Broccoli Cheese Bites

It was past midnight. I was mindlessly scrolling through Pinterest (follow me!) on my phone, while laying in bed. Then I saw these and stopped dead in my tracks. It took me less than 30 seconds to get out of bed, put my shoes on, throw open the fridge and start making these. No exaggeration. I was like a tornado in the kitchen on a mission. I even dropped a 10" chef knife on the floor (jump back!) in the process. The only thought in my brain was "must make these fast, so they bake fast, so I can shove them in my face fast."

Original recipe can be found here. I had to alter it based on starting the recipe without checking all my ingredients first (because I was trying to make it as fast as humanly possible).

~3 cups broccoli florets, washed and cut in small pieces
~1.5 cups shredded cheese of choice (I used extra sharp cheddar)
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed (I used reduced fat)

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, using your hands to mix thoroughly. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and roll the mixture into golf ball sized portions, spacing them evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through. Makes about 30.

Try to let cool a few minutes before chowing down, otherwise you might burn the roof of your mouth! (ow.)

These were so good, which I'm excited about. I feel like the possibilities are endless- you could make with any fresh veggie on hand - spinach, beans, corn. You could use different cheeses or spices each time, too.

They'd be great as an appetizer or finger food while entertaining, or even as a side for dinner. They kept well and reheated nicely in the toaster oven. The second time I ate them I dipped them in low fat sour cream.

Johnny even enjoyed a few. Except he hates to get his hands dirty and greasy (computer geek phobia, having to work with keyboards and all...) so he used the tongs from flipping them. I thought it was funny when I turned around, especially since by now it was like 1am and we're both in the kitchen snacking away.

Annnnnnd, thank you for being patient-- the winner of the $25 Wal*Mart gift card was comment #21, Wendy from The Coupon Queen! Congratulations! Please send your mailing address to christina (at) dinneratchristinas (dot) com and it'll be on it's way! Thanks for playing everybody! Glad to see I'm not the only one who loves her sugary kid's cereal!

Wedding Eats

Back in September I blogged about Johnny's and my trip to New York for wedding food tasting! We were so impressed with all of the samples, that it didn't really help to narrow down our choices. After much deliberation, we finally settled on:

(old photo of mine from the tasting)

Passed Hors d'Oeuvres:

• Mini Buttermilk Biscuit with Honey Mustard Glazed Ham and Swiss Cheese
• Franks in Puff Pastry with Honey Mustard Sauce
• Twice Baked Fingerling Potato Stuffed with Bacon and Boursin Cheese
• Beef Tenderloin Medallion on Crostini with Goat Cheese and Oven Dried Tomato
• Mini Mozzarella en Carozza with Pomodoro Sauce
• Oven Roasted Mushrooms with Sausage and Sage Stuffing

Displays:

• Artisan Cheese Table - A selection of domestic and imported cheeses, dried fruits, assorted fruit preserves and honey, crackers.
• Arthur Avenue - A selection of imported Italian meats, imported provolone, marinated artichokes and olives, garlic crostini, breadsticks, mustard, ciliegine mozzarella, and fine extra virgin olive oil.

Sadly, Johnny and I did not get to try (or even see) the displays. We were busy with pictures during the cocktail hour and riding on the merry-go-round, so we didn't make it over to that part of the room. However, we did get to eat all of the hors d'oeuvres because the staff thoughtfully kept bringing a plate with 2 of everything on it over to us.

Buffet:

• Mixed Green Salad
• Assortment of rolls and butter
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Cider Glazed Pork Loin over Braised Red Cabbage with Bacon Jus
• Roast Beef Tenderloin with Carmalized Shallots and Madeira Jus
• Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes
• Apple Glazed Carrots

The buffet was amazing! Everything on it was delicious, especially the beef. I filled my plate and stomach to the brim. Unfortunately, my dress started to feel really tight so I stopped at one plate. I didn't want to be uncomfortable the rest of the night, but boy was it good!

Christina's Birthday Dinner Party!

First, I would like to apologize for my entire lack of food photos in this post. I'm an out of shape, rusty blogger. Once things started happening I completely forgot about my camera on the side table until long after my guests left.

October 23rd was my 27th birthday. My bosses Jeffrey and Linda had been trying to get up with me for weeks about going out to dinner, them cooking dinner, coming here for dinner, etc. Eventually when we had a plan in place, they had both had dental work so weren't much in the mood for chewing.

(recycled photo)

My butternut squash soup would do the trick perfectly for my birthday dinner party!

I used our rental home's nice dinnerware to make the evening feel more special. I find if you set the table ahead of time and make sure everything is at the ready it makes your guests feel special and the evening runs smoother. The dinner centerpiece was a huge, fresh salad I cut everything by hand for. Lots of the toppings were in small bowls so guests could customize the toppings based on their preferences.

As Johnny pointed out, the orange soup would look great served in these beautiful bowls! With the dinnerware being so busy, I chose to omit dinner decorations, and let the bold plates and bowls speak for themselves!

Appetizers were fresh shrimp cocktail my dad brought, olives, pickles, and bread with a vegetable tapenade. (<--Spell check wants me to change that to tapeworm -- ewwww!)

