One of the reasons I started partytipz.com is to showcase foods that are “out of the box”, fun, and unforgettable for your guests.  I love to give my guests new experiences with fun party food and combinations of foods they wouldn’t typically think of putting together.  Today, is National Ice Cream Day and I’m having some friends over for dinner.  I’ve prepared a fun menu, but my favorites will be these chocolate covered ice cream sandwiches which I dipped in nuts, sprinkles, and yes.. bacon!  These were easy to make and my friends will love them!!  I hope you have a wonderful National Ice Cream Day!!

As some of you may know, I went on a 4th of July recipe marathon this month.  I tried a bunch of great recipes.  Some worked and some didn’t. Here’s a recipe that was really each, fun with the kids, and delicious… Puff Berry Stars!

Ingredients

• 1 sheet puff pastry dough
• 8oz container of cream cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup various berries (strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries)
• Star cookie cutters (various sizes)

Preparation

Brace yourselves, because I’m about to introduce you to a fabulous drink that not only YOU will enjoy, but your party guests as well.  Its key ingredient… of course lemons… but the other is agave nectar!  I’ve heard “agave this” and “agave that” for years.  But to be honest, I don’t have too many issues agains sugar, so as long as there is moderation, I don’t really mind using it in my drinks and desserts.  HOWEVER… I had to learn more about this agave nectar everyone is buzzing about.  So, I did and I must say… I really like it!  Plus, it’s kind of cool to tell people that they are drinking a delicious concoction you created with agave nectar!  If you are interested in learning the difference between agave and sugar, here’s a link to a great article.

Lastly, I highly recommend you make the ice-cubes.  They really add personality (and the actual blueberries) to this drink.  Oh, one more thing… if you would like to save calories, you can flavor your Fresca with this lemonade.  I will use 1/2 glass of lemonade and 1/2 glass of Fresca and it makes a wonderful lower calorie version of this drink.  Also, if you would like to take this drink up a notch, add a shot of vodka, and you’re set!  Well enough talk… here is the recipe.

Ingredients

Ice Cubes (these are very important)
2/3 cup agave
2 cups water
1 cup blueberries (I added strawberries as well)

Fresh Lemonade
2/3 cup agave
4-5 cups water
1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 5-6 lemons)
1 fresh-sliced lemon
3-6 basil springs

For Blueberry Ice Cubes
Combine agave with water.  Pour into an ice cube tray.  Add whole blueberries (I added strawberries too) and freeze for 3 hours or more.

For Fresh Lemonade
In a large pitcher, combine lemon juice, 4-5 cups of cold water and agave until desired sweetness is achieved.  Chop 2-3 springs of basil or mash up the leaves.  The goal is to get the oils out of the leaves.  You may drop the chopped pieces in the lemonade.  You may want to fish out the basil before serving, although I leave mine in the lemonade.  Chill in the refrigerator for one hour.  Serve with blueberry ice cubes, fresh lemon slices, and basil springs.

There are great recipes and then there are “trendy” great recipes.  This is one of the trendiest things to do this summer… braiding and pastry puffs!  I’ve watched several shows on HGTV where similar desserts have been showcased and even though braiding and pastry puffs have been done for many years (especially with meats and fish), this year, it seems to be the “thing to do”.  I’m not opposed to trendy recipes… but when it’s coupled with the words “super easy” and “delicious”, it’s an absolute must for me to try.  And so I did, and from the very first try, I came out with a stunning dessert that my family gobbled up within minutes.  Seriously, this is a no-fail!  This is wonderful to serve with whipped cream, cool-whip, or the my ultimate favorite, a scoop of ice cream (while the tart is hot!).  Okay, enough with the chit chat, here’s my recipe.  Also, the Pepridge Farm Puff Pastry web site has TONS of recipes, including one similar to this.  A great resource if you love to bake with puff pastry.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Sheet of ready-made puff pastry dough (thawed at least 45 minutes)
2 cups of mixed berries (you can use strawberries and blueberries for the patriotic look or add blackberries and raspberries for a wild berry feel)
1 8-0z package of cream cheese  (softened)
1/2  cup of sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg (for brushing)
powdered sugar

PREPARATION

Unfold your puff pastry and roll it out a bit to make it flatter and larger.  Place it on top of a well-greased baking pan.

