Watermelon, Strawberry and Basil Skewers

Let the baby shower food continue! Monday I showcased the delicious brie bites, yesterday was the zucchini stuffed muffins and today are these light, but yummy skewers. Aren't these precious? Perfect for a girly baby shower right?

My big change from the original recipe was that I used mozzarella in place of goat cheese, mainly because mozzarella is easier to handle than goat cheese and I thought it would transport better.

Enjoy!

Watermelon Strawberry Basil Skewers - Edible Perspective

Watermelon Strawberry Basil Skewers slightly adapted from Edible Perspective

Watermelon, cubed ~1-1 1/2-inch in size
Strawberries, hulled and quartered
Basil leaves, 1 small leaf per skewer
Mozzarella
Honey


Layer the watermelon cube, basil leaf [if the leaves are large cut in half], mozzarella, strawberry, then skewer together with a toothpick.

Top with a drizzle of honey just before serving.  Best served immediately.

Ham and Manchego Stuffed Zucchini Muffins

Ummmm wow is all I have to say about this combo. Ya ya ya ya I know another muffin, but have you all ever had zucchini muffins?! They are delicious. This was my first time to make and/or have a zucchini muffin and I'm already planning on baking a second batch this week. This was another item I made for the baby shower this past weekend (See yesterday's post for another item we served.) and I loved that it was a small bite, but with a little extra something something because of the ham and manchego.

Feel free to make the muffins ahead of time, I made mine the day before. You also could even make way in advance and freeze.

When I make these again (most likely later this week) I want to replace the brown sugar with applesauce and use whole-wheat flour in place of the all-purpose, I'll report back on how this works.

Ham and Manchego Stuffed Zucchini Muffins - Fitness Magazine

Ham-and-Manchego-Stuffed Zucchini Muffins - Fitness Magazine

Makes 24 servings

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray

1/2 cup  packed dark brown sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon  vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups  grated zucchini

1/3 cup  olive oil

2 tablespoons  butter, melted

1 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon  baking soda

Pinch salt

1/2 teaspoon  cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg

3/4 cup  chopped walnuts, toasted

1/4 pound  thinly sliced ham

1/4 pound  thinly sliced Manchego

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 24-cup mini-muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, egg and vanilla; whisk until frothy and slightly thick. Stir in the zucchini, oil and butter. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and walnuts; stir into the zucchini mixture. Pour 1 tablespoon of the batter into each muffin cup. 

Bake on the middle rack until golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove pan from oven, raise the rack to the top and set oven to broil.

Cool muffins on a wire rack 5 minutes; remove from pan and let cool completely. Cut the top off each and set aside. Divide the ham and Manchego evenly among the muffin bottoms. Broil on a baking sheet until cheese is slightly melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and top with the muffin tops. Serve warm.

Brie Bites

So I normally never post recipes that I didn't in fact try because what would be the point of that, however, I had such glowing reviews from these Brie Bites that I had to post. I helped host a baby shower on Saturday and these were the favorite from our spread by far. These precious popsicle sticks made them extra cute!

A few tips with these...definitely use parchment paper, allow yourself enough time to make these and I put my puff pastry in the refrigerator overnight to thaw, but still remain cold and that worked perfectly.

Bite-sized Baked Brie - Joy the Baker

Bite-sized Baked Brie from Joy the Baker

makes 24 squares

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed but still cold

1/2 wedge of brie (about 4 ounces), cold

1/3 cup fruit jam 

1 large egg, beaten

splash of milk

coarse sea salt

24 popsicle sticks

All-butter, store bought puff pastry  usually comes frozen and folded into thirds. Cut the puff pastry into thirds along the creases. Cut each panel into four pieces. They’ll be 2 1/4-inch tall and 3-inches wide.  One sheet of puff pastry will yield 12 rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half. You’ll have 24 little rectangles that will create 12 little rectangle pockets.

Combine beaten egg and splash of milk. Brush 12 of the small rectangles with egg wash. Place a popsicle stick halfway up the puff pastry and press in gently. Place a small sliver of brie (rind and all) on top of the egg wash (and stick). Top with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam. Take another square of puff pastry and press between your fingers to make the rectangle slightly bigger. Place puff pastry on top of the cheese and jam. Use a fork to press the edges together. The egg wash will act as  glue. Make sure to seal the edges well by crimping with the fork. Prick the top lightly with a fork.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place prepared brie bites on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with a touch of coarsely ground sea salt.  Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Chocolate Raspberry Oatmeal Muffins

Yeppp it's been awhile since I've posted a muffin recipe so here is another yummy one. I had some raspberries that were about to bite the bullet and so I searched Pinteret for a raspberry muffin, but then decided I wanted oatmeal and chocolate chips in them and found this recipe to go off of. They are delicious! I had one last night as a treat after our dinner and was very happy with the outcome.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Raspberry Oatmeal Muffins - Pastry Affair

Chocolate Raspberry Oatmeal Muffins adapted from Pastry Affair

Yields 12 muffins

3/4 cups milk
3/4 teaspoons white (or apple cider) vinegar
3/4 cups rolled oats (not quick oats)
1 large egg
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cups fresh (or frozen) raspberries
1/3 cup chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and let batter sit in the refrigerator for an hour for the oats to soften. Do not overmix.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease your muffin tins.

Fill the muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the tops are a light golden brown and spring back when touched. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in the tins for easy removable, enjoy!

No Bake Flax Energy Bites

After having such luck with these gems, I'm on to my next healthy treat. These no bake flax energy bites are soooo delicious. I whipped these up in about 20 minutes, making them quick and easy too. I'm keeping mine in the fridge as I prefer them cold, but you could store at room temp, however, with the TX heat I would be nervous the chocolate chips would melt. Enjoy!

No Bake Flax Energy Bites - Miss Renaissance

No Bake Flax Energy Bites adapted from Miss Renaissance

1/3 cup oats
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup coconut flakes (plus 2 T for topping)
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 T honey

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Scoop bite-sized portions out with your hands and roll into balls, roll the balls in the 2 T of coconut if desired and set on plate. Set plate in fridge if desired!

Kale Salad

This was one of those throw together recipes that turned out amazing. Last night was girls night and we decided on a kale salad. We basically threw together what sounded good and LUCKILY it turned out awesome.

A few notes, for the kale I had some FRESH as in grown in my girlfriends backyard fresh, so having that was amazing. I also had a bag of kale from Trader Joe's that we used too. The coconut was an idea that I got from this recipe, and I was apprehensive about it, but it worked out great. For the chicken I grilled some boneless skinless chicken tenders coated with some olive oil, lemon pepper and a garlic and herb seasoning on my indoor grill pan and then sliced.

The key to this salad is to assemble and dress it all ahead of time and then let it sit in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes. With kale being a heartier green it can really stand to soak up the dressing.

Kale Salad

Ingredients
- Kale
- Small handful shredded coconut
- Small handful pistachios
- Small handful dried cranberries
- Honey Goat Cheese
- Chicken
- My Dressing

Enjoy!

Dannijo Fall Reveal

As most of you know I LOVE a statement earring, and while I don't have a pair from Dannijo (hint, hint hubs) I adore their pieces. Their fall line is now showcased on their website and I'm obsessing over many a pretty pair of earrings, just like I was earlier this year when their Spring/Summer line was released.

I had to showcase my absolute favorite first...please come live with me.

Dannijo - Cher

Dannijo - Selma

Dannijo - Collin