Appetizers

 

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Asian Lettuce Wraps

Broccoli Crostini

Buffalo Wings

Pastrami Bruschetta

Prosciutto Wrapped Dates

Shrimp Cocktail

Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Asian Lettuce Wraps

·        5 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts, cubed

In food processor half of the cubed breasts and with the chopper blade, pulse until finely chopped

·        ¼ Cup finely chopped Cilantro, set aside

·        2 heads of Iceberg or Butter lettuce -peel apart the leaves, wash and dry.

Marinade for Meat

·        1 Tablespoon Cooking Wine

·        1 Tablespoon low sodium Soy Sauce

·        1 Tablespoon Water

·        1 Teaspoon Corn Starch

Combine the above ingredients and whisk together.  Add to the chopped chicken and let it marinade.

Sauce for Chicken

·        1 Tablespoon Hoisin Sauce

·        1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

·        1 Tablespoon Cooking Wine

·        I Tablespoon Fish Sauce

·        2 Teaspoons Sesame Oil

·        1 Teaspoon Agave Nectar or Honey

·        2 Teaspoons Corn Starch

Combine the above ingredients and with a whisk and set aside.

3 Tablespoons Peanut Oil

2 Teaspoons of crushed Ginger

2 Bunches of chopped Green Onions

¾ Cup finely chopped mushrooms

½ Cup Chopped Bamboo Shoots

½ Cup Chopped Water Chestnuts

Combine the above ingredients and sauté over medium heat until tender. Add the marinated chopped chicken and cook thoroughly.  Add the cilantro, whisk the sauce and add to chicken mixture and cook for 5 more minutes.

Dipping Sauce

·        1 Tablespoon Agave Nectar or Honey

·        2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

·        2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar

·        1 Tablespoon Lemon or Lime Juice

·        1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil

·        2 Teaspoons Hot Chinese Mustard

·        2 Teaspoons Chinese Chile Paste

Combine the above ingredients with a whisk and cook for 1 minute in microwave.

Place the Chicken in a lettuce leaf. Drizzle on the dipping sauce and wrap it up. Enjoy

-Susie Tronti

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Broccoli Crostini

1 Loaf French Bread

2 Large Cloves Garlic

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

Pour the olive oil in a small sauce pan. Add the 2 cloves of garlic whole to the pan. On medium low heat, cook the garlic in the oil until soft. Remove the garlic and let cool. Cut the bread, lengthwise, and brush each piece with the olive oil. Rub each piece of bread with the cooked garlic. Slice the bread into 2 inch slices. Place on a cooking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until golden.

1 Cup Sour Cream

1 Cup Mayonnaise

4 Tablespoons Susie’s White Spice Rub

¼ Cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1 package frozen broccoli, thawed, chopped, and drained of liquid

1 package frozen spinach, chopped, thawed, and squeezed dry

1 Roasted Bell pepper from a jar, diced

Combine then heat the above ingredients in a microwave on low, stirring between heating cycles. You can choose to keep the broccoli mixture in a small crock pot to keep warm.

Spread the broccoli mixture on each piece of bread. Enjoy!

-Susie Tronti

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Party Platter Buffalo Wings

Party Platter Buffalo Wings

• 1 Very large package of chicken wings and drumettes (thawed) from one of those big box stores
• Recipe for Susie’s Red Spice Rub, plus 1 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Bottle of Barbeque Sauce
• 2 tablespoons of Chinese chili/garlic hot sauce
• Ranch dressing

Liberally sprinkle all wings with the my Spice rub. -See below  You’ll need lots of pans to bake the chicken in.  Bake at 300 degrees for 1 to 1-1/2 hours.  Turn down the oven to 250 and continue to bake until the skin is crispy and the fat has melted off.  Gently toss the wings with 1 bottle of the barbeque sauce mixed together with the Chinese chili/garlic sauce.  Serve with Ranch dressing in the center of the platter 

These ribs are excellent when cooked in the smoker instead of the oven.

Susie’s Red Spice Rub

¼ Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper

1 Tablespoon Cumin

2 tablespoons Paprika

1 Tablespoon Oregano

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1 Tablespoon Granulated Garlic

1 Tablespoon Granulated Onions

1 Tablespoon Coriander

1 Tablespoon Salt

½ Tablespoon Pepper

-Susie Tronti

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I was about to give a baby shower for my daughter and I needed a little inspiration so I was watching a lot of Food Network. One of the programs was “Diner’s Drive-Ins and Dives” and Guy was at a sandwich shop where they were making all kinds of Deli Style Sandwiches. The Pastrami on Rye literally made my mouth water. How was I going to make this type of sandwich for my guests and still be finger food? After giving it a lot of thought, this is the recipe that I came up with and with the help of my favorite Sister-In-Law, Christy, it was a huge success.

