Walnut, Honey and Chèvre Crostini | Friday Night Bites

Have you ever made something that instantly you say to yourself – this is absolutely one of the best things I have had in a long time?  If you are like me, you like to cook a variety of dishes which are great.  But then you have those certain dishes that you make that just stand out and make your taste buds do the happy dance.  This Crostini was dancing like the stars for me.

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Pepperoni Caprese Bites with Basil Vinaigrette | Friday Night Bites

What an incredibly busy week.  So hectic that this weeks Friday Night Bites is actually appearing on Friday.  With work kicking into high gear along with hosting my direct reports for the annual team appreciation lunch at my house plus some other events, this week whirled by.

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Mini Meyer Lemon and Strawberry Bundt Cakes | Secret Recipe Club

I am elated that it is Meyer Lemon season.  This lemon is a hybrid between a lemon and a mandarin orange and is native to China.  I couldn’t be happier that they made their way to the United States back in the early 1900’s.  Several were ready to be picked from my tree on the patio and just needed to find that perfect recipe to highlight these little yellow gems.

After an extended holiday break from The Secret Recipe Club, we are back up and running.  I missed the monthly reveal and exploring another bloggers site.  If you are not familiar with The Secret Recipe Club or want to join, simply click here to learn more.  Essentially each month you are paired with another food blogger and you can choose any recipe they have posted.  You make it and post it.  Yup – it is that simple.  The fun part is finding out who had your blog and what they chose.

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Wild Mushroom Crostini | Friday Night Bites

I am a Crostini enthusiast! I am consistently creating new combinations in my head – often when I am driving or falling asleep. This holiday season was a time for entertaining at my house and that naturally means appetizers will be part of the event.  If you know me or have followed me for a while, “the Crostini” will make an appearance on the blog.  It is that time again.  This Wild Mushroom Crostini was a complete hit at one of my parties, especially since one of my dear friends is a vegetarian.  I actually had her in mind, when creating it.

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Roasted Shallot Dip | Friday Night Bites

Getting friends together and making them smile by cooking some of my favorite things along with trying out new recipes, brings me much joy.  Over the holidays, I was a frequent entertainer – which suited me just fine. My hubby is always amazed that I will make a new recipe for friends who are coming over. I guess it never really fazes me.  It gives me the opportunity to test out a new recipe and make tweaks to enhance the overall taste. I must admit that looking back, I have vastly improved my cooking prowess and I can evaluate a recipe quickly and make adjustments.

While browsing the web, I came across a recipe for Roasted Shallot Dip on  Southern Living .  My mouth began to salivate immediately.  Besides the ultra creamy texture, the process of roasting the shallots in their skins was a unique technique that sparked my interest.  Okay, the pile of bacon bits on top certainly had an allure that was unmistaken. A typical onion dip has sour cream and perhaps some cream cheese or mayonnaise added in for good measure.  This particular recipe has mascarpone cheese.  You heard me right – mascarpone cheese.  This was the secret weapon in this masterful dip.  I topped with crumbled crispy bacon and finely chopped scallions – it was perfect.  I made a few changes to the recipe but found it to be a keeper.  Next time I would add some dry roasted pecans to the top and can just imagine how over the top delicious that would be.  Note to self – buy pecans.  Smile.

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Salted Butterscotch Haystack Cookies

Happy New Year! I want to give a huge shout out to all of you, my loyal readers.  I appreciate each of you.  Each time I receive a comment on my blog, a like on facebook, a tweet on twitter, a pin on Pinterest, a like on Instagram or a nice personal email, I am reminded that writing this blog is more than posting recipes.  It is a platform for building a community around something I have a passion for – Food, Wine and Entertaining.  Thank you and look forward to making 2014 a great year!!!

Back to work on Monday.  After sixteen days away from the office, I must admit it rather shocked my body to abound to a 5:30am alarm clock.  One can certainly get use to sleeping in until 8:30 each morning then enjoying a piping hot cup of coffee while watching Good Morning America with hubby.  Oh, hubby was on vacation too – yeah!  We filled the time with working out every other day, doing a ton of organizing, entertaining, drinking wine, spending time with family and friends, eating in and dining out, baking, shopping, watching movies, catching up on our favorite television shows and general relaxation.  Overall, it was one great vacation in my opinion – just wish it did not go so fast.

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Bacon and Orange Marmalade Canapés | Friday Night Bites

A couple weeks ago I had the ultimate Friday Night Bites with great friends.  My long time friend Denise came up from San Diego for the Holidays.  We reserved a date for the get together back in September and it seemed like it would be forever until I saw her, but then the holidays appeared.  I had about a dozen folks over to enjoy an evening of wine, appetizers and many laughs. 

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