Everyone needs a super-simple snack recipe in their files, whether it’s for an impromptu get-together, an evening of board games with friends, or a championship game; this is mine. In the mood for something different? After marinating, pulse the entire mixture in a food processor until smooth, and serve with firm crackers for an amazing cheese spread.

Marinated Party Cheese

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces soft cheese (I prefer Montrachet-style goat cheese, but fresh mozzarella works just as well)
• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (drained, if oil-packed)
• 1 cup black olives
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh basil chiffonade
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

Roughly chop cheese, tomatoes, and olives. Gently toss all ingredients in a large bowl until well-combined. Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight. Serve with your favorite bread or crackers.

Serves 10.

Looking for more easy party food? This recipe, and others like it, will appear in the Game Night Party Event hosted by Fun and Food.

For a super-easy treat that will wow your guests, serve homemade baked tortilla chips. This dish is so simple, it doesn’t even need an ingredient list!

Baked Tortilla Chips

Heat 1 cup water to boiling and add 1/3 cup salt. Stir until salt has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Brush both sides of a dozen corn tortillas with oil. Stack tortillas and slice into triangles. Lay oiled chips in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook in a preheated 400 degree oven until crispy and golden. While chips are baking, move cooled salt solution to a spray bottle. Immediately after removing chips from oven, spritz lightly with salt water. Serve warm with your favorite salsa.

Variation 1: Lime Chips

Replace 1/2 cup of the water with freshly squeezed lime juice. Goes great with beer!

Variation 2: Spicy Chips

Stir a shot (or several, depending on taste) of hot sauce into the salt water before spraying. Be sure to warn your guests if it’s super-hot!

Image byThe Rocketeer.

This is what fruitcake aspires to be – moist, fruity, and flavorful, without a hint of gummy, odd-colored candied bits. I love experimenting with different teas in this recipe – Earl Grey for a hint of bergamot, chai for extra spice, and herbal lemon teas have all been successes for me (although not all at once!)

When Mer tried this bread, she thought it tasted like something that the British Colonialists would enjoy when doing business in Colonial India: from that point on, we’ve called this our “Imperial bread”.

Dried currants can be found in the grocery store with the raisins and other dried fruits, and they’re a great pantry staple – I like them in place of raisins in oatmeal and other hot cereal.

Tea and Currant Breakfast Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup packed brown sugar (dark or light)
• 1 1/2 cups strongly brewed tea of your choice (chai or other spiced teas work well)
• 3/4 cup dried currants
• 2/3 cup raisins
• 2 teaspoons brandy or rum
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons grated orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• heavy pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and line two loaf pans. In a medium bowl, whisk brown sugar and hot tea until sugar is dissolved. Stir in currants, raisins, and rum, and allow to set for 2 hours or until fruits are plump and mixture hass cooled. Add butter and egg, mixing well. Set aside.

Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Pour wet mixture into dry and stir until just incorporated. Divide evenly between prepared pans and bake for 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting.

Serves 12-16.

I enjoy collecting old cookbooks, and pick them up at yard sales and flea markets whenever I can. Each Saturday, I post excerpts from my collection. Today’s post comes from Kate Smith’s Favorite Recipes.

Kate Smith, voluptuous songstress and radio star, appears to have had quite a few opinions on this recipe, or at least her publisher did. At the bottom of the page is Ms. Smith’s disembodied head with a note about urgent requests (see below). That may be my favorite part of the book.

I like this recipe because it’s not a normal (chocolate/vanilla) marble cake; instead, the darker batter is flavored with molasses and spice. Try adding ground walnuts to the “plain” batter for a little extra kick.

Marble Spice Picnic Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sifted Swans Down Cake Flour
• 2 teaspoons Calumet Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter or other shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons molasses

Sift flour once, measure, add baking powder and salt, and sift together three times. Cream butter thoroughly, add sugar gradually, and cream together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Add flour, alternately with milk, a small amount at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Divide batter into two parts. To one part, add spices and molasses. Put by tablespoons into greased loaf pan, 8×4x3 inches, alternating light and dark mixtures. Bake in moderate oven (350° F.) 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until done. Spread Clever Judy Frosting (page 40) on top and sides of cake.

Or bake in greased pan, 8×8x2 inches, in moderate oven (350° F.) 50 minutes. Spread Seven Minute Frosting (page 40) on top and sides of cake. Decorate top of cake with chopped pecan meats and raisin clusters.

Add extra heat to your mornings with this adorable lava set from Flat Earth Trading. These Hot Lava Java ceramic tiki-themed pieces feature erupting lava (and a matching tiki-head sugar spoon!)The mug and the sugar/creamer set are available separately; save 15% when you buy the set.

One of the most popular posts on Catch the Spoon from a search engine traffic perspective was a Fun Kitchen Item I raved about in September of 2007: Stainless Steel Martini Glasses. Unfortunately, the original supplier has been sold out for some time.

I’m pleased to report that I have found a new supplier of stainless steel martini glasses. They are currently in stock but going fast, so jump on them while you can.

This delightful twist on a classic treat is easy (and inexpensive) to make, but is a definite crowd-pleaser.

Root Beer Float Parfait

Ingredients for root beer gelatin:

• 1 1/2 cups root beer
• 1/4 ounce unflavored powdered gelatin

Ingredients for vanilla panna cotta:

• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean*, split and scraped
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 ounce unflavored powdered gelatin

Ingredients for root beer water ice:

• 3/4 cup root beer
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For gelatin:
Pour 1/2 cup root beer into a large, wide bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over liquid and allow to bloom for 5 minutes. While gelatin blooms, heat remaining 1 cup root beer to just shy of the boiling point. Whisk into gelatin mixture. Divide equally between 6 decorative glasses and chill for 35-45 minutes, or until set but still slightly liquid.

For panna cotta:
While gelatin layer sets, prepare panna cotta. Heat 1 cup half and half, 1/2 cup cream, and vanilla bean (seeds and pod) to a simmer. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bloom gelatin over remaining 1/2 cup half and half. Strain vanilla infusion and whisk into gelatin. Pour into glasses over root beer gelatin and chill 4 hours or overnight.

For root beer water ice:
Combine root beer and vanilla. Pour into a shallow, freezer-safe container. Freeze for 3-4 hours, stirring with a fork every 15 minutes to create a smooth but crystalline texture.

To serve:
Gently mound water ice on top of panna cotta. Garnish with cocktail cherries, if desired, and serve immediately.

Makes 6 parfaits.

*We buy our vanilla beans in bulk, from reputable sellers (on eBay of all places). Good vanilla beans are incredibly pungent and sticky, while beans from your local grocer can be stale and dry.

Sometimes the most simple methods can create the best dishes – this is one of those recipes. To get more bang for your buck, peel the lower stalks after you snap the asparagus. Trim off any fibrous ends, and discard any too-tough pieces; cook peeled stalks alongside tips. (Works for broccoli stems, too!)

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. fresh asparagus
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 lemon

Snap asparagus at its weakest point, trim and peel stalks (if using), and wash thoroughly. Pat with a clean kitchen towel to remove excess moisture, and set aside to air-dry completely.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Arrange asparagus in a single layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss with hands to ensure that all surfaces are liberally coated.

Bake at 500 degrees* for 10 minutes, or until tips are caramelized. Serve immediately.

*Olive oil will smoke at this temperature; if you have safflower oil available, you may wish to use that instead.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

A long time ago, in a galaxy…er, shire not so far, far away, I played (which is to say, cooked) in the kitchens of a medieval recreational group known as the SCA. For my first and only solo run as feastocrat, I played the part of an Italian chef who had been kidnapped by German Landsknechts and forced to serve dinner to their king and queen. Tongue firmly planted in cheek, I was determined to find a way to give them what they wanted…and served up spaghetti and meatballs, medieval-style.

These meatballs, served aside pasta cooked in chicken stock and topped with shaved parmesan cheese, were as delicious as they were fun.

Spiced Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. chicken breast meat or boneless pork loin
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp. butter, softened
• 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped fine
• 2 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped fine
• 1/4 tsp. powdered ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup flour, as needed
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and shaved parmesan, for garnish

Fill a medium pot 3/4 full with cold water and bring to a simmer. Poach chicken breasts or pork until just cooked. Drain and set aside to cool. When meat is cool, shred with forks and then chop with a knife until very fine (do not use food processor).

Place shredded meat in a medium bowl and, using your hands, combine meat, cheese, butter, parsley, thyme, ginger, cloves, and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Add flour until mixture is stiff but still slightly sticky, and roll into small (3/4-1″) balls.* Roll balls in flour and set on lined sheet pan. Chill for 1 hour**.

Bring chicken stock to a boil and drop meatballs into the stock in batches. Reduce heat and simmer balls for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through. Move finished balls to a serving dish while the other batches are being cooked.

To serve, top meatballs with a small amount of hot stock, a sprinkling of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, and a generous amount of parmesan cheese.

Serves 6-8.

*Tip: finished balls should be the size and texture of Swedish meatballs, not traditional Italian meatballs.

**Meatballs can be frozen at this point by placing the sheet pan into the freezer until the balls have frozen solid, and then bagging the frozen pieces so that they do not stick together. Resulting meatballs can be cooked from frozen.

This post was inspired by Serge the Concierge’s Get Cooking challenge, “Meatballs for Seth“.

Image by Dalyswe.

Happy belated holidays to one and all! After the semester ended, Mer and I got to work on our holiday baking. We split our projects between family traditions and our own take on other bloggers’ recipes. Our other projects included Mer’s Date Squares, our version of the Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies from Never Bashful with Butter, and our version of the Ginger-Cinnamon Caramels posted at The Kitchn at Apartment Therapy.

Concluding our Holiday Baking Recap are my Magical Mint Cookies. This recipe holds a special place in my heart and stomach, as it is the first recipe I ever remember “creating”. I tweaked a basic cookie recipe to use ingredients that I had on hand, and served the results to the girls that my mom worked with. The cookies looked disgusting – flat, wrinkled, and brown – but damn, they tasted good. While they haven’t gotten any prettier over the years, my Magical Mint Cookies have become a holiday tradition.

As a special bonus, these cookies freeze extraordinarily well. I like to keep a batch in my freezer all year, and I toss one or two into the microwave for 30-45 seconds to warm them up and make them gooey when I’m in the mood for a treat. they also make great ice cream sandwiches!

Magical Mint Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 10 oz. mint chocolate chips or chopped mint chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar. Slowly beat in eggs and vanilla. Beating with a wooden spoon or with mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients one cup at a time until just combined. Stir in chips.

Using a small small disher, drop dough onto greased or non-stick cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-9 minutes, but do not overbake – cookies will be very soft. Cool on pans until cookies have firmed and can be transferred to wax paper without the edges collapsing. Cool completely before storing.

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.