Mezzetta Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Ghost Toast

I am a sucker for ANYTHING Halloween.  Food included.  Last year, much to the chagrin of Mr. Devilish Dish, we had Mummy Hot Dogs,  Eerie Eyeball Pasta Salad, and my favorite Black Magic M&M Cookies.  When I saw Mezzetta post this recipe I knew it was an absolute must make.  We use a lot of Mezzetta products around here, especially things like olives (I love a good martini!) and pepperoncini peppers.  And of course the roasted red peppers.  I hadn't thought of using the peppers as a base for a soup, but I'm sure glad I did.  It was really delicious, especially on a cold October night.  At first Mr. Devilish Dish said, "I don't know, that might be kind of rich." I think he was just trying to discourage me from serving him yet another spooky meal.  As it turns out, he not only had to eat spooky soup, and ghost toast, he had to eat crow.  He admitted he was totally wrong and that this soup is so tasty.  Of course the soup and toast would be delicious without the monster makeover, but whenever I have the opportunity to add a creamy spider's web garnish or use a ghost cookie cutter then you know I will.

This is one of my favorite
Halloween meals I've ever made,
thanks for Mezzetta for the recipe!

Start by sauteing onion in a large
Dutch oven or soup pot.  Add garlic,
smoked paprika, roasted red peppers,
marinara sauce and stock.
Cook 10-12 minutes.

Puree until smooth with
 an immersion blender.

Cut out bread slices with a 
ghost cookie cutter.  You are basically
making tiny ghost pizzas to dip 
into your roasted red pepper soup.

Drizzle heavy cream in concentric rings
on top of the soup.  Use a toothpick to make 
lines outward for a spiderweb effect.

Serve with ghost toasts for dipping and
have a Happy Halloween!

MEZZETTA ROASTED RED PEPPER SOUP WITH GHOST TOAST

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small white onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 cups Mezzetta Roasted Red Bell Peppers, chopped
1 (25 oz) jar Mezzetta Family Recipes Marinara Sauce
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream for garnish
8 slices bread (sourdough, French bread, etc) cut into ghost shape
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Mezzetta Pizza Sauce
Mezzetta Non-Pareil Capers (for ghost eyes *SEE NOTE)

In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Sauté the onion approximately 4-5 minutes, until soft.  Add garlic and smoked paprika and cook an additional minute.  Add the chopped roasted red peppers, marinara sauce and stock.  Simmer 10-12 minutes.  Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  

For the Ghost Toast:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Arrange the ghost-shaped bread slices on a baking sheet.  Brush lightly with the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil.  Toast in the oven approximately 3-4 minutes until lightly toasted.  Top each ghost with a spoonful of pizza sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Bake until the cheese melts and the edges are golden, approximately 8 minutes.  Once toasted, place 2 capers on each ghost for eyes.  (NOTE - Don't tell Mezzetta, but I can't stand capers so I used black peppercorns for eyeballs)

Pour warm soup into bowls and drizzle the heavy cream into concentric circles over the top.  Using a toothpick, drag the lines from the center outward to create a spiderweb pattern.  Serve with ghost toast for dipping.

and Mezzetta

Roasted Tomatoes & Burrata Cheese with Crostini

Since all of the food recalls this year, I've been skeptical about serving lettuce and other ingredients.  Which is really frustrating because the weather has been so hot.  We should be right in the heart of cool and refreshing salad season.  Since we can't really trust the produce right now, we've mainly been sticking to stuff from our own garden, which means tons and tons of cherry tomatoes.  Earlier in the summer, the Devilish Nephew and family came to visit. I certainly did not want to make anyone sick so I kept it safe and made a watermelon and feta cheese salad.  The adults enjoyed that and the tiniest devils love a good wedge of watermelon.  Mr. Devilish Dish grilled some delicious spice rubbed chicken thighs.  We enjoyed a batch of Frozen Aperol Spritzes.  All I needed was something featuring my harmless and abundant cherry tomatoes from my garden.  I've seen variations of this recipe allover the internet, featuring all kinds of ingredients, but I decided to keep it simple.  You could definitely add olives, fresh basil or anything else you desire, but the simple combination of tomatoes, roasted garlic and cheese tastes absolutely delicious as is.  This was a huge hit with everyone.  It would make a lovely snack with a crisp glass of wine, but since we are not eating lettuce right now, this has become a side dish in our meal rotation with no complaints!

