Roasted Chick Peas

This is the season for snacking and here's one way to make those holiday treats a tiny bit healthier: use chick peas!

Roasted chick peas seem to be the new holiday nut trend this year, so we tried them at our house. Super yummy and tasty with a satisfying crunch. And quick and easy to make, too.

You can season them any way you like. A bonus surprise for me is that the Honey Sesame version I'm sharing here tastes like struffoli, an Italian dessert of honey-coated fried dough balls often served at holidays, and something I haven't had in years.

What appetizers and snacks will you be serving at your holiday gatherings?

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Roasted Chick Peas

2 15 ounce cans of chick peas, drained and dried with paper towels
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss chick peas with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast in oven for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp, shaking pan occasionally to turn the chick peas.

Remove from oven and let cool, or transfer to bowl to toss with additional seasonings.


Honey Sesame Roasted Chick Peas
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

Add all of the above ingredients to bowl of roasted chick peas fresh from the oven. Gently toss or stir to coat all of the chick peas.

Return to oven for about 5 minutes to caramelize and crisp. Serve warm or let cool. After 1 day the chick peas will become chewy -- but they remain delicious!


Chili Roasted Chick Peas
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon chili powder (or more, depending on your preferences)
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder (or more, depending on your preferences)
Salt and pepper to taste

Add all of the above ingredients to bowl of roasted chick peas fresh from the oven. Gently toss or stir to coat all of the chick peas.

Serve and enjoy! This version of chick peas stays crisp a bit longer than the Honey Sesame ones.

Stuffed Bread

This time of year it's nice to get cooking with the kids in the kitchen. My brother Greg visited last weekend and we made stuffed bread (aka, pizza rolls).

I used to make these in my pre-kid days, when the husband and I spent our weekends watching various sporting events with friends.

The rolls are easy to prepare and they make for a quick dinner that goes nicely with a salad. These also make great appetizers, snacks and party or lunch-box fare.

Our favorite part? You can dress them up or down, make them sweet or savory and really use any kind of filling you want. We made three stuffed breads: pepperoni, sausage supreme and taco. Other ideas: brie, cranberry and nut; peanut butter and jelly, etc.

Just remember not to overstuff the bread, or you'll end up with the filling exploding out of the bread and onto the pan (which might even happen anyway.)

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

P.S. If you like this recipe, check out more of my brother's creations by searching #gregssundaydinner on Instagram and Facebook.

Pepperoni Stuffed Bread

1 package refrigerated pizza dough (not thin crust)
1/2 to 3/4 cup tomato sauce, plus more for dotting on top
6 slices provolone cheese
Pepperoni slices (about 1/2 a package)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unroll pizza dough onto parchment and gently spread it out to a rectangle shape.

Spread tomato sauce in a thin layer on the dough. Top with the provolone slices. Add the pepperoni slices.

My son Sam and my brother Greg working on the pepperoni roll.

Top with shredded mozzarella. Dot with small dabs of additional tomato sauce.

Starting with a short side of the dough, gently roll the dough up. Smooth out and seal the opposite end of the dough. Pinch the ends together and tuck them under the roll.

Reduce oven heat to 375. Bake stuffed bread for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown on top.

As you can see, some of the filling escaped from one of our stuffed breads.

Let stuffed bread cool a bit before cutting.

Sausage Supreme Stuffed Bread

1 package refrigerated pizza dough (not thin crust)
1/2 to 3/4 cup tomato sauce, plus more for dotting on top
6 slices provolone cheese
3/4 cup scant cooked sausage crumbles
1/2 cup thinly sliced bell pepper
1/2 of a small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unroll pizza dough onto parchment and gently spread it out to a rectangle shape.

Spread tomato sauce in a thin layer on the dough. Top with the provolone slices. Add the sausage crumbles, pepper and onion slices. Top with shredded mozzarella. Dot with small dabs of additional tomato sauce.

Starting with a short side of the dough, gently roll the dough up. Smooth out and seal the opposite end of the dough. Pinch the ends together and tuck them under the roll.

Reduce oven heat to 375. Bake stuffed bread for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown on top. Let cool a bit before cutting.

Taco Stuffed Bread

1 package refrigerated pizza dough (not thin crust)
1/2 to 3/4 cup salsa or taco sauce, plus more for dotting on top
6 slices cheddar cheese
3/4 cup scant cooked taco meat (use your favorite)
1/2 cup thinly sliced bell pepper
1/2 of a small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unroll pizza dough onto parchment and gently spread it out to a rectangle shape.

