Category: Appetizer - Kathy's Kitchen Recipes

Everything Good in a Pumpkin

10/26/2021

Author: Kathy Schowe

Everything Good in a Pumpkin

Everything Good in a Pumpkin

Perfect showstopper appetizer for any fall gathering!

Ingredients

1- 5lb. sugar or pie pumpkin
1/2 loaf of crusty bread cut into small chunks
1 green apple or pear pealed, cored, and chopped
1 cup Gruyere cheese cut into small cubes
1 cup cheddar cheese cut into small cubes
2 garlic cloves crushed
4-6 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
1 green onion chopped
1 tablespoon thyme chopped
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon maple syrup
salt & pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Carve the cap out of the top of the pumpkin and leave a fairly large opening for easy access to the inside. Scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff and season the inside with salt & pepper and a pinch of the nutmeg. Place in the center of a parchment lined baking sheet.
In a large bowl, toss together the bread, pear or apple, cheese, garlic, bacon, green onions, and thyme.
Fill the pumpkin with the mixture and add more bread if it doesn't fill the pumpkin.
In a small bowl blend the cream, salt & pepper, nutmeg, and maple syrup. Pour over the bread mixture and make sure stuffing is moist. Add a little more cream if needed.
Bake with cap on a 350° for 60 minutes, then remove the cap and return to oven for another 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and carefully transfer to serving platter. Serve with crostini or crusty bread slices around it on the platter.
For larger serving and presentation, use a larger pumpkin and adjust measurements.

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Cheesy Stuffed Poblanos

8/25/2019

Appetizer

Author: Kathy Schowe

Cheesy Stuffed Poblanos

ingredients:

4 poblano peppers
1 cup Trader Joe's Harvest Grains or Israeli couscous
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove smashed
1 jalapeno chopped
1 shallot chopped
1/2 cup cheddar cheese grated
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese grated
1 tablespoon cream cheese

instructions:

How to cook Cheesy Stuffed Poblanos

Roast poblanos over flame on grill or stove until skin is charred. Cover in a bowl and let rest for 10 minutes, then peel blackened skin off and discard.
Bring broth to boil and then add Harvest Grains or Israeli couscous and smashed garlic clove. Reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter. Set aside.. In a skillet sautee the shallot, jalapeno, and chopped garlic for 5 minutes in 1 tablespoon butter. Add the Harvest Grains and stir to combine, then put mixture in medium bowl.
Add cheeses and cream cheese to mixture and blend together.
Bake for 15 minutes at 375° on a baking sheet, or put on the grill on tray until cheese is melted.

NOTES:

Ooey-gooey smokey stuffed peppers make a fantastic appetizer or first course!

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Baby K's Shrimp Stuffed Peppers

8/25/2019

Author: Kathy Schowe

Baby K's Shrimp Stuffed Peppers

ingredients:

12 yellow peppers
24 medium shrimp
¾ cups Mexican shredded cheese or cheddar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoons olive oil
vegetable oil for frying
limes and cilantro for garnish
½ cups mayonnaise
soy sauce

instructions:

How to cook Baby K's Shrimp Stuffed Peppers

Clean the peppers by cutting a small triangle in peppers, wide near the stem, and clean out the seeds and white ribs.
Heat a post or deep fryer to the smoking point... when you drop in the pepper it should bubble and pop. Put in a 2 at a time and fry for just a few seconds until they are slightly blistered. Don't leave them in for long, so they don't get soggy or soft. Drain on paper towels..
Heat the broiler and clean the shrimp, removing their shells and tails. Saute in butter and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and cook until they just turn pink. Don't over cook. Squeeze lime over shrimp and let cool. Roughly chop them into chunks when they are cool.
Mix the chopped shrimp and the cheese in a bowl and then stuff the mixture into the peppers. Fill them full!
Arrange the stuffed shrimp on baking pan. Broil until they start to brown and bubble on the top..
Serve on a platter garnished with lime wedges and sprinkled with chopped cilantro. Provide soy sauce to drizzle on peppers and mayonnaise to dollop on top!
*** This recipe was inspired by the Gueritos served at El Mexicali Cafe in Indio. ***

NOTES:

These peppers are popular and will become a favorite at your house too! The garnish of mayo and soy sauce make them pop!

