Showing posts with label Olives. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Olives. Show all posts

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Antipasto Skewers #SundaySupper




Our Sunday Supper team has you covered when it comes to Platter Food.  When I think of platter food I think party, food, family and friends.

A celebration.

A gathering.

Time together.

Whether your next gathering is small or large, in home or away, fancy or casual; our list of platter food dishes will give you a ton of great ideas, suggestions and mouth watering recipes to make it easy for finding the perfect platter and party food.

A few weeks ago we were invited to a birthday party for our neighbor's little girl.  She had a swimming party at her grandparent's home and wanted CRABS.  Not just any crabs but Maryland Blue Crabs.  We were treated with a bushel of fresh steamed crabs.  In Maryland, this is the PERFECT platter food.   



Along with the crabs we were served an assortment of finger foods and beautiful platter dishes.  I didn't want to come empty handed and brought these Antipasto Skewers.   Antipasto means "before the meal", an appetizer.  We were treated to deviled eggs and a 7 layer Mexican Dip.

For my skewers I chose to include some of our favorite antipasto items.  I love the cipollini onions that are marinated in a sweet and tangy marinade, the mushrooms that are tart and spicy with italian dressing and my all time favorite, artichoke hearts. I planned on 20 skewers so I bought enough of each of these three items to add 6 or 7 to one-third of the skewers.  This gave some variety to the skewers so they were not all the same.  (see top picture)  To this I added some salami, mozzarella balls, tomatoes, olives and italian chicken sausage.

I served the dish with my favorite pesto sauce.

We all had a great time, our bellies were filled and wonderful memories were made.


Antipasto Skewers
Makes about 20 skewers

3 large Italian chicken Sausages, cooked and sliced into 1/4 thick pieces
1 container of small round mozzarella balls (they had about 23 in one container)
20 slices of your favorite salami
20 small cherry tomatoes
20 green olives
20 black olives
6-7 Cipollini onions (Olive Bar at Whole Foods)
6-7 marinated mushrooms  (Olive Bar at Whole Foods)
6-7 marinated artichoke hearts  (Olive Bar at Whole Foods)
Dressing or dipping sauce is optional

20 skewers--Mine were 10 inch wooded skewers, if you go larger, then you will need more ingredients

1.  Gather ingredients and skewers.  Find a large platter to add skewers to.

2.  Add ingredients to skewers in any order. Stack skewers on platter.  I alternated the rows so that they would stack evenly otherwise your tower of skewers will lean to one side.

3.  When done, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.




It’s time for party food! Check out all these recipes for tantalizing trays you can make for your next celebration:

Savory Bites:
Antipasto Skewers by Simply Gourmet
Bite-Sized Meatballs by MealDiva
BLT Bites by The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch
BLT Canapes by Peaceful Cooking
BLT Crostini with Basil Mayonnaise by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
Blueberry Jam and Goat Cheese Crostini by Casa de Crews
Cajun Style Deviled Eggs by Peanut Better and Peppers
Charcuterie Board by Family Foodie
Cheese-Filled Apple Rounds by eating in instead
Coquilles St. Jacques by Nosh My Way
Crudites Tray with Copycat Hidden Valley Ranch Dip by Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos
Crunchy Tuna Salad Boats by A Mama, Baby & Shar-pei in the Kitchen
Cucumber Sandwiches by Momma’s Meals
Feta Zucchini Bites by Curious Cuisiniere
Gluten Free Thai Soup Shooters by Gluten Free Crumbley
Goat Cheese Stuffed Figs by Eat, Drink and be Tracy
Heirloom Caprese Salad by Shockingly Delicious
JalapeƱo Mac ‘n Cheese Bites by The Wimpy Vegetarian
Mostarda di Frutta by Rhubarb and Honey
Pimento Cheese Stuffed Peppers by Magnolia Days
Ploughman’s Platter for a Party by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Puff Pastry Cheese Sticks by Basic N Delicious
Rye Party Puffs by Kudos Kitchen by Renee
Southwestern Turkey Sliders by The Texan New Yorker
Spinach and Mushroom Pizza Bites by The Dinner-Mom
The Modern Relish Tray by An Appealing Plan
Tomato and Brie Bruschetta by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
Tomato Basil Soup Shooters by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Zucchini and Summer Squash Crostini by Hip Foodie Mom

Sweet Treats:
Alice in Wonderland Sugar Cookies by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Baked Lemon Glazed Mini Donuts by Killer Bunnies
Chocolate Oreo Pocky Cupcakes, Cake, and Morello Cherry Buttercream by NinjaBaking
French Silk Shooters by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
German Chocolate Brownies by Wallflour Girl
Mini Banana Nutella Cheesecake Parfaits (#glutenfree option) by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Raspberry Fools by The Foodie Army Wife
Strawberry Shortcake Dessert Shooters by The Redhead Baker
Vegan Caramel Truffles by What Smells So Good?
White Chocolate PB & Banana Bites by Take A Bite Out of Boca
Witchy Chocolate Mousse with Culinary Fairy Dust by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Sunday Supper Movement

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Written by Sherron Watson


Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Greek Pasta Salad


I love Greek food.  Annapolis just had its Greek Festival last week and we missed it. BOO

The primary reason we missed it was because taking a baby to the festival just did not sound fun to me.  I am usually up to packing Finnley to almost every event but the Greek Festivals are different.

The food is always soooooooo, did I mention, soooooooo good. The music is amazing.  I can never get enough of watching the dancing numbers.

The Greek Festivals is a day long event in my mind.  I want to stay and watch it all.  Take in the whole experience.

