{MiniChow} Meatball Sliders

Yesterday, the weather was almost cool here at the beach!  Today is even better -- sometimes a little break from this Southern summer heat is just what the doctor ordered.  I was outside enjoying the cloudy sky and below- 80 degree temperature when I decided it was time to make a little cozy meal for dinner... and nothing says cozy like a pot of sauce bubbling away on the stove and some deliciously moist meatballs baking in the oven.  

Now I don't know how you all like to make meatballs, I usually go for the bread soaked in milk trick, but these meatballs contain a cup of ricotta cheese to keep them moist so I gave it a whirl and boy were they great!  Definitely give these meatballs a try sometime, even if you just throw them in a bowl of pasta.  

On to the sauce -- everyone has their favorite and it's my personal taste to have a sauce that is just a teensy bit sweet.  Some people don't like this so feel free to omit the sugar in the recipe.  This sauce is super simple to put together but it really contains tons of flavor and pretty much impresses people every time they taste it.  
The sauce recipe makes more than you need for the sliders so save it for spaghetti the next day or simply freeze the leftovers for another time!  

{MiniChow} Meatball Sliders
adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

Meatballs:

1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef
1/4 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, fresh grated
1 egg (beaten)
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed between fingertips
salt and fresh black pepper
8 slider buns
4 slices sharp provolone cheese

Sauce:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping tsp red pepper flakes
1/3 c. dry red wine
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1/4 c. flat leaf parsley, chopped


For Sauce:
Place a medium sized saucepan over medium heat.  Drizzle pan with olive oil and add onion.  Stir and cook until onions are starting to become translucent, about 2 minutes.  Add garlic to the pan and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add red pepper flakes and wine to the pan and bring to a boil.  When wine is boiling, add sugar, salt and pepper.  Decrease heat to low and add can of tomatoes and 1/2 c. water.  Stir, cover and simmer for 2-3 hours.

For Meatballs:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease with olive oil a large roasting pan or baking sheet with sides. In a large bowl combine all the meatball ingredients using your hands or a fork. Roll into large meatballs {this recipe should make 7 to 8 meatballs} place on baking sheet and bake 30 minutes.  Remove from oven. Place 1/2 slice of cheese on top of each meatball and top with a generous scoop of sauce.  Place meatballs back in the oven to allow cheese to melt. 

Assembly:
Butter and toast slider buns. Place a meatball on each slider bun and top with more sauce if desired.  

Mexican Chili Cups

It’s time to start planning those Super Bowl menus!!!!  Once I realized that my Eagles were toast this year, I lost almost all interest in football....I literally didn’t even know who they were playing each week.  UGH, another depressing year!  The part of football that I can never lose interest in is what food I’ll be serving up while we have games we don’t care about playing in the background.  :)  

In the early fall, I posted some great “Game Day at Home” recipes that are perfect for your big football party, but today I’m throwing another one out there... Mexican Chili Cups.  What’s so great about these is they are great served hot and they stay great at room temperature.  This recipe can easily be doubled to feed an enormous crowd and you can pretty much use your imagination as to what to fill these little tortilla cups with!  Snack on!

Mexican Chili Cups (makes 24 cups)

6 medium-sized flour tortillas

cooking spray

1 can chili with beans (any brand)

2/3 c. shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

1 small can sliced olives

2 green onions, green parts thinly sliced

light sour cream for serving

1. Using a 2-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut 4 circles out of each tortilla, making 24 tortilla circles.  These will be the base of your cup.
2. Using a 24-cup mini muffin pan, spray each cup with cooking spray and gently press each tortilla round into each cup.
3. Preheat oven to 425.  Spoon about a teaspoonful of chili into each cup and top with cheese.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges of tortilla begin to brown.  Remove from oven and let cool for about 3 minutes.  
4. Remove chili cups from pan and place on serving platter.  Top with olives, green onion and sour cream.  Eat!

{MiniChow} Shrimp Toast

This past week has been crazy busy getting through long work days and long nights of cleaning, packing and organizing Christmas gifts.  I am writing this post on an overnight drive from South Carolina to Pennsylvania.  I’m looking forward to spending some time with my family and my husband’s family over the holidays.  So needless to say, the blog had to come in second place to everything else that’s been going on and I’ve been neglecting you!