Heat the oven to 400°F.  Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar and vanilla, beating well.

Spoon the cream cheese filling lengthwise down the center of the pastry.  Then top the cream cheese filling with berries.   Cut slits 1 inch apart from the 2 sides of the pastry rectangle to within 1/2 inch of the cream cheese mixture.

Starting at one end, fold the pastry strips over the berries and cream cheese, alternating sides, to cover cream cheese and berries.  Brush the pastry with the egg mixture.

Bake for 15-25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.  Let the pastry cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 20 minutes and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Enjoy with whipped cream, ice cream, or even on its own!

Bite sized, delicious, and of course… gorgeous!!  Wait until you see these beautiful little trifles sitting on your dessert table.  I highly recommend you chill them since the cream cheese filling tastes a lot better when its cold.  A great “make-ahead” treat!

Ingredients

• 1 sheet puff pastry dough
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 can condensed milk (or 1/2 cup powdered sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup mixed berries (blueberries and strawberries)
• 1/4 slice angel food cake, cubed

Preparation

For Easter brunch, my family went to Lidia’s in Kansas City.  It was a wonderful brunch and I tried a number of delicious dishes.  One of the items I ordered was the Asparagus E prosciutto appetizer.

Isn’t it beautiful?  It really caught my eye when they placed it in front of me.  When I tried it, I liked it, but wondered if I could make a similar dish, which is bigger and healthier.  The ingredients listed on the menu at Lidia’s for the Asparagus E prosciutto is  Asparagus, Scallion and Egg Salad with Prosciutto di Parma.  I’m on a carb free eating plan and wasn’t sure what was in the dressing or the egg salad.  So, I thought I would try to re-create the salad at home, with ingredients that were more accommodating to my eating plan.  Here is the salad I created.

Here is my recipe… all these ingredients are fabulous and good for you! I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do.

RECIPE:
8-9 fresh asparagus which are blanched for 1-2 minutes
2-3 hard boiled eggs
2-3 fresh radishes
1/2 avocado
4 slices of prosciutto ham (thinly sliced)
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
1-2  tbsp of balsamic vinegar and olive oil mixture
salt and pepper to taste

Cut up your eggs and place them in the middle of your plate to create the bed for the salad.  Top with radish slices.  Drizzle with a little bit of the dressing and salt and pepper.  Place the blanched asparagus on top of the egg and radishes.  Place the prosciutto pieces around the outside of the plate.  Top off with diced avocado and cilantro.  Last but not least, drizzle the remaining dressing all over the salad and serve!

If you are one of those people who can’t seem to get out of the “cheese and crackers” plate, you will LOVE this article!

A few weeks ago, I invited one of my favorite couples to my place for an “ultimate” cheese experience.  Knowing that cheese was their weakness, I thought… why bother with dinner, we’ll just make the appetizer our main meal… needless to say, my guests loved it!

Something I hear from many of my friends is that they can’t seem to get creative with the cheese plate.  It seems like it’s always an after thought with the main meal taking most of the priority.  Well, here is a cheat sheet of some of my favorite things to add to a cheese spread.  Use all these ideas, or just a few.   I guarantee these items will always be a success!

Marinated Olives

Olives are a staple on a cheese plate, however marinated olives are even better! Most supermarkets have a plethora marinated olives at their deli section and I love that you can buy them by the pound and choose the amount you would like to serve.  However, they tend to be a bit pricey and if you are sticking to a budget, making your own is always a better option.  I simply mix a little garlic (not too much)  and my favorite spices (but not too spicy) in olive oil and pour over my favorite olives.  Let them stand for an hour and you should have a great addition to your cheese plate.

A Variety of Cured Meats

Whether you choose salami, prosciutto, or ham, cured meats are always a delicious addition to any cheese platter.  If you don’t like cured meats, you could also serve deli meats, such as roast beef, turkey, or chicken slices.  Your guests will love making their own combinations of cheese, crackers, and meats.

