Polenta Bites with Caramelized Onions, Prosciutto, and Parmesan

Not too long ago I saw something about a Tapas and Sangria party. For the life of me, I can’t remember where I saw it, and I think it was just an ad for something, but I can’t get it out of my head. What a fun idea! Drinks by the pitcher and loads of appetizers – sign me up!

Of course, ever since the notion was put in my head, I’ve been planning menus. What would I serve? Let’s see; a couple of different sangrias, some cold apps, some warm. A variety of textures and flavors. Maybe some baked chickpeas or edamame, the baked olives from Monday’s post, interesting sliced meats and cheeses, a couple of types of toasts (goat cheese and red pepper, tomato and pesto), and definitely the polenta bites that follow.

These Polenta Bites with Caramelized Onions, Prosciutto, and Parmesan are a hearty, satisfying appetizer. The polenta provides a creamy base for the sweet onions and salty prosciutto and parmesan. When I have a party that is all appetizers, I like to have at least one fairly heavy option so you feel like you ate more than just cheese and crackers all night. This one fits the bill!

 

Polenta Bites with Caramelized Onions, Prosciutto, and Parmesan

• 2 ounces Prosciutto, diced
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 3 large Onions, sliced
• 1 teaspoon Salt, divided
• 3-4 Thyme stems
• 3 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 cup Polenta
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• Shaved Parmesan Cheese, for topping

Lightly sauté prosciutto in a large skillet over medium heat until it has crisped slightly. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.

In same skillet, add olive oil and sauté sliced onions with ½ teaspoon salt and thyme stems over medium heat 45-50 minutes stirring frequently until soft and caramel in color. Remove from heat and discard thyme stems.

Line a 9X9 square baking pan with parchment paper leaving enough paper on the edges to hold on to.

In a medium saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil. Add ½ teaspoon salt and polenta. Reduce to a simmer and stir frequently until polenta is thick and creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in butter. Spread evenly in parchment lined pan, cool for 20 minutes, then chill for at least 2 hours.

At this point, everything can be covered and chilled for assembly at a later time.

Preheat broiler. Lift polenta out of pan and cut into 16 squares. Cut each square on the diagonal to make 32 triangles. Place triangles on a parchment lined pan, broil for 4-5 minutes until heated through.

Reheat caramelized onions if chilled. Place one heaping teaspoon of onions on each triangle, top with a few pieces of prosciutto and a piece of shaved parmesan.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Baked Olives

I like to think of myself as an avid entertainer. In truth, I’m not. I love to entertain and have a fabulous time doing so, it just doesn’t happen all that often. Most of our entertaining is just when family is over for dinner, and the “entertaining” portion is our 3 year old showing off for everyone. But even when it’s just family, I love to plan a nice meal, and I always try to have some type of appetizer for everyone to munch on.

I’ve been loving easy appetizers like cheese and charcuterie boards. It’s nice to be able to keep a few things on hand and put together an impressive appetizer plate in a jiffy. My newest addition – baked olives! So good! We’ve always been olive eaters, and I almost always have a few varieties on hand. Baking them and serving them warm brings out the flavor of the olive and adds that touch of “yeah, I prepared this for you and didn’t just pop them out of the jar” that every good hostess wants to bring to the table. So far, the baked olives have been a hit at our house.

Baked Olives

• 2 cups Olives, drained (I usually try to have two or three kinds – garlic stuffed, blue cheese stuffed, and Kalamata are good choices.)
• 1 Roasted Red Pepper, sliced into strips
• ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• ¼ cup Bread Crumbs (something coarse and crunchy like Panko or homemade bread crumbs are best)
• 2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 400⁰.

Spread olives and red pepper strips in a medium sized baking dish. Sprinkle with seasoning.

Combine bread crumbs and olive oil, spread over olives.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm.

Crescent Sugar Cookies

I’m still working on repaying my super awesome Dad for all of his help while we were putting in our new courtyard patio, and I thought some of his favorite cookies were in order. (I’m sure I’ll be repaying all the hard work he did for years to come!)

For as long as I have known how to cook, these have always been dad’s requested cookie. I grew up knowing them as Crescent Sugar Cookies, but they are very similar to a traditional Rugelach. The dough itself doesn’t have any sugar in it, so any sweetness comes from the filing you roll up inside, which is probably why dad loves them so much. He’s not a real big sweets guy (even though he’s a real sweet guy!).

This is a fun, crescent shaped cookie that is flaky and tender and melts in your mouth, and I could eat twenty at a time without a second thought.

We fill these cookies with a cinnamon-sugar mixture, and it’s just the right amount of sweet. That’s what I have below in the recipe.  I’ve also tried other fillings like chocolate chips, jams, and the ever popular Nutella, but my favorite remains the cinnamon-sugar. The recipe makes 60 cookies (I know, tons of cookies!) so I suggest you fill them with whatever you like and have a little taste testing party!