Dinner started with a huge salad. I used the seeds from the butternut squash as a crunchy topping to connect the courses.

For the seeds I simply tossed them with:

vegetable oil
paprika
garlic powder
salt
pepper

And baked at 350° for about 30 minutes, stirring them a few times to make sure they were evenly toasty and nobody stuck together.

Dessert was a delicious home made key lime pie my boss Jeffrey made from scratch! That's real whipped cream with key lime zest in it! So good!

Disclosure: There are paid links included in this post. Please note, it really was my birthday, and the photos and words are all genuine Christina, unaffected by this opportunity. Just simply a chance to earn a little cash for the upcoming wedding!

Bear Mountain Wedding Tasting

If you've wandered over to the Wedding Planning tab, you already know that we're getting married at Bear Mountain State Park in December.

We narrowed down our choice after we learned the chefs are CIA grads and heard several good reviews from people that had eaten at functions there. I have not been a bridezilla about things, but I wanted to make sure our venue had outstanding food.

The paperwork we've had for months features pages of mouth watering selections. When our wedding coordinator said we could do a tasting I jumped at the chance to help narrow down our choices.

We chose 4 hors d'oeuvres to sample (from the left):

• crispy pork belly with apricot marmalade on toasted corn bread
• beef tenderloin medallion on crostini with goat cheese and oven dried tomato
• mini buttermilk biscuit with honey mustard glazed ham and Swiss cheese
• twice baked fingerling potato stuffed with bacon and boursin cheese

We also had two entrees to try:

• cider-glazed pork loin over braised red cabbage with bacon jus

(Oops! We accidentally dug into this one before I snapped a pic, which messed up it's presentation!)

• penne with vodka sauce and peas

Everything was so delicious. We had 2nds and 3rds of the entrees. It was so fun to sit and do a tasting- that's the first time I've done anything like that. I certainly feel very confident that any dish we choose will be ammmaazzzing! I can't wait for December to get here so I can stuff myself!

I met Ree!!!

Chances are if you've talked to me on the side you know I love Ree and her blog, The Pioneer Woman. I've wanted to meet her for quite some time, but timing has just never worked out for when she's in town.

Earlier today I saw her tweet about being in Naperville, which isn't far from Johnny's work, which isn't too far from our house. So I met him at work and we drove out to the bookstore.

I was really nervous, so I texted Mara and Sophia to get rid of some giddy anxiety and tweeted with a bunch of you to pass the time.

I grew up a piano playing, ballet dancing, straight A kind of a gal, so I haven't led the most exciting life.

My celebrity spottings thus far have included handing Van Cliburn a bouquet of roses at a concert and asking him to blow my mom a kiss (which he did).

I also was in the same building as Joey McIntyre once. (He was Fiyero one of the three times I've seen Wicked.)

I know she's not a movie star (yet), but I kind of think of Ree in celebrity-like status. I've loved her books and her blog and seeing her on TV. I was going to have to walk up to her and talk! Eep!

Anyways- there I was, wearing my holey yoga pants, and the line finally dwindled down. There were 103 tickets and we were #98, so it had really dwindled down.

Ree sang Ethel Merman for the girls in line ahead of us, much to my delight. Then we approached her and I gushed bout loving her blog, and her, and Johnny and I talked about her little son that we find adorable, and then poof! it was over and I survived! She is so down to earth and sweet that I forgot my irrational fears of turning bright red, puking, or bursting into tears, embarrassing myself.



We were starved, so after we headed to a little Italian place just up the street, Rosebud. It was the first time either of us had eaten there, but J's friend highly recommended it.

I started with fried calamari. Hands down the best I've ever had! Delicious!

Then I had fetticine alfredo. (I went with a low-fat, low-cal dish since I have to fit into a wedding dress eventually.)

Johnny had some vodka penne dish. He almost always chooses vodka sauce dishes when we eat Italian. He loves them. And he ate this entire plate to prove it.

Then he had a creme brulee for dessert (I snuck a few spoonfuls of it). I ordered some cannolis to go, which I'll eat tomorrow in my PJs while catching up with 16 & Pregnant online since I watched every Glee episode in existence and now have to wait for new ones.

Sorry the restaurant photos are dim. I just have a point and shoot. Which brings me to a survey:

Cheesy Toes with Stinky Dip

Another cutesy Halloween treat! This time, these came from the Cooking Club magazine. I kept the recipe as is, but changed the dip up some.


Please note: The recipe says it makes 5 dozen toes. Ours were ~1 1/2" long and we only got like 40.

Official warning: If you are on a diet please shield your eyes. I have my own growing thighs to worry about, I can't be held responsible for your undoing too.


Cheesy Toes:
2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cubed
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups flour
sliced almonds

Stinky Dip:
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Pulse cheese, butter, and salt in a food processor until well-blended. Add the flour and blend until a dough forms. Form dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour until firm.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and shape into toes, making about 1 1/2 inch long, by 1/2 thick. Press a sliced almond onto the tip for a nail, and use a spoon to press "knuckle creases" into the dough. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes, until firm.

Heat the oven to 400° and bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown (I checked the bottoms because the tops didn't brown.)

