alcoHolidays

Sid and I had our annual Christmas party last Friday. The theme was alcoHolidays. Sounds fun?

Anyways, here's the food I made.

Guacamole w/ Stacy Pita Chips
Mint Goat Cheese Spread with Cucumbers and Crackers
Pesto'ed Veggie Cups


Guacomole

I pride myself on my guacamole and how good is usually turns out. Perhaps it's because (a) avocados are my favorite food or (b) my secret ingredient. . .Jack's Special Salsa. This stuff can be found in the produce area and will be refrigerated. It's adds a nice cilantro-y, fresh taste to this gift from the gods. And remember, you can't have good guacamole without good, ripe avocados. Learning how to buy avocados and have them ready and ripe on the day your planned day in is an art in itself.

Mash together
2 Hass Avocados
A good sprinkle of Garlic Salt
Juice of one lime
1 or 2 spoonfuls of Jack's Special Salsa
Dash of red pepper flakes
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

Serve with Stacy's Naked Pita Chips

Mint Goat Cheese Spread
from Nov 08 Bon Appetit, adapted for my tastes

Mix
12 oz of Goat Cheese
3 T of whole milk
1/2 t of ground pepper
Place in shallow dish
Drizzle on top
2 T of olive oil
Top with
20 Leaves of fresh mint, chopped

Serve with crackers and sliced up Cucumbers. I got the baby cucumbers from Costco and they tasted delicious with this.


Pesto'ed Veggie Cups

I pretty much eyeballed everything for this, so adjust the quantities as you see fit.
Saute for about five minutes
2 T of butter 2 sliced shallots
Add and saute another five minutes
1 cup of baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1/2 Green or Red Pepper
Remove from pan into bowl. Let cool for a minute and then add
1/2 cup of basil pesto, fresh* or store-bought
1 cup of shredded fontina cheese
1 vine-ripe tomatoes, chopped with seeds removed
Spoon into
15 Phyllo Cups
Sprinkle with
Panko Crumbs
Dried Parsley
Bake at 350 for twenty minutes.
Serve right out of the oven.