A Variety of Breads

Most people opt for crackers with their cheese.  And if you are serving a cheese plate as an appetizer, before a big meal, this will probably be a great option.  However, if you would like the cheese spread to be your main meal (maybe for a wine tasting party), consider adding various kinds of breads to the table.  Bread can fill up those hungry guests and adding additional bread accoutrements such as olive oil dip and soft cheeses will guarantee that no one walks away from your party hungry.  Also, consider using breads that are “out of the box” and your guests would not normally consider purchasing, such as olive ciabatta any flavor challahs, egg breads, etc.  Of course, have one “neutral” bread that everyone would like such as a french baguette.

Fruit

Fruit is a MUST!!  Fruits are beautiful, delicious, and best of all, help the digestive process.  Fruits have always complemented cheese and the best part of creating a cheese platter  is adding fruit which may be out of the box a bit.  Grapes are always great, but fruits such as figs, cherries, and strawberries look beautiful and taste great with cheese.  Of course, doing a bit of research and checking to see which cheeses go with which fruit is always recommended. For example, stay away from any high acid or citrus fruit.  But it’s not rocket science so don’t overthink it!  And don’t forget, dried fruit is wonderful too!!

Honey

Honey is a wonderful addition to any cheese platter.  It is the perfect juxtaposition of sweet and sour.  Generally, I recommend you use varietal honey which is made from bees who pollinate on just one flower rather than bees that pollinate a bunch of different kinds of flowers.  Also, just drizzle a little honey on the cheese, don’t soak it.  A little goes a long way!  

Honeys goes really well with aged cheeses that have a good amount of nuttiness. Parmigiano-Reggiano, a tangy Cheddar, or any of the alpine cheeses (Comté, Gruyère, Appenzeller).  Other sweet and creamy cheeses like ricotta, goat cheese, or feta are wonderful with a citrus based honey.  Don’t forget the blue cheeses which are spectacular with honey.  For some, the spicier the better, but you may want to experiment to see what you and your guests like the best.

Other Wonderful Additions:

Pepperoni Chips – Simply place pepperoni slices in your oven at 375 degrees for 5-10 minutes or until they get crispy and serve!

Chocolate – Did you know that dark chocolate and Parmesan cheese have been scientifically proven to work well together.  That’s right, scientists have actually proven that these two items are perfect for pairing.  Here’s the link to the full article on HuffingtonPost Taste, it’s fascinating.  And the good news is that  your guests will be WOWed by your brilliance 🙂  Another cheese you may want to try with chocolate is mozzarella cheese.  But don’t over do it, just a small amount will make a huge impression!

Fondue – So many of us think that we have to have wedge cheese on our cheese plate, but a hot delicious and creamy fondue will bring oohs and ahhs!  Plus, they are very easy to make

Nuts – Don’t forget the nuts!!  Almost any nut will look wonderful on your cheese plate.  You can do a little research to see which nuts pair well with cheeses, but honestly, it’s hard to go wrong.  My ultimate favorites are almonds and cashews.  They work well with most cheeses.

Preserves – Fig preserves are incredible on top of a delicious brie!  Other preserves such as plum, apricot, and even wild blueberry are unbelievable!!   Stop in at your local supermarket or gourmet grocer and talk to the cheese monger about the best pairings for their cheeses.  I find that the people behind the counter can answer all my questions and even teach me a thing or two!  Also, if there is a special gourmet cheese section at your grocer, take a look around to see if other items are displayed.  Many times, the cheese section has all you need to find the perfect preserves.

Things to avoid would be vegetables, spicy foods, heavy garlic flavored crackers and breads, citrus or high acid foods, and Tannic Red Wines.