To make the dip, simply combine all of the ingredients and stir well. Serve chilled dip with warm or room temperature toes.

YUM! The toes were deliciously cheesy and soft on their own, but the dip definitely kicks it up a notch! I'm not sure if it's the fresh garlic or the lemon juice, but there is a definite tangy, biting punch that is enjoyable for your taste buds! You can't help but giggle when you're munching these down - they really do look like little toes!

Beef Crostini Appetizer

I can't take credit for this dish, it was my brother's idea.

However, I do believe I pulled it off and it was arguably my favorite dish of the dinner party.

Either that, or it was the first bite of food I'd had all day so it tasted extra decadent.

I headed to my local butcher, Orland Meat Market & Deli because I wanted a great steak. The owners, Spyros and Helen are so sweet, I knew they'd help me make a great decision.

After talking about the contest, the dinner party, and what I was hoping to pull off, they suggested a beef filet. Spyros went in the back and grabbed a beautiful, whole tenderloin and cut me off about a 2-3" piece. He then trimmed it of all silver skin and fat and wrapped it like a little present in waxed white paper.

beef filet
good bread
bleu cheese
carmalized onions
Balsamic reduction
fresh parsley

Begin by taking the bleu cheese and the meat out of the fridge to take the chill off of them.

In a small skillet, place a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar. Let reduce by half over low heat until the balsamic is syrupy.

Slice a medium onion and place in a small skillet with a little bit of olive oil and salt. Work over medium heat for several minutes until the onions are carmalized.

Slice the bread on a diagonal, brush with olive oil and place in a toaster oven set to 250°.

Meanwhile, coat the beef liberally in Kosher salt and black pepper. Add to a pre-heated skillet and cook on high for about 5 minutes per side. Then rotate along the edge of the filet, searing each edge. Remove to the cutting board and let rest, and slice thin.

To plate, place the bread, then a forkful of the carmalized onions. Add a slice of the rare beef, a large crumble of bleu cheese, and top with a fresh parsley leaf. Finish with a drizzle of the balsamic reduction.

You were cordially invited...

to Dinner at Christina's. But you didn't vote enough so I could make it to Round 3!!!

I kid, I kid.

We had the dinner party Thursday, before I found out if I would make it to Challenge #3. I was slightly devastated to find I did not advance because I was having a fun time tackling the challenges, giving them my all.

But, I picked myself up and realized it wasn't worth it to be upset. Because I have to give myself credit for doing what I love. I put out one hell of a dinner not even knowing if I advanced yet because I wanted to, not because I had to. That's what being a food lover is about, and in the end, that's all that I am. A lover of food that likes to write about it on this blog for others to share in that love.

The chef.

The table setting.

The place settings.

The centerpiece.

The menu. Click to enlarge.

(Now I'm free to post it as I would have liked - instead of the advertisement-ridden-bad-typeface-salmon-colored-one-that-didn't-go-with-my-color-scheme template they required.)

The Amuse Bouche.

The soup.

The salad.

The entree.

The dessert.

(All of the individual dishes and their recipes will be featured in the coming week so stay tuned!)

The aftermath.

And these were my wonderful guests. People that took a last minute invitation to show up at our house and eat a mystery meal with no questions asked. I really lucked out with a crowd that came into this dinner with such open minds and let me serve them anything my heart desired.

Thank you to Dennis, Riki, Julie, Jeff, and Melissa for being such great guests. They brought me wine, flowers, and chocolates, and gave me a round of applause at the end of the evening.

Also, thank you to Johnny for giving me unrestricted access to his credit card to fund this dinner, as well as loving support throughout the two days it took to pull this off. Thank you to Di for lending me her tables, tablecloth, dishes, bowls, wine glasses, and Yang support. Thank you to Goran for brainstorming the menu with me, saving my lumpy polenta, and carving the duck. Thank you to my brother for emailing furiously back and forth with me about the menu and lending his expertise with the wine pairings. Last, thank you to my parents who campaigned proudly on my behalf. I'm sorry I couldn't have made it further, but all of your support meant the world to me.

Hummus

We've really been trying to cut back on our budget so I thought I'd save a few bucks by making hummus from scratch, versus paying top price for a small, ready-made container.

Johnny and I absolutely love hummus, but I've never made it before. I did a quick google search and picked the one with the shortest ingredient list and 5 star reviews. I wasn't looking for anything crazy, just a basic hummus.

15 oz. can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/4 cup liquid from the can
3 Tbsp of lemon juice (more if desired)
2 Tbsp tahini
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
dash black pepper
dash of cumin
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
red pepper flakes or cayenne (optional)

Drain the chickpeas and reserve 1/4 cup of the liquid from the can. Combine all of the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender or bowl. (Try not to drink the tahini straight from the jar.)

Blend until everything is smooth (I did this with my hand blender). *Pause to admire my 10¢ thrift store spatula*

Place in a serving bowl and make a shallow well in the center of the hummus. Add the olive oil in the well.

This will keep in a covered container in the fridge for about a week. If the hummus begins to dry out during storage add more olive oil.

Serve with pita bread, or our personal favorite - fresh veggies!