Pinwheels- Turkey

More party food recipes. This one was a big hit at the party too. I forgot to post it a while back. So yummy!

8 oz sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
4 oz diced green chilies, well drained
4 oz chopped black olives, well drained
1 c grated Cheddar Cheese
1/2 c chopped green onion
a few drops of hot sauce
2 pkgs turkey (container w/red top)
10 (10-in) flour tortillas
Salsa, to serve on side

Mix all ingredients together, except turkey. Divide the filling and spread evenly over the tortillas; add turkey to each one covering the tortilla evenly and then roll up tortillas. cover tightly with plastic wrap, twisting ends; refrigerate for several hours.

Unwrap; cut in slices 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Discard ends. Lay pinwheels flat on serving platter. Leave space in center for salsa.

Keylime Tarts

These were a big hit at the party. I had no leftovers.

24 key lime cooler cookies ( I used key lime twists from target and made a crust)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbls lime juice, preferable key lime
1 tsp lime zest
fresh sweetened whipped cream
mint leaves or lime zest, for garnish

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Fill 2 (12 muffin) mini muffin tins with paper cups and spray with cooking spray. Place 1 key lime cooler cookie in the bottom of eac. cup flat side down.

Prepare filling. beat together cream cheese, egg, sugar, lime juice, and zest until well mixed. Fill the cups to the top. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove tarts to cool. When completely cool, fit a star tip in a pastry bag and fill with the whipped cream. Pipe the whipped cream on top of the tarts. Garnish with tiny mint leaves or lime zest.

Enjoy!

7Up Pound Cake

I made this last night cause we had so much Sprite left over from our party. It's not Markus' favorite, but I like it. His mom makes it a lot. In order to make Markus eat it I'm going to make a trifle with it. Can't go wrong there.

1 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbls lemon extract
1 cup 7Up (room temp)

Cream the margarine, shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the flour, then beat in the extract and 7Up. Blend well.

Pour batter into a well greased and floured tube pan (bundt) and bake at 325 degrees for 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Enjoy!

Party Time

The White Elephant Party Menu

Beverages:

Kim's Apple Cider

Poinsettia Sipper

Food:

Spinach Balls

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Pinwheels (Turkey)

Pig in the blanket

Mr. Ronnie's Snack Crackers

Snowman Cheese Ball

Sugar/Cinnamon Almonds

Keylime Tarts

Peppermint Bark

White Chocolate Cake Balls

**There might be more there, I just can't decide. I'm pretty set on all of these things though**

Zesty Italian BBQ Meatballs

I just love to make these for pretty much anything. They are so easy and taste great. One day I will try them with ground turkey.

Meatballs:

2lbs. ground beef
1 med onion, chopped (finely)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2 eggs, beaten

Sauce:

1-1/2 cups bottled BBQ sauce
3/4 cup tomato paste (1 6oz can)
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cups water, as needed
1 tsp liquid smoke

Combine the meatballs ingredients. Form into walnut sized balls. Bake the meatballs in a shallow baking dish at 350 degrees for 20 min or until browned. Drain off any fat. Transfer meatballs to crock pot. Combine all sauce ingredients in bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour over meatballs. Cover and cool on low for 4 hrs or on high for 2 hours. Stir once in the middle of cooking to baste meatballs with sauce.
From my Crock Pot Cookbook

* I experiment with the sauce but this is something to go by til you find something you like :)

Estimating Quantities of Hors d'Oeuvres

When estimating quantities of hors doeuvres for a party, keep these guidelines in mind. As a rule of thumb, most guests will consume 8 to 10 bite-size pieces for every 60 to 90 minutes of a party. However, the larger the variety of offerings, the more hors doeuvres that will be consumed because everyone will want to try at least one of each item. At the beginning of a party, especially if it is in the early evening, the pace of eating will be faster and then will slow as people satisfy their initial appetite.

If your party lasts longer than 90 minutes and is intended to replace dinner, the pace of eating will speed up again after 2 hours. In this case, it is important to have enough hors doeuvres ready and waiting in the kitchen to replenish empty platters.

For an average-size party, with 8 to 20 guests, plan on 2 hot and 2 cold passed items and 1 or 2 buffet itemsa total of 5 or 6 selections. If you will be hosting 30 to 40 guests, add 1 more of each hot and cold item plus 1 more buffet selection.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Hors d'Oeuvre, by Brigit L. Binns (Simon & Schuster,2001) .

Mascarpone Cheesecake with Almond Crust

Let me just preface this recipe with this, IT'S THE BEST CHEESECAKE I'VE EVER MADE!!!! I absolutely love it. The mascarpone made all the difference in the world for me.

Crust:

• 1 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
• 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 
  

Filling:

• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 (8-ounce) containers mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 
  

Topping:

• 1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 
  

For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Tightly wrap the outside of a 9-inch diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil. Finely grind the almonds, cracker crumbs, and sugar in a food processor. Add the butter and process until moist crumbs form. Press the almond mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan (not on the sides of the pan). Bake the crust until it is set and beginning to brown, about 12 minutes. Cool. Decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

For the filling: Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, and sugar in a large bowl until smooth, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the springform pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the center of the cheesecake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 5 minutes (the cake will become firm when it is cold). Transfer the cake to a rack; cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.

For the topping: Combine the chocolate-hazelnut spread and cream in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave until warm, stirring every 20 seconds to blend, about 1 minute.

Cut the cake into wedges. Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the wedges and serve.

*I didn't do the topping cause this cake is great alone, but just thought I'd include it for anyone interested in it.

From: Giada De Laurentiis: Everyday Italian

The Menu

I'm almost ready to post the Menu for the party. So stayed tuned to find out what we'll be eating.

Tailgate Cake

We had this cake out a tailgating this year and I just had to get the recipe. Super moist. Love it, Thanks Shelley for sharing. One day I'm going to raid your MILs kitchen!

1 Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker German chocolate cake mix

1/2 cup oil

1 cup water

1 can German chocolate frosting

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put all ingredients in an electric mixer bowl and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed. Pour into a greased 9-by-13-inch pan or tube pan. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes in the 9-by-13 pan or 55 minutes in the tube pan, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

From: Lynette Bingham's Kitchen which came from Elizabeth Pudwill