Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread

This won me one of the favorite appetizer prizes at an appetizer exchange I went to last night. It didn't quite do the monkey bread thing properly, we had to cut it, but it tasted great. I loved how it had a bit of a foccacia bread feel, with all sorts of fun pizza flavors added. I'm definitely adding this to our Christmas appetizer dinner menu.

Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread
Courtesy of What's Gaby Cooking



2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups bread flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup Asiago cheese, finely grated
1/2 cup pepperoni slices, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Pizza sauce

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a medium bowl, combine the bread flour, all-purpose flour and salt. Set aside.

Combine the active yeast and water in a mixing bowl fitted with a dough hook. Let it sit for a few minutes to make sure your yeast is working. Add the sugar and mix for a quick second. Add the flour mixture in batches, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Let the dough hook work its magic for 5-6 minutes until the dough has come together into a large mass. Remove the dough to an oiled bowl and let rise for 60 minutes.

After an hour, remove the dough from the bowl and cut into small 1/2 inch cubes. Dust with flour to prevent them from sticking together. Set aside.

Spray 6 small bundt pans with PAM or cooking spray. (You could also use a large bundt pan)

Melt the butter in a small bowl.

Combine the cheese, pepperoni, oregano, salt and garlic in a large bowl. Add the melted butter and mix together with a spoon. Toss in the cut dough and make sure it all gets a coat of the butter mixture. Start layering the cubes into the bundt pans until they are 3/4 of the way full. Let sit for 30 minutes for the dough to rise a little more.

Place bundt pans into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the bread and cheese is golden brown. Serve with warmed pizza sauce.

Baked Brie

I found this recipe that suggested halving a brie round and putting walnuts in the middle. Since I'm not a giant nut fan, I decided to try spreading a layer of apricot jam instead. YUM. It's a perfect appetizer for the holiday season. Especially when you fashion a swanky little puff pastry bow on top.

Baked Brie
A variation on this recipe from allrecipes.com



1/2 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 (8 ounce) wheel Brie cheese
2-3 tablespoons apricot jam

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan.

Slice the wheel of Brie in half, horizontally, so that the halves are two, flatter wheels of Brie. Lay the puff pastry in the pie pan. Place half of the Brie (rind-side down) onto the pastry dough. Spread jam evenly over the top. Place the other half of the Brie (rind-side up) over the jam. Bundle the pastry dough around the Brie.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Warm Italiano Spread

I decided to give this appetizer a shot in preparation for some dinner parties we're going to be having in the fall. It had all sorts of elements that appeal to me (pesto, tomatoes, cheese), but I didn't really like it. It just felt like there was too much cream cheese. I would have preferred to just have put the pesto, tomatoes, and shredded cheese on top of the crackers and melted them that way. Though, if you enjoy appetizers that consist of cream cheese with stuff dumped on top, you will likely enjoy this one. It's not bad by any stretch. Just not my favorite.

Warm Italiano Spread
Courtesy of Kraft Foods

1 package (8 ounces) Neufchatel cheese (or cream cheese)
1/4 cup pesto
1 plum tomato, chopped
1/4 cup finely shredded Italian cheese blend
Crackers

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Place unwrapped Neufchatel cheese in small baking dish. Top with pesto, tomatoes, and shredded cheese.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until shredded cheese is melted and Neufchatel cheese is softened but still holding its shape. Serve with crackers.

Baked Spring Rolls (or Wontons)

I've decided to start trying appetizers well before we're even planning a party, so that I'll have some tricks up my sleeve and won't be trying anything new when it comes time to throw the actual party. So I tried this recipe for Baked Spring Rolls that I found in Food Network Magazine. Though I accidentally doubled up on the spring roll wrappers for most of the batch, they were very good. The single-wrapper ones were much better, and when I had run out of the roll wrappers, I used some leftover wonton wrappers that I had in the refrigerator. And I actually liked those better! The edges were a little crispy, so I would probably tweak the cooking time a bit, but otherwise, I really preferred them as wontons. You could taste the flavors so much more with less dough.

...I'm only just realizing now too that I didn't bake them as long as the recipe calls far (ack!). I missed the whole step of turning them over, so mine were actually a lot less crispy than they should have been. Oh well. They were still tasty.

See! Isn't it good that I tried out this recipe before I served it at a party? Haha!

Edited to add: I did it right this time (12/27/2011), and the photo is from this successful attempt. They were really good.

Baked Spring Rolls (or Wontons)
Courtesy of Lauren Kempees for Food Network Magazine



For the Spring Rolls (or Wontons):
1 2-ounce piece deli ham, finely diced
4 teaspoons vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
1 tablespoon chopped peeled ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1 1/2 cups finely shredded green cabbage
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon Asian chili-garlic paste
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Square spring roll wrappers (or wonton wrappers)
1 large egg white

For the Sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 teaspoon chopped peeled ginger
1 scallion, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Make the spring roll or wonton filling: Cook the ham in 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and scallions; cook until fragrant, about 1 more minute.

Toss the cabbage and carrot with the hot ham mixture in a large bowl. Add the crab, cilantro, chili-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, the soy sauce and vinegar; toss.

To wrap the spring rolls: Mound 1/3 cup filling in the lower third of each wrapper, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border on the left and right. Beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon water; brush onto the wrapper edges, then fold in the two sides slightly. Starting from the bottom, roll up the wrapper to enclose the filling; gently press along the edges to seal.

To make the wontons: Put 1 tablespoon filling in the middle of each wonton wrapper. Brush egg white mixture onto the wrapper edges, then fold opposite corners of wrapper to form a triangle. Gently press along the edges to seal.

Pierce each roll or wonton with a skewer in a few places to prevent bursting.

Place a rack in a baking dish and brush with vegetable oil. Mix the remaining 2 teaspoons vegetable oil and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil; lightly brush on rolls. Place the rolls on the rack; bake until golden on top, about 15 minutes. Turn the rolls; bake until golden and crisp, 8 to 10 more minutes.

Meanwhile, mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Serve with the warm spring rolls or wontons.

Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip

This is easily the tastiest and lightest spinach and artichoke dip I've ever had. It is a giant hit, and my friends often ask for it when we have a get-together.

Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Courtesy of Kraft Foods



1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained, finely chopped
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients; spoon into 9-inch quiche dish or pie plate.

Bake 20-30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with crackers and assorted cut-up fresh vegetables.