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Crunchy Crab Cakes

8/25/2019

Author: Kathy Schowe

Crunchy Crab Cakes

ingredients:

1 pound crab meat or imitation crab meat
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons finely diced scallions
1 egg beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 garlic cloves smashed
3 tablespoons butter

Honey-Lime-Sriracha Sauce

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sriracha
1 teaspoon honey
1 lime zested
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

instructions:

How to cook Crunchy Crab Cakes

Preheat the oven to 350°. Melt the butter in a medium skillet and add the garlic. Simmer over low heat until the garlic becomes fragrant. Do not let it burn. Toss in bread crumbs and toast them until golden, stirring constantly so they don't burn. Set aside to cool.
Add the crab, mayo, mustard, fish sauce, and scallions to a medium bowl and gently combine. Once blended add in the beaten egg and gently blend it in to the crab mixture.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dollop out a tablespoon of bread crumbs onto the paper and press down into a small circle. Repeat for 8 crab cakes.
Form the crab mixture into a a ball and press onto each circle of crumbs. Top with remaining crumbs and press into the crab cake, top and sides.. Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes until crab cakes are set and warmed completely through.
While they are baking put together the Honey-Lime Sriracha Sauce. Combine mayo, sriracha, honey, lime zest, and lime juice in a small bowl and mix together.
Carefully remove the crab cakes with a spatula and plate with Honey-Lime Sriracha Sauce. Garnish with sliced scallions or chopped parsley.
*** I have made this with imitation crab and they came out delicious! ****

NOTES:

Moist crab cakes with a garlic butter crunch on the outside that makes you want more!

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Roasted Garlic Hummus

8/25/2019

Author: Kathy Schowe

Roasted Garlic Hummus

ingredients:

Cooking Garbanzos

½ lb dried garbanzos
water to cover
1 teaspoon baking soda

Roasted Garlic Hummus

½ lb cooked garbanzos
10 roasted garlic cloves
¼ cup tahini
4 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 juice from one lemon
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Garnish

olive oil
toasted pine nuts
sriracha
chopped tomato
chopped basil

instructions:

How to cook Roasted Garlic Hummus

Cooking Dried Garbanzos

Soak ½ lb. garbanzo beans over night with 1 teaspoon baking soda added to the water.
On day 2-Drain and rinse beans and then cover with fresh water.
Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer. Cook for 2 hours.
After beans have cooked to desired tenderness, run them under cool water in a colander. Rub the beans between your hands and remove husks. It helps to put beans back in the cooking pot filled with water to allow the husks to float up to the top. Scoop them out with a spider or slotted spoon.
This final step takes some time, but it will make your hummus extra creamy!

Roasted Garlic Hummus

In a food processor blend the garbanzos and roasted garlic cloves. Add in tahini, water, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne. Pulse to blend.
Slowly add in olive oil in a stream to blend.
Spoon into serving dish and garnish with olive oil, toasted pine nuts, Sriracha, chopped tomatoes, and basil.
Serve with warm pitas, crackers, or chips.

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Prosciutto Wrapped Grissini

8/25/2019

Author: Kathy Schowe

Prosciutto Wrapped Grissini

ingredients:

3 cups bread flour sifted
2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast
1 cup water warmed to 120°-130°
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for coating bowl
3 tablespoons poppy seeds, fennel seeds, sesame seeds

instructions:

