Artichoke Gratinata (crowd pleasing veggie dish!)

Artichoke Gratinata (crowd pleasing veggie dish!)

Ok, throw me a bone here friends, this is another Giada Recipe I saw her whip up on Food Network.

I've been waiting for a chance to try this recipe - and Saturday night (same night of the goat cheese stuffed mushrooms) was the perfect night. I was sick of my usual Arugula Salad, or grilled veggies (to be honest I don't like many veggies so it gets hard to be creative) but this one is a true crowd pleaser. I made a few adjustments that I'll list below the regular recipe!!

What You'll Need:
*3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
* 1 garlic clove minced
* 1 lb frozen artichoke hearts, thawed & drained
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 3/4 teaspoons salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 1/2 cup chicken broth
* 1/4 cup Marsala wine
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/3 cup plan bread crumbs
* 1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese.

*(My modifications: I doubled the recipe to accommodate 6 as this recipe says it's for 4. Instead of sauteing everything in olive oil, I used my left over bacon grease that I had made for my stuffed mushrooms (naughty, I know.) I also used more like 3-4 minced garlic cloves and a little extra red pepper flake)

To Do:

* Preheat Oven to 450 degrees

* Warm olive oil (or bacon grease in my case) in a heavy bottom skillet (I used cast iron) over medium - high heat. Add the garlic & cook for 1 minute. Add the artichoke hearts, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and cook until the artichoke hearts are starting to brown a the edges around 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and wine and simmer 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a 2-4 quart baking dish.

* Melt the butter in the same skilled used to cook the artichoke mixture. In a small bowl mix the melted butter with bread crumbs. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and top the artichokes with the bread crumb mixture. Bake until top is golden around 10 minutes.

Serve With:
This is a great side for beef (I made bacon wrapped grilled filets); pork; meaty fish dishes or even chicken.

(apologies for not having a photo of the dish, I had too many balls in the air and next thing I knew it had been consumed! Everyone loved this dish - I feel it's a good crowd pleaser and even a kid friendly veggie dish! Give it a try and report back)

HAPPY EATING FRIENDS!!!
XOXO
THE WILSONS

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Scrumptious Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms with Bacon

Image by little blue hen via Flickr

Scrumptious Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms with Bacon

I originally came upon this recipe from a blog I read called BreezyMama. I made a couple of very minor modifications, such as adding more goat cheese and bacon than originally recommended, as well as some garlic. I will list the original recipe as well as my modifications below!

I served this as an appetizer at a dinner party Saturday night and they were gobbled up within minutes! The prep and bake time is NOTHING so if you need an easy but scrumptious appetizer this is for you!

You'll Need:
* 16 oz Mushroom Caps (the bigger the easier to stuff)
* 5.5 oz goat cheese
* 7 slices bacon
* 2 green onions

(Modification: I used about 7.5 oz of Goat Cheese; 8 -9 slices of applewood smoked bacon to add sweetness; 3-4 green onions (the white part has the most flavor), two-three cloves of garlic minced and browned in the bacon fat you have left
over)
Directions:
* Cook bacon in large skillet (save the grease to brown some garlic if you follow my modification)
* (optional) brown the garlic for a minute or so in the hot bacon grease)
* Wash & Cap 'Shrooms
* Dice green onions and bacon
* Mix the green onions, bacon, goat cheese (& garlic) in a bowl
* Stuff Shroom caps
* Spray a large baking sheet with Pam
* arrange stuffed shrooms on baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes or so until brown on top!

GO ON NOW AND EAT SOME GOAT CHEESE LOVE!
XOXO
THE WILSONS

Goat Cheese and Roasted Garlic Dip. A Lisa Wrisley Recipe.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

You might not know Lisa Wrisley (yet!), but girlfriend can whip up a mean dip. I recently made this Goat Cheese and Roasted Garlic Dip at a "Girls' Night." It was the most popular dip I have EVER made. If you want a definite crowd pleaser - even with the picky eaters - this is for you.

Goat Cheese and Roasted Garlic Dip

This spread is heaven. Period. You just have to deal with the fact that you will have stinky breath. Once you are over that, your taste buds and stomach will thank you! What started as a quick dip passed along by my Mom has turned into the go-to staple at any get together. It’s a total crowd pleaser and seasonally versatile. In the Fall, it can stand up to a nice Zinfandel or Cab and in the Spring and Summer, it’s fantastic with a Rose or crisp Sauvignon Blanc.

Enjoy!

1 head garlic
Olive oil

1 large (or 2 small) sweet onion, halved and sliced thin (Maui onions when in season are the best)
3T unsalted butter
15 oz. soft goat cheese
3T balsamic vinegar (less if using good aged vinegar)

1 large French baguette, sliced ¼” – ½” thick, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the top ¼ off the garlic head, exposing the cloves and leaving the root intact at the bottom. Place garlic head on a sheet of tin foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap foil to create a pouch and place in oven. Roast for approximately 45 min until golden brown and mushy. Set aside.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large sauté pan. Add onions. Cook over medium heat until onions have thoroughly caramelized and turn golden brown, approx. 30 minutes. Salt/pepper onions halfway through. Turn heat to medium low and add balsamic vinegar to caramelized onions. Cook another 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly. Season with S&P to taste. Let cool slightly.

While onion mixture is cooling, spread roasted garlic on the bottom of a shallow baking dish. To remove garlic, grab hold of the root end (you may need to use a towel if hot) and squeeze as you would a lemon. The roasted garlic should ooze out – yum! Spread a thin layer across the bottom of dish and top with the onion mixture. Top the onion mixture with the goat cheese and spread into an even layer covering up the other layers. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 350. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes to allow the top to brown a little.

To serve, remove the dish from the oven and stir the layers together to combine. Drizzle with a little balsamic, if desired. Serve with the toasted baguette slices. Note: You can also serve straight from the oven without stirring, but people then miss the garlic and onions, which are the best part!

Thank you * Lisa Wrisley * for unlocking your sacred recipe vault and sharing this soon to be national treasure with the foodies of the World :)

We'd love for you to try this out & let us know what you think!

Cheers,
The Wilson