Pastrami Bruschetta

Follow recipe for rye Flat Bread, below, and after first rising roll out flat. Place on clean BBQ grill and grill on low, both sides until bread is cooked.

You will need:

Thousand Island dressing

1-1/2 pounds Pastrami

2 Tomatoes, thinly sliced

Spicy Mustard,

Sour Kraut, the refrigerated kind

Sweet Pickles

1 pound Swiss Cheese

Recipe for Rye Flat Bread, see below

Rye Flat Bread

2-1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 egg, room temperature

1 cup warm milk (about 110 degrees F)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup rye flour

1 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

Extra Olive Oil olive oil on hand

Combine the yeast, sugar melted butter, egg, and warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Beat on low speed for 1 minute and let rest until yeast is activated and begins to foam. Add the salt, rye flour, all-purpose flour, and caraway seeds. Placing the dough hook on the mixer, beat at low speed until all of the flour is incorporated, about 1 minute. Then, beat at medium speed until the mixture forms a ball, and cleans the sides of the bowl. Beat for 2 more minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl. Using your hands, form the dough into a smooth ball. Lightly oil a bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn it to oil all sides. Cover with a  clean cloth and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
Remove the dough from the bowl and invert onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough several times. Roll out flat, brush with olive oil and grill.

Layer the Pastrami Bruschetta as follows onto the flat bread: Thousand Island, Pastrami, Tomato, Spicy Mustard, Sour Kraut, Sweet pickles slices, Swiss cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese starts to bubble. Remove and cool slightly. Cut into 2 inch squares with a pizza cutter and insert toothpicks for easy handling.
-Susie Tronti
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This was another recipe that I came up with for my daughter’s baby shower. It’s super easy to make and has a surprising juxtaposition of flavors and textures to the palette.

Prosciutto Wrapped Dates

Recipe by Susie Tronti

2 dozen Dates

1 Package Cream Cheese

1 bunch green onions, sliced

1 Tablespoon Agave Nectar

¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

Salt and Pepper to taste

6 slices of Prosciutto (Make sure the slices aren’t too thin or it will be hard to separate.)

48 Pecans

Cut the Dates in half and remove the seed. Combine the cream cheese, onions Agave Nectar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper into a food processor and blend until well incorporated. Spoon the cream cheese mixture in the hollow part of the date. Add a whole pecan to each date and wrap a small amount of prosciutto around the date. Fasten with a toothpick. Serve chilled. This recipe can be made up the day before and stored in an air tight container, refrigerated.

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Shrimp Cocktail

1 pound of large cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup ketchup

1 can chopped tomatoes

2 Tablespoons horseradish

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

½ cup finely chopped celery

1 teaspoon of Susie’s White Spice Rub

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients, except for the shrimp. Place in a bowl in the center of a dish and spread the shrimp around the dish.
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Stuffed Baked Potatoes

6 Potatoes, scrubbed clean and baked

½ Cup Mascarpone Cheese

½ Cup Crème Fresh

¼ Cup Butter

Salt and Pepper to taste

½ Cup Chives, chopped and divided into 3 Tablespoons + 1 Tablespoon

1 Cup Cheddar

½ Cup Parmesan Cheese

6 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped

½ Pound Bacon, Cooked and chopped

Cut the potatoes lengthwise in half and scoop out most of the potatoes. Leaving some still in the potato to give the potato stability. In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the potato, mascarpone, crème fresh, butter, 3 Tablespoons of chives and cheddar. With an ice cream scoop, scoop out about 1-1/2 scoops per potato back into the potato and spread evenly.

In a separate dish, combine the parmesan cheese, chives and garlic and mix together. Evenly sprinkle the mixture onto each potato. Evenly sprinkle the bacon onto each potato.

Bake at 300 for 20 minutes to heat the potato through, and then switch to broil for about 5 minutes to brown. Watch that the tops don’t burn.

This recipe serves 12 because I like to entertain a lot, but you could easily cut the recipe in half if you don’t plan to serve as many.

-Susie Tronti

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