Casual Tapas Party

 About once a week, Sarah and I, our kids and husbands, and another family get together for a little casual dinner party that we have dubbed "family dinner." It is a great way to scratch that weird entertaining itch, experiment with new dishes, and (most importantly!) socialize with friends. Everyone brings a dish, but it could just be out of pantry staples, or a loaf of bread that was picked up on the way home from work. Or it could be something special that took all day to make. Anything goes, everything gets eaten, and it is super low pressure. It has definitely helped us to be more confident entertainers.

After keeping this up for the past couple of years, we started to get a little desperate scrambling to get meals together at the last minute (this is always a weeknight event.) Only recently we decided to pick a theme ahead of time, and work around that theme. I've been dying to do a tapas dinner party forever, and when I hosted last night, that was my request. This came together really easily (and was so delicious!) so we wanted to share our recipes which we pulled from different sources.

I chose this classic garlic shrimp recipe, or gambas al ajillo. So good and so simple. I kept it light on the red pepper flakes in the hopes that kids would eat them (some did, but not mine. waah waah.)

Sarah whipped up these bacon-wrapped dates, but she subbed in a firm aged goat cheese for the chorizo. I mean, just look at them. Look at their bacon-y goodness. (Not you, vegetarians... avert your eyes!) Another classic tapas dish, and just so darn good.

To round it out we also had:

• A cheese plate with two Spanish cheeses, itsy bitsy Spanish olives, and a chocolate fig cake (I couldn't resist). And a cured sausage. (I couldn't resist that either.)
•  A fruit plate, because it is always good to have a pile of fruit when picky 3-year-olds are in the mix.
• And Rachel brought a batch of spiced roasted chickpeas. Yeah, it was a bit of a feast.
• Oh, and Spanish wine, of course! Sarah brought a nice tempranillo which disappeared quickly.

This all came together really easily at the end of the day. Of course, it wouldn't have come together nearly as easily without the help of lots of friends and cooks in the (not quite big enough!) kitchen. So call up some friends, get some ideas flowing, and maybe start with some tapas. And Spanish wine.

Popsicles with Roasted Strawberry & Coconut Milk

In search of something creamy and cool, with a seasonal fruit thrown in the mix, we came up with these popsicles.  With only three ingredients – coconut milk, roasted strawberries, and a spoonful of agave for sweetness - these are simple to make and easy to substitute in any seasonal fruit you’ve got on hand.  Not bad in terms of a reasonably healthy treat that makes toddlers literally squeal (loudly) with excitement!

We decided to see what would happen if we attempted to concentrate fresh strawberry flavors from fresh and light to rich and intense.  We love fresh strawberries, but their flavor sometimes seems too muted when you start using them as an ingredient (rather than eating them straight out of hand).  We did it simply by roasting the strawberries for 20 minutes. Sprinkled with a tablespoon of sugar, they develop bubbly brown edges and deep flavors.  Perfect for blending with coconut milk to create a creamy popsicle with lots of strawberry flavor.

To be honest, these popsicles came together as a result of leftovers. I had some coconut milk waiting in the fridge, and I was itching to use it in a summery dessert. We had leftover roasted strawberries from our latest cocktail over at our Whole Foods column, Locally Mixed.  A little agave for sweetness (chosen for its easy-to-stir-in consistency) and we had ourselves four sweet little popsicles! 

Popsicles with Roasted Strawberries & Coconut Milk

• 1/2 c. coconut milk
• 1/2 c. roasted strawberry puree (recipe below)
• 1 Tbsp. agave

Blend all three ingredients together, pour into popsicles molds, and freeze overnight.  Warning:  This recipe only makes about 4 small popsicles; feel free to double it!

 

Roasted Strawberry Puree

• 2 cups roughly chopped strawberries
• Sprinkled with 1 Tbsp sugar

Yield: 1 cup

Roast at 400 for approx 20 minutes or until edges are browning and the pan contains bubbling & caramelizing strawberry juice.  I highly recommend a rimmed baking sheet for this recipe!  Scoop roasted strawberries into a glass jar for storage and mash them with a fork until they fall apart into a rough “puree”.

If you’re looking for another excuse to make a batch of the Roasted Strawberry Puree, here’s one:  Roasted Strawberry, Gin, & Ginger Cocktail!

Homemade Hummus

Homemade hummus is another one of those recipes that is so easy to make super fresh at home.  I’ve made a lot of hummus over the years, and in my research I learned a trick to making really creamy (as opposed to “grainy bean mash”) hummus. Yes, we have a trick to share with you! It’s easy.

The secret to creamy hummus is the order in which you combine the ingredients. You start with the tahini, lemon juice, and water. Whir these together like crazy to create a totally smooth and creamy emulsion – it should look like thick cream. THEN you add the chickpeas and garlic and blend until smooth. The chemistry of whatever happens here creates the end result of creamy hummus rather than grainy bean mash. If you’re interested, drop in on some nice vegetarians ranting and raving about this over here.



You can catch a glimpse of the tahini emulsion in the upper right picture, below.

Top your creamy fresh hummus with chopped parsley, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.  We (and our toddlers!) love this with carrots, pea pods, pita bread triangles, cabbage wedges, and loads of harissa.  Well…not the toddlers on that last one.

Homemade Creamy Hummus

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp water
• 4 small cloves of raw garlic (the raw garlic adds a spicy kick so adjust according to your tastes!)
• 16 oz can chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 tsp salt

Put tahini, lemon juice, and water in the food processor. Blend (and scrape down if any tahini sticks) until it forms a thick creamy emulsion.
Blend garlic and salt into the tahini cream.
Add the chickpeas and blend until your hummus is totally smooth and creamy. Note that this recipe calls for fewer chickpeas (in proportion to the other ingredients) than many other recipes – it is more tahini and lemon heavy, which helps achieve that delicious texture!

Lemon Asparagus

We found bundles of skinny new asparagus at the store this week! This recipe is our winner for spring asparagus.  It’s so simple and fast, but feels special and fancy.  That’s our favorite type of recipe, after all.  Here’s our trick:

Thin lemon slices arranged on a baking sheet.  Olive oil drizzled asparagus arranged in a layer over the top of the lemons.  Sprinkle with salt, broil for a few minutes.   Done!

The lemons get a little charred, and waft their lemony vapors up into the asparagus as they roast. 

The asparagus gets a little charred, too, during their quick trip under the broiler.  I especially love this treatment for the super skinny asparagus because their pointy tips get crispy and brown.  Oh and PS: our 2 year olds loved these!  And I quote “more green! more asparagarararasuss!”  Great liberties were taken with the pronunciation of the word asparagus.  We basked in the glow of toddlers gobbling vegetables of their own free will.

Lemon Asparagus

• One pound fresh asparagus
• One lemon
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• sprinkle of salt

Thinly slice the lemon.  Arrange in one flat layer on a baking sheet.

Toss the asparagus with the olive oil until evenly coated.  Arrange asparagus over the lemon slices.  Sprinkle with salt.  Broil for approx 6 minutes (in our oven) or until asparagus spears get a few browned and crispy areas.

March Toddler Picnic {Kid-Friendly Food}

Over the past few months we’ve been experimenting with throwing little dinner parties for our toddlers.  At first it seemed like a terrifying idea:  you know, herding cat-like toddlers, trying to get them to sit down at the same time, eat their food instead of throwing it at each other, etc, etc. 
The good news is we are well on our way to coming up with some ideas to make a toddler dinner party something that is fun for everyone involved.  I’d actually call it more of a toddler picnic rather than a dinner party because no formal gowns were involved but trucks, dirt, and dogs did find their way into the event…

It was a beautiful perfect sunny spring day in Colorado – 70 degrees!  We knew we had to eat outside & watch the sun set behind the mountains. 

The setting sun only burned our retinas for a few minutes:

In the way of food we had lots of little bowls of finger friendly foods.  Strawberries, cheese cubes, hummus, and clementines are always a hit.  Assemble-your-own deviled eggs were on the menu as well; I made these mostly for the moms but we all shared bites with our toddlers.  Actually that’s not completely true – I tried to share bites with my baby but he craned his neck and looked as far away from me and my egg as possible every time I made an attempt.  So I ate lots of eggs all by myself, and they were delicious.

