My Most Requested Recipes (2024)

One 2013 food trend is serving ‘anything on a stick.’ We’ve seen skewered appetizers, entrées and desserts. I’ve even seen salads on skewers this year.

My fear is that sticks will no longer be in style for 2014 and I’ll be left with a drawer filled with all sizes and lengths so I decided to create a cheese and fruit platter on a stick. I combined several of my favorite cheeses and call it “Cheese Ball Pops.” I love goat cheese, so I always use it when appropriate...and sometimes when not, but you can substitute your favorite cheeses to make it the perfect hors d’oeuvre for when younext entertain. If you don't like goat cheese, try feta.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Combine finely chopped pecans and cranberries in a shallow dish.

In a food processor, mix the cream cheese, goat cheese, Swiss cheese and honey until it’s combined and smooth. Place in refrigerator for 15 – 20 minutes.

Scoop out the cheese mixture with tablespoon or small ice cream scoop and roll each spoonful into a ball with the palms of your hands. Roll each ball into the pecan-cranberry mixture, coating all sides evenly.

Place each ball on a tray lined with parchment or waxed paper. Insert a lollipop stick into the center of each ball. Cover the tray in plastic wrap and transfer it to the refrigerator to chill and firm for at least one hour.

Remove the tray from refrigerator 15 minutes before serving. Serve with crackers. For a printer friendly copy of this recipe, go to Cheese Ball Pops.Enjoy!

Most of the recipes I post on this blog are my own, but I couldn't continue to post my favorite hors d'oeuvres without sharing this very special recipe with you. I make Brie en Croute often. In the summer, I top the brie with homemadepesto and pine nuts. Occasionally I usegreen grapes and sliced almonds.Figs are trendy, so I have recently baked the brie with fig jam andserved it with crackers, fruits and fresh figs.But when I attended a shower at Carol’s home where she served this JackDaniel’s Brown Sugar Brie with Nuts, I couldn’t tear myself away from theplate.

Although I know there was a lotof food at the shower because that’s how Carol entertains, I never left theseat on the couch next to the coffee table where this Brie was displayed.

Ingredients:

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1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
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1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
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1 Tablespoon Jack Daniel’s or any bourbon
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1 sheet frozen puff pastry, pre-packaged
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1 (8-ounce) wheel Brie
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Carmel Nut Sauce (see below)
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Sliced apples, pears and crackers for serving

Directions:

Preheatoven to 400 degrees F. Defrost puff pastry for approximately 15 to 20 minutesand unfold.

Stir together first 3 ingredients. Place puff pastry sheet ona lightly floured surface; roll out fold lines.

Spread pecan mixture in a5” circle in center of pastry. Place brie on top of pecan mixture.

Wrap pastry around brie, pinching to sealtightly and place folded side down onto a baking sheet lined with parchmentpaper or aluminum foil.

Bake for 25 minutes or until light brown.Cool 10 minutes.

CaramelNut Sauce:

Combine½ cup cream, ½ cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar and 2T light corn syrup in smallsaucepan.

Bring to boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally.Cover and boil for 1 minute.

Uncover and continue to boil for 3 – 4minutes without stirring. Mix in 1 cup chopped pecans.

Cool, thenspoon around warm brie.

Serve brie warm with assorted crackers, apple andpear slices.For a printer friendly copy of this recipe, got to Jack Daniel's Brown Sugar Brie en Croute.Enjoy!

I thought after two months of postingonly hors d’oeuvres and finger foods I might get requests for somethingdifferent, but all the feedback Iam getting is asking me to continueuntil the holidays are over. Whenever I serveco*cktails, I serve nuts along with my typical hors d’oeuvre display. Bars serve salted nuts to make youthirsty so you’ll buy more drinks, but I always serve nuts because I believedrinks and nuts complementone another. Today I’m giving you therecipe for two of my favorite nuts.

TheGlazed Pecans have a sweet and tart flavor.The Union Square Café’s Bar Nuts are sweet, salty and spicy with theadded flavor of fresh Rosemary….two very different flavor profiles. I must admit, I like the Glazed Pecansbetter, but every time I serve the Union Square Café’s Bar Nuts, men can’t tearthemselves away.

Glazed Pecans

Ingredients:
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1 cuppecan halves
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1/4cup brown sugar
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1Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
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1Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Line a baking sheet with parchmentpaper or aluminum foil.

In a largeskillet over medium heat, stir brown sugar, oil and balsamic vinegar for about2 -3 minutes until the sugar melts and syrup bubbles.

Mix in the pecan halves and stir until thenuts are toasted and syrup coats them evenly, about 4 -5 minutes.

Turn nuts out onto the prepared parchmentpaper and separate the nuts using 2 forks, dragging them out of any puddledliquid.

Cool completely. Nuts can be prepared in advance and stored inan airtight container.

Union Square Café’s BarNuts

Ingredients
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21/4 cups (18-ounces) assorted unsalted nuts, including peeled peanuts, cashews,Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans and whole unpeeled almonds
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2Tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
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1/2teaspoon cayenne pepper
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2teaspoons dark brown sugar
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2teaspoons sea salt
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1Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Preheatthe oven to 350 degrees. Toss the nutsin a large bowl to combine and spread them out on a baking sheet. Toast in theoven until light golden brown, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine therosemary, cayenne, sugar, salt and melted butter. Thoroughly toss the toastednuts in the spiced butter and serve warm and Enjoy!

For a printer friendly copy of this recipe, got to Nuts, Nuts, Nuts. Enjoy!

The success of this bloghas provided me many opportunities, the latest of which is having been asked tobe a contributing writer in Travel Host Nashville Magazine. This magazineis found in hotel rooms city wide and gives visitors to Nashville an overviewof our city. In each publication I will be featuring a local chef whowill share a signature recipe with readers. The first edition is in printand online. Check out my feature article in the Chef’s Corner on page 46 in the first edition.

http://www.travelhost.com/nashville/magazine/current-issue/#/1/

All mylife I have seen Monte Cristo sandwiches on the menu but never dared orderit. I love the thought of a turkey, ham and cheese sandwich, but even Icouldn’t rationalize ordering a sandwich that was deep fried, dusted inpowdered sugar and dipped in raspberry jam. It wasn’t until I met Ms.Frances, Grace's mother, did I dare eat one. She loved Monte Cristosandwiches but would rarely order one because it was so big, and she knew shecouldn’t finish it. When I offered to share it with her, her eyes lit up and Ihave to say, so did mine. I’m not sure if it was dining with me orknowing I was going to share the meal with her that excited her more. Imiss Ms. Frances who passed away earlier this year. I wish she were hereto see my new version of this old favorite.

These poppers haveeverything I love about the Monte Cristo sandwich…the crusty bread, powderedsugar, raspberry preserves, ham, turkey, and melted cheese, but they are bitesize and perfect to serve as an hors d’oeuvre or on a buffet.

Ingredients:
§ 1package of Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers Biscuits (8 count)
§ 1/2pound of thinly sliced or shredded cooked ham
§ 1/2pound of thinly sliced or shredded cookedturkey
§ 1/2pound of thinly sliced or grated Swiss cheese
The amounts of sliced meats &cheese are approximate; structure the amounts to fit your tastes!
§ Pankobreadcrumbs
§ PowderedSugar
§ RaspberryPreserves
§ Oilfor frying

Directions:

The person at the deli counter is happyto thinly slice my cheese and shred my cold cuts to make them easier to stuffinto the dough.

This recipe will make 32poppers. Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces.Using your hand or a rolling pin flatten out each piece into a smallcircle. Onto each disc of dough place a small amount of turkey, ham and Swisscheese.

Pinch together the dough toclose and roll into a ball. Repeat for all 32 discs. Roll each popper into Panko breadcrumbs.

Add enough oil to a heavy bottom small pot tobe 2 inches deep. I don’t like to wastea lot of oil on deep frying and do not reuse the oil, so I typically use asmall saucepan and can only fry 2 or 3 poppers at a time. It takes a little longer but I don’t use alot of oil.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees and add the poppers, in batches, andfry until they are golden brown all over. It will only take a few minutes.

As promised, I will spend the nextfew months posting my favorite and most requested recipes for hors d’oeuvres,dips and finger foods perfect for holiday entertaining. I was first introduce to this Sweet Onion Dipwhen I asked Carol to bring something to a party I was hosting.

I may not have a perfect palate, but I thinkmine is better than most; and although she did tell me it was Sweet Onion Dip,I could have sworn there was something else in there….my guess was crab. I was so surprised to hear that thisdelicious dip had only three ingredients.

Ingredients:

2 cups finely grated Sweet or Vidalia Onions
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise
Pinch of salt (optional)

Note:

Anytime I use a recipe where one of the ingredients is mayonnaise and the dishrequires baking, I always use Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise. It is the only mayonnaise I have found willremain creamy and will not separate when baked.However, it is important to heat the dip and remove from the oven whenwarm and still creamy and before it begins to boil and bubble which may causethe mayonnaise to separate.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grate onions andshred Swiss cheese.

Prepare your casserole dish by spraying with non-stickcooking spray to keep the dip from sticking. In a small bowl, mix togethergrated onions, shredded Swiss cheese and Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise and add apinch of salt.

Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.

The unbaked Sweet Onion Dip can be preparedseveral days in advance. Simply keep inthe refrigerator until ready to use and bring to room temperature beforebaking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 – 20minutes or until warm and lightly browned.Do not over bake as the mayonnaise may separate.

Serve immediately with crackers or cornchips.

For a printer friendly copy ofthis recipe, go to Sweet Onion Dip. Enjoy!