Sometimes I feel really guilty posting recipes for sweet things, especially when I know I’m about to unleash something on to you that you will never forget!  Well, this is exactly how I feel about my latest obsession, the BROOKIE!  And what is a Brookie you may ask?  Well, if you ever had a day when you couldn’t decide to eat a cookie or a brownie, you can kiss those days goodbye!  Now, there is a dessert that encompasses both passions… beautifully I may add!  Before I give you the recipe, I want to warn you that I am a lazy dessert girl.  So, if I can cut some corners… I WILL!  With this said, I use the term “from scratch” rarely… and I’m not about to use it today!   I have figured out the best way to combine store-bought items for a quick and simple concoction.  I love using Ghirardelli brownie mix.  Trust me, I’ve used many different brands and this one is PERFECT!!!  For cookies, I use the refrigerated ones, Pillsbury is always a winner, however, the store-brand ones seem to work well too.  If you would like to make both the cookies and brownies from scratch and then combine them, feel free.  And you will find many recipes on the web that are great resources.  Just Google “brookies”. But since I typically make this dessert for parties (trust me, it’s safer for my waistline this way), I have a ton of menu items that I need to work on, so the less steps I have to go through, the better!

Another warning… the toughest part about this recipe is the time you have to stare and drool over the Brookies while they are cooling.  So your best bet is to make them ahead of time.  Make them the morning of your dinner party or even the evening prior.  Put them out of your sight and forget about them! Cut them when they have completely cooled.  If you want to pop them in the microwave for 10-15 second to get them a little warm, that will work.  And of course, you can serve them with other accoutrements, such as a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream!  But honestly… they are fabulous on their own!

But enough with the talk.  Here is the recipe for the easiest and most addictive dessert I’ve made thus far.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

INGREDIENTS

1 box Ghirardelli Triple Fudge Brownie Mix, 19 oz (It will come with a fudge pouch… so good!!!)
1 package of  any cranberry oatmeal (or just oatmeal) refrigerated cookie (Pillsbury is great!)
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water

PREPARATION

Mix the Ghirardelli brownie mix according to package directions.  DO NOT ADD THE FUDGE POUCH, I’ve got a better use for it later!  Grease a 9×9 pan and preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  Empty the brownie mix into the greased pan.  Open the refrigerated cookies and break them apart.  Set them on top of the brownie mix giving them a little space between each one the end result is sort of like a grid of cookies on top of the brownie mix.  Do not be concerned if the cookies start sinking into the brownie… that’s all part of the plan!

Pop the brookie into the oven and set your timer for 45 minutes.   If you like your brookies super moist, you can remove them from the oven after 45 minutes.  If you like them slightly more dense, put aluminum foil on top of the brookie and let it bake for another 10 minutes.

Once it’s done baking.  Remove the brookie and open up that FUDGE POUCH that came with the brownie mix.  Create a pretty pattern on top of the brookie with the fudge. Let it fully cool, which could be up to an hour.  You can even pop it into the refrigerator for the last 30 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

When I find a great recipe, I don’t hesitate for a moment to try it.  Here’s a recipe I found on the box of Honey Maid graham crackers.  I LOVE ice cream sandwiches, but let’s be honest, they are not the healthiest of choices.  These however, are a winner!  You’ll be using fresh berries, banana, yogurt, graham crackers, and fat free whipped topping.  If you want to cut even more calories, omit the banana, these sandwiches will still come out wonderfully!!  Pictured are the sandwiches “whole” or cut into smaller pieces, according to the perforations on the crackers.

Ingredients

• 10-1/2 HONEY MAID Honey Grahams (you can use the whole cracker or broken into quarters (42 rectangles)
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup chopped bananas
• 1/2 cup cup blueberries and/or blackberries
• 1 cup vanilla nonfat Greek-style yogurt
• 1 cup (or more) thawed frozen reduced-fat whipped topping

Preparation

Presentation

Whether you are celebrating Easter, or just the beauty of the arrival of spring, this centerpiece could not be any easier and makes an incredible impact on your table or buffet.  All you need is clear glass vases, various carrots, and some mums or daisies.  For a step-by-step instructional video, just VISIT MY VIDEOS PAGE and look for the EASTER CARROT CENTERPIECE segment on Better Kansas City!