To make up for it, I have a tasty bite that I know everyone will enjoy:  Shrimp Toast!  I made these for an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party we had at our house a few weeks ago and they were gobbled up in no time.  I love recipes you can start ahead of time and finish up as guests arrive and these are just that... the shrimp filling can be made early in the day and refrigerated --- allowing all the flavors to come together!  Speaking of flavor, the best part about this recipe is the toasty, buttery white bread that the shrimp sits on.  Make sure that if you are making the shrimp filling early to slice up your bread early and keep it in a ziplock baggie -- slicing the bread takes more time than you think!

Shrimp Toast

1/2 lb medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 large egg white

2 tbsp chopped green onion

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp sesame oil, plus 2 tbsp

2 large egg yolks

1/4 c. water

16 slices white bread, crusts removed and bread cut into 4 squares

butter, softened

black sesame seeds, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 375. Place shrimp, egg white, green onion, cilantro, salt, cayenne and 1/2 tsp sesame oil in food processor.  Pulse 2 to 3 times until shrimp is chopped but not until shrimp is a paste :)
2. Place yolks, 2 tbsp sesame oil and water in a bowl and whisk. 
3. Bread each square of butter on the bottom and place on a cookie sheet.  Spread a little shrimp mix on each piece of bread.  
4. With a pastry brush, brush egg yolk mixture on top of shrimp mix and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake until shrimp is opaque and bread is golden and crispy.  Serve immediately.

{MiniChow} Bahn Mi Bites

I love Bahn Mi sandwiches!!!  If you don’t know what they are, here it comes:  the bahn mi is basically a Vietnamese style sandwich filled with a variety of meats, most commonly pork, pickled vegetables {daikon, carrots}, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeno, scallions and finished off with a mayo based sauce made with my favorite condiment: Sriracha! {wow, that was quite the run-on sentence back there!}

Don’t be nervous to give this a whirl -- it really is delicious.  I’m just crazy depressed that our area doesn’t have ANY Vietnamese style restaurants ... so not only do I miss out on this delicious sandwich, but also my favorite soup -- PHO!  

This style of sandwich is traditionally served on a baguette or french roll, but I decided to make them as a little delicious bite on a crostini. The pickled veggies in this recipe are shredded for easier piling onto the crostini.  It really is the perfect little bite: crunchy bread, hot pork, cold crunchy slaw and creamy, spicy sauce!  Mmmm!!  If you want a big honking sandwich, feel free to put these ingredients on a roll or baguette!

Bahn Mi Bites

1 baguette, sliced into crostini sized pieces and toasted 

Sauce:

1/2 c. mayo

2-3 tbsp Sriracha, or more to taste

juice from 1 lime

Slaw:

2 large carrots, peeled

6 radishes, trimmed

1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeds removed

1 jalapeno, minced

1 handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

1/4 c. rice wine vinegar

2 tsp sugar

squeeze lime juice

1/2 tsp sesame oil

Pork:

1 lb ground pork

salt and pepper

1/3 c. panko

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 small handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

1. For the sauce, combine all ingredients and set aside.
2. For the slaw, grate cucumber, carrot and radish on the large side of a box grater, or if your food processor has a grating piece, use it!  Add grated veggies to a bowl with jalapeno and cilantro.  In a small bowl, whisk together rice wine vinegar, sugar, lime juice and sesame oil.  Pour dressing over veggies and set aside.
3. For the pork, combine all ingredients and roll into small 1 inch balls and flatten into patties.  Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add 1 tbsp vegetable oil to pan.  Cook pork patties until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.  Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Assemble:  Place one pork patty on each crostini piece and pile veggie slaw on top.  Drizzle with Sriracha mayo and serve immediately.

