cutting corners
perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progressWhy is it when you want to take in every little minute the pace of life seems to ramp itself into a frenzy. In the past couple weeks my husband had what seemed like the last of an endless array of birthday celebrations, my baby graduated from college, and we held my sweet mom’s memorial service. All milestone moments.
To help my youngest daughter celebrate we wanted to throw her a little graduation party in Dayton. I can’t tell you how much I value connecting with others. I see entertaining as one of the best ways to do just that. So with everything going on the last thing I wanted to do was find myself stressed, alone in the kitchen, running around like a banshee.
I have many recipes that come together quickly but with everything piling up like a construction zone on I-71 I knew I needed to find some shortcuts. I’m always looking for ways to wow with no last minute effort. So how about taking something simple and making it even simpler by assembling and freezing. So I decided to experiment by taking the ingredients from my shitake cheese toasts and combining it with the last minute ease of my olive bites.
Let’s call this ramped up version- mushroom cheese crisps.
The secret ingredient that holds this all together is purchased jarlsburg cheese dip from your deli.
Remove the stems from cremini mushrooms, and dice uniformly.
Sauté in butter until they have thrown off their water and begin to crisp on the edges.
Let cool and combine with the jarlsberg dip.
Split the English muffins in half.
Place a generous spoonful of mushroom cheese mixture on top of a muffin half.
With the back of a spoon press the mixture into the nooks and crannies.
Place on a cutting board. Cut each topped muffin half into six wedges.
Place on a rimmed cookie sheet. Cover with foil. And freeze until solid, at least two hours.
Remove and place in a Ziploc bag. Place in the freezer.
Put the frozen wedges cheese side up on a foil lined cookie sheet. I use heavy-duty foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven until crisp, about eight to ten minutes.
Serve piping hot. No one need know the chilly corners you just cut.
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I'll have to try 'em! Looks delicious. Love you.