It was really fun to try a new slant on one of my favorite appetizers, Baked Brie with Curry Powder, Chutney, and Toasted Pecans last evening. We had been invited to dinner (social distancing rules in place, of course) at the home of our dear friends Jim and Margo.  I had offered to bring an appetizer, hence the reason for fixing an appetizer in the first place. (And no, we don’t usually enjoy appetizers before our evening meal unless we are entertaining. I do understand when and where to draw the line in our quest for a reasonably healthy life style!)

Anyway, in deciding what appetizer to prepare, I remembered that I had some cream cheese in my fridge quickly coming to the end of its shelf life. I also had a partial jar of mango chutney staring me in the face every time I opened the refrigerator door. So I did what I often do. I searched under the ingredients I wanted to use, in this case cream cheese and mango chutney. Then I simply took my pick of all the recipes that were metaphorically speaking – laid at my feet. (In other words, I let some other cook do all the heavy lifting so that I could take all the credit. (My mom never raised no dummy!)

Anyway, with a tiny bit of modification, this recipe from the food.com site is perfection personified. The flavors in this spread are unusual, so really fun to serve in that regard. And creamy and rich without being cloying. And visually attractive. And wonderfully easy to prepare. And I know I talk a lot about ease of preparation in my recipes. But the older I get, the more I search out fast and easy ways to bring delicious food to our table. And I’m not even busy raising children or working for a living. I’ve already had that pleasure. But I can still empathize with those of you who are busier than you have ever been. So I like to feature recipes that can be fixed with a minimum of effort.

Now granted, some of my favorite recipes like Kouign Amann, might be classified as “for later when I have nothing better to do” by many of you. I get that. When I had kids at home and was a working mother, I would have pitched a recipe like that right into my much used circular file. And instead would have settled for baking a cake or making a batch of cookies. Any labor saving device I could use to fill the kids tummies while at the same time preparing tasty and nutritious food. It’s a real balancing act for a busy home cook. And believe me, for many years I knew that proverbial pivot point (or should I say breaking point) all too well.

So when I mention that a recipe is easy to prepare, it’s really for my own benefit. But the end result is that it might help you out too. I simply like ease of preparation. It works for me in my golden years, and I hope it works for you as well. (And yes, once in a while I still go crazy and prepare a food item that takes hours to prepare. But this is happening less and less as the years go by.)

As always, stay active, stay productive, but stay reasonable. If you need to put your feet up, do so. If you need help, ask for it. If you can make a positive difference in someone’s life, please make it happen. But not at the expense of losing your own health or happiness. No one should even consider asking that much of you. Peace and love to all.

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 tsp. curry powder (like McCormick)

¼ tsp. ground ginger

¼ c. minced green onions

¼ c. golden raisins, roughly chopped

¼ c. mango chutney

¼ c. chopped cashews

Combine the cream cheese, curry powder, ground ginger, most of the chopped green onions, and raisins together. Spread about ½-inch thick on a small plate. Spread the chutney evenly over the cream cheese mixture and sprinkle with the chopped cashews and reserved minced green onions. Serve at room temperature with crackers.  

I almost always prepare a veggie tray when I entertain a large crowd of family and friends. Because invariably there are those on a diet, or vegetarian, vegan, or genuinely allergic to almost everything, but are able to eat veggies. Plus of course, there are those people like myself that simply love raw vegetables. But I also love to dip those darling little veggie morsels in something that tastes yummy. (My downfall, I know!) So for a recent get-together I whipped up this tasty Once Upon a Chef site recipe to serve along-side the veggies.

And oh my! It was very tasty and well received by my guests. And the best thing – there was enough left that for breakfast this morning, I was able to spread each of our toasted half bagel with this delicacy. Oh baby – what a treat! And yes I know. A bit decadent for a Tuesday morning, but I simply could not let it go to waste. (My story and I’m sticking to it!)

So if you are planning a get-together and want to make sure there is at least one dish that almost everyone can enjoy – cut up a variety of fresh veggies and plop them on a plate. Then if the spirit moves you, go the extra mile and serve this dip with the veggies. And no, perhaps not everyone will be able to partake of this dip, but for those who can, you will be hearing nothing but praise. And just so you know, toasted pita bread wedges are also wonderful served with this dip. See recipe below.