This is so good.
We could eat this every day.

Easy to make and easy clean up.
Everything goes in one dish.

While the tomatoes and garlic roast,
get your baguette ready to
toast into crostini.

Look how good this looks.
Roasted well and a tiny bit of char
on a few tomatoes.

Use tongs to squeeze the roasted
garlic cloves out of the head 
of garlic.

Grab a fork or potato masher
and mash everything together.

Get some burrata cheese.
Drain away the liquid.

Tear the burrata into pieces and 
nestle it down into the hot
tomatoes and garlic.

Once the cheese melts, stir
everything together.

Serve with toasted crostini.

So delicious and a great use
for a big harvest of cherry tomatoes.

Serve as a side dish, or enjoy as an 
appetizer with a crisp glass of wine.

ROASTED TOMATOES & BURRATA CHEESE WITH CROSTINI

2 cups fresh cherry tomatoes
3 heads fresh garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper
one container burrata cheese
1 baguette

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Add the cherry tomatoes.  Generously drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Leaving the garlic heads intact, cut off the top.  Drizzle the cut part with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Nestle amongst the tomatoes and bake in the oven for an hour.  Remove the dish from the oven.  Using tongs, carefully squeeze the roasted garlic from its paper
squeezing the roasted garlic cloves into the tomatoes.  Discard the garlic papers.  With a potato masher or fork, smash the garlic and roasted tomatoes together.  Remove the burrata cheese from its liquid.  Tear into pieces and place in the hot tomato mixture.  Stir together allowing the cheese to melt completely.  Serve with crostini for dipping.

To make the crostini:  Slice the baguette into thin slices and place on a baking tray.  Lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Bake in the 400 degree oven approximately 4 minutes per side or until crisp.

Charcuterie Nachos for National Wine Day...The BEST snack with WINE!

Add this one to my big list of GIRL DINNERS.  I have so many recipes that I make for myself when Mr. Devilish Dish is away, like Asian Chicken Salad and Dumpling Dinner.  In fact, I have been considering adding a search category on here for both GIRL DINNER and CHARCUTERIE BOARD, and this would qualify as both.  Like any charcuterie board, any thing goes.  Pepperoni? Sure.  Olives? Go for it.  Same for nachos.  That is our favorite use for Mexican ingredient leftovers.  In fact, last night we made an amazing pan of nachos using leftover charro beans, diced carne asada steak, guacamole and pico de gallo. This recipe is a delicious match up of both ideas, and ideal with a couple of glasses of crisp white wine.  Simply pick a bag of your favorite thick kettle-style chips (Sea salt or Truffle work great) and add all of the tasty things you might share on a charcuterie board.  You are only limited by your creativity.  I'll let you in on a little secret.  I had planned to enjoy this by myself when Mr. Devilish Dish was out of town, but I would up preparing it on a night he was home and he loved it.  So much for my girl dinner category tab lol. 

A salty snack, with a little tang and sweetness too.
This is the ideal girl dinner, with a glass of 
crisp white wine.

Here is what I used, but the topping ideas
are endless.  I've added a list of suggestions below.

Spread the potato chips on a baking sheet. 
Top with pieces of prosciutto and brie cheese.
Broil under a low broiler.

Drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Such a good snack or light meal.

CHARCUTERIE NACHOS

1 bag kettle-style potato chips (sea salt or truffle work well)
1 package prosciutto
1 small package brie cheese (peeled and diced)
balsamic glaze for drizzle

Place your potato chips on a baking sheet.  Tear the prosciutto strips into small pieces and sprinkle over the potato chips.  Top with diced pieces of brie cheese.  Place in the oven under a low broiler until cheese is melted and prosciutto is starting to crisp a little bit.  Drizzle generously with a balsamic glaze before serving immediately.

