Running Mama Cooks

Almost every year Zach and I host a small Halloween party for our friends. I love this holiday, its so much fun to dress up and decorate the house. This year we dressed up as our kids, Cecily and Finn. I love how our costumes turned out!

Here is a look at my decorations. I've collected quite a few halloween things throughout the years.

Seriously delicious. And easy. Might be my new go to appetizer.

Fettunta with Prosciutto
adapted from Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients:

6 slices good French boule, sliced 3/4-inch thick
1 to 2 plump garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup good extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 ounces thickly sliced prosciutto, minced
1 1/2 ounces finely grated smoked mozzarella or good Parmesan
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
10 large basil leaves

Directions:

Heat oven to broil

Toast the bread on a baking sheet under the broiler until golden. Remove the bread from the oven and immediately rub the garlic cloves over the top of the bread's surface. For really garlicky fettunta, rub hard and use both cloves of garlic. Drizzle a generous tablespoon or more of olive oil over each slice of bread.

Combine the prosciutto, cheese, basil and parsley in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over each slice of bread. Return the bread to the broiler and cook the fettunta just long enough to melt the cheese and rewarm the toast a bit, about 1 minute. Serve hot.

ZACH'S RATING - *****

Tonight my mom hosted my cousin Ali's baby shower. It was a really nice event! She is due a month before me, its been a blast being pregnant together. We were born exactly a week apart, so it is really special that our sons will be so close in age as well.

Here is the recipe for the spinach dip I made for the occasion.

Spinach Dip

Ingredients:

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 envelope dry vegetable soup mix
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 green onions, chopped

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix together spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, dry vegetable soup mix, water chestnuts and green onions. Cover and chill in the refrigerator approximately 2 hours before serving.



Ali and I

Easter Meat Pie is a tradition in my family. Mommom, my grandmother, makes it every year. This year I decided that I wanted to help her make it and learn how she does it. On Tuesday, we got together for the afternoon and had a great time cooking, and then having some tea and her homemade biscotti (the next thing I want to learn how to make!)

Easter Meat Pie
Recipe by Florance Colarusso

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1/2 lb ham
2 pepperoni
1/4 lb salami
1/4 lb prosciutto
3 lbs ricotta cheese
1 basket cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9 inch spring form pan

Chop all the meat and set aside. In a mixer, beat eggs and add in cheeses one at a time. Stir in meats.

Place prepared pastry dough (we made it from scratch) into the spring form pan. Pour in egg mixture. Make a lattice top with extra pastry dough.

Bake for 1 hour

Filling:

Mommom rolling out the pastry dough:

Scallion Pancakes are my favorite thing to order from a Chinese restaurant so I jumped at the chance to make them myself tonight as a starter for my Sweet and Sour Chicken.

They were a teeny bit difficult because the dough is sticky, but despite my concerns, they turned out perfect. They tasted exactly like the ones I usually order.

Scallion Pancakes with Ginger Dipping Sauce
From Brown Eyed Baker

Serves 4

For the Pancakes
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon sesame oil
½ cup thinly sliced scallions
Salt & pepper to taste
4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided

For the Ginger Dipping Sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup sliced scallions
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sugar

1. Place sifted flour in a medium-size bowl. Slowly add water in a steady stream while mixing with a wooden spoon. Keep adding water until a ball is formed. Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

2. While dough is resting, make the ginger dipping sauce. Simply combine all ingredients and whisk to blend. Set aside.

3. On a floured surface, knead the dough a handful of times to bring it together. Roll the dough out into a thin rectangle about 18×13 inches.

4. Brush the sesame oil all over the surface of the dough, scatter scallions evenly over the oil, and then season with salt and pepper.

5. Carefully roll the dough up like a jelly roll, with the long side facing you. Cut the cylinder of dough into 4 equal pieces.

6. Take one pieces and twist 3 times. Coil the dough into a spiral and then flatten and roll again into an 8-inch pancake. The dough should be very thin. Repeat with the remaining three pieces of dough.

7. On a non-stick griddle over medium-high heat, brush 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil. Place one of the pancakes on the pan and cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining three pancakes.

8. Cut into wedges and serve with dipping sauce.

ZACH'S RATING - ****

Wow, these little guys are definitely a delicious appetizer, but they were also a big learning experience!!! Many lessons were learned while making these (twice). The biggest one was that wax paper is NOT the same as parchment paper!! My first batch tasted good, but they were a sticky, ugly mess.

On a positive note, I found out that making dough is very easy, and I will be doing that again, especially when making my own pizza or soft pretzels.

I'll be reheating these at "Girl's Night In" tomorrow at Allison's house. I can't wait!!

Ham and Cheese Pretzel Bites
From Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1½ tsp. instant yeast
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
¼ cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
2½-3 cups all-purpose flour

For the filling:
½ cup small diced ham
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

To finish:
6 cups water
4 tsp. baking soda
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Kosher salt (or pretzel salt), for topping

Directions:
To make the dough, combine the yeast, brown sugar, water, milk, and 2½ cups of flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until a dough has formed. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed until a soft, elastic dough forms. Add the remaining flour a 1-2 tablespoons at a time until the dough is tacky but not sticky.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, until the dough has doubled in size and bubbles on the surface, about 1½ to 2 hours.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Stretch or roll one piece of the dough into a 12 x 4-inch rectangle. Sprinkle some of the diced ham and the shredded cheese over one third of the dough closest to an edge, lengthwise. Roll up tightly, filling edge first, so that the filling is tightly sealed inside. Slice the log into 12 pieces and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Repeat with the remaining 3 portions of dough, and the remaining filling.