{MiniChow} Muffaletta Wonton Cups with Mustard Sauce

I am a sandwich freak -- sandwiches are probably my overall favorite type of food.  Anything tastes great piled onto a great roll or between two slices of fantastic bread, topped with cheese and some kind of condiment.  MMMmmmm I could eat sandwiches every day, for every meal, for the rest of my life.  One of my favorites is the Muffaletta sandwich, which originated among Italian immigrants living in New Orleans.  It’s traditionally a large round loaf of bread, hollowed out and stuffed with meats and cheeses such as capicola, mortadella, salami, pepperoni, ham, swiss cheese and provolone.  What really “makes” it a muffaletta is the olive salad on the sandwich.  Olive salad is made with diced olives along with pickled celery, cauliflower and carrot, seasoned with oregano and garlic, covered in olive oil and allowed to marinate for at least 24 hours.  These days you can find olive salad on the shelves of many a grocery store.

When I first stumbled across this recipe it was for Muffaletta Eggrolls but I’m not a huge fan of deep frying everything I eat so I lighted it up a tad by piling the filling into baked wonton cups.  {Also, the store didn’t have eggroll wrappers in stock and guests were arriving at my house in an hour so I had to improvise :) }.  These are great for a party because you can bake the wonton cups and chop up the filling ingredients ahead of time.  

Muffaletta Wonton Cups with Mustard Sauce

1 (8oz) package sliced provolone cheese

4 oz sliced havarti cheese

4 oz genoa salami

4 oz capicola ham

1/2 c. finely chopped pimento stuffed green olives

1/4 c. finely chopped black olives

1/2 c. finely chopped pepperoncini peppers

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 (16 oz) package wonton wrappers

Mustard Sauce:

1/2 c. light mayo

1/2 c. light sour cream

1 tbsp minced garlic

3 tbsp dijon mustard

fresh ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a mini muffin pan generously with cooking spray.  Fit one wonton wrapper in each mini muffin cup and spray with cooking spray again.  Bake wontons for 5 minutes or until just turning golden.  Remove from oven and set aside.
2. Finely chop the first 4 ingredients and place in a medium bowl.  Stir in olives, peppers and black pepper.  Spoon 1 tbsp of mixture into each wonton cup, pressing filling in. 
3. Bake filled wonton cups until cheese is melted and filling is hot, around 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove from oven.
4. Combine all ingredients for mustard sauce.  Place a dollop of sauce in the center of each wonton.  Serve.

Antipasti Skewers

Easiest. Appetizer. Ever.  Nothing more really needs to be said except for the fact that these skewers are not only pretty and colorful but they are delicious and a complete crowd pleaser!  Not to mention that I die for anything that is on a stick, skewer or cute and/or mini.  These were inspired by my Aunt, who would bring a gigantic antipasti platter to our family Thanksgiving meal every year.  And this girl right here would load up on all that deliciousness before the big meal even was served.  I looked forward to that display every year of my life and this year I wanted to recreate it but thought, “Hey, lets make that platter cute and mini...and lets keep people hungry for dinner”.  So that’s what I did.  As with most of the recipes I post here, these skewers can be tailored to your personal taste.  Throw anything you like on here and you’ve got yourself a perfect party appetizer!

Antipasti Skewers

cooked tortellini

grape tomatoes

hot peppers

salami

fresh mozzarella balls

balsamic vinegar dressing

Thread ingredients onto skewers and place in a 9x13 inch dish.  Drizzle with balsamic dressing and toss to coat.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tiny Food Party and Teeny Chicken Parmesan Crostini

By now, everyone here should know about my obsession with mini food.  I have an entire section of my blog dedicated to it!  So needless to say, I almost died of happiness when I found out my favorite food blog, Spoon Fork Bacon, was releasing a cookbook called Tiny Food Party!

The writers, Teri Lyn Fischer and Jenny Park, have created a fantastically creative book, packed with gorgeous photos, amazing menus and most importantly, food that you can make at home with supplies you probably already have.  The book is broken down into four chapters: Tiny Snack Party, Tiny Dinner Party, Tiny Dessert Party and Tiny Cocktail Party, with special themed menus already created for you!  How simple is that!?

I have to compare this book to another “mini food” book I own called Bite by Bite: 100 Stylish Little Plates You Can Make for Any Party by Peter Callahan.  While his book is beautifully written and photographed and filled with inventive ideas, most recipes require special teeny tiny bread pans, displays or other intricate tools.  The girls of Spoon Fork Bacon have truly created a book that anyone can cook from -- without stocking their kitchen with additional supplies.  Kudos to Teri Lyn and Jenny -- you have created something very special!

