Friday, February 24, 2012

the happiest of hours

Thursday - 5:00 p.m. - this is quite possibly one of my favorite hours of the week. Last night I had two of my friends, Jill & Courtney over for a ladies happy hour. I served some (store-bought) chicken potstickers, salt & pepper calamari, and I made two super easy dips. And Tender White popcorn - because I love it - thank you Sarah for introducing me this popcorn years ago!

Giada's White Bean Dip
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons
1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the bean puree to a small bowl.
This is garlicky & lemony & delicious with veggies or pita!
A spin on Ambitious Kitchen's Roasted Eggplant and Zucchini Bruschetta

1 medium eggplant, (peel about half) and diced
1 small zucchini (peel about half), diced
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tsp of balsamic vinegar
1 tsp of olive oil
1 tsp of salt
black pepper
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated 
1 loaf of whole wheat french baguette
Mix diced vegetables, EVOO, balsamic and S&P in a bowl until well-coated, spread on a cookie sheet.
Roast for about 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees. Allow to cool for a few minutes and combine all ingredients in food processor. Pulse a few times to slightly puree - you don't want a full puree as the vegetables are still supposed to keep their texture.
Serve at room temp and top with a little fresh grated Pamesan cheese.
I sliced a whole wheat baguette and lightly toasted, but you could also assemble on crostini. Oh happy hour -- I love you so. Good food, great company and a few bottles of red and white were just what we needed to relax after a long week (and a 4 hour long afternoon meeting). Instead of going out for HH next time, try cooking in. Happy Friday all!

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