How to cook Prosciutto Wrapped Grissini

Mix flour, sugar, and salt in bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top.
Heat water and olive oil for 70 seconds on high to 120°-130° and check it with thermometer. This is for rapid rise yeast- if using standard yeast, follow the instructions on the packet.
Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir until they form a dough ball. Knead on floured surface until the dough is elastic and feels stretchy and well combined... about 5 minutes.
Coat dough with the olive oil along with the inside of a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.
Fold dough over and punch down, make sure it still has oil, re-cover and refrigerate over night. You can use the dough on the first day, but it will be better the next day.
Preheat oven to 450°.
Pinch off a golf ball size portion of the dough and roll out on the counter to form thin breadsticks or grissini. If you minimize the bench flour, the tackiness of the dough helps you roll out the dough.
While you are forming the breadsticks, add sprinkles of the seeds to the counter and roll the breadsticks in the seeds to adhere them.
Place breadsticks on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake at 450° for about 10 minutes or until they are golden brown.
Serve wrapped in prosciutto or with your favorite dip.

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Baby K's Pizza

8/25/2019

Author: Kathy Schowe

Baby K's Pizza

ingredients:

3 cups bread flour or "00" flour
2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast
1 cup water
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

instructions:

How to cook Baby K's Pizza

Mix flour, sugar, and salt in bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top.
Heat water and olive oil for 70 seconds on high to 120°-130° and check it with thermometer. This is for rapid rise yeast- if using standard yeast, follow the instructions on the packet.
Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir until they form a dough ball. Knead on floured surface until the dough is elastic and feels stretchy and well combined... about 5 minutes.
Coat dough with the olive oil along with the inside of a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.
Fold dough over and punch down, make sure it still has oil, re-cover and refrigerate over night. You can use the dough on the first day, but it will be better the next day.
Preheat oven to 500° and heat pizza stone for an hour prior to baking.
Divide dough into 4 dough balls.
Press the dough ball with fingertips to form pie between parchment paper, (on the bottom) and plastic wrap (on the top) to desired thickness. Remove the plastic wrap when you are ready to top pizza for baking.
Top with marinara, cheese, and your favorite toppings. Place on stone in oven or on grill with or without stone. The parchment will char on the grill or in the oven, but will easily release the pizza.
Bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted.

NOTES:

I make this pizza when we are having a crowd... the pizzas just keep coming- but there never seems to be any left over!

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Bacon-Jalapeno Cheeseball

8/25/2019

Yield: 2 large cheeseballs

Author: Kathy Schowe

Bacon-Jalapeno Cheeseball

ingredients:

1 ½ cups cream cheese
1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
8 slices bacon fried and chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup toasted pecans chopped
2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce plus more for drizzling
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 dash sriracha
3 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves chopped

instructions:

How to cook Bacon-Jalapeno Cheeseball

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, withholding ½ the bacon, ½ of the jalapeños, and ½ of the pecans for the outer coating.
Form the mixture into a large football shape, or 2 small baseball shapes. ( It helps to use damp hands.)
Spread the remaining bacon, jalapeño, and pecans in a pie plate. Roll the ball in the coating and press into it to coat.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving with crackers or pretzels. Drizzle with sweet chili sauce for some extra sweet spice!

NOTES:

This spicy, tasty, crunchy, cheese ball can be made ahead and frozen. I usually make two and freeze one for my next party!

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Caprese Bites

8/25/2019

Author: Kathy Schowe

Caprese Bites

ingredients:

12 cherry tomatoes
12 fresh mozzarella balls
1 cup fresh basil
24 mini skewers
salt & pepper
olive oil to drizzle
balsamic to drizzle

instructions:

How to cook Caprese Bites

Slice tomatoes and mozzarella balls in half and season with salt & pepper.
Skewer a torn basil leaf, followed by a tomato, a mozzarella ball, then repeat.
Make sure the bottom skewer is in a tomato with a flat bottom to help it stand up.
Arrange on a plate or platter and drizzle with olive oil & balsamic.

NOTES:

These caprese bites are a terrific light appetizer to enjoy before any Italian meal!