8 oz. feta cheese

½ c. sour cream

½ c. mayonnaise (I use light mayonnaise)

zest of ½ lemon  

1 small clove garlic, roughly chopped

¼ tsp. dried dill

¼ tsp. dried oregano

¼ tsp. dried thyme

pinch kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper, plus a couple of grinds for garnish

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

crudité

Combine the feta cheese, sour cream, mayo, lemon zest, garlic, dill, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes in a food processor. Process until very smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate until about an hour before you plan to serve. Sprinkle lightly with coarse ground pepper and serve with crudité.

Can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Toasted Pita Wedges: Brush pita bread on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. Cut into wedges and place on a large baking sheet. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly toasted.  

For those of us for whom God created blue cheese, this spread is going to be seriously up your alley. It is so delicious, that you might seriously wonder if some benevolent deity didn’t have at least some input into its creation. This spread is just that scrumptious!

So in adhering to my full disclosure policy, this dish is really just my take on an Epicurious recipe for Date & Blue Cheese Ball. The main gist of the recipe is all Epicurious. I just took the liberty of changing a couple of quantities, removed walnuts from the ingredient list, adjusted the preparation instructions, and prefer serving it in a lovely serving dish rather than forming it into a ball. But the thanks and credit still belong to Epicurious.    

Of course, I already knew that I loved the combination of blue cheese and dates because of my recipe for Bacon Wrapped Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates already on this site. But as with every dish, I like to change things up a bit just for the shear fun of it. And creating a creamy blue cheese and date spread held a great deal of appeal. (Plus I am trying to stay away from bacon. I know – good luck with that!)

I whipped this up last Friday to take along to our friends Paul and Vivianna’s home. Great fun that evening sharing wonderful food with wonderful friends. There is just nothing finer than the combination of great friends and great food. Thanks again Vivianna and Paul for another fabulous dinner.

So next time you need an easy to prepare appetizer to serve to family or friends, make this delightful spread. It is just so, so good. And you can make it ahead. In fact, it’s even better if made a day or two ahead. How lovely is that! Enjoy

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

5 oz. blue cheese, roughly crumbled

3 T.  buttermilk

1 T. minced shallots

pinch kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

2 T. minced fresh Italian parsley

8 pitted dates, roughly chopped, plus 2 more chopped for garnish   

 In the bowl of a food processor, whirl the cream cheese, blue cheese, and buttermilk until smooth and creamy. Add the dates, shallots, salt, and pepper and whirl just until the dates are finely chopped. Do not over whirl. Add the lemon zest and pulse a couple of times or until the zest is evenly distributed.

Scoop the mixture into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for several hours or up to 2 days.

Before serving, decorate with remaining 2 chopped dates and minced fresh parsley. Serve with crackers.  

True story. One evening back in the 80s, I was servings these little darlings as an appetizer for some type of large gathering at our Bellevue home. And being the savvy hostess that I am, I knew I would need at least 2 pans of these guys. And for those of you who didn’t know me when, or never stood in my Bellevue kitchen, the counter space was limited. So, I decided to use the top shelf of my dishwasher to store the 2^nd pan of chestnuts while the first pan was happily baking away in the oven. And as with every party ever thrown by anyone, and regardless of the size of your kitchen (mine was quite small), there is never enough floor space to hold all the guests that want to be in the kitchen with the hostess. After all, it’s the action center of any party!

So our dear friend Jim was happily kibitzing with me and a few other folk, when he leaned back against the dishwasher. To my old Kitchenaid dishwasher, this was the sign to start your engine. I immediately realized what had happened (I was a lot younger then) and turned off the dishwasher before it could do any real damage. But we sure did have a great laugh at Jims’ expense. And yes, of course we ate the slightly moistened 2^nd batch! What’s a little water after all?

