Shrimp Nacho Bites

After my culinary adventures on New Year's Eve, I think I've come to the conclusion that cooking dinner for 10 people is infinitely less work than preparing hors d'oeuvres for a group.  Each appetizer is its own little meal...and because you have to prepare multiple appetizers, it is tantamount to preparing five or six mini meals.  And because I'm Italian, and Italians (in my family at least) don't know how to cook for less than 20 people, there may have been about 12 different appetizers from which to choose.

I'm a sucker for an appetizer; I just can't help myself.

Part of the challenge for me in preparing multiple dishes is that I'm prone to picking. I have to taste everything. Often. This doesn't make sticking to my Weight Watchers plan easy, but the beautiful thing about New Year's Eve and all of the hors d'oeuvres that I served is that they were (mostly) Weight Watchers approved.  Including this recipe, which comes form one of the semi-annual publications...

So, without further ado...Shrimp Nacho Bites!

Ingredients

1 cup cheddar cheese (reduced fat, shredded)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup green pepper (chopped)
1/2 pound medium shrimp (cooked and peeled, then chopped)
32 tortilla chip scoops

(Disclaimer: Since recipes are really just jumping off points for negotiations, I added just a bit extra of everything and wound up with about 35 filled scoops)

 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Combine the first five ingredients in a mixing bowl.

3. Add shrimp. Mix gently with a wooden spoon.

3. Use a teaspoon to to fill each of the tortilla scoops.

4. Place filled scoops on an ungreased baking sheet.

5. Bake the scoops at 450 degrees for about four minutes (or until the cheese melts).
6. Serve immediately...and feel free to garnish the scoops with fresh cilantro!

PointsPlus value: 1 (serving size is one Shrimp Nacho Bite)

These little snacks are delicious, spicy, and creamy...and only one point each!

(Adapted from Weight Watchers Five Ingredient 15 Minute Recipes, published Summer 2011)

Existentialist thoughts about hosting

I'm having a "I wonder what if" moment..."what if" can be dangerous, but it can also be fanciful.  My "what if" of the moment was brought about by my recent venture in hosting a New Year's Eve gathering. It was the first time that I've hosted anything as high-staked as New Year's Eve, but I tried to think of it as a vehicle for further culinary experimentation.  Well, that...and just the fact that I love throwing together a fabulous shindig. 

A (very large) part of me (strongly) believes that in another world, I would be an event planner.  There are few things I enjoy as much as hosting an event.  I love organizing everything: from creating the menu, to compiling the guest list, to cultivating a welcoming atmosphere...and especially to the presentation of the event.

It's part of the reason I love interior design...decorating, finding themes, making a room just click. It's part of the reason I love being around people, bringing them together, building relationships.  It's part of the reason I love organizing and producing....

But this blog isn't about any of that...it's about cooking.  And cooking is one of the biggest reasons I love hosting parties and events! 

Presentation of food

My favorite part is the presentation of the food.  Nothing says "party" or "event" like a spread of food on coordinating platters and trays.  Food arrangement is the most important aspect of presentation.  Maybe it's the photographer in me, but I value symmetry in my food arrangement.  Pieces of hors d'oeuvres, arranged in concentric circles on a circular platter...perfection!  But on the other hand, I also value asymmetry: contrasting colors, textures, flavors. 

One great tip from this excellent article on food photography is to "pay attention not only to the arrangement of the food itself but to the context you put it in."  I think I try to do that organically, placing food off-center, or on a plain background, or blurring the background (thank you, depth of field...I have learned to master you).  These tactics give the food personality in the photograph.

I also take most of my pictures on automatic settings on the camera (as opposed to manual settings...which I'm still learning how to manipulate).  The two that I use most frequently are the "food" setting and the "macro" setting.  The food setting brings out the colors and textures of the food, whereas the macro really allows you to get up close and personal with the food. I really love my camera.

My Nikon D5000.

Also, one more quick photography tip from the aforementioned article (by Darren Rowse): Get down low.  "In most cases you'll get a more better shot by shooting from down close to plate level (or slightly above it)."

Preparation
I derive a sort of pleasure from all of the preparation that goes into hosting events...from the guest list to the menu.  From the shopping trips, to the chopping block. One thing that mildly delays my preparation process is the photography during the process...but it's totally worth it in the end...


Inability to delegate
Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I have a small issue when it comes to delegating. Basically, if I do it, I know it is done right.  And if it's not, then I have no one to blame but myself.  This is apparently true when it comes to cooking.  My best friend stayed with a me a few nights, coming to Jacksonville to ring in the New Year with me.  And bless her heart, she tried valiantly to help me in the preparation of all of the food.  But I need to do everything myself...from the dicing and mincing, to the mixing and pouring, to the baking and arranging.

As one of my closest friends just said to me while we were talking on the phone, my inability to delegate while cooking only "enables [my] control-freak tendencies."  Well, thank you. 

To be fair, I did have to delegate towards the end, and relinquish some of my control.  I allowed two of my friends to help with the plate arrangement since I was running out of time and I had to get dressed.  I mean, I had to look stunning when my guests arrived!

