3 Simple Summer Snacks

Having a porch party? Is it girls' night? Need a light lunch, snack or simple summer appetizer? Here are three ideas that have worked well for us recently. Each one is deceptively elegant, utterly easy, relatively inexpensive, and of course, absolutely delicious.

Brie 'n Berry Bites

Ingredients:

1 package phyllo cups

4 ounces brie

1 pint berries

balsamic glaze, or reduced balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 350. Lay phyllo cups on a cookie sheet. Fill each cup with brie, top with a berry and bake for about 10 minutes, until heated through. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve warm. 

Idea plus: Try it with apples or peaches drizzled with honey.

Caesar Salad Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

1 head romaine lettuce

1 pint grape tomatoes, diced

1 English cucumber, diced

4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, diced

Caesar salad dressing, to taste

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup croutons

Peel off the outer leaves of the romaine and discard. Wash and allow to dry the remaining leaves of lettuce. Gently mix the diced tomatoes, cucumber, mozzarella cheese and Caesar dressing in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Set the croutons aside for garnish. Place everything on a large platter and allow guests to make their own wraps. 

Idea plus: Add grilled chicken or shrimp to make it a meal.

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

Ingredients:

1 baguette, sliced

1 garlic clove, peeled 

1 pint grape tomatoes, diced

5-6 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

olive oil, to taste

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Lay out the sliced baguette on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown. Rub each toast slice with raw garlic. In a small bowl, gently mix the diced tomatoes, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper. Spoon tomato mixture onto the bread and drizzle with additional olive oil. 

Idea plus: Need it quicker? Buy pre-made crostini at your local market.

Happy New Year! Happy Bloggaversary! We're celebrating with Brie-Stuffed French Toast!

Happy New Year! And it's our 5th Bloggaversary! Yes, we started this blog on New Year's Day 2008. Wow - tempus fugit indeed. We are winding down the season of gluttony and desperately trying to ignore that pinch around our waistlines where our pants are feeling a tad snug (thanks a lot, cookies, candy and deliciously evil homemade Chex mix!). We suppose we can ignore it for another day, since for one last indulgent hurrah before we go back to school and into the real world of 2013, we came up with a doozie of a breakfast - Brie-Stuffed French Toast. We used good Italian bread, a square log of Trader Joe's "slicing brie," and some wonderfully sweet-tart homemade jam from one of Chris's coworkers (thanks, M!). Adding to the luscious flavor was a zippy Roasted Saigon Cinnamon we spotted on the clearance shelf at our market. Cheers to decadence and may you all have a happy and healthy New Year!

 

Brie-Stuffed French Toast

(makes 4 "sandwiches")

Ingredients:

4 extra-thick slices fresh Italian bread

4 slices brie, rind removed
2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

dash pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup berry jam

Preheat oven to 350. Cut a slit halfway between the slices of Italian bread and place a slice of brie inside it. "Squish" the bread down a little to close it up. Prepare the French toast mixture by whisking together the eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Melt the butter on a griddle over medium-high heat. Soak the "sandwiches" in the French toast mixture then place them on the griddle. Cook until golden brown, then flip and brown the other side. Place the griddle with the "sandwiches" on it in the oven and cook for about 10 minutes, to ensure the brie melts. Serve with berry jam.