Tomato and Mozzarella Bites

Ingredients

20 grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
20 fresh basil leaves
20 small fresh mozzarella cheese balls
½ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
20 toothpicks

Directions

Spear half a tomato, a leaf of basil, a mozzarella ball, and another half of tomato on each toothpick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Mix together balsamic vinegar and olive oil to serve as a dipping sauce.

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed mushrooms

Ingredients

36 medium mushrooms (about 2 pounds total)
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the baking sheet
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 5-ounce package baby spinach, chopped
½ can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup bread crumbs
½ cup Gruyère, grated (2 ounces)

Directions

Heat oven to 375° F. Remove the stems from the mushrooms; finely chop the stems and reserve. Spray a baking sheet with oil. Bake the mushroom caps, stem-side down, until just tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and chopped mushroom stems and cook until tender, stirring often, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the spinach, artichoke hearts, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes, toss or stir often.

In a separate bowl, combine the spinach mixture with the bread crumbs and cheese. Spoon into the mushroom caps and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Brown Sugar Bacon Smokies

Ingredients

1 pound bacon
1 package (16 ounce) little smokie sausages
1 cup brown sugar

Directions

Cut bacon into thirds and wrap each strip around a sausage. Place one on a toothpick or several on a larger skewer. Arrange the skewers on a baking sheet and sprinkle liberally with brown sugar. Bake at 350°F until bacon is crisp and brown sugar is melted.

Bacon and Cheese Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

12 hard-cooked eggs
½ cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon honey mustard
4 slices crisp-cooked bacon, crumbled
2 Tablespoons sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 slice crisp-cooked bacon, crumbled, for garnishing (optional)
Chopped green onion, for garnishing (optional)

Directions

Halve eggs lengthwise and remove yolks. Place yolks in a bowl, mash with fork. Stir in mayonnaise, honey mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Fold in bacon crumbles and cheese.

Stuff egg whites with yolk mixture. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and bacon crumbles, if desired

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups Almonds
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Add egg white and water to a large bowl. Beat egg white until you have soft peaks. Add sugars, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Spread nuts in a single layer on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring once halfway through cooking.

The post NYE Finger Foods appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Monin Almond Mudslide.  Photo courtesy of Monin

Ingredients

• 1 ½ oz. Monin® Toasted Almond Mocha Syrup
• ½ oz. Monin® Espresso Syrup
• ½ oz. Monin® Dark Chocolate Sauce
• 4 oz. vanilla smoothie mix
• Ice

 Preparation

1. Combine ingredients, except ice, in blender
2. Fill serving glass with ice and pour into blender
3. Blend until smooth, then pour into your serving glass
4. Garnish as desired

The post Almond Mocha Mudslide by Monin® appeared first on Houston's Blog.