Appetizers!

Our family will be celebrating a (belated) Easter & Mother's Day Weekend together. Always a wonderful opportunity to get everyone together... that's 16 adults, 4 kids & 3 dogs! 

It should be a blast!

Since we will be out by the pool most of the time, we decided to bring oodles of appetizers for a perpetual noshing, while we lay around & play with the kids & have a cocktail or two!

In my search for some new recipes 

(to shake things up a bit) 

I came across a few at 

Yummy Mummy ~ a tasty little blog 

that I encourage you to check out... 

Here's what I found!

Cheesy Flatbread 

with Zucchini & Red Onion

Serves 4-6

• 1 ball pizza dough
• 3/4 cup garlic-and-herb cheese spread (such as Alouette), divided
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
• 1 small red onion
• 1 7- to 8-inch-long zucchini (yellow or green), cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick rounds, divided
• Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly flour it. Roll dough into a square on the parchment. Spread half of herb cheese over 1 long half of dough, leaving 1/2-inch plain border. Sprinkle with half of Parmesan and 2 tablespoons parsley. Using parchment as aid, fold plain half of dough over filled half (do not seal edges). Spread remaining herb cheese over top; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Remove enough outer layers of onion to yield 2-inch-diameter core; cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Arrange 1 row of zucchini down 1 long side of dough. Arrange onion rounds in row alongside zucchini. Arrange 1 more row of zucchini alongside onion. Brush vegetables with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake bread until puffed and deep brown at edges, about 24 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley. Doesn't this look & sound delicious?

Pear Cheese & Honey Appetizer

1 package Raincoast Crisps*

2 pears, quartered and sliced

Humboldt Fog cheese, sliced 

Honey 

Assemble pear and cheese slices atop the crisps. 

Drizzle with honey. In a word ~Yum! 

*Raincoast Crisps by Lesley Stowe Found at Whole Foods. 

Three Cheese Mini Mac's

Pack the tins well to hold together. To help with the binding I added buttered breadcrumbs on the top. Also, the next time I make these I will be doubling the cheese it calls for, I think they could have been cheesier. 

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for brushing
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1 packed cup)
4 ounces deli-sliced American cheese, chopped
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika

Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain, shaking off the excess water.

Brush four 12-cup, nonstick mini muffin tins with butter. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the Parmigiano; tap out the excess.

In a large saucepan, melt the 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking, until boiling, about 5 minutes. Add the cheddar and American cheeses and whisk until melted. Off the heat, whisk in the egg yolk and paprika. Fold in the macaroni.

Spoon slightly rounded tablespoons of the macaroni into the prepared muffin cups, packing them gently. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmigiano on top.

Bake the mini macs in the upper and middle thirds of the oven for about 10 minutes, until golden and sizzling. Let cool for 5 min utes. Using a small spoon, carefully loosen the mini macs, transfer to a platter and serve.

I'll let you know how it goes!