Bacon Wrapped Asparagus with Puff Pastry

Submitted by Marcia Van Camp

Inspired by https://m.facebook.com/buzzfeedtasty/

Ingredients 

1 sheet of thawed puff pastry 

1 bunch of asparagus (thick)

1 packet of bacon

1 egg

Black pepper 

Directions

1. Wash and count the asparagus. In the bunches I get there are usually 15 to 20 pieces.

2. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a pan with parchment paper. Foil will also work but make sure to use non-stick spray.

3. Take the bacon that you need and cut each piece in half so that you have 2 long strips. For example, 20 asparagus means you need to cut 10 pieces of bacon in half. Wrap each piece around a piece of asparagus and set on the parchment paper.

4. Roll the pastry dough so that you will be able to get more pieces out of it. If you only have 10 pieces of asparagus you might not need to roll it out...but if you have more than that you probably need to roll out the dough.  Remember to put flour on your surface so that the dough won't stick. Slice the pastry into strips. Anything from a 1/4" to 1/2" thick is fine.  They don't have to be perfect or uniform, they will all taste good.  Wrap the dough strips around the asparagus.  I try to wrap in the same direction as the bacon but going the opposite way is fine too.

5. Put all the finished pieces on the pan and brush them with an egg wash.  Sprinkle then with a little pepper and put them in the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The dough should be crispy and brown.

Enjoy!

Notes

If your asparagus is thin you can wrap up 2 at a time and they will taste just as good. Sometimes I also double up if I had a hard time cutting enough pastry.

These still taste good after being refrigerated.  Hot or cold, they are so good!

No crumble Granola Bars

Submitted by Marcia Van Camp
inspired by http://www.inspiredtaste.net/21462/soft-and-chewy-granola-bars-recipe/#itr-recipe-21462

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups quick oats (I like Quaker Oats)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped chocolate covered almonds (I like Blue Diamond)

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup unsalted butter 

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup dates coarsely chopped

Directions:  

1. Put the dates in a small bowl and add about 1 tablespoon of water.  They are nice and sticky and adding the water will help spread the stickiness around and keep the bars together. 

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the oats and almonds and mix with a spoon. Using a jellyroll pan, lay down a silicone liner and spread the oats and nuts evenly. If you don't have a silicone mat, line the pan with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.

3. Bake 5 minutes, stir and bake another 3 to 5 minutes until lightly toasted. Transfer to a large bowl.

4. Combine butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla extract and the salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until butter melts and the sugar completely dissolves.

5. Pour butter mixture into the large bowl with toasted oats and almonds. Add the dates (with water) and mix well. 

6. Spray a 8x8 glass cooking pan with cooking spray and put the mixture into the pan. Press the mixture down evenly for at LEAST one minute.  You can use a rubber spatula or your fingers or both!

7. Cover then refrigerate at least 2 hours. Remove block of granola mixture from pan (it can seriously come out all at once because it sticks together so well) cut into the desired length and width you desire. 

8. Store bars in an airtight container for up to one week. For the softest bars, keep at room temperature. For slightly harder bars, store in the fridge.

Notes: 

The original recipe called for cranberries and chocolate chips but I like the chocolate covered almonds because I get the flavor without the melting and mess.  I had also read another blog that mentioned dates really help everything stick together and I like the way they taste.  Using something else like cut up cranberries or raisins with water might work well too, I just haven't tried it.  You can probably try adding other things, I was mostly just using what was on hand.  

Happy Snacking!

Ladybug Appetizers

Submitted by Marcia Van Camp

I made these for Renée's Peterson's baby blessing.  They were cute and delicious!



                                    

 



Ingredients:

1 small can of chip dip like Utz sour cream and onion, or something similar

36 Ritz crackers or sliced cucumbers

18 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

18 large black olives (pitted)

72 fresh chive pieces (about 1-1/2 inches long)

Directions:
1. Take a cracker and spread it with the chip dip
2. Take a cherry tomato which has already been cut in half and make a small slit in the back (not the stem side) so it looks like parted wings.  The side of the tomato where the stem used to be has a nice indent which is best for the head.  Place the tomato on the cracker
3. Take a black olive and cut it into 4 pieces (1 vertical and 1 horizontal cut).  This will give you about 4 heads depending on the size of the olive.  Use 1 head and place it next to the tomato.
4. Attach small chive pieces between the head and the body for antennae
5. Take a tablespoon of the chip dip and mix it with black dye.  Use a toothpick to make spots on the tomato
6. Use another toothpick to make eyes with the chip dip
7. Repeat steps and make more yummy ladybugs!

Voila! Cute and cute!

Notes:
1. Other receipes online show making a cream cheese mixer and although I did this, I think sour cream would be a lot easier to use and taste just fine.
2. I don't have the chives in the picture because I was travelling with these and thought they wouldn't do well being transported.
3. I used crackers but they were a bit soggy after travel.  I think I will try cucumbers if my prep to serve time is a long again.
4. There are so many ways people make these...beds of lettuce and so on.  I encourage you to look online for inpiration to see how you want to make your own special ladybugs.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Ladybug-Appetizers
http://www.bbbseed.com/FAQRetrieve.aspx?ID=58938&Q

Pepitas! aka Pumpkin Seeds

Submitted by Marcia Van Camp
from: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/10/pepitos/









Ingredients:
Pumpkin seeds from a carved pumpkin
Olive Oil
Salt (table salt)

Directions:

As you gut the pumpkins, keep all the seeds—and guts—in a bowl.

Throw them into a colander and rinse them under cold water, pulling away the chunks of pulp as you go (you don't have to be extremely thorough)

Spread the rinsed seeds out on a baking sheet.

Allow the seeds to dry several hours or overnight. And beware: they’re quite sticky/slimy, so don’t place them on paper towels! Just leave ‘em on the baking sheet and they’ll be fine.

When they’re nice and dry, go ahead and preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Begin by drizzling the seeds with a couple teaspoons of olive oil.

Use your fingers to toss the seeds around to coat.

Then salt and season the seeds to taste.

Pop ‘em in the oven for an hour or so, until the seeds are light golden brown.

Let them cool for a few minutes…then let the snacking begin!

Pepitas need to be stored in an airtight container if they last beyond the first day.