Honey Garlic Spare Ribs

Need to take an appetizer to someone's home? Bring these baby's along and they'll be talking about you all night. You don't even have to say where you got the recipe. Just send me an email telling me how good they were.

Ingredients

• 4-5 pounds pork spare ribs, 2 racks

• 2 tablespoons garlic powder

• 3/4 cup honey

• 2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

• 3/4 cup soy sauce

• 3 cloves garlic, crushed

• Sliced green onion

• 1/2 teaspoon Sesame seeds

Directions

1. Cut racks into individual ribs and season with garlic powder

2. Arrange in a 13x9-baking dish

3. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for one hour, or until very tender

4. Combine remaining ingredients (except green onions and sesame seeds) in a saucepan and simmer 5 minutes

5. Remove from oven and drain ribs well - careful, there will be lots of steam under the foil

6. Pour honey mixture over spareribs and make sure all ribs get coated

7. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for another hour. Baste well about every 10 minutes

8. Remove from oven and garnish with the green onions and sesame seeds.

Hot Sweet Wings

Makes about 2 dozen wings

Make them on a moments notice by keeping a bag of wings in the freezer - you don't even need to defrost them. Just yank 'em out and throw them in the oven, it's a piece of cake.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds chicken wings

• 1/2 cup honey

• 1/4 cup butter

• 6 ounces Louisiana-style hot sauce

• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• good size pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat broiler

2. Place wings on a foil lined baking sheet and broil until done - about 10 minutes a side - more if frozen

3. While they're cooking, put remaining ingredients in a small pot and simmer for about 15 minutes

4. When wings are done, mix them in batches with the sauce in large bowl

5. Place wings in serving bowl with some of the sauce

Pesto Pizza

Serves 6 for an appetizer

Our friends John and Jo Ann (Jo Ann H., Somewhere in Texas) would often serve this amazingly simple and delicious appetizer. When they moved away, we were all sad, but she left the recipe behind and it made us feel a little better (not a lot, just a little.) This is so quick to make and will easily travel to someone else's home - just get it all ready and cook it in their oven. Oh yeah, don't let them tell you there's no room. There's always room, and it only takes 10 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1-10 oz pre baked pizza crust
• 1-7 oz container pesto sauce (you'll use about half)
• 1-4 oz Garlic & Herb soft spreadable cheese (I use Allouette)
• 3/4 cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Spread Herb & Garlic cheese over pizza crust
3. Spread about half of the pesto evenly over top of cheese
4. Sprinkle parmesan over top of pesto. That's it!
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until it starts to get bubbly and a little brown
6. Cool for a few minutes and then slice into thin wedges

My Mom's Lox Dip

So simple yet so delicious. Man, she's good.

Ingredients

• 1-4 oz package sliced Lox, chopped
• 4 ounces cream cheese (3/4 small package)
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 1 hard boiled egg, grated
• thinly sliced green onion for garnish

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well
2. Chill in refrigerator about 20 minutes
3. Sprinkle with a little more sliced green onion
4. Serve with toasted pitas (see recipes)

Fresh Mozzarella & Tomato Pizza

Serves 6 as an appetizer

Also referred to as a 'Margherita" pizza (but different from the Margarita drink) this is easily on of my favorites. The fresh mozzarella makes it the bizzle. The quantities below will make a 10-inch pizza, or 2 of the smaller appetizer sized ones.

Ingredients

• 1-10" ready made pizza crust - like Boboli
• Fresh Mozzarella, sliced 1/8" thick
• 3-4 Roma tomatoes, sliced 1/8" thick
• Fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Put tomatoes in bowl with olive oil & garlic, mix well
3. Put tomatoes on crust & cover with mozzarella (NOTE: Do not cover too perfectly - you want some of the tomatoes showing through)
4. Top pizza with some of the basil leaves
5. Bake approximately 12-15 minutes

Mushroom Crostini

'Crostini' too fancy-sounding? Then let's just call this 'mushrooms on bread'. Better?

Ingredients

• 3 cups sliced mushrooms (your choice)

• 2 tablespoons rosemary

• 1 large clove garlic

• 2 tablespoons dry vermouth

• 1 baguette, sliced into diagonal 1/4 inch slices

• fresh ground pepper

• olive oil

Directions

1. Brush one side of bread slices lightly with olive oil

2. Saute mushrooms in oil in nonstick pan over medium heat

3. When soft, add pepper, rosemary and garlic - stir well for a minute

4. Heat broiler, and toast bread slices lightly; oiled side up

5. Add vermouth, taking care as it may flame up

6. When most of the liquid has evaporated, remove from heat

7. Spoon mushroom mixture on the tops of the toasted bread

8. Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan and serve

Mushrooms & Goat Cheese in Pastry

There are so many kinds of 'shrooms out there - it doesn't matter what you use -just choose your favorites!

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound mixed mushrooms, sliced thin
• 2 large shallots, diced
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 5 ounces softened goat cheese
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1 sheet puff pastry
• Olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Heat olive oil in medium pan and saute mushrooms until softened
3. Add shallots and garlic; mix well and cook for 2 minutes
4. Remove from heat and put in large bowl; allow to cool slightly
5. Add goat cheese and parsley
6. Mix well
7. Spread puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface
8. Place mushroom mixture in middle of sheet and fold ends over the top and seal edges
9. Place seam-side down on a well greased baking sheet, make some small decorative slices with a sharp knife across the top; but don't cut all the way through
10. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown
11. Slice and serve warm

Blue Cheese & Olive Bread

Having dinner with friends is the best and we recently went to Matt & Peg's. In addition to having the usual great time (we played "Ooh, Ahh", don't ask) Peg served this bread with dinner. It's way rich, way delicious and way easy!

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French bread
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic - crushed
• 12 oz Kalamata olives (Greek Olives), pitted and coarsely chopped
• 10 oz crumbled Blue Cheese, approximately

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Cook onions over medium heat in a saute pan with approx 1 tablespoon of the oil until softened and beautiful
3. Slice loaf in half long ways
4. Mix remaining olive oil and garlic in small bowl
5. Spread garlic oil mixture on cut side of each loaf
6. Layer each half with onions, then olives and then blue cheese
7. Bake in oven for approximately 10-15 minutes or until crispy
8. Remove and cut into serving slices and bingo, you're done

Pear & Gorgonzola Bread

Makes one loaf

This comes from our wonderful friend Peg, who lives up the street. I added the sauteed red onions because almost everything is better with them.

Ingredients

• 1 large red onion, cut into thin slices
• Olive oil
• 1 loaf good crusty bread, like an Italian or French loaf
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup crumbled gorgonzola or blue cheese
• 4 pears, