Friends at the recipe swap that I belong to have long-raved about these spinach stuffed mushrooms.  I had been avoiding them because the last time I made baked stuffed mushrooms they were less than stellar.  But just the other day someone on the swap made them and then posted about how much her company had liked them.  That was the little kick start I needed to try again!

They certainly were good.  And rather easy to make.  What I loved about the recipe is that, if I wanted to, I could remove the spinach from the list of ingredients and then use it as an excellent base for stuffed baked mushrooms that are just screaming “doctor me up!”.  For example, the addition of lobster, crab meat or sausage would be delicious! (All need to be cooked before adding to the stuffing mixture.)

I also tinkered with the recipe a bit and swapped Panko breadcrumbs for regular breadcrumbs to give a bit more texture to the stuffing.  As well as added some wine to the topping mixture for flavor. Also, just before they went into the oven for baking, I topped them off with some grated Parmesan cheese.

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About 15 years ago I tried a recipe for pan-fried ravioli that was such a disappointment that I swore that I would, from then on, stay clear of it.  And so was the case until I saw a recent recipe for it in Cooking Light.  The attraction?  The ravioli was first dipped in an egg and water mixture (so that the next layer would have something to adhere to) and then dipped into a panko-Parmesan mixture which would help the ravioli create a crisp, flavorful crust without deep frying.  (Not that deep fried ravioli isn’t delicious – but I’m leaving that to restaurant kitchens).

Panko is a dried, flaky bread crumb used extensively in Japanese cooking that has also risen in popularity here.  It makes for a wonderfully crisp crust.  It is found in the Asian section of most supermarkets.

There’s really only one key to success:  You will need to cook the ravioli in 2 batches.  Make sure, after the first batch, you take a wadded up paper towel and wipe the pan free of any (browned) panko-Parmesan crumbs.  Otherwise they will continue to cook and burn and ruin your next batch.  So wipe clean and then add more olive oil before you pan fry the final batch.  Wipe out the pan once again before you start cooking the tomato topping.

Also, the recipe calls for making a quick tomato sauce by sauteing grape tomatoes in the same pan used to cook the ravioli once they have been removed.  If grape tomatoes are pricey or aren’t available, you can also use a can of diced tomatoes, preferably one that is seasoned with onions and/or basil.  Simply drain the liquid from the can and then heat up the contents in the pan for a few minutes.  Once hot, spoon over the ravioli.

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I absolutely love this homemade cracker recipe!  It’s embarrassingly easy to make yet the results tastes like  sophisticated cheddar cheese crackers.  And they keep for weeks in a air-tight container.  They remind me of cheese straws, however, with more of a crunch.  But I need to use the term ‘homemade’ a tad loosely since these start with store bought saltines.

After topping the saltines with shredded cheese, I sprinkled a bit of crushed red pepper flakes on top and then popped them in the oven.  You should, however, feel free to season them as you’d like .  A friend uses McCormicks’ Smoky Sweet Pepper Spice Blend when she makes them (unfortunately my supermarket doesn’t carry this brand so I couldn’t try it.  She recommends using 2 tsp).

This recipe is adapted from www.oregon.live and they adapted it from an original Shirley Corriher recipe .  Corriher is well known in food circles – she’s a biochemist and one of the leading authorities on food science.  It kind of makes sense that she figured out the surprising cooking method for this delicious cheese cracker recipe.

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When our dear friends, Vic and Scott, walked in on July 4th with this amazing Goat Cheese Tomato Tart, my eyes popped wide open.  It looked so gorgeous and I knew it would be divine.  After all – it’s made with puff pastry, goat cheese and roasted tomatoes!

If you’ve never roasted tomatoes before, I bet you will often after you try this recipe.  Roasting brings out the natural sugars in tomatoes and ups their flavor.  They are wonderful added to pasta or as a bruschetta topping.  And very simple to make.

Learning how to make the tart base will be an ‘ah-hah’ moment – you can use it over and over again with other sweet or savory fillings.