To show you how easy they make it, here’s a cutesie recipe for Teeny Chicken Parmesan Crostini.  So simple, I made them after working all day and within minutes had an adorable and tasty snack to munch while channel surfing.

Teeny Chicken Parmesan Crostini

makes 24 crostini

Toasts:

1 sourdough baguette, sliced into 24 (1/4-inch-thick) pieces

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Chicken Parmesan:

8 chicken tenders, each cut into 3 pieces

1 cup all purpose flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup Italian-Style breadcrumbs

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

4 slices provolone cheese, each cut into 6 pieces

1 1/4 c. marinara, homemade or store bought

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Brush baguette slices with oil and place on a nonstick sheet pan.  Season with salt and pepper.
2. Bake bread slices for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Keep the oven on.
3. Place flour in a shallow dish, eggs in a second shallow dish, and bread crumbs in a third shallow dish.  Dredge chicken in flour, then in eggs and then in bread crumbs.  Warm oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Saute chicken for 4 to 5 minutes on each side.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place chicken on a sheet pan and top each piece with a small slice of provolone.  Bake for about 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.  Spread about 1 tbsp marinara on each toast and top with a piece of chicken.  Top crostini with extra marinara and serve warm

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bites

Cheesecake freaks me out.  Let me be more clear....making cheesecake freaks me out....eating cheesecake is fantastic.  Pretty much anything that needs to be baked in a water bath intimidates the hell out of me and the thought of eating “no-bake” cheesecake makes me want to hurl so I thought I’d dive into cheesecake world with this bar recipe.  It seemed easy enough and let me tell you -- it was easy as pie!!!!

When I pulled the bars out of the oven and sprinkled them with the peanut butter and chocolate chips I had to restrain myself from digging in until they were cool.  Knowing how dangerous these babies were going to be, I cut them into mini-bites so I felt like I wasn’t eating as much.  You’re going to love these with a tall glass of icy milk {{or a shot glass of milk -- adorable serving idea!!}}.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bites

1 (17.5 oz) package oatmeal cookie mix {I used Betty Crocker}

1/2 c. chilled butter, cut into small pieces

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. sugar

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 large egg

2/3 c. peanut butter morsels

2/3 c. semisweet chocolate morsels

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine cookie mix and butter.  Pulse 4 to 5 times.  Press into prepared pan and bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned around edges.  Cool 10 minutes.
3. Combine cream cheese, sugar, flour and egg at medium speed with an electric mixer.  Spread over cookie crust.
4. Bake 20 minutes or until set.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with morsels.  Let stand 10 minutes or until cool.  Cut into desired-sized bars.

Game Day Food @ Home!

Something amazing happened...I was asked to do a Game Day Food @ Home segment on the local Saturday morning news tomorrow!  I'm so excited to share these recipes with everyone in the area and can't wait for everyone here to check it out!  I'll be posting the video tomorrow so remember to come back to see us putting these fantastic recipes together!

.....Now, back to reality.....

I’m technically a “healthy eater” -- usually living my life by the mantra “everything in moderation”.  Now, I don’t know about you, but once football season rolls around, I’m ready to chuck my mantra out the window on Saturdays and Sundays!  Whether you’re a college football fan or an NFL fan, the premise is the same:  we watch, we eat, we drink.

So, to make your eating experience even better, I have three game day recipes to share that are easy to prepare, delicious and are a little different than your typical chips and dip.  I like to put a spin on the basics to make things a little more special.

On the menu:

Roasted Sticky Wings w/ Honey Sriracha Sauce and Yogurt Dip

Loaded Potato Nachos

Mini Hot Dogs w/ Chili-Cheese Dip

Forget about hot oil and your house stinking of fried food with these sticky roasted wings.