Crescent Sugar Cookies

• 1 cup Butter, chilled and cubed
• 2 cups Flour
• ¾ cup Sour Cream
• 1 Egg Yolk
• ¼ teaspoon Salt

Filling

• ¾ cup Sugar
• ¾ cup Pecans, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon

Place flour and cubed butter into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until it is combined and resembles coarse meal.

In a separate bowl, stir together sour cream, egg yolk, and salt. Stir in flour and butter mixture until a dough forms. Divide dough into 5 equal pieces, wrap each piece tightly with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours.

Combine sugar, cinnamon, and pecans for filling. Set aside.

When ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 350⁰. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Work with only one dough section at a time; leave the other pieces in the refrigerator.

On a well-floured surface, roll each piece into a circle about 1/8^th of an inch thick. Sprinkle with one-fifth of the filling mixture. Cut into 12 wedges (I use a pizza cutter), and roll each wedge into a crescent shape. Place on baking sheet with the pointed end tucked under and curve slightly.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool slightly before removing from pan. Keep in an airtight container.

My First IKEA Hack

I’m not exactly sure how I made into my 30’s without ever buying anything from IKEA, but here we are. I grew up going to auctions, so whenever I needed a specific piece of furniture, off to the auctions I went! It’s a great way to spend a childhood – people watching and scoring great deals. Plus, I feel like I have an amazing house that has been built piece by piece, and those pieces have stories to tell. But, alas, my method finally hit a snag.

I had moved some furniture around and decided I needed a proper coffee table for my living room. Of course, decisive girl that I am, I knew exactly what I wanted, but I just couldn’t find it.

Our front living room/formal living room (also known as the only space in our house that is always clean!) is my girly space and a place I can go to unwind.  I wanted a coffee table that wouldn’t compete with the other pieces in the room. I didn’t want a heavy wood table; instead I was thinking about something with a glass top to keep it open, and gold colored metal to match some of the other vintage accents in the room (AKA brass fireplace screen).

After I realized that my normal antique auctions weren’t going to work, I turned to internet shopping. Yay fun! I found what I wanted! For $300 (or more) it could be mine at the push of a button. Ha! Nope. Back to the drawing board.  I had never ordered anything from IKEA before, but after seeing what other people could do with their furniture, I decided to give it a look. And guess what – right there was exactly what I wanted!

I decided on some interesting nesting tables with clear glass tops and a bottom shelf. For $60 (plus $15 for shipping) I thought it was worth a try. Having never gone the IKEA route before, I was a little worried about what would show up to my door, but I was pleasantly surprised. My tables arrived in a timely manner and without any damage. They were super easy to put together – took me less than 30 minutes! Overall I was pleased, and ready to get painting.

I used 4 cans of Rustoleum “Pure Gold” spray paint.  If I had been more patient and not tried to paint on a breezy day, I probably could have gotten away with 3 cans, but I guess that’s just not my style. The dark “wood look” bottom shelf didn’t really fit with the now gold table, but instead of also painting it, I decided to go with a more interesting option, and covered the shelf with some fabric. Just a little spray on adhesive (I use it all the time – probably should own stock in spray adhesive), and the fabric went on with no problems.

And, ta-da!

I love how my new table feels a tiny bit glam mixed with a little vintage. It’s perfect for what I needed.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

If you ask my mom for a recipe, she’ll most likely get a look of panic on her face.  It’s not that she’s unwilling to share; she probably just doesn’t remember exactly what she did. My mom is one of the most amazing cooks I have ever known, and her method is more of a taste as you go, let’s add this, let’s add that. That’s what I grew up with, and that’s how I learned to cook.

These Asian Lettuce Wraps are one of those things I learned to cook. When I was growing up, they were a regular in our dinner rotation, and it was always a treat to make our own “takeout”. We wrapped ours with flour tortillas (because what kid doesn’t love a tortilla?), and I still love it that way, but as a lighter option, I mostly go with lettuce wraps these days.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

• 1 lb. Ground Beef (can substitute Turkey, Chicken, or Pork)
• 12 oz. package Broccoli Slaw
• 2 Green Onions, chopped
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• ¾ cup Hoisin Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
• ½ teaspoon Sesame Oil
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• Lettuce Leaves (Iceberg, Boston, and Romaine are good options)

In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and garlic. Set aside.

Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat and drain. Return meat to skillet, and add broccoli slaw, green onion, and salt. Cook over medium heat 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until slaw wilts a bit. Add ½ of hoisin sauce mixture, stir, and cook 1 more minute.

Serve meat mixture in lettuce cups, use remaining hoisin sauce mixture as a topping to drizzle over.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins with Streusel Topping

Pumpkin season is upon us! Everywhere I look, it’s pumpkin spice this and pumpkin pie that. And am I complaining? Nope. Please let me just jump on the bandwagon!