Now, having shared a fun reminiscence with you, I should tell you more about this recipe. First of all, it’s about as easy to prepare as it gets. Four simple ingredients. But what happens when you mix those ingredients together is almost magical. So, next time you need an appetizer that is sure to please almost everyone, make a batch of these bacon wrapped chestnuts. And yes, this appetizer is kind of retro. But I like dishes that have stood the test of time. And even though you may have made these earlier in your life, you may have forgotten how truly yummy they are. Think of this then, as merely a reminder to continue preparing and serving what others might consider an outmoded dish. Some of those so called archaic recipes remain delightful. Who knows, I may even share my recipe for Flintstone Bread Dip with you in the near future. First of course I have to make certain Spice Island still makes Beau Monde seasoning. But if they do, I’m all over it. Flintstone dip remains one of my favorite dips. Stay tuned.

2-3 cans whole water chestnuts, drained

¾ c. soy sauce, or more as needed (no fancy soy sauce required – just simple Kikkoman works the best)

granulated sugar

1 lb. thinly sliced meaty bacon, cut in thirds crossways

If the water chestnuts are really large, you may want to cut them in half. Place in a shallow pan with the soy sauce. Make sure each chestnut is at least 2/3^rds submerged. If not, add a little more soy sauce. Allow to sit in the soy sauce for a couple of hours. Turn frequently while the chestnuts are bathing.

When ready to assemble, drain each chestnut briefly and roll in sugar. Wrap a piece of bacon around each chestnut and secure the bacon with a wooden toothpick.

Arrange on a wire rack in a shallow baking pan toothpick side up. (Chestnuts should not be allowed to touch. They need room to crisp up nicely.) Pour in enough water to cover the bottom of the pan.

Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven until the bacon in browned and crisp, 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and drain on paper towels. Can be made ahead and re-heated in your microwave just before serving.

Warning: These are absolutely delicious and so very easy to pop in your mouth. And one is simply not enough! So either limit your number of guests, or make twice as many as you think you will need. Because regardless of what else you are serving, these babies are everyone’s favorite and always the first to go. 

I love a good savory spread to serve with hearty crackers as part of what I call an “appetizer threesome”. And this spread, one of my all-time favorites, I’ve had the pleasure of fixing and enjoying now for over 15 years. It’s simple to prepare and contains ingredients I usually have on hand.

And if truth be known, I’ve used it in place of butter and sour cream on baked potatoes, let it slowly melt on a medium rare steak, decorated simple steamed veggies with its lovely savory creaminess, and even used it as a sandwich spread. It’s pretty much a delicious and very versatile spread to have on hand.

So next time you decide that you need a little something for an appetizer, that can also be used in other ways, give this recipe a try. (And yes, it tastes amazingly like some of those really expensive soft cheese spreads that come in very small containers or tiny foil wrapped packages.)

But before I go any further, I should explain what I mean by an “appetizer threesome”. Even if I am having a very casual dinner party, when my guests arrive I always have at least 3 types of nibbles to munch on while Mr. C. fixes everyone’s beverage of choice. The nibbles are a great way to start conversations among strangers, or to talk around even if your family and guests have known each other for 40 years.

Also great for me because while my guests are enjoying the appetizers and drinks, I have time to put the finishing touches on dinner. And no, for small informal dinner get-togethers, the appetizers are not necessarily going to be fancy. Sometimes a dip or spread with crackers (like this one), often a hand-full of nuts, maybe a few tiny cornichons, or a small plate of cheese bites. Usually, nothing too fancy, and never too much of a good thing. (You want to whet people’s appetite, not fill them up before the main course has even been served!) I mean seriously! You’ve gone to all the work of preparing a fabulous meal. You don’t want your guests to be too full to enjoy the rest of your efforts. Remember my simple adage: it’s really just all about me! And in the case of before dinner munchies, and the dishes to follow, it’s about creating an all-around pleasurable dining experience for your family, your guests, and the “me” part – yourself. Food for thought (not usually served as one of the appetizer threesome, but in this case it might be apropos); if your family and friends are having a great time eating your food, there is nothing that feels better than being the accomplished hostess who made it all happen. Cheers everyone! And enjoy this spread.

• 2 T. unsalted butter, room temp.
• 1 (8-oz.) pkg. low-fat cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese, room temperature
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 2 T. fresh or 1 T. freeze dried chopped chives
• ¼ tsp. dried dill weed
• 1/8 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 days before serving at room temperature sprinkled lightly with additional black pepper.