Sticky Wings w/ Honey Sriracha Sauce and Yogurt Dip

Redbook Magazine

For the wings:

24 chicken wings

2 tbsp canola oil

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

2/3 c. honey

1/3 c. sriracha sauce

2 tbsp each hoisin sauce and lime juice

1 tbsp each soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds

For the yogurt dip:

2 c. plain greek yogurt

1 c. grated cucumber, squeezed dry in paper towels

1/2 c. chopped cilantro

2 tbsp lime juice

1 large garlic clove, grated

1 tsp each salt and honey

1. Wings:  position oven rack in the middle of oven and set to 450.  Line 2 baking sheets with foil.  Toss together wings, oil and salt.  Arrange chicken on sheets and roast 30 minutes, rotating pans 180 degrees once.  Let slightly cool and pour off fat.
2. Combine honey, sriracha, hoisin sauce, lime juice and soy sauce.  Pour 1/2 sauce into bowl and toss with chicken wings.  Decrease oven temperature to 425.  Roast 10 minutes.  Boil remaining sauce until thick.  Brush thickened sauce on wings and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Roast 7 to 10 minutes longer.  Cool 10 minutes.
3. For the dip:  Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Loaded Potato Nachos

For super crispy potato slices, soak slices in water for 1 to 2 hours before baking them.  Be sure to dry the slices before baking.

6 large russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt

3 c. shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

8 strips good quality thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled

4 green onions, green parts only, chopped

1 16-oz tub light sour cream

1 packet ranch dressing seasoning

1. Combine sour cream and ranch dressing seasoning and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 425.  Toss potato slices with extra virgin olive oil and salt.  Place on baking sheets in a single layer and bake 20 minutes, flipping each potato halfway through, or until golden brown and crispy.  
3. Remove from oven and pile all potato slices together on one cookie sheet.  Top with cheese and bacon and place back in oven for 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and drizzle with ranch sauce.  Sprinkle with green onions and serve immediately.

Mini Hot Dogs w/ Chili Cheese Dip

Mini buns make these hot dogs extra special and great for dipping.

1 package Lil Smokies

2 tubes Pillsbury French Bread Loaf refrigerated dough {found in the same section of the grocery store as the cinnamon buns!}

Chili Cheese Dip

1 lb velveeta, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 can rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained

1/2 lb ground beef, cooked and drained

1 packet chili seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Remove dough from tubes and stretch out.  Cut each length in half then slice each half into 12 slices.  Place on cookie sheet and bake 1-2 minutes, at which point you’ll want to check the oven to make sure the slices stay upright.  Some will tip over, just flip them back up and shape them a little.  Continue baking for 7 to 10 minutes, until browned on bottom.  Set aside to cool.
2. In a skillet over medium low heat, combine the ground beef, velveeta, rotel, and chili seasoning.  Stir until melted and well combined.  
3. Heat up Lil’ Smokies any way you like {microwave, grill pan, frying pan}.  Split cooled mini buns down the middle and place a Lil’ Smokie inside.  Serve mini hot dogs with dip on the side or pour the dip on top of each mini dog.  

Low-Country Boil - Part 1 - Appetizers

I love to embrace the culture and traditions of where ever I am.  I’ve been living in the South for about 4 years now and have never been to a true seafood boil -- so I decided to throw one!  I’m definitely not an authority on Southern style food, so a lot of research was put into the recipes I used, with my own little tweaks here and there!  Throughout the week, I’m going to show you how I put together this fun and interactive party -- everything from the decor, to the supplies to the recipes.  Today, I’m starting with the appetizers and my new favorite drink: the SkinnyChow Spiked Arnold Palmer.  Wednesday will showcase the Seafood Boil and special sauces I served with it and Thursday will be desserts and decor/DIY.  This was one of the most detailed parties I’ve thrown but I’m here to show you that with proper planning anyone can throw a perfect and authentic Low-Country Boil!  

On to the apps:  Spicy Cheese Straws, MiniChow Crab & Shrimp Rolls & Bloody Mary Oyster Shooters

Spicy Cheese Straws

adapted from the Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook

1 1/2 c. (about 4 ounces) grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened and cut into 4 pieces

3/4 c. all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp (or more to taste) crushed red pepper flakes

1 tbsp half and half

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. In a food processor, add all ingredients except half and half and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add the half and half and process until dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into an 8 X10 inch rectangle that is 1/8 inch thick.  With a sharp knife, cut dough into long thin strips and transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet.  The straws can be any length so don’t worry if they break.  
4. Bake straws for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends are barely browned.  Remove from oven and cool.  Serve at room temp.

