are spending Labor Day weekend in Louisville for a wedding tonight
and then off to Nashville tomorrow for the rest of the weekend. 


Hope all of you have a fantastic Labor Day weekend!!

Tara