This tomato and goat cheese appetizer could also be served as “lunch” if paired with a salad dressed in a light vinaigrette.

Just before serving, top the tart with fresh herbs such as the Basil we showed above.  Chopped kalamata olives would also be a great addition to the tart (add before baking).

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To be honest, I was given this recipe 15 years ago by a close friend who raved about it.  But being a bit of a food snob back them (I’m way over that:) I disregarded it because it called for white sandwich bread, rolled thin, to wrap around the asparagus (along with cheese and Dijon mustard).   I am not too proud to admit that I was a fool to do so.  Because last week I gave it a try and it was absolutely delicious.  And I’m usually pretty careful about what I eat but I consumed 3 of these little appetizers within a matter of minutes.

The only true key to success for this is to monitor these wrapped asparagus appetizers as they bake.  Too little time and they are soggy from the melted butter, too long and they are burnt.  But if you watch them and turn them as needed, out of your oven will come these delightful, golden appetizers that will win rave reviews from family and friends.

Asparagus Appetizer

12 rolls, 4 to 6 portions

• 12 pieces white sandwich bread
• 12 asparagus spears, not too thin
• Dijon mustard
• 6 slices swiss cheese squares*
• 3 Tbsp. melted butter, preferably unsalted.

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Remove crusts from bread slices.  Using a rolling pin, roll as thin as possible. (They don’t roll out all that much.)  Cut cheese slices in half.
3. Cut asparagus spears to approximately the length of a slice of bread.  Put spears in microwave on high for 35 seconds.
4. Spread Dijon mustard very thinly to cover one side of bread slice.  Lay one piece of Swiss cheese atop the bread slice near an edge, then place one asparagus on top of the cheese. Roll the bread up firmly.  Brush all sides with the melted butter and lay, seam side down, on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 6 minutes and start checking for browning on the bread wrap.  Once golden, turn wrapped asparagus over so the that side browns.  Watch carefully – the second side takes much less time to brown than the first side.
6. Serve and enjoy!

*The size of your Swiss cheese is usually dependent whether you buy it at the supermarket deli (squares) or refrigerated section (larger rectangle sized).  If the latter you will only need 3 slices.

No recipe here.  Just 3 simple ingredients.  Which when are combined are absolutely divine!

What’s the ticket to success here?  Simply to purchase the freshest pears and good quality blue cheese and honey.

Pear and Blue Cheese and Honey

• pears
• blue cheese
• honey

1. Stand a pear on its bottom and slice of a bit of the rounded side.  Then slice pears into 1/4″ slices until you near the core.  Repeat on other side of pear.
2. Cut 1/4″ slices of blue cheese from the cheese wedge.  Place wedges on top of pear slices.  Cut into smaller pieces to fit pear wedge if needed.
3. Drizzle each pear wedge with honey.  Serve and enjoy!

Here’s a delicious and fun take on traditional eggs deviled recipes: BBQ Deviled Eggs.  Just as easy to make  – but with a little extra zip to it.

When you go to fill the eggs you can either spoon the filling in each egg or you can place all of the filling in a ziplock bag.  Remove the air and close the bag.  Then push the filling toward one of the non-zip corners, snip off the corner to make a 3/4″ opening and pipe the filling into each egg.

BBQ Deviled Eggs (recipe from CuisineatHome.com, June 2010)

• 12 Hard-cooked eggs, peeled, cut in half, yolks removed
• 2 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. prepared yellow mustard
• 1 Tbsp. barbecue sauce*
• 3 Tbsp. minced dill gherkin pickles
• 2 Tbsp. minced sweet onion
• 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Carefully rinse and pat dry halved egg whites to remove any yolk.
2. Mash egg yolks in a bowl; stir in cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, barbecue sauce, pickles, onions and parsley.  Season mixture with salt and pepper; stir until all ingredients are combined.  Divide filling among egg whites.
3. Drizzle barbecue sauce lightly over each egg. If you like, garnish with a parsley leaf and/or small pickle slice

*I used a honey barbecue sauce