Other topping ideas:

sliced olives
pepperoncini pepper rings
fig or apricot jam
pepperoni slices
salami slices
mozzarella or goat cheese

hot honey

Enjoy,

Chicken Saltimbocca

My kids love to cook.  Both Little Devil and the Devilish Nephew share our love for the kitchen.  I'm so glad, because it makes family gatherings even more fun and special.  One thing we've been trying to get across to Devilish Nephew is some of the best recipes in the world are super simple.  Just a handful of ingredients.  Thomas Keller's recipe for simple roasted chicken is literally: chicken, salt, fresh thyme and butter.  Sometimes the nephew gets grandiose ideas and chooses a mile long recipe with a mile long ingredient list.  Don't get me wrong, those recipes can be fun to prepare too, but when you're cooking for a crowd, or hosting a dinner party - sometimes a tried and true simple recipe is the way to go.  Chicken Saltimbocca checks all of the boxes.  It takes very few ingredients and a simple pan sauce for a dish that is impressive enough for any crowd.  We just returned from a visit to Colorado to see the nephew, where Mr. Devilish Dish made this for a dinner for 8 adults.  The prosciutto gives the chicken this little boost of salty flavor that is ideal atop a simple nest of angel hair pasta.  It's a classic dish, traditionally made from veal, but the chicken is also a classic combination that comes together quickly and easily in one pan, making it ideal for serving guests.  Delicious and impressive, with only a few ingredients.

This is such a simple, but delicious recipe.
It is perfect for a dinner party.
Easy to prepare but so impressive.

Once the chicken breasts are browned,
set aside on a plate while you prepare 
the sauce.

First add butter to the pan drippings,
and then deglaze with white wine.  Once 
the wine has reduced, add a sprig of fresh sage
and chicken or vegetable stock and allow to
reduce.  Return the chicken to the pan to finish
cooking, prosciutto side up.

Place the chicken atop fresh angel hair pasta 
and pour sauce over chicken and serve.

CHICKEN SALTIMBOCCA

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 6 ounces each

salt & pepper
fresh sage 

4 slices fresh prosciutto

all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
Fresh cooked angel hair pasta (or mashed potatoes)

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Place one or two sage leaves on top of each chicken breast.  Top with a slice of prosciutto, trimming to fit if necessary.  Cover the chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound slightly with a meat hammer.  This will help the prosciutto bond to the chicken. Place some all-purpose flour onto a plate or shallow dish.  Lightly dust both sides of the chicken with flour.  Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a large skillet and place the chicken breasts prosciutto side down.  Cook approximately 3 minutes of fairly high heat, until the chicken is brown and done almost all of the way.  Turn the chicken over and brown the other side.  When the chicken is brown, remove from the pan onto a plate and set aside.  Leaving the drippings in the skillet, add the butter to the pan.  When it is melted, add the white wine to the pan to deglaze.  Scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan and cook until the wine is reduced by half, approximately 2 minutes.  Place a sprig of fresh sage in the pan, and add the chicken or vegetable stock to the pan and bring to a boil.  Cook until the stock mixture has reduced by half.  This should take 3-4 minutes.  Return the chicken to the skittle, prosciutto side up and simmer until the chicken is reheated and cooked through, about 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place chicken breasts top a nest of freshly cooked angel hair pasta, or a serving of mashed potatoes.  Pour the sauce over the top and serve.

