Tips and Treats: TREAT: Appetizers

For New Years Eve, we had some friends over and I made the following appetizers:

HOMEMADE OLIVE AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO TAPENADE

(This is a recipe from Giada de Laurentiis' cookbook)

Ingredients:

3 (8-ounce) cans of pitted kalamata olives, drained

3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil

Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

In a food processor, add the olives, sun dried tomatoes and olive oil the tomatoes were packed in.

Pulse until smooth (but still chunky) -- based on consistency, add more oil
You can make this in advance and refrigerate it for up to 2 days, but make sure that it is tightly covered with plastic wrap & I have found that it helps to put a little olive oil on top to make sure it does not try out.
Place tapenade (room temperature) in a bowl with the pita chips, crackers, endives, bread, etc.

TOMATO MOZZARELLA SKEWERS:

Ingredients:

2 baskets of cherry tomatoes
Fresh mozzarella (or burrata) cheese (at some stores, like Trader Joes, you can find mozarella that is already shaped in small balls - this is ideal)
Wooden skewers (can be found in the grocery aisle where cooking tools are located)
Basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt/Pepper to Taste

Directions:

Soak the skewers in cold water for 20 minutes. This will help make sure that the food goes on smoothly without any pieces of the wood coming off. In other words, this will help avoid slivers in the food, which is always a good thing....

Rotate between the tomatoes, cheese and basil
Based on your taste preferences, carefully pour the olive oil and vinegar over the skewers and sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper
You can prepare in advance, just make sure that you have poured on some of the oil and vinegar so that the cheese does not harden in the fridge.

PARMESAN CHEESE "BASKETS" WITH SALAD:

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees
Sprinkle the parmesan cheese in circles along a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

The size of the circles will depend on what you are making. I made larger circles so that I could fit in some salad. If you want to place small bite size appetizers in the parmesan bowls, you could make smaller circles and use shot glasses for setting them.
Make sure to place the cheese on the baking pan at least 1" apart so that the different circles do not touch.
Bake the cheese in the oven for about 5-7 minutes -- wait until it has slightly browned but it is not completely crisp (otherwise it will not take the shape)

Remove the pan from the oven and let the cheese cool slightly.
While the cheese is still warm, use a solid spatula to move the cheese onto the glass, cup, etc. that you are using for the shape. Press it down slightly to the shape you desire.