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Goat Cheese with Hot Honey

8/25/2019

Author: Kathy Schowe

Goat Cheese with Hot Honey

ingredients:

1 ½ cups softened goat cheese
½ cup bacon fried and crumbled
½ cup toasted sliced almonds
½ cup chopped Italian parsley
¼ cup hot honey
pinch salt & pepper

instructions:

How to cook Goat Cheese with Hot Honey

Combine goat cheese, bacon, parsley and half the almonds, and salt & pepper in a medium bowl.
Mix these ingredients together and form a ball.
Roll the ball in the remaining almonds and place on a serving plate.
Top with the hot honey and serve with crackers.

NOTES:

Spicy honey over a savory goat cheese ball creates a unique and tasty appetizer!

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Whipped Ricotta Cheese Appetizer with Olive A' Sudden

8/25/2019

Author: Kathy Schowe

Whipped Ricotta Cheese Appetizer with Olive A' Sudden

ingredients:

4 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons Olive A' Sudden Sicilian White Balsamic Vinegar
¼ cup lemon juice
3 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons Olive A' Sudden Tuscan Herb infused Olive Oil
½ cup Olive A' Sudden Garlic infused Olive Oil for bread
2 cups fresh arugula
2 cups baby heirloom tomatoes cut in half
torn fresh basil
1 cup marcona almonds
1 baguette cut into crostini
drizzle Olive A' Sudden Black Mission Fig Balsamic to drizzle

instructions:

How to cook Whipped Ricotta Cheese Appetizer with Olive A' Sudden

First prepare the ricotta cheese. Dampen two layers of cheesecloth and drape it over a colander. Set the colander over a deep bowl.
Add milk and cream to a large stock pot.
Mix in the salt and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon and Olive A’ Sudden Sicilian Lemonvinegar.
Let it sit for 15 minutes while it separates into curds and whey, then pour into thecheesecloth covered colander.
Let it sit for one hour or longer until it reaches the thickness you desire. This canbe done a day ahead, and kept in refrigerator.
Meanwhile, brush the french bread crostini with Olive A’ Sudden Garlic Infused Olive Oil and bake at 350° for 15 minutes.
Once the ricotta is set up add 2 tablespoons of Olive A’ Sudden Tuscan Herb Infused Olive Oil and whisk until fluffy. Add more according to taste.
Toss the arugula and heirloom tomatoes with a dash of Olive A’ Sudden TuscanHerb infused Olive Oil and a shake of Olive A’ Sudden Sicilian Lemon WhiteBalsamic Vinegar. Season with a pinch of salt & pepper.
Spread the ricotta on a platter leaving space in the middle for the arugula and heirlooms. Drizzle with Olive A’ Sudden Black Mission Fig Balsamic Vinegar. Top with marcona almonds, torn fresh basil, and place the crostini around the outside.

NOTES:

Fresh, yet creamy homemade ricotta appetizer with special oils and vinegars from Olive A' Sudden!

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Ricotta Cheese from Scratch

8/25/2019

Yield: 3 cups ricotta

Author: Kathy Schowe

Ricotta Cheese from Scratch

ingredients:

4 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy milk
3 teaspoons kosher salt
¼ cups fresh lemon juice preferably Meyer lemon
3 tablespoons tarragon vinegar or white wine vinegar

instructions:

How to cook Ricotta Cheese from Scratch

First dampen a double layer of cheesecloth and drape it over a colander. Set the colander over a deep bowl or large measuring cup.
Add milk, cream, and salt to a large deep stock pot and heat over medium heat.
Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Once it begins to foam up and bowl turn off the heat.
Gently stir in the lemon juice and vinegar and let sit for at least 10 minutes. The mixture will separate into curds and whey.
Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth covered colander. Let sit for at least one hour, and longer for firmer cheese. The longer it sits and drains, the thicker the ricotta will become.
Remove the ricotta from the colander and use immediately or refrigerate.
Save the whey to use in pizza or bread dough.
Use as dip, in lasagna, in egg raviolis, lemon ricotta cookies, lemon-ricotta cakes!

NOTES:

Homemade ricotta cheese sounds extravagant, but it is surprisingly easy!

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