5 Minute Appetizer

Recipe: Herbed Ricotta Spread

A lot of times I get ideas on a whim or out of desperation and necessity. This was one of those times when I had unexpected people coming over, and I needed some form of an appetizer and quick. So after rummaging through my fridge for a moment I came up with this idea. I actually really liked how this came together and its especially yummy when spread over warm crusty bread. And because it comes together in less than 5 minutes, its a perfect addition for a cocktail party. You can whip it together and throw it in the fridge while you take care of other last minute party details. Which for me, would be putting on make-up or pants.

Makes 2.5 – 3 cups

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:
- 15oz tub Ricotta cheese
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1.5 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic
- splash of milk
- S& P to taste

Directions:

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and stir to combine. Let mixture sit for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to develop. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. Serve with crostini or warmed pita bread.

Thoughts: I made this with dried herbs because that’s what I have on hand but I think fresh herbs would be even better. Basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, and chives would all be exceptional in this. Another great use would be to make your crostini, spread the mixture on, and top with diced tomatoes.

How to Basics: Caramelized Onions

A new element I would like to add to my blog is a “How To” section. The basic idea of this feature will be for me to demonstrate or break down some form of cooking or baking that I think would be useful. FYI: There is a link for a printable version at the end of the post.


I wanted to start with caramelized onions for a couple of reasons: 1- I use them a bit when cooking so it would be easier for me to have a post that breaks it down rather than explaining it every time and 2- they really aren’t the easiest thing in the world to make. They seem pretty simple, but it took me quite a while to figure out the trick to them. I figure other people may have the same issue.

Three things you need to know about caramelized onions:
- You start out with a lot, but end up with about a quarter of what you started with
- They take a LOT of patience
- Butter is key

What you’ll need:
- 1 medium/large white or yellow onion (I prefer yellow)
- 3 tablespoons of butter
- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)]
- Salt and pepper

Directions:

Step One: Melt your butter in a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Use a large pan; you want the onion to have a lot of room to move around. Slice your onion as evenly as possible. This will ensure that they cook evenly. I prefer to slice them about ¼ inch thick.
Step Two: Add the onions to the melted butter and stir to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Add EVOO. Stir again and cover with a lid. I’ve found that covering them helps a lot. It will keep the moisture in the pan and will prevent the onions from browning too quickly.

Step Three: Keep an eye on them! Stir them every 5-7 minutes. If you see the pan getting a little “dry” add more butter or EVOO. Don’t be afraid to add more as needed. During this process I probably added another tablespoon of EVOO.

Step Four: Keep up Step Three until onions have developed a deep brown color and have become soft. Mine took between 50 – 55 minutes. HOWEVER – depending on the amount of onion and how thick you slice them, they make take more or less.

Here is the process in pictures:

Just added the onions to the pan

After cooking for fifteen minutes

After cooking 30 minutes

After cooking 50 minutes

I turned them off at this point. As you can see from the photos, they cook down a lot! Onion is a sneaky little ninja like that.

Click here for a printable copy.

A recipe and some rambling...

Recipe for Spicy Kick Guacamole

I’ve been blogging for a little over a year now and many times I still feel like a newbie. I was completely green when I started Kitten with a Whisk and all I knew was that I wanted to track my recipes and this seemed like a fun way to do it.

I had never shared recipes before because I never – I mean never – wrote them down. So while my problem has never been coming up with a new idea or a recipe, there was a problem when it came to replicating one I had created previously.

Believe it or not, I have actually used the print feature for some of my recipes I’ve posted here. I don’t keep them on file once I upload them… I probably should but I hate files clogging up my computer.

All this has nothing to do with the recipe I’m going to share with you.

Oh wait – yes it does.

So my blog is a little over a year old and I’m still learning new things about being a food blogger. The most recent lesson is: Plan on posting EVERYTHING you make.

A lot of times if I’m just cooking a quick dinner I don’t worry about writing down the specs as I go. And many times those dinners have been really great, and I would have loved to have posted them here. The recipe below was one such occurrence and was even apart of another dish that I didn’t write down either that was spectacular. Blogger FAIL.

This recipe took me 3xs to replicate what I did the first time so I could post it. And it was just a guacamole recipe!

 

Spicy Kick Guacamole

Are you on Facebook?

Then you should follow Kitten with a Whisk! Thanks to the Networked blog application, you can follow KWAW and get the latest posts in your feed.

All you have to do is go to the right sidebar, find the Networked Blogs widget, and click "Follow this Blog" at the bottom.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

If you aren't on Facebook you can also follow by Subscribing to my feed or by using Google Friend Connect. Both are also located on the right sidebar.

This has been a shameless self-promotion.

Rae ^..^

Genius or Insane?

You can hate me for saying this…but I would try the Fried Cheese Melt at Denny’s. And honestly, it wouldn’t have to be at 4am with me a little lot drunk either. I like to live dangerously.

Denny's Fried Cheese Melt

(NRN.com)

Still, what’s not to like here?
- Fried cheese? Good.
- Grilled cheese? Even better.

Well maybe not even better but still good … fried almost always trumps grilled in my opinion.

Denny’s did get something wrong though. The Fried Cheese Melt is served with a side of marinara sauce. That is the one thing that I find gross about the dish – the marinara sauce. To me it is such an absurd idea because this sandwich calls for Ranch dressing and nothing else.