I was on the hunt for an appetizer meatball recipe last weekend. I could have gone retro and simmered beef meatballs in the crockpot, but instead I tried this Asian-themed recipe. As the title suggests, I used ground turkey instead of beef, and decided on ‘Thai’ because they are simmered in coconut milk. I made a few other changes to the recipe, skipping the leek and the garnish, and using red chili paste in place of the fresh chile pepper. They weren’t spicy at all though, the most dominant flavor was ginger. Next time, I might make the meatballs as a main dish, and serve the sauce over some rice noodles.

Let’s jump right into the new year with a recipe, and when I finally finish my 2010 goals, you’ll be the first to know. I made this walnut pesto from Smitten Kitchen and then served it along with fresh bread and crackers at a small gathering of old and new friends (and loyal blog readers!) It was good, but it didn’t have the ‘wow’ factor I expected. The group seemed to like it though, and it wins points for being fairly easy to put together in advance. The rest of the fresh thyme is now stored in the freezer, so I’ll be putting that to good use in another recipe this winter.

You know that every once in a while, I like to share my mishaps in the kitchen. My Mom sent me this recipe she had seen in the newspaper. I like bread, and grapes, and cheese for that matter, so this seemed promising. But I decided to try a quarter batch first, to test things out, using some whole wheat dough I had on hand, and standard red grapes from the produce market.

I rolled out the bottom part of the dough and placed it in a greased loaf pan. I cut some grapes in half to lay on top, sprinkled a little sugar, and then rolled out the second portion of dough. I ran into some trouble right away because I didn’t really have enough dough to cover it and there were several holes evident before it went into the oven. I let the dough rise for an hour, but didn’t see any real progress, so I went ahead and baked it for 20 minutes. There just wasn’t enough dough for the grapes to get settled, so many of the grape halves came tumbling out when I went to cut the pieces. I salvaged them of course, for the top. Here is the final product, which actually tasted pretty good, when eaten with a knife and fork. I will give this one another shot sometime soon and let you know how it goes, because this would make a great holiday appetizer.

First, thanks for all your comments on Friday’s post, and keep them coming. It’s fun to see what others want to cook. I have a post this week which addresses one request!

Now, onto a dish I brought to a fun gathering on Saturday night. These egg rolls were made from Hungry Girl’s first book, and were a good vegetarian option. I can’t post the recipe because it’s only published in the book, but the ingredients are the typical vegetables you’d find in a egg roll mixed with some crushed pineapple. They had a very mild flavor, and were much healthier than the takeout version! If you are not ready to buy the book yet, HG has this recipe posted on her site which is similar, but uses shrimp and/or mushrooms. And next time, I’ll see if I can make a dipping sauce.

I am a big fan of Stonewall Kitchen products, but more on that in a future post. My sister made this appetizer for the weekend using Stonewall’s Farmhouse Chutney. The cheese ball was rolled in walnuts, in place of pecans. I generally think of cheese balls as a holiday appetizer, but it worked just as well here, on the cusp of fall.

I brought this dip to my annual family picnic, inspired by the basil plant in my parent’s backyard.

It is so easy and economical to make your own hummus. This recipe doesn’t include tahini, and some may not consider it a proper hummus, but I think the lemon and garlic work well. You can also control the texture in your food processor and leave just a few lumps. Here it is served with carrots, cucumbers, and…..whole wheat toast. I was out of pita!

My original plan when I came home from the produce market was to put together a nice traditional ratatouille. Except what I really wanted was nachos! Oh, you’ve never eaten nachos with eggplant before? Me neither, but it was pretty good. And of course I didn’t have tortilla chips in the house either, so I made some by cutting a wrap into triangles and putting them in the toaster oven for 10 minutes.

1 T olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 zucchini, diced
1 eggplant, peeled and diced
10 mushrooms, sliced
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 T chili powder
Dash cayenne pepper

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms and cook until softened, about 20-25 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, chili powder and cayenne and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through. Serve on your choice of tortilla chips, topped with shredded cheddar.

When I saw this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, I realized I hadn’t purchased a cantaloupe all summer, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I added cucumber based on her reader suggestions, and kept the heat to a minimum with just a dash of cayenne pepper. This was definitely a refreshing salsa on a hot day, with a nice balance of sweet, sour, and spicy. I meant to add fresh basil leaves, which I think would make a nice addition next time.

1/2 large cantaloupe, diced
1/2 medium cucumber, diced
1/4 c. diced scallions
Juice of 1 lime
Dash of cayenne pepper
Dash of salt

Place cantaloupe, cucumber, and scallions in a bowl. Add lime juice, cayenne, and salt and gently toss.