Crostini

Crostini is an Italian word meaning "little toasts".  I've seen them displayed in pricey delicatessens and cheese counters, but I've never tried them until now.  Delicious!  They are usually served with a topping of some kind, or as the base for a canapé.  

You simply slice baguette bread VERY thin, place the slices on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil, and season with salt & pepper.  (Garlic salt or other herbs would be wonderful as well)

I sprinkled these little toasts with Himalayan pink sea salt, and then a little freshly ground pepper.  After baking at 350° for about 15-20 minutes - they turn a lovely shade of golden brown.  

Make sure you turn the crostini over once during baking, and it even helps to rotate your baking sheet halfway through.

We served these with cheese ball at Valentine's Day.  (Yes, I'm a little late posting!)  For a little "blush" on your heart shaped cheese ball - try coating it with smoked paprika.  Yum.

Make-Ahead Breakfast Croissants

This is the ticket for those times you need a hearty breakfast - and you know you’ll be in a hurry.  These can be made the night (or a few days) before you need them.  So convenient to then warm on a baking sheet in your oven 1/2 hour before throwing them to your family as you jump in the car.  Done!

Necessity is the mother of invention - and this is how this “sandwich” came to be in our family.  I have made these for many years now - before the days of the Egg McMuffin & the CroissanWich.  I remember being surprised when I first saw them advertised.  

My husband always packed as much as possible into our family vacations.  We often lifted our sleeping kids out of bed in their pajamas and strapped them into their seatbelts as early as 4AM to get an early start on our trips.  Cold cereal in paper cups on the road was not very successful the first few times we did that.  I decided to try something I could heat up, keep warm wrapped in foil and then newspaper, and give to the kids with a napkin and a carton of fruit juice.  

I was surprised at how long these could stay warm - up to a few hours sometimes.  When placed in a dutch oven that was already hot - it could stay warm for several hours.   

My husband & kids used to ask me to make them to keep in the refrigerator so they could grab them and run to early morning practices, work, church trips - you name it.  They took them out of the foil - microwaved them for about 30 seconds - then put them back in the foil to stay warm.  

So when (this past weekend) we had our family reunion - I made them so we could have a quick (and fairly mess-free) breakfast on our way to have family pictures taken.  Have you ever tried getting 24 people all out of bed and out the door (well-dressed) AND well fed before 9AM?  That is what this breakfast sandwich is for.

I was the cook at LDS Girls’ Camp twice - and I made these ahead and kept them in coolers.  They came in handy on rainy mornings with hot chocolate, as well as taken on early morning hikes.  The heavy dutch ovens on camp stoves were perfect for warming them up.  

Although this doesn’t really qualify as a ‘recipe’ - I’m documenting it here for my kids.  They always ask for the details on amounts, etc...  Here you go guys!

For the recipe & instructions - go to:
www.changeabletable.com

Pizzelle Stacks

Summer should be (but often isn’t) a time to simmer down, take a break, and smell the roses.  Easier said than done, however.  Every gathering, picnic, or family meal requires some time in the kitchen.  This fussy-looking summer dessert requires very little time and effort - but always earns everyone’s praise.

I ran across these Pizzelle cookies at a discount bread outlet a few months ago, and I’ve used them several ways.  I thought the price was reasonable (for 48 cookies) at $3.49.  That isn’t much to pay in exchange for not heating up my oven this time of year.  I’ve since done a search to find other retail outlets - (to find your area, look HERE).

These are fragile cookies, but they work well as long a you don’t overload them with too much topping and/or fruit.  A little bit goes a long way.

I’ve used them layered with yogurt and fresh strawberries (which doesn’t constitute a “real” recipe...) - but what is shown on this post takes a few items you prepare beforehand yourself.

I found the perfect filling was the Simple White Chocolate Mouse (HERE) - topped with a little fresh fruit, or fruit filling.  I used frozen blueberries and thickened them with a little Ultragel.  Once I piped (or spread) a little of the mousse on one Pizzelle - it took just a small dab of blueberry filling to finish it off.  

Top it off (or not) with an additional Pizzelle - it made a really elegant little buffet dessert.  Either way - they were beautiful.  Remember to fill these just before serving, or they quickly lose their crispness.  However - I’ve had friends who tried them (once they stood a while and became soft) who prefer them softened.  

You’ll have to try them both ways.  When they soften, they still hold together well and don’t fall apart.  You could even roll them up into tubes when they soften.

For the recipe, go to:

www.changeabletable.com

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs (aka - 'Fright Bites')

Fall meals are often ‘on the run’ - to soccer practice, football games, trick-or-treating - you name it.  When I would try to get kids to eat in a hurry it always backfired and I lost the battle.  If I had tried these back in the day with my kids, I’m sure they would have inhaled them in a hurry without any arguments.

