Update: Mom's Party!

A few weeks ago we posted a teaser about the surprise party we were about to throw for our mom's 60'th birthday. Well, great news, it was a huge success!! Our little mommy was so surprised, and so happy!! AND, the food was a big hit. We went with a Spanish theme with red decor, and made red sangria and lots of tapas... perfect little nibbles for a party!

Wait, first of all, before I talk about tapas, we need to have a moment for the cake Siobhan made - the cake you may have noticed in the aforementioned post. It was a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, and man alive, it was delicious. After Mom blew out her candles, it was gone within minutes. Maybe if you are lucky Siobhan will talk about the recipe soon...

...She also made these tiny chocolate cupcakes, which were adorable as well as yummy.

By the way, they are displayed on the cupcake stand our step-dad made for Siobhan for Christmas. Isn't it pretty?

So, in all of the excitement we didn't get pictures of all the tapas. For example, we made some really amazing tiny meatballs (recipe here) that got eaten up so quick that we didn't have a chance to snap a photo. There was also a delightful orange and fennel salad, some really great marinaded olives involving cumin and fennel seeds (which I am for SURE making again soon so stay tuned), and these paprika-spiced almonds: 

Basically, you blanch about 1 lb raw almonds, remove their skins then toast them for about 7-9 minutes at 400°F, stirring occasionally, until golden and aromatic. Toss them with a tbsp of Spanish olive oil, then sprinkle with a mixture of coarse sea salt and smoked Spanish paprika, which has been ground in a mortar and pestle to a fine powder. Stir again and serve. 

We also made prosciutto wrapped asparagus, a Spanish tortilla, homemade hummus, and the cutest dish by far, these tasty little cheese & olive empanadillas:

These were particularly fun to make, so here's the full recipe for you: 

(makes 26)

3 oz firm or soft cheese (we used feta), diced

1/2 cup pitted green olives, diced

1/4 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, drained & diced

1¾ oz canned anchovies, drained & diced

pepper

2 tbsp sundried tomato paste (I think we just used regular tomato paste)

plain flour, for dusting

1 lb 2 oz ready-made puff pastry, thawed if frozen

beaten egg, to glaze

fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs, to garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F. Put all the chopped ingredients in a bowl, season with pepper to taste and gently mix together. Stir in the tomato paste.

On a lightly floured work surface, thinly roll out the puff pastry. Using a plain, round 3¼-inch cutter, cut into 18 circles. Gently pile the trimmings together, roll out again, then cut out an additional 8 circles. Using a teaspoon, put a little of the prepared filling in the center of each circle.

Dampen the edges of the pastry with a little water, then bring up the sides to cover the filling completely and pinch the edges together with your fingers (I used a fork) to seal them. With the tip of a sharp knife, make a small slit in the top of each pastry. Store the pastries in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake them.

Place the pastries onto dampened baking sheets and brush each with a little beaten egg to glaze. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown, crisp and well risen.

Serve the empanadillas piping hot, warm or cold, garnished with parsley sprigs.
Enjoy!

And Happy Birthday again Mom, we love you!!!!! xoxox

Heaven! i.e. Bacon Jam

I was introduced to this lovely sweet and savory gooey goodness by Margot.  She made it for a feast we had at Mom's house (I can't remember what for though) and it was soooooooo good, it blew my mind!  So of course I had to make it again!  And I will make it again and again and again!  It is really simple to make - all you need are these ingredients:

• 1 pound smoked bacon
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium brown onion sliced
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• Tabasco sauce (I used cayenne pepper)
• 1 cup coffee
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• Black pepper to taste
• extra water

Start by frying up the bacon in a dutch oven until crisp.  Transfer to another plate and when cool cut the bacon slices into 1 inch pieces.  Discard all but about 1-2 tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat (for a later use of course).  Add the onions and garlic to the pot and saute until softened.  Return the bacon to the pot and add the other ingredients except the water.

Simmer for about 2 hours, adding 1/4 cup of water every 30 minutes or so if it starts to look dry.  And be aware that the smell is going to permeate every inch of your house, and drive you crazy because the aromas are heavenly!

The above picture is after about 2 hours of cooking and it is done once all the liquid is gone and it is the sticky consistency of jam.  Let it cool for about 15 minutes and then process it in a food processor until it is smoother but not too smooth.

Then you can do whatever your little heart desires with it!  Eat it by the spoonfuls if you'd like - and you will! Here are a couple other ideas:

You can make some crostinis by slicing a baguette and toasting them in the oven until a little crispy and then slather some of your Bacon Jam right on them.

Or you can do like I did and make a pizza using the Bacon Jam as the sauce. I used a pre-made pizza dough from TJ's which I topped with some mozzarella, sliced red onions, and grated asiago cheese. I then put it in the oven for about 12 minutes until crispy. Then I topped the whole thing with arugula. Delicious delight!  

You gotta make this stuff mang!