**sings** It’s the most… wonderful time… of the yeaaar!

Okaaay I know that’s actually a Christmas song but it’s far more appropriate for me to sing it during Halloween. This weekend/day fills me with more joy than almost anything else and I decided to celebrate this year with a nice little shindig in my apt. Not as much of a production as my Oscar party, but still just as fun. I wanted to keep the food simple, seasonal, and a little on the playful side, so I whipped up a delicious cheese ball and some finger foods (not literally), and a deliciously spicy and sinful punch. Everything was pretty easy and left plenty of time to focus on my costume… which was one of the most ambitious things I’ve ever done.

I’m a Lichtenstein painting!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

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Pumpkin Cheese Ball

Ingredients

• 2 8oz blocks cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 8oz blocks cream cheese at room temperature
• ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
• ¼ cup chopped fresh chives
• 1 tsp. paprika
• Celery stalks, pepper slices, crackers, etc.

Directions

1.) Mix together cheddar cheese, cream cheese, dill, chives, and paprika in a large bowl. Cover with cling film and refrigerate until firm.

2.) Once ready, form ball into a pumpkin shape. Draw lines on the sides using a butter knife and stick 1 celery stalk (with leaves) into the pumpkin to form the “stem”. Serve with celery stalks, pepper slices, and crackers.

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Bacon-Wrapped Squash Bites

Ingredients

• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 package center- cut bacon
• Salt & pepper
• Toothpicks

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 450 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2.) Lay 1 piece of squash at the end of a piece of bacon. Roll over until bacon eventually overlaps and then trim. Pierce with toothpick and set squash on baking sheet. Don’t worry if the toothpick doesn’t go all the way through – the weight of the squash will keep the bacon down and the whole thing upright. You should get about 2-3 bites per piece of bacon.

3.) Repeat process until you run out of bacon. Season bites with salt and pepper. Bake squash bites 20-25 minutes or until bacon is crisp and squash is tender. Serve warm.

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Dark and Stormy Punch

Ingredients

• 2 15oz cans lychees in heavy syrup
• 1 cup sliced fresh ginger
• 1 jar maraschino cherries
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup lime juice
• 3 cups dark rum
• 6 bottles ginger beer (or 72 oz)

Directions

1.) Drain lychees, reserving syrup and adding it to a large saucepan. Add ginger to syrup and bring to a low boil. Turn off heat and let steep at least 30 minutes.

2.) Meanwhile, stir together sugar and lime juice until sugar dissolves. Stir in rum and set aside.

3.) While syrup steeps, stuff each lychee with a maraschino cherry to create “bloody eyeballs” and place one lychee per compartment in an ice cube tray. Once syrup is ready, discard ginger and pour syrup over lychees and freeze until completely solid. Pour remaining syrup into rum mixture.

4.) Chill rum mixture until party time. Once it’s time to assemble, pour rum mixture into a large punch bowl. Add ginger beer and lychee eyeball ice cubes.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: appetizer, autumn, cheese, cocktail, fall, halloween, holiday

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These are biscuits that will drag your tush out of bed on a Sunday morning.

Ok, maybe not on a Sunday morning (more like an afternoon for me), but still, they’re pretty damn tasty. Homemade biscuits are just one of those wonderful things that uses all cold ingredients (no waiting for butter to come to room temp) and comes together so quickly, you should always make them fresh. As much as I love plain buttermilk biscuits, throwing in a few handfuls of shredded sharp cheddar cheese only makes them better. So grab some buttermilk at the store in the next few days and whip these up on Sunday… whenever you manage to get out of bed.

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Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits

Based on the recipe from Ina Garten’s Back to Basics.

Makes about 8 biscuits.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour plus more as needed
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1½ tsp. kosher salt
• 12 Tbsp.  (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
• ½ cup shaken buttermilk, chilled
• 1 cold extra-large egg
• 1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar, chilled
• 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. water
• Flaky or coarse sea salt

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2.) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer running on low, add the butter and mix until it’s the size of peas. Beat together the buttermilk and egg in a measuring cup and pour in the mixture to the flour-butter mixture. Beat a few turns until just combined.

3.) In a small bowl, toss the Cheddar with small handful of flour and, with the mixer still on low, add the cheese to the dough. Mix only until roughly combined.

4.) Lightly flour a surface in your kitchen and dump out the dough onto it. Knead the dough a few times until it comes together and pat it out until it’s a 10 x 5 rectangle. Cut the dough into 8 rectangles or stamp out round shapes with a biscuit cutter. Transfer biscuits to prepared baking sheet.

5.) Brush biscuits with prepared egg wash, sprinkle with salt (if desired) and bake 20-25 minutes or until the tops are browned and the biscuits are cooked through. Serve hot with salted butter.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2011. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: baking, breakfast, cheese

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This is my lazy way of sating my lasagna craving. I can rarely resist a cheesy-red sauce pasta desire but the idea of making a whole lasagna just for me made me groan in laziness, so I decided to take the easy way out. You still get the ricotta and parmesan flavors, the red sauce, the thick noodles, and there’s even the added health bonus of some chopped spinach, except it all comes together in about an hour.