Eerie Eyeball Pasta Salad

Happy October!  Happy Halloween!  I hope you like your food staring back at you, because I've got a spooky side dish that should scare the appetite right into you.  I realized a few weeks ago that October was coming in hot and I had nothing new to share with you that was pumpkin spiced, scary, fall-ish, or remotely Halloween-themed.  Thankfully Mr. Devilish Dish is a good sport, and albeit reluctantly, spent an entire Saturday watching football and golf, being fed an assortment of tricks and treats.  I had the "eyeball idea" and couldn't decide between using it for a spaghetti & meatballs type dish (which would be super cute also) or a pasta salad.  I opted for the pasta salad, knowing it is something that could easily be made ahead and ready to eat before an evening of trick or treating, or Halloween partying.  I served this as a spooky side dish, but you could definitely add some additional ingredients like cubed salami or pepperoni, or even grilled chicken and serve it as a meal.  I kept the ingredients super simple, with just grape tomatoes and cucumbers, but feel free to add carrots, artichoke hearts, more olives, onions or anything else your Halloween heart desires.  Just don't forget the mozzarella "eyeballs" or it won't be eerie.

This turned out to be so much fun.

The ingredients.  Feel free to add your favorite
meats or veggies to create your favorite pasta
salad combination.

I used a tiny pumpkin cookie cutter to cut
my cucumber slices into tiny pumpkins.

Combine the halved tomatoes,
cucumber slices and the cooled cooked
pasta in a large bowl.

Add your favorite Italian salad dressing.
(You may not need the whole bottle)
Toss, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, toss the ingredients one
more time and scatter your mozzarella eyeballs
around the top of the salad.

So fun and cute!

I served my salad on the side of 
some Mummy Hot Dogs.

EERIE EYEBALL PASTA SALAD

1 (12 ounce) box Fusilli pasta (I got the tri-color so some would be orange and green)

1 container grape tomatoes, halved
1 English cucumber, peeled and sliced

1 bottle of your favorite Italian salad dressing

1 container Bocconcini (small Mozzarella cheese balls)
1 small can sliced black olives

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, drain and cool.  Add the grape tomatoes, cucumbers and salad dressing.  (You may not need the entire bottle - just get a good coating.) Combine, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  

Prior to serving, drain the liquid from both the mozzarella balls, and the black olives.  Using the end of a wooden spoon, CAREFULLY make an indention into the mozzarella ball and insert a sliced black olive into the indention to create eyeball.  Continue until you've used all of your mozzarella balls.  Toss the pasta salad together one more time, and place the eyeballs all around the top of your pasta salad. Serve and enjoy.

Tiramisu (In Baseball Hats - Just like the MLB NY Yankees!)

 You know from many previous posts that I am a baseball fan.  This comes from a long marriage of "If you can't beat them, join them." Mainly I am a college baseball fan, but I the hubs loves the St. Louis Cardinals so I do my part to keep up with Major League Baseball too. When I was a kid, you could get ice cream served in little plastic baseball hats.  I took them home, carefully punched holes in the sides, added elastic and made hats for my dolls.  When I admitted this to Mr. Devilish Dish years later, he wasn't a bit surprised as I am probably the girl-iest baseball fan you'll ever meet.  I saw these plastic hats and sundae spoon sets way back in the season at Dollar Tree.  I loved them, mainly for the nostalgia of my childhood, but I knew I would do something with them eventually.  Not long after I saw a social media post by Major League Baseball advertising that the New York Yankees would be serving Tiramisu in helmets at their games this year and a (copycat) idea was born!  I knew EXACTLY what I would be serving for Father's Day this year.  All I had left to do was order some super cute baseball napkins and the day was complete.  I have to admit my Father-in-Law and Mr. Devilish Dish were the most impressed as they are the biggest baseball fans in the family.  And also the biggest Tiramisu fans in the family.  Now you don't necessarily need to serve your Tiramisu in baseball helmets, you can certainly prepare this dessert in a regular 9x13-inch baking dish. BUT if you are a baseball fan then you'll definitely score a HOME RUN serving it the Yankee's way!

Play Ball!  A Father's Day HOME RUN

My inspiration - these little plastic sundae
dishes from Dollar Tree

Begin by whisking together egg yolks,
granulated sugar and salt.

Carefully cook in a double-boiler until the
mixture reaches 165-170 degrees F.

Allow mixture to cool 10 minutes
before adding vanilla extract.

Carefully whisk in cold mascarpone
cheese until the egg mixture is 
thick and smooth.

Beat the heavy whipping cream until
you achieve medium-stiff peaks. 

Carefully fold the whipped cream into
the mascarpone mixture.  You want this 
to remain very light and fluffy.

Place your cold espresso or coffee into a
shallow baking dish.

Add coffee liqueur if desired.
(Optional)

I had to cut my ladyfingers in half to fit
into my baseball hats.  If you are using a
9x13-inch baking dish, there is no need
to cut the ladyfingers.

Quickly dip the ladyfingers into the coffee
mixture.  You don't want them to get too
soggy and start falling apart.  Place them
into the helmet, or baking dish and make 
one layer covering the bottom.

Top the soaked ladyfinger layer with a
layer of mascarpone filling. Keep dipping
your ladyfingers and repeat this layering 
process.  (Because my helmets were deep
and only held a couple of ladyfingers per layer
I think I wound up with 3 layers of each
mixture.  If you are using a baking dish,
you'll probably have two layers of each.

I filled them as full as I could get them. 
At this point I wrapped them with plastic
wrap and refrigerated overnight.  If you aren't'
using the helmets, go ahead and dust your baking 
dish with unsweetened cocoa powder and cover with
plastic wrap before you refrigerate.

Thank you Major League Baseball and 
especially the New York Yankees for this idea.

Here they are!  The perfect Father's Day Treat,
and the perfect summertime dessert for any baseball fans.

These were so much fun to make and a HUGE
hit.  You might say a HOME RUN.

I'm so happy with how these turned out.  A fun
reminder of those childhood baseball games with ice 
cream served in team helmets.

TIRAMISU

6 Large Egg Yolks
2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
24 Ounces Mascarpone Cheese
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Cups Cold Brewed Espresso (I used some strong cold brewed coffee I had in the fridge)
1/4 Cup Kahlua Coffee Liqueur (or other coffee liqueur - this is entirely optional. Omit the liqueur all-together if desired)
36 Ladyfingers (Possibly up to 45 if you are using a traditional baking dish and not the little helmets. (look for the traditional ones that are crisp - NOT the soft cake-y ones)
1/4 Cup (or a little more) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Combine the egg yolks, granulated sugar and salt in a double-boiler (A heat proof bowl will do too.) Set over a sauce pan of simmering water, whisking constantly making sure the egg mixture does not scramble.  Once the mixture becomes pale in color and begins to thicken, remove the bowl from the heat.  (Test to make sure it is done by checking the temperature.  It should be 165-170 degrees F.)

Set the mixture aside to cool for approximately 10 minutes.  Once the mixture has cooled, whisk in the vanilla extract and mascarpone cheese.  Don't overmix, just make sure to get the lumps out so that your mixture is smooth.  

With an electric or stand mixer, beat the heavy whipping cream until you achieve medium-stiff peaks.  
Fold half of the whipped cream into the egg/mascarpone mixture until well-combined and then carefully fold in the remaining whipped cream, taking care the keep the mixture light and fluffy.  Set aside.

In a shallow dish, combine the cold coffee and liqueur (if you are using it.) Quickly dip the ladyfingers one by one into the coffee mixture and place in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.  (If you are using the plastic helmets like I did, you may need to cut the ladyfingers to fit with a serrated knife.)

Once the base of the baking dish (or helmets) is covered, spread half of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers.  Add another layer of dipped ladyfingers over this layer.  Spread the remaining mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers.

At this point if you are using the helmets, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.  (My hats were pretty full so I did not want to mess up the cocoa layer with plastic wrap) If you are using a baking dish instead, you should be okay to go ahead and dust the mascarpone layer with cocoa powder.  

Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight as you want the flavors and layers to meld together.

I made my Tiramisu the day before, covered the helmets in plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight.  Just before serving, I removed the plastic wrap and carefully dusted them with cocoa before serving.