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Bring the 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the baking soda and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Boil the pretzels in batches, cooking for about 2o seconds and turning once. They should be slightly puffed. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to transfer them back to the baking sheet.

Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Brush the warm pretzel bites with the melted butter and sprinkle with kosher salt.

I am really glad I didn't let this complicated recipe intimidate me, nor did I give up when it didn't work out the first time!

Every year we have a few friends over for a casual Superbowl get together. Since we had so much fun making homemade pizza last weekend, I made a few tonight for dinner. My friend Ryan's mom sent him down with "chop meat and macaroni", one of our fav dishes that she makes. Thanks Mrs. S!

We started off with a few appetiser's of course. I made a Lighter Buffalo Chicken Dip in the crock pot from Gina's Weight Watcher's Blog. It was really delicious and I am not usually much of a blue cheese fan.

Here is the recipe:

Lighter Buffalo Chicken Dip
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Servings: 11 • Serving Size: 1/2 cup • Calories: 111 • Points: 2.75 ww points

•4 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
•1 cup fat free sour cream
•1/2 cup Franks hot sauce (or whatever hot sauce you like)
•1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
•1 tsp white wine vinegar
•2 cups cooked shredded chicken*

Mix the first 5 ingredients together until smooth.
Add the chicken and put this in the crock pot on low for 3-4 hours.
Serve warm.
Makes 5 1/2 cups.

*I pouched a pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts in chicken stock and a few bay leafs for 15 minutes, then shredded


Zach put together a more indulgent dip, browning sausage and melting in velveta and rotel. YUM


For our Pizzas, I made a white pie and a meat lovers. Here I am stretching the dough. I got a few good tosses in too!

White pie (Ricotta with two minced garlic cloves, mozz, sliced vine ripened tomatos and fresh basil)

3rd and final new years appetizer - my mom's hot artichoke dip. Easy and delicious! And I did the mayo part all by myself :D

Hot Artichoke Dip

3 pkgs frozen artichoke hearts - cook and drain (or 6 cans, no need to cook)
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Chop artichokes in the Cuisinart. Mix all ingredients together and bake in an oven proof serving dish at 350 for 30-40 minutes until hot and bubbly.


Appetizer spread at my Mom's house

This appetizer sounds fancy, but they were surprisingly easy! I was very pleased with how they came out, although next time I think I'd broil them a bit at the end to brown them up a little.

This is another Pioneer Woman's recipe that I came across on Lauren's Kitchen Blog.

Brie Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

•1 package White Button Mushrooms, Washed And Stems Removed
•4 cloves Garlic, Minced
•¼ cups Flat-leaf Parsley, Chopped
•4 whole (to 5) Green Onions, Sliced (up To Middle Of Dark Green Part)
•Splash Of White Wine (optional)
•1 slice (wedge) Of Brie Cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add mushroom caps and toss to coat in butter. Sprinkle lightly with salt and cook for 1 minute. Remove mushrooms from pan and place upside down in a baking dish.

In the same saucepan (without cleaning it) throw in garlic, parsley, and green onions. Sprinkle very lightly with salt and splash in wine, if using. Stir around until wine evaporates, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Cut rind off of brie wedge, then cut pieces of brie to fit each mushroom cap. Place inside, lightly pressing to anchor each piece of brie.

Top mushrooms with onion mixture.

Place into the oven for 15 minutes, or until brie is melted.

Note: mushrooms are best when they’ve been allowed to cool slightly

All ready for the oven:

I was in charge of appetizers for both New Years Eve and New Years Day. I made a double batch of Pioneer Woman's BBQ meatballs, inspired by Lauren's Kitchen Blog Entry.

They came out great, but I have to admit they were time consuming and a little bit of a pain. It was hard to make them small and even because I didn't have a small ice cream scoop, which I would definitely have to get if I was making these guys again.

Meatballs

•1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
•3/4 cup oats
•1 cup milk
•3 tablespoons very finely minced onion
•1 1/2 teaspoon salt
•plenty of ground black pepper
Sauce

•1 cup ketchup
•2 tablespoons sugar
•2.5 tablespoons vinegar
•2 tablespoons Worcestershire
•4 to 6 tablespoons onion
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes.

Remove from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.

Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.

Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty french bread.

This recipe is my go to "fancy" appetizer. It is always a hit. Funny thing is that I am allergic to shellfish, so I have never actually tried it.

My Aunt Dawn, who passed away almost 6 years ago, used to make this. She gave me the recipe at my Bridal Shower, and there is something so special about taking out her hand written recipe page from my book and following her instructions. It always makes me feel good.

Dilled Shrimp

Ingredients

3/4 cup mayo
3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 tbs dill
1/4 tsp salt
2 lbs frozen cooked shrimp, defrosted

Combine all ingredients (I use a zip lock bag) and let set over night.

And here are some pictures from Christmas Day.

Cecily all dressed up

Me :)

Tonight we attended a fun dinner party with the Luciano and Maizel families. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite holiday traditions. We had a wonderful time and I cannot thank Allison and Nick enough for hosting. Dinner was delicious and we had a blast!

I decided to make my mother's go-to party appetizer, a Garlic Pecan Cheddar Cheese Ring. It is very tasty and everyone raves about it.

Ingredients

6 cups shredded sharp cheddar
1 cup Mayo
6-8 fresh minced garlic
Large onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup chopped pecans
few dashes of Tabasco

Mix all ingredients except for the nuts and mayo. Then add the mayo. If it isn't wet enough, add a little at a time until it is the right consistency. Mix in nuts. Mold into a ring with food gloves and refrigerate overnight. Serve with raspberry seeded preserves in the middle.


It was very easy to make, although I will admit Zach needed to help me with the mayo since I have "issues" with this particular condiment! :)

Here are a few more pictures from our fun evening!