Sense of accomplishment
The biggest reason I really love to cook for events is the sense of accomplishment you get when your guests go home, fully satisfied.  I'm not going to lie; I'm a material person in the sense that in order to feel like I have accomplished something, I have to have something tangible to show for it.  That's why performing arts and I didn't work out; I could perform a monologue, but I couldn't hold the performance in my hand; but I can hold up a pie and say "I baked this."

Even though art and photography have a material output, the cool thing about food, which makes it so unique (in my humble opinion) is that it's more than just tactile.  It appeals to more than just touch; it captivates most of the senses...touch, taste, smell, sight.  Cooking gives me the most satisfaction because it's the most sensory.

The Menu
I know you're probably disappointed that there are no recipes in this existential rambling entry, but there was so much food for New Year's that I needed to give them all their own sort of introduction.

I made a few ol' standbys, like melon wrapped in prosciutto; hummus; tabouli; and fondue.  Some are found elsewhere in this blog, including bruschetta and tzatziki.

But over the course of the next two weeks, expect to see some recipes for the following:

• Nacho Shrimp Bites
• Devilish Eggs (yes, devilish, not deviled)
• Raspberry Linzorte Cookies

My best wishes to you all for a happy and healthy New Year! Try something new...like, some awesome new recipes!

And while you're at it...check out the blog on Twitter! Picture Perfect Plating on Twitter!

Guest Chef: Guacamole

I've decided to start a new segment entitled "Guest Chef."  Many of my friends are excellent in the kitchen as well, so periodically, we'll feature a recipe from one of them.  Today's recipe is for fresh, homemade guacamole! (Bear with these pictures, as they were taken with my iPhone and not originally intended for use in this blog)

Ingredients

2 avocados
1 tomato, diced (or you can cheat, and buy it already diced)
1/4 red onion, diced (or again, you can buy it already done for you...thank you, Publix)
Garlic salt
Cilantro
2 limes, juiced

1. Slice the avocado in half and take the pit out.  In a bowl, scoop out the flesh, and mash it with a fork.

 

2. Mix the tomatoes and the onions into the mashed avocado. 

3. Sprinkle the garlic salt and the cilantro into the mashed avocado, and blend well.  

 4. Slice the limes and squeeze the juice into the bowl.  Mix it well.

Hands in motion

 5. Let the guacamole sit for a few minutes to allow the flavors to blend together. Serve with chips.  Yum!

PointsPlus value: 2 (1/3 cup per serving)

Sweet Potato Pancakes

When I was in elementary school, one of my closest friends was Jewish. I remember the first time I had potato pancakes at her house during Hanukkah.  They were delicious. And for some reason, I had a huge craving for them the other day...and to my surprise, I found a Weight Watchers-approved recipe. Except instead of Idaho potatoes, these were made with sweet potatoes. And they were phenomenal.

Ingredients

1 sweet potato, peeled
2 scallions, chopped
1 large egg (I actually used the equivalent of one egg in egg whites)
1 tablespoon of flour
1 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray


1. Slice the potato. Add the pieces to a food processor, and chop up fine.

2. Chop the scallions.

3. Add pureed potato, scallions, egg, salt, and flour into a bowl. Mix well.

4. Coat a baking pan in cooking spray. Create pancakes out of the potato mixture, using about 1/4 cup of the mixture for each pancake. Place the pancakes on the baking pan, leaving 2 inches between each one.

5. Cook the pancakes for 20 minutes in an oven heated to 425 degrees. Flip the pancakes over, and cook for an additional 10 minutes on the opposite side. 

PointsPlus value: 3 (2 pancakes per serving) 

Typical Thanksgiving

Here's the thing about Thanksgiving at my house. It's not your typical, all-American, brown-gravy-and-mashed-potatoes kind of Thanksgiving. It's Thanksgiving...with a twist. A very Italian twist. 

We usually start off with the antipasto, meaning, of course, that it's before the pasta.  And believe me, it does come before the pasta...but we'll get to that in a second.  The antipasto includes roasted peppers, eggplants, cold cuts, cheeses, mini meatballs, artichoke, olives.

You eat all of this with bread; bread is a very important part of any Italian holiday meal. It goes with every course.  Italians really do love their carbs!

Cold cuts, olives, and cheese...and I don't even like olives.

 The second course is always my favorite...the pasta. This year, we forewent the manicotti or the lasagna for a simple baked ziti.  Well, maybe not so simple.  There were mini meatballs, and ricotta, and layers of mozzarella cheese.

And let's not forget the meatballs. Because what Italian pasta dish would be complete without Grandma's meatballs?  If you remember, I attempted to make these a few weeks ago. After eating Grandma's meatballs again, though, I realize how much more work I have to do in perfecting them.  The texture, the taste, the subtle combinations of ingredients...it's a recipe I need to continue to cultivate. 

Then, finally, we get to the "Thanksgiving" part of the meal.  We make a turkey, but we don't have a brown gravy. We have potatoes, but they are sweet potatoes, cut into slices, smothered in maple syrup (it sounds weird, but it's delicious).  We have stuffed mushrooms, filled with breadcrumbs.  In the last three years, we've added something "American" as a concession to the friends who have joined us at the holiday: a green bean casserole. Except I think I'm the only one in my family who will actually eat it.