Since the ingredients list is so small be sure to use the best of the best here. Freshly grated parm, quality ricotta, etc. I bought my marinara from a local gourmet grocer that does it fresh on site for their pizza making kits. Also, bee sure to season your cheese filling liberally – don’t be shy with the salt shaker!

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Spinach Manicotti

Based on the recipe from Everyday Food.

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 8 manicotti shells
• 1 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest or lemon juice
• 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
• 2 cups prepared marinara sauce
• ¼ tsp. dried oregano
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• Olive oil
• Non-stick spray (or fill your Misto with olive oil, like I do)

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly spray a 9×13 or 8×8 glass baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside. Also spray a large, rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

2.) Cook manicotti shells according to directions (be sure to add some olive oil to the water to prevent them sticking to one another). Don’t worry if they split up the sides a bit, they’ll still taste great. Carefully drain manicotti shells and lay out on prepared rimmed baking sheet. Roll around in the oil a bit to prevent sticking. Let cool.

3.) In a large bowl, combine ricotta, ½ cup Parmesan, lemon zest, and spinach. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Transfer filling to a large plastic storage bag. Twist and squeeze bag so filling is all pushed into one corner. Snip a ½-inch opening in the corner and pipe filling into opposite ends of manicotti. If your shell has split, just lay out the shell, pipe some filling in the center, and fold up the sides. Be sure to place shell seam-side down if they’ve split.

4.) Once all the manicotti are filled, arrange in your prepared baking dish. You can lay them out all in a row in a 9×13 or do 6 in a row with 2 up top in an 8×8. Just be sure they’re all nestled together. Pour marinara over the manicotti and sprinkle top with oregano. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup Parmesan over top and pop in the oven. Bake 30 minutes until bubbly and cheese is brown. Let sit a few minutes before serving.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2011. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: cheese, italian, pasta, spinach, vegetables

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I love having guests. Whether it be for an evening or a weekend, taking care of those temporarily staying at my place has always been a favorite past time. During high school my nickname was “The Hostess with the Mostest” for my love of party-throwing and general affection to having people stay at my house. In college I found myself cooking for our newspaper’s fellow staff workers and making dinners every weekend at my friends’ apartments. Now, being the grownup I am (/sarcasm), I get to entertain guests staying at my apartment!

My oldest sister D visited me last weekend for a little overnight getaway and I had this delicious and light appetizer waiting for when she arrived. Creamy ricotta mixed with pungent goat cheese and lemon zest spread on garlic toasts. Something great to nosh on while she freshened up after her car ride but not too filling with the knowledge we’d be going out to dinner in a few hours. Not too fancy but the perfect thing to make your guest feel special.

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Crostini with Ricotta & Goat Cheese Spread

The flavor gets better the longer it sits, so feel free to make this a day in advance. Just let it come to room temperature so it’s easy to spread.

Based on the recipe from Giada deLaurentiis.

Ingredients

• 1 skinny French baguette, cut into ¼-inch thick slices
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil plus more for brushing
• 4 oz. fresh soft goat cheese at room temperature
• ¼ cup whole milk ricotta cheese at room temperature
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.) Brush baguette slices with oil, dust with salt and pepper, then grill or broil until toasted. Rub hot bread with garlic cloves until they dissolve.

2.) In a small bowl, stir together 1 tsp. olive oil, goat cheese, ricotta, basil, chives, lemon zest, and juice. Taste for seasoning.

3.) Spread goat cheese mixture over crostini and garnish with lemon zest.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: appetizer, cheese, snack

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Well, hey there! Long time, no real post. I am finally back up and running, however, so here we go!

My new job is amazing and everything I wanted it to be, but one of the side effects of testing and developing recipes is, well, being full from eating all day. I don’t eat real dinners or bake for the office too often now, but I do like to snack, and these fit that craving just perfectly. They’re also great to set out for munchies during any kind of gathering, which I did for a mini housewarming soiree this weekend.

These cheddar crackers are akin to Cheez-Its, Cheese Nips, Goldfish Crackers, etc, etc, but far yummier and more fun to make. You can really add anything to change up the flavor profile once you get the basic dough down, such as sprinkling them with sesame seeds, using other cheeses, or adding fresh herbs. They’re addictive and easy and oh-so-delicious, even after a day of eating, I’ll still eat them by the handful.

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Cheddar Crackers

Based on the recipe from Country Living.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ tsp. ground pepper
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 8oz grated cheddar cheese
• 3-4 tablespoons water

Optional: Sesame seeds.

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2.) In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, salt, pepper, and butter until crumbled and combined. Pulse in the cheese a little bit at a time until incorporated, and then slowly add the water until a dough ball forms and pulls away from the sides.

3.) Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate until chilled, at least a half hour or up to 24 hours.

4.) Once properly chilled, flour a board and roll out the dough to about 1/8″ thick and cut into squares, circles, shapes – whatever you like! Using a fluted cutter gives them a fun shape.

5.) Place the crackers on the prepared baking sheet (don’t worry about spacing them out – they puff up, they don’t spread out). Bake 10-15 minutes until golden brown and fragrant. Cool and snack!

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: baking, cheese, snack

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