We made a few more exotic toddler dishes as well.  Such as firm tofu marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, garlic, ginger, and a little honey.  It was so good…and two out of the three toddlers ate it.  I consider that a success!

We also cubed and roasted some winter squash, then drizzled it with a sweet balsamic fig reduction.  The babies seemed to appreciate the small brightly colored squares, and the balsamic reduction was sweet and tangy which lured them in even more. I am currently hoarding the leftovers to use in a salad with french lentils, arugula, goat cheese, and figs. 

Another key to having fun at a toddler picnic was to let them roam around a bit.  Isaac enjoyed perching on this little rock ledge and nibbling cheese cubes.  Then playing with trucks and dirt for a while before returning to load up with more cheese.

Meanwhile, the moms hung out at the picnic table eating, chatting, and keeping an eye on the babies. 

Babies returned to the table frequently to test out their sophisticated manners and sit with us like little adults.

Mmmm, strawberries!

But the sophisticated manners only extend so far…as you can see by the half-eaten strawberry thrown down on the tablecloth.  Which reminds me of another key to our success – we didn’t really use plates or utensils.  We had them available but they didn’t get used.  The finger foods plus roaming while eating made them basically obsolete which worked out well in the end because of its simplicity.

The friendly dog was visited, and possibly slipped some snacks.

And then the three little toddler friends rewarded us by being SO EXTREMELY CUTE our heads almost exploded. 

The picnic was so much fun, we can’t wait to keep this up all summer long!

Whole Wheat & Cheddar Crackers

Dulcie and I each have an under-two toddler.  If you don’t have a toddler of your own you might not realize this, but OMG THEY LOVE CRACKERS.
These are the homemade healthy version of little cheesy crackers.  They are made with 100% whole wheat, sharp cheddar, a little butter, and not much else.  Their texture is pretty amazing if I do say so myself: crispy, crunchy, and flaky.  They’re rich and buttery from all the cheese. 

We’ve been buying plenty of Annie’s bunnies and crackers of that ilk.  They have a fairly natural/healthy ingredient list but they only come in bunny shapes.  If you make them at home you can do any shape you want.  You know, like stars and little ducks and kitties.  Deb over at Smitten Kitchen, who was this inspiration for this recipe, did little goldfish.
Also, the real reason I am excited about these crackers is that deep down (OK maybe not that deep down) I am a cheapskate.  Making these crackers warmed the cockles of my cheap little heart. 

Today I brought these as a snack to this gigantic weekly play group thing (think 50 kids under 4 running around like crazy people in a huge gymnasium full of toys).  Every time I got out the bag I was instantly surrounded by random children saying in plaintive little voices: More? More? More? 
Crackers and little kids, man.  I don’t get it!

I do have some words of advice when you make these.  The main thing is to make sure you use a fairly hard oily cheddar cheese that you like the taste of.  If the cheese is too soft, the crackers won’t have the right crispy texture.  And if you don’t like the taste of the cheese very much, you won’t like the crackers because the cheese flavor is very prominent.

OK?  Ready?  Here’s the recipe:
:: :: :: :: ::
Whole Wheat & Cheddar Crackers

• 12 oz grated sharp cheddar (make sure you like how it tastes!)
  
• 8 Tablespoons butter
  
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350.  Dump all the ingredients in your food processor and run for 1-2 minutes or until everything forms a big dough ball.  EASY!!!
Pull out the dough ball, wrap it in plastic, and let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool off.  This will make it much easier to roll out.
Roll the dough out to about 1/8” thick on a floured surface (I also sprinkled flour on the top side of the dough to prevent it from sticking to the rolling pin).  Cut out shapes with 1-2” cookie cutters and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.  If you don’t want to bother with cutting out shapes you can just get out a pizza cutter and cut the dough into small 1.5” squares – this is what I plan to do next time.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. 

Thanks again to Smitten Kitchen for this recipe inspiration!