The stuffing deserves its own paragraph. I'm not even sure what "real" stuffing is supposed to be...some concoction with croutons? But our stuffing is a meal unto itself. Ground beef, spinach, salami, sausage, cheese...I don't even know what else is in there.  But. It. Is. So. Good.

Tres leches and cheesecake

Somewhere in there, there's a fruit course. Pineapples, grapes...I get excited when there is pomegranates.  

We always end on dessert.  My favorite part (even though it kills me a little bit every time I eat it) is this tres leches cake that one of my mother's clients gives to her every year. Three milks.  Not great for lactose intolerance.  But so delicious.

Is there any wonder why Thanksgiving is my favorite (food) holiday?

Bruschetta

If there is one part of an Italian antipasto that I absolutely love, it is bruschetta...a tomato salad on top of crispy bread. It's so easy to make, but sinfully delicious.

(Beware, this is one of those recipes that I don't use exact measurements...just do it to taste).

Ingredients

1 loaf of Italian bread (day-old bread is best)
3 tomatoes
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
Basil
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Pecorino Romano (I prefer the saltiness of this cheese to Parmesan)

1. Slice the bread on a diagonal, to get the most surface area. Lightly coat each side of the slices with olive oil and garlic powder. Toast in oven (directly on rack is best) until golden and crispy. Set aside.

2. In a bowl, combine olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the bowl) and 1 clove of garlic (minced).

3. Chop tomato into cubes. Combine with the olive oil and garlic, chopped onion and chopped basil leaves.

4. Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle some more olive oil . Add a second clove of minced garlic.  Then, add a splash (just a splash!) of balsamic vinegar to the bowl.  Mix well.  Refrigerate for at least two hours to allow the flavors to mix together.

5. After two hours, spoon some of the tomato salad on to the toasted bread. Drizzle with a balsamic vinegar reduction glaze (see balasamic glaze recipe here).  Sprinkle some grated Pecorino Romano cheese on top.

Viola!  Bruschetta, a safe bet for any true Italian. 

 

By the way, basil is one of my favorite tastes. Ever!

Going Greek

I think that secretly, I want to be Greek.  I have always loved the culture and the history and the myths...but mostly I have loved the food.  The first time I tried Greek cuisine, I was in New York, visiting my uncle. I can't remember everything we ate, but I do remember two things: avgolemono and tzatziki. Since then, I've been in love with the two of them.  Whenever I go for Greek, I always get avgolemono and tzatziki.

I love them so much that I decided it was time for me to make them. 

Tzatziki

I tackled tzatziki first.  Tzatziki is a cucumber and Greek yogurt-based condiment.  It's used as the sauce in a gyro or souvlaki.  But it's also excellent as just a dip with pita. And the best part of tzatziki? It's incredibly easy to make.

Ingredients
Greek yogurt (I prefer Chobani, plain...get the big tub, fat-free)
2 cucumbers
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. Olive oil
1 tbsp. freshly chopped dill
Salt
Lemon juice
Pita (I like the pitettes...the are the perfect dipping size)

1. Peel the cucumbers. Slice them in half, length-wise. Using a small spoon, scoop out the seeds.

2. Chop the cucumber into small pieces. Use a paper towel to pat the cucumber and soak up extra water. Leave the cucumber pieces in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and let it drain out for about 30 minutes. The more water you can eke out of the cucumber, the better.

3. In a food processor, combine the cucumber, the minced garlic, the lemon juice, the olive oil, and the dill. Process until the ingredients are well blended. The ingredients should be thick if you have properly drained the cucumber (I did not the first time I made it).

4. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the ingredients from the food processor with the Greek yogurt.  Mix until well-blended.  

5. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving, to allow the flavors to blend together.  Serve with warm pitas and vegetables for dipping.

PointsPlus value: 2 (1/2 cup per serving)

 Avgolemono

Avoglemono is kind of like a Greek version of chicken soup...infused with lemon and dill.  The egg makes it thicker. It's perfect when the weather is starting to get cooler, or when you are getting a cold...or for both, which is what happened to me last week.  This is a recipe adapted from "Just 5: 125 Recipes with 5 Ingredients" from Weight Watchers.

Ingredients

1 large chicken breast, cubed

1 carton of vegetable broth (32 ounces)

1 cup orzo

4 large eggs (or the equivalent in egg whites)

1 lemon, juiced

2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill

 1. Cook the chicken thoroughly.

2. Bring 2 cups of water and the carton of vegetable broth to a boil.  Once the liquid has boiled, add the orzo and return to a rapid boil.  Lower heat and cook until orzo are tender.

3. While the orzo is cooking, add the egg, lemon juice, and black pepper to a bowl.  Whisk lightly.  Stir 2 tablespoons of hot broth into the mixture. Pour the egg mixture slowly into the simmering soup. Stir constantly until the egg is cooked thoroughly, and forms thin strands. Use dill as a garnish. 

PointsPlus value: 5 (makes 4 servings)

...and that's all. They're two delicious but totally simple recipes. So what are you waiting for? Go make them! Opa!