I found these on Rachel Ray’s website, and they reminded me of another ‘puff’ I always made to go with soup (I need to post that one!).  These little bites are packed with protein, and in a pinch - could be a good stand-in for a meal on the run.

I fiddled around with a pizza sauce/dip that was terrific with these, and (again) I’ll post that soon as well.  I made these in mini-muffin tins, but they would also be good (and faster) in a standard muffin tin - just adjust the baking time accordingly.

You can’t go wrong with these if your family likes pizza.  They taste just like you ordered them at your favorite pizza parlor.  

They would also be fun for a Halloween buffet - have fun naming them something reminiscent of the holiday (as in my lame “fright bites”).  You could make sure your trick-or-treaters have a few of these on a busy Halloween evening, since your goblins are really NOT interested in a sit-down meal that night anyway.

For this fast & simple recipe, go to:

www.changeabletable.com

Pasta e Fagioli

There’s a lot of debate on the web as to whether this is the actual Olive Garden recipe for the soup of the same name.  This came from the Midvale 2nd Ward Cookbook - but it could be from anywhere in the world, as every “Top Secret Recipe” site claims it as their own.  If you are a recipe cloner - you'll enjoy trying this out.

My son & his cute wife travelled to Belize recently, and brought me back these beautiful, vibrant placemats & napkins from their little side trip to Guatemala to see the ruins.  It really struck me what is well-known around the world - Americans eat A LOT.  You can tell by the size of our standard dinner plates (a whopping 12” on the average, compared to 9” elsewhere in the world)  These placemats reinforce that theory - as the plate & bowl pictured here are what we call in this country luncheon size (barely 9” across - the size the rest of the world uses for dinner)  And check out the tiny napkins also.  I’ll step off my soapbox now, and tell you about the recipe. 

A little over a week ago our stake hosted a dinner prior to the General Relief Society Meeting broadcast.  We asked each ward for a number of volunteers to bring an assortment of soups and cobblers, then we provided breadsticks, garnishes, and toppings.  

It’s fun to see women rise to the occasion, then gather and enjoy each other’s company when someone else is doing the cooking.  We were naive enough to believe that only 200 women would attend, as there were several local football games going on that day (not to mention individual family sports commitments, etc.)

We were pleasantly surprised to have over 300 women there.  Each member of our presidency had decided on their own to make a large pot of soup to keep in our cars, in the unlikely event that we might run short.  Needless to say - every drop of soup and bite of cobbler was devoured.

We set out twenty crockpots - each filled with deliciously different soups.  At the end of each serving table there was an assortment of sour cream, grated cheeses, chip-strips (from Cafe Rio), cilantro, and breadsticks.  

I was glad I had doubled this recipe - which filled my oversized crockpot twice, and then some.  This is a hearty, filling soup - and very easy to put together.  You might enjoy it if you are a fan of Olive Garden “All You Can Eat Soup, Salad, & Breadsticks”...

For the recipe, go to:

www.changeabletable.com

Reunion Salad - it's not CLASSY, just delicious

A long time ago I found this recipe in one of my MANY church cookbooks from years gone by. The first time I made it, the family made it clear that it should be a tradition. This is another one of my recipes that would not qualify as “classy” fare. We are talking about KIDS loving it - they don’t care about classy...

As long as it has mandarin oranges, jello pudding, and colored marshmallows - you can’t go wrong with anyone under the age of 12. When I can’t think of a large salad to take to a reunion - this one always works.

Did you know there is a trick to keeping your jello salads from melting during hot summer meals? To find out how - (and to see this recipe & photos) - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

Mini Fruit-filled Cheesecakes - when a slice is just too much...

I would be the first to agree with the fact that cheesecake is one of the most requested desserts ever. I always feel guilty when I finish a big slice because it is so rich and decadent. These little wonders however, are just the right size - I can satisfy my craving, but the portion size isn’t too harmful. The little well in the center makes it easy to fill with your favorite fruit filling, sauce, cream, nuts, etc...

Several weeks ago I posted a recipe for Butterfinger Mini Cheesecakes. We paired them with plain mini-cheesecakes for a wedding shower we had at my home. It was a hard decision which cheesecake to take - so most of the guests took both (good choice!)

When refrigerated, these cheesecakes can almost be finger food (except for a few escaped crumbs - the cakes held together quite well) - but they are elegant on a dessert plate passed to guests at a shower or open house.

A mini cheesecake pan or mini muffin tin works well for this recipe. I used the recipe from the box that held my mini-cheesecake pan purchased from Williams Sonoma...

For this recipe, photos, & instructions - visit:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)