Farm Rich is a company that specializes in frozen items such as appetizers, snacks, and finger foods.  They contacted me and offered to send me some product samples and I swear about two days later the box came in the mail, or UPS, or Pony Express, or however they sent it. Point is, it got here fast.

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The skies are gray today and a brisk wind is pulling at the siding of my house.  I am comfy in my bed, watching the fire in the bedroom fireplace and listening to the kids downstairs.  If you don’t mind I think it is a little chilly for surfing…so perhaps skating or skiing is in order?

Lots of very cool stuff from the blog-o-sphere today…

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A few weeks ago Alex from Isle de France contacted me to see if I was interested in reviewing a sample of one of their cheeses.  How fast can a person type, “YES!”?

Pretty stinkin’ fast…..

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I can’t believe how quickly the months go by..It seems like I live from Daring Bakers Reveal  to Daring Bakers Reveal with no time in between.  It sort of feels like the movie, Groundhog Day.

This months’ challenge was unusual in both the recipe and the freedom that we had to flavor the challenge item any way we wanted.  We made Lavash, either gluten free or not, and a vegan spread..our choice of ingredients and flavors. Read more

Serious potato chips for the serious potato ho.

As usual, just like with all of the recipe roundups and challenged I am involved in,  I am getting in just under the wire…but when you taste these you will forgive me..oh yes you will.

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Deviled Eggs. You know you have to have them. With 4th of July coming up I am whispering one word to my chickens to get them in egg laying overdrive. Cacciatore. Read more

You know,  kids like parties, at least mine do.  They always want to know if we are going to have a Superbowl party, and several don’t even like football.  Here are a couple of recipes that kids can do for their own Superbowl party, so that when you are passing the Buffalo wings they won’t be staring at you with puppy eyes!

Ham & Cheese on Pretzel Sticks

Take cubes of ham  and carefully push onto small pretzel sticks. Repeat with cubes of cheese.

Fruit and Veggie Plate with Peanut Butter Dip 

Slices of Apple, Pear, and Banana,Celery, and Carrots

Mix dip:

1/2 c peanut butter

3 Tbs honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

Blend well.

Granola Peanut Butter Hors D’ Oeuvres

Toast, cut with cookie cutters into football shapes.

Spread with peanut butter.

Sprinkle with granola

Cinnamon Roll Ups 

Flour tortillas

Cream cheese

Cinnamon

Sugar

Chopped pecans or walnuts

Spread warm tortillas with cream cheese. Sprinkle wiht sugar and cinnamon mixture. Toss on some choppped pecans.  Roll.  Cut on the diagonal in 2 pieces. Serve.
Tie Dyed Tortilla Chips 

Ranch Dip

Set these out for the kids and add some coloring pages, and crayons for the littler kids and some wordsearches for the bigger ones. You can find some good ones here.

I love tortilla chips. I especially love homemade ones. No these are not baked..But they are a delight, and if you use them as the base for nachos they will be baked..how’s that?

These are a fun project for the whole family. The kids will have a great time painting the tortillas with food colors. If you are doing these for a Christmas party then do them in red and green. I want to do a pop culture party for New Years with the Tie Dyed Cheesecake and some retro style stuff that is yet to be named.

Tie Dyed Tortilla Chips

Serves 6

• 12 white corn tortillas
• Paste food colors
• Vegetable oil for fryer
• Sea salt or table salt

Make the Dye:

1.Mix 1/4 tsp of paste food color with 1/8 cup of water. You can adjust the color intensity by adding more water to make it lighter or less water to make it intense. Choose at least four colors for dyes.

2. Lay the tortilla flat on a work surface that has been protected with wax paper or other protective layer. Using the food color and brush begin to paint the dye onto the tortilla, mixing colors any way you like.

3.Let tortillas dry for 1 hour.

Fry the Tortilla Chips:

1.Fill fryer with oil and preheat according to manufacturer’s instructions.

2.Cut tortillas into eighths with sharp knife.

3.When the oil reaches 375 degrees (185 C ) place the triangles into the fryer basket. Do not crowd them too much.. Fry until crispy. This will take about 1 to 3 minutes.

4.Pull basket out of oil and hold over the fryer so that the extra oil can run off for a minute or two. Tip basket carefully on towel, or paper towel.

5.Let the oil heat back up to 375F (185C) before you add any more tortillas. Repeat process until all the chips are cooked.

6.Sprinkle with salt, if desired, and serve hot.

These are so awesome that you will want to bite the screen. Seriously. On a regular basis I participate in the Leftover Queen’s Royal Foodie Joust   even,  if I may be so prideful, winning one.

This month’s ingredients were mushrooms, cheese, and herbs.  I had at first thought of Parmesan and mushroom palmiers, which are something that I love but I wanted something different…unique.  Unusual. Hmmm. I have been fascinated with Beggars’ Purses since I read about them a few years ago but had not taken the time to make them…hmmm..Maybe? I clicked through my mental flavor rolodex and came up with…ah..perfection!

Tempting,  aren’t they?

Mushroom, Oregano, and Gorgonzola  Beggars’ Purses in Brown Butter Sauce.  The filling is a nice juxtaposition of mushrooms, garlic, onion, and oregano with a salty bite from the gorgonzola.  It is rich and creamy  in the mouth followed by a slow, surprising heat from, what else? A tiny touch of smoky dried chipotle.  White flour crepes would have been too bland for this, so whole wheat crepes add their delicate, nutty flavor and enhance the nuttiness of the browned butter.

Wow. I love it. I am so pleased with how these came out! I think you will be, too.  Make sure you get whole chives for the ties, they need to be long and set them in boiling water for no more than a minute or they are too hard to work with. The filling and crepes could be  done ahead and assembled at the last minute.

Mushroom, Oregano, and Gorgonzola  Beggars’ Purses

Make Crepes:

3 eggs

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup milk

pinch salt

Blend together in blender until smooth.  Set aside for about an hour for the gluten to relax.

Filling:

8 oz mushrooms, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 tsp dried chipotle granules (optional)

1 onion, chopped

1/3 c fresh oregeno, stems removed and leaves chopped.

6 ozs of gorgonzola  cheese, crumbled.

1 Tbs olive oil, 2 Tbs butter for sauteeing.

Saute all ingredients except cheese in pan until soft, and almost creamy, and flavors have blended.  Stir in gorgonzola and set aside.

For Crepes:

Heat a nonstick pan on a burner and rub a stick of butter over the pan. Pour in about 3 tbs batter and swirl pan to get a thin coating on pan.  Cook batter until edges brown.  With your fingertips peel crepe from pan and flip it for a few seconds. Put on plate. Put one tablespoon or so on center of crepe and bring edges up around it. Tie with chive stalk.

Bake at 350F for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile put 1/2 c butter in a pan and simmer until amber brown without stirring.

Pour butter sauce on plate.  Set Beggars Purses on plate and spoon more sauce over top. Garnish with some gorgonzola.  Serve immediately. Makes 12