MiniChow Crab & Shrimp Rolls (makes 24 mini rolls)

1 c. homemade mayo

2 tsp capers, drained and chopped

2 tsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

6 slices high quality bacon

2 long soft baguettes, sliced into 12 three inch thick slices then sliced down the middle

1 lb cooked shrimp (any size) chopped into bite sized pieces

1/2 lb lump crabmeat, picked over

1. In a small bowl, combine mayo, capers, parsley and mix to combine.  Set aside.
2. Cook bacon in a frying pan over medium heat, 8 to 10 minutes, transfer to paper towels to drain.
3. Crumble bacon and add to mayo mixture.  Fold in shrimp and crabmeat into mayo mixture gently, being careful not to break up the crab too much.  Divide shrimp mixture between rolls and sprinkle with parsley if desired.  Serve.

Bloody Mary Oyster Shooters (makes 18 shooters)

18 shot glasses of any size

18 medium sized fresh oysters, shucked and in their liquor

1 large lemon, juiced

1/4 c. Absolute Peppar vodka, plus more for topping off

2 c. good quality bloody mary mix (We used Bloody Bold)

1. Place shucked oysters, liquor, lemon juice and vodka in a bowl and stir to combine.  Place in fridge and marinate for 1 hour.  (This “cooks” the oysters, ceviche-style)
2. Place 1 oyster in each shot glass and add bloody mary mix until glass is 3/4 full.  Top each glass off with vodka, stir if desired (I happen to like the layered look but remember you’ll get a mouthful of vodka when you take the shot -- this is why it’s important to use a quality vodka).  Refrigerate until ready to serve, no longer than 4 hours.

SkinnyChow Spiked Arnold Palmers (makes 2 gallons)

1 1/2 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice

6 c. boiling water

12 tea bags

1 c. Skinny Simple Syrup

2 c. lemon infused vodka, or to taste

cold water

1. Start with a 2 gallon drink dispenser to make the measuring easy.  Add the 6 c. boiling water to the dispenser and add the 12 tea bags.  Let steep for 5-6 minutes.  Remove tea bags and let mixture cool.
2. Add lemon juice to the tea mixture then add to the Skinny Simple Syrup (1 c. Splenda and 1 c. water, mixed until the splenda dissolves)
3. For the lemon vodka, I soaked all the squeezed lemons I used for the lemon juice in plain Smirnoff vodka all day, then added the 2 cups to the tea mixture.
4. Fill the rest of the dispenser with water.  Serve with ice -- in a mason jar of course!

Dulce de Leche Banana Tart

Warning!  This is hands down, the best dessert I have ever made.  Thank the good Lord I only made enough of these tarts to supply my guests or I could have inhaled half a dozen of these puppies.  Not only was this dessert spectacular, it literally took 20 minutes to make.  It really doesn’t get any better than this!!

The best trick of this recipe is utilizing puff pastry as the base.  I used a biscuit cutter to shape the pastry rounds into handheld desserts, perfect for an individual serving.  Be sure to follow the directions on preparing the puff pastry -- it’s important to top the cutouts with parchment and to place another cookie sheet on top.  This prevents the pastry to stay flat instead of puffing up all over the place.  Also, the recipe called for slivered almonds but I used pecans since I had them on hand -- I believe any nut would be an ok substitute!  

If you’re planning these for a dinner party, bake the pastries ahead of time and keep them in an airtight container to lighten the load a bit!  Enjoy!!

Dulce de Leche Banana Tart

2 sheets frozen puff pastry

1/2 c. chopped pecans, slivered almonds, or chopped walnuts

1/4 c. brown sugar

2 1/2 tsp honey

1 1/2 molasses

1 1/2 tsp unsalted butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 c. store bought dulce de leche 

4 bananas, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 425.  Unfold puff pastry and cut out six 4 1/2 inch rounds {{or sized to your preference}}.  Prick pastry all over with fork.  Transfer to parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Cover with parchment paper and set another baking sheet on top.  Bake about 15 minutes {{less time if you made smaller cutouts!}}  Transfer to cooling racks.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, toast nuts about 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar, honey, molasses, butter, cinnamon and cloves.  Move back to heat and cook on medium until thick, about 5 minutes.
3. Spread Dulce de Leche over pastry rounds.  Arrange banana slices and spoon caramelized nuts over bananas.