I love all breakfast breads (and lunch breads, and dinner breads…), but there comes a time in a girl’s life when her waistline and her taste buds don’t agree on what’s the best choice, so I’ve been trying really hard to cut back on my bread consumption, especially first thing in the morning. But, this is a muffin that I feel pretty good about.

These are a dense, hearty muffin. No light fluffiness here, but that’s what makes them great for breakfast. You actually feel like you ate something mildly healthy, and it’s going to stick with you for a while. The oatmeal gives it some substance, the pumpkin keeps it moist, and the streusel topping – well, that’s just plain yummy.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins with Streusel Topping, makes 12

• 1 ½ cups Oats
• 1 ¼ cup Flour
• 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• ¾ teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 cup Canned Pumpkin (usually a can is 15 oz, and I’ll just use half)
• 2 Eggs
• ½ cup Milk
• ½ cup Brown Sugar

Topping

• ½ cup Oats
• ¼ cup Pecans, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
• ¼ teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

Preheat oven to 375⁰.

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients for muffins – oats through baking soda. In a separate smaller bowl, stir together wet ingredients – pumpkin through brown sugar.  Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined.

In another bowl, stir together all ingredients for streusel topping.

Fill 12 muffin cups ¾ full (they won’t rise too much). Spoon the streusel topping on top of batter. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from muffin cups.

I’ve also made the same recipe as a breakfast cake. I used a springform pan so it would come out easily. Just adjust your cooking time to 35-40 minutes.

Lemon Caramel Pecan Tart

I have a love for anything with a buttery shortbread crust. I also have a love for anything made in a tart pan. Enter in my Lemon Caramel Pecan Tart!

Having a non-chocolate dessert option in my go-to arsenal is a must, and this is always a pleaser. Using a tart pan with a removable bottom makes it seem fancy and impressive when really, this tart is quite easy to put together.

Crunchy toasted pecans, rich caramel sauce, a buttery crust, and that hint of “wait, is that lemon?” make this a complex and completely satisfying dessert.

Lemon Caramel Pecan Tart

Crust

• 2 cups Flour
• 2/3 cup Powdered Sugar
• ¾ cup cold Butter, diced
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• Lemon Zest, from one lemon

Filling

• 4 cups Pecans, coarsely chopped and lightly toasted
• ½ cup Brown Sugar
• ½ cup Honey
• 2/3 cup Butter
• ¼ cup Heavy Cream
• Juice of ½ Lemon

Preheat oven to 350⁰.

Pulse all ingredients for crust in a food processor several times until coarse. Press mixture in the bottom and up the sides of your tart pan coated with non-stick spray. You can use one large 11-inch pan or several smaller ones. With my love of tart pans, I have quite the collection and like to make smaller tarts so I can give them away.

Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. It will have puffed in places, I use the back of a spoon to press it back down and smooth it out. Let the crust cool completely.

For the filling, stir together brown sugar, honey, butter, cream, and lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in toasted pecans. Spoon filling into crust and bake (also at 350⁰) for 20-25 minutes until bubbly. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Chicken Cacciatore with Creamy Parmesan Polenta

I had to wear a sweatshirt this weekend! And we actually turned our heat on for a night! And I loved it! After the heat and humidity of a Tennessee summer, most people around here are ready to embrace fall with open arms. I know I am.

I’m also ready for fall cooking, and for me, that means pulling out my Dutch oven. I have a pretty blue enameled Dutch oven which I love filling with soups, stews, and one pot wonders. We set out the big iron trivet and haul the pot to the table. Everyone serves themselves steaming spoonfuls, and we all stay around the table for seconds (or thirds). These are the days that just fill my heart with happiness.

My chicken cacciatore is one of our favorites. I use chicken thighs because I like the flavor of the dark meat, and they are usually a good buy at the grocery store. The sauce is light, but super flavorful, and is one of those things I sneak extra bites of as I’m cleaning up the kitchen.

 

Chicken Cacciatore

• 1 Onion, sliced
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into strips
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, cut into strips
• 2 lbs. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
• 1-1 ½ cups Flour
• 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 28 oz. can Diced Tomatoes
• 1 cup White Wine
• 1 cup Chicken Broth
• 2 stems Rosemary
• 3 stems Thyme
• Salt and Pepper
• 2-3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Put flour in a zip-top bag, add chicken thighs (in 2 batches if you need to), and shake to coat chicken. In a heavy bottomed, deep pan with a tight fitting lid, drizzle in olive oil to coat bottom, and over medium high heat, brown chicken on all sides, 2-3 minutes per side (again, in two batches if needed). Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Add onion, peppers, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper to pan, cook 5-6 minutes over medium high heat. Stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of your pan. Add garlic and cook about one minute more.