Spread taco sauce or salsa in a thin layer on the dough. Top with the cheddar slices. Add the taco meat. Top with shredded cheddar. Dot with small dabs of additional taco sauce or salsa.

Starting with a short side of the dough, gently roll the dough up. Smooth out and seal the opposite end of the dough. Pinch the ends together and tuck them under the roll.

Reduce oven heat to 375. Bake stuffed bread for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown on top. Let cool a bit before cutting.

Not to be left out, our dog Trixie also tried to get in on the action of making stuffed bread!

Savory Pesto Palmiers

I love to cook. But, here's the thing; appetizers are hard for me. And they're really, really hard if I need to bring that appetizer to a party. I have to come up with something that travels well, is still tasty at room temperature, and is easy to make because...life. Sigh.

Recently I had to bring an appetizer to a Christmas party, so I dug into the HDHH archives for inspiration. Way back in 2011 I posted a recipe for Savory Pesto Palmiers. They met all of my appetizer requirements: travels well, tasty, and easy. Plus it was high time I took some updated photos. (I'm no photographer, but I thought I could do better than this.)

As I said in my original post, today's recipe is absolutely perfect for the shin-digs filling up your social calendar during the holiday season. And they sound as classy as you'll look in your hipster skinny tie. Savory Palmiers. You can prepare them ahead and pop them in the oven just before your guests arrive. Or bring them to the party already cooked. Although they're sublime straight from the oven, these palmiers are also delicious at room temperature.

Party on, dudes.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Savory Pesto Palmiers
From The Barefoot Contessa. Originally posted November 2011.
Makes 50-60 appetizers

1 package frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1/4 cup prepared pesto
2/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Salt

Unfold one of the puff pastry sheets onto a lightly floured board or parchment paper. Roll it out slightly using a rolling pin until the pastry is about 9.5" x 11.5". (Mine was a bit bigger than this, and it worked just fine.)

Spread half of the pesto over the pastry. Sprinkle with half the goat cheese, half the tomatoes, and half the pine nuts. Season with salt.

Starting at the short end of the pastry, roll each end halfway toward the center. Then fold each end toward the center again until the folded edges almost touch. Fold one side over the other and press together gently. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat the process with the second sheet of puff pastry and the remaining ingredients. Cover the puff pastry with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the rolls of puff pastry into 1/4" thick slices.

Place the palmiers face up on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 14 minutes until the palmiers are puffed and golden. This makes about 60 appetizers, so you might need to bake them in batches. If you bake two trays of palmiers at once, make sure you rotate them halfway through so they cook evenly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

P.S. You can reheat Savory Palmiers at 350 degrees for about 7 minutes.

P.P.S. I can't help but share when my kids come to "help" when I'm taking blog pictures. Palmiers are officially toddler approved.

Cranberry Gingerbread Cake

This holiday cake is worth the wait, people. I bookmarked the recipe a year ago but never got around to making it.

Then a few days before this Thanksgiving, my husband emailed me a link to a New York Times story about holiday recipe ideas, and there it was again.

With three bags of fresh cranberries practically shouting at me every time I opened my fridge, I needed to take the plunge.

I didn't change much from the original recipe. I reduced the sugar to achieve some tartness in the cranberries — to counterbalance the sweetness of the cake batter.

Let me just say: Sauced cranberries partnered with gingerbread and a nice dollop of whipped cream make for the perfect dessert this season. And, FYI, this treat tastes even better the next day, so consider making it ahead.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Cranberry Gingerbread Cake
Tweaked from this New York Times recipe.

2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 stick unsalted butter
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

Line a 9-inch square or round baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 350.

In a small saucepan, combine cranberries, white sugar and 1 tablespoon of water. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries begin to break down. Continue to cook about 10 minutes, until half of the cranberries have burst and the sauce is thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and set aside.

In another saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, milk, maple syrup and molasses. Stir over medium heat until butter is melted, then bring to a simmer. Do not let the mixture boil.  Remove from heat once butter mixture reaches a simmer.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pepper. Beat in the butter mixture, and then beat in the eggs. Then add the grated ginger and beat until combined.

Pour batter into pan. Then dot the top with big spoonfuls of the cranberry sauce. Use a butter knife to swirl the cranberry sauce into the cake batter.

Transfer to the oven and cook for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let pan cool on a wire rack before serving.

Slice and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Leftover cake should be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator. Tastes best served at room temperature.