I am already planning next years visit.  Finnley will be older and can stay with a baby sitter, her older sister or come with us and nap at the festival.

To keep myself happy I made this Greek Salad with a nice greek yogurt dressing.  I love feta cheese and any type of olive.  The addition of crunchy cucumbers paired with the noodles is simply enjoyable.

I hope your summer is off to a great start.

ENJOY!


This was from a few years ago.  We haven't changed much.

Greek Pasta Salad and Dressing

Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 30 minutes

Salad Dressing

1 (16 oz) plain Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh dill
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
3 cloves of garlic

1.  Add all of the dressing ingredients to a high power blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Refrigerate while preparing the pasta salad.  

*Can be prepared the day before.

Greek Pasta Salad

1 (16oz) box of Penne Pasta, cooked
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
1 cup of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and halved
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup fresh dill
1/4 cup green onion, diced

NOTE:  I use my favorite gluten free pasta to substitute the regular penne pasta listed above.

1.  Toss the above salad ingredients in a medium size bowl.


2.  Add salad dressing to salad and refrigerate until ready to serve.


Thursday, May 1, 2014

Gluten Free Cheddar and Green Olive Bites



I first posted this recipe three years ago when I started my blog.  The idea was to share with my family and friends recipes that I grew up eating and enjoying.  These little bites of deliciousness were considered comfort food in my family and of course I wanted this recipe written down for my posterity.

To this day when we all get together, the three sisters, we have to make a batch...and sometimes two batches. They just remind us of home. They bring about memories that join our hearts together in a virtual wave of laughter, tears and endurance as we sit around the table and chat about our younger selves.


I have tried to share my love of green olives with my kids and they have decided that this is one part of me they don't want anything to do with. I am slightly heart broken that my kids don't like olives. I love olives. I have yet to taste or try an olive that I don't love.

I eat olives in my sandwiches, on my taco's, in my lasagna, as a snack, with salads, diced up by the spoonful (I mostly do this with black olives). I am an olive addict.

Each and every time I go to Whole Foods I am tempted by the olive bar. Did you know they have a huge variety of olives: black, red, green, stuffed, marinated, pitted, unpitted?

My daughter knows the look I get as I enter the area. My eyes are bouncing between the different rows, slightly narrowing as I attempt to read each label for the name and variety. My hand slowly reaches for the large plastic container and then it twitches back to the small. Large or small--I cant' decide. What will it be this week? I hesitate between the two and finally settle on the small container which leaves me with a limited amount of real-estate to stack my olives.  I hand select a few of the bright green olives and then go towards the feta cheese mix and then to the super duper large pitted marinated black olives.

AND. AND. AND....I want them all.

I have learned that my eyes are much larger than my stomach and I need to stick with just a few to get me through the week.

Heaven!  That is what the olive bar is for me.  A mixture of sweet and tangy flavors.  Olive flesh that is firm and soft in my mouth and to the touch.  The variety of saltiness that each type is brined with makes pairing the olives with cheese, fruit, salami and crackers, a wonderful way to experiment with different flavor profiles.  



Have I bored you yet with olive love?  I hope not.  The Cheddar and Green Olive bites are a great appetizer, a quick snack during the day or just a meal.  Yep, I have eaten a whole tray as my dinner on more than one occasion.  

I make these bites two different ways.  You can see from the pictures that I have made them using a mini size muffin pan or by hand rolling them into small balls.  Either method works well. 

The reason I use the mini muffin pan is because the dough holds up well and pushing the olive down into the dough is a bit quicker when I am in a hurry. I also like the shape it produces when I am serving these to our guest.

The hand rolling method does take a bit more time and they are not all uniform in shape and size. The dough tends to spread out a bit more and you are left with a blob bite.   Ha, that is a funny description.  Blob bite!!

If you love the flavor of sharp cheddar cheese and green olives I am encouraging you to give these a try.  They can be made with regular all purpose flour too.  Substitute one cup of all purpose flour for the rice flour, tapioca starch and xanthan gum.   The measurements for the Old English jar cheese, butter and baking powder are the same.

I am going to make a suggestion and this will produce a better cheddar bite.  You should use a high quality butter.  I know it is tempting to substitute something else, but for me, they don't always turn out perfect when I use a butter that has a lower fat content.  European-Style butter tends to offer more flavor, better texture and the fat content is higher.  I used Kerrygold Irish Butter in this recipe.  This is not a paid post.  I really do use this butter for special dishes and this is a special dish in my family.  

ENJOY!

Gluten Free Cheddar and Green Olive Bites
Makes 20-25, depending on method and size of each bite

1 small jar of green olives with pimentos, drained
6 tablespoons of cold butter, grated
1-5oz jar of Old English cheese, cold
1/2 cup fine white rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Prepare pans.  If using a mini muffin pan, spray with non stick spray.  If using a cookie sheet I usually lay a piece of parchment down.

2.   Spread olives on paper towels to dry.
3.  In a medium bowl combine all of the dry ingredients.  Blend well.

4.  Add the jar of Old English cheese and grated butter.  I used a pastry blender to cut the butter and cheese into the dry ingredients.  They will start to combine to form a thick dough.  Try not to over blend.

5.  Take a small amount of dough and form a flat disc in your palm.  Add the olive and wrap the dough around the olive to form a ball.  Place on cookie sheet every 2 inches.  If using the mini muffin pan, use a cookie scoop and add the dough to each mini muffin spot and push a green olive into the middle.

6.  Bake the bites for 10-12 minutes.  Try not to over bake.  Remove bites to a cooling rack.

7.  Serve immediately or microwave for a few seconds before serving them at a later time.



Written by Sherron Watson



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