Stir in wine and cook 2-3 minutes until reduced by about half. Stir in tomatoes and broth. Add in stems of rosemary and thyme. Nestle chicken thighs back down into the pan, cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Remove herb stems (most of the leaves will have fallen off). Serve chicken and sauce over pasta or creamy polenta.

 

Creamy Parmesan Polenta

• 3 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 cup Polenta
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan

Bring broth to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. Stir in polenta and salt and reduce to a simmer. Stirring frequently, cook over medium to medium low heat for 15-20 minutes. Once creamy, stir in butter and parmesan. Serve immediately.

Courtyard Patio Make-Over

One of the things that drew us to our house was a unique gated courtyard in the front. It almost gives the house a Spanish style (ooh, we sound so exotic!). The courtyard is shady in the morning and overlooks a cotton farm across the street. It’s where I grow my herbs and where we have a leisurely breakfast on the weekends.

The courtyard was a combination of paved aggregate (like our driveway) and a flagstone patio, and overall a quaint little place that is one of my favorite things about our house, but over time, it has started to look shabby. Stones were coming loose, the mortar between stones was popping out, and I was fighting a losing battle with the weeds. However, my biggest concern was that not only was the courtyard becoming unsightly, the unevenness and loose stones were making it a bit of a danger. Time for a change.

We decided to go with some paver stones I found at Home Depot. The color was much closer to the color of the paved aggregate (which we were leaving), and they were nice and flat, so no more tripping! I love the new look of the pavers, and the change seems to fit my idea of a courtyard so much better than the flagstones.

DIY Patio – Things to consider…

1. DIY is a loose term here. It’s more likely this needs to be a DI-Friends, DI-Family, or in my case, DI-Dad. What I’m trying to say is that this will go so much better if you don’t actually try to do it all by yourself.
2. Think about the time of year. I, unwisely, got it in my head to attempt this awesome project in August. About 10:00 every morning our patio was in the full summer sun until 5:00pm. Not my smartest move. (On the flip side, don’t pick winter either because having to use a wet saw to cut the pavers will freeze your fingers off!)
3. What stones/pavers to pick. I picked my pavers based on the patterns at the hardware store and had them delivered. We got started and then dad says, “hey, did you know those big ones are 60 pounds each?!” Nope. I did not know that. Sorry dad, I’ll buy you a back massage.
4. Do you have a truck? A friend with a truck? I only ask because if you have to remove anything (like our whole patio of flagstones) you’ll need a way to move it. Also, you’ll need to know where to move it to. We took the nice looking flagstones and made a decorative wall around some of the back yard landscaping and hauled the smaller stuff to the dump.
5. This may take longer than you think. Here I am thinking we’d have this done in a week or so, but I guess I’m a big dreamer. It took more than a week for us to get the old stuff out, a few days to prep the base, and a few days to lay the pavers. We were working mostly on weekdays after work, and the heat was taking it out of us, but all in all it took closer to 3 weeks.

DIY Patio – step by step, day by day, week by week…

1. Demolition/Prep – Good golly I hope no one else has to do as much demolition as we did. I figured that since the flagstones were coming loose, we would just pop them out and be left with a nice hole. Ha! After a week using the pry bars and sledgehammers, we finally had the old stones out and could put down a layer of paver base (like a small gravel). You’ll want to make sure it’s level and running very slightly away from the house. We ran some strings and hung a few line levels. We left the string and levels in place as we worked to make sure we stayed on track.
2. Once your surface is prepped with a good layer of level paver base, you can lay stones. I recommend practicing your pattern out of the way a bit until you get the hang on of. Taking pavers back up because you laid them wrong is not something you want to do. Lay down your pavers one at a time and check to make sure it’s level. If not, wiggle it around a bit or lift up the low side and toss a handful of gravel under. A rubber mallet is super handy on this step.
3. Start by laying all of the pavers you can without having to cut any. For us that meant laying everything except the outer edge where we knew we had to cut pavers to fit against the aggregate portion of the patio. Once you’ve gone as far as you can, rent a brick saw from the hardware store to cut the edge pieces. The brick saw is messy and will spray water and concrete dust everywhere, so don’t set it up right next your house!
4. Last step! Sweep paver sand (for leveling) over your new patio. I found a push broom to work best. Pour the sand in several places over the patio and just sweep it back and forth. The sand will fall down between the pavers. Once you think you have all the cracks filled in, lightly spray the patio with water and watch all your hard work disappear down into the cracks. Repeat.  You’ll have to sweep sand several times to really get the look you want, and you will probably have to do it again in a couple of months, so keep some sand on hand.

There were several times during this project that I just wanted to stop and hire someone to finish it (and I know the Hubby felt the same way). I didn’t think it would ever get done, and I was just plain tired. But I’m so glad we pushed through and now have this new patio to enjoy! I think it’s time to pour a glass of wine and head outside!