As a Matter of Food

Tomato-Artichoke with Feta and Goat Chees Bagel Chips

1 Bag of Bagel Chips – Flavor is of your choice

1 jar (6 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, drained

2 cups chopped seeded plum (Roma) tomatoes (6 to 7 medium)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

2 tablespoons crumbled Feta cheese

2 tablespoons Goat cheese crumbles

1. Chop seeded plum (Roma) tomatoes and put in a medium bowl.

2. Coarsely chop artichokes.  Add to bowl.

3. Coarsely chop fresh basil leaves.  Add to bowl.

4. Mix in Feta cheese and Goat cheese.  Lightly mix with remaining ingredients.

5. Serve tomato-artichoke with Feta and Goat cheese mix with bagel chips of your choice.

Extra Bonus Tip:

To seed a tomato you cut it in half horizontally, with stem side on top.  Squeeze it lightly so seeds ooze out.  Then you can chop it and dice it.  If you don’t want to add one or both cheeses, omit.  This dish tastes delicious even without the cheeses added.  I offered both when I served my hors d’oeuvres.  As for bagel chips, I used the ‘everything bagel’ and “plain bagel’ flavors.  You can also serve it with toasted bread slices.

All you need for that is:

Cooking Spray

1 loaf of French Baguette

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Line cookie sheet with foil.  Place bread slices on cookie sheetl

3. Lightly spray with cooking spray.

4. Bake 6 -9 minutes or until crisp.

5. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.  Cool completely, about 20 minutes.

Bacon Deviled Eggs

12 eggs

1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used the low-fat stuff)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

3 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled (you can also use Bacon Bits or Hormel Read Bacon Pieces – to save time)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Place eggs in a 4-quart pot.  Add cold water until it reaches 1 inch above eggs.  Heat to boiling; remove from heat.  Cover and let stand 18 minutes.  Immediately cool eggs about 10 minutes in cold water to prevent further cooking.  (You can add ice cubes to the cold water.  I find that it helps ease of peeling the eggs.)

2. Tap egg to crack shell.  Roll egg between hands to loosen shell, then peel.

3. Cut eggs lenthwise in half.  Slip out yolk into medium bowl; reserve egg white halves.  You can rinse the egg white halves if there are some yolk residues.  This makes for better presentation later.  Just make sure the egg white halves are dry before filling them.

4. Mash yolks with fork.  Stir in mayonnaise, paprika, and ground mustard until well blended.  For smoother texture use a hand mixer.

5. Spoon heaping teaspoonfuls of yolk mixture into egg white halves.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Sprinkle with bacon and parsley, just before serving.

Makes 24 appetizers.

EXTRA BONUS TIP:

To save time, you can prepare these stuffed eggs up to 24 hours ahead of time.  Cover and refrigerate until serving time.  Wait to add the bacon and parsley until just before serving.

For the instructional photo clip please refer to my ‘Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving post.