Happy Hour at Danielle's

When we heard we were having a night of appetizers for dinner a few of us definitely thought we were going to starve. Were we ever WRONG! We stuffed ourselves with 4 different plates, not to mention a mashed potato bar with all the fixins and dessert. 'Nelle is pretty well known for her appetizers and here she shares some of her secrets.

Baked Brie Cheese

From- Lisa Bauder (Jake’s Aunt)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts or pecans

1 tablespoon brandy

1 (14-ounce) round brie

For Serving-

Apple wedges

Pear wedges

2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Crackers

Baguette

In a small bowl stir together the sugar, nuts, and brandy. Cover and chill for at least 24 hours or up to 1 week.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Place the brie on an ovenproof platter or pie plate and bake for 4 or 5 minutes or until the brie is slightly softened. Spread the sugar mixture in an even layer on top of the warm brie and bake for 2 to 3 minutes longer, or until the sugar melts. Brush the fruit wedges with lemon juice and arrange them around 1 side of the brie. Place crackers & baguette around the other side.

Lemon Quinoa Cilantro Chickpea Salad

From- Pinterest; The Diva Dish blog

Ingredients:

1/2 C. dry quinoa

2 C. vegetable broth

1 can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)

1 c. cherry tomatoes cut in half

2 avocados diced

2 C. spinach

1 bunch cilantro

1/4 C. onion

2 small cloves garlic

For the dressing:

Juice of 2 lemons

Zest of 1 lemon

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. agave nectar

1/2 tsp. cumin

Dash of salt and pepper

1. Make your quinoa first. Soak the quinoa in a pot in the veggie broth for about 15 minutes. After that, turn on the heat to medium high and let the quinoa come to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat to medium/low and let quinoa simmer. Stir every so often, and cook quinoa for about 20-25 minutes just until the liquid absorbs. You don’t want it completely dried out, so when there is just a TINY amount of liquid left in the pot, remove it from heat and put a lid on it. Set it aside, and make the rest of the salad.

2. In a food processor, add your spinach and cilantro. Make sure to wash you greens.

3. Process the greens until they are finely diced. You can do this by hand as well if you don’t have a food processor

4. Add the greens to a bowl, and set aside. Next take your onion and garlic and finely dice those (I do this in the food processor to), and add to the greens mixture. Next add your chickpeas and stir until everything is combined and coated. If the quinoa is cooled, you can add it to the chickpea mixture next.
5. Make your dressing by whisking all the ingredients together. Pour over salad, and mix until combined. Add in tomatoes and avocado and mix. Set in fridge for about 10-15 minutes before serving so the flavors set.

Chicken Parmesan Bites

From- Rachel Ray Big Orange Cookbook

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

¾ cup bread crumbs

¾ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; grated

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

2 pounds chicken (cut into pieces)

Salt & Pepper

3 tablespoons oil for pan cooking the chicken (I prefer vegetable oil)

1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

½ cup homemade basil pesto (or store bought)

Arrange 3 bowls, fill one with the flour, one with the eggs and the third with a mixture of the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, lemon zest and parsley.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and coat each first with the flour, then egg and finally the bread crumb mixture. Set the coated pieces on a baking sheet.

Place a large pan over medium-high heat with the oil.  Cook the coated chicken bites in 2 batches, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.

While the chicken bites are cooking, place a small pot over medium heat with the crushed tomatoes and bring to bubble. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the pesto.

Serve the chicken bites with the tomato-pesto sauce alongside.

The mashed potato bar is pretty straight forward...

Then for dessert we had Santa Hat Brownies...This recipe is easily found on Pinterest and also pretty easy to put together yourself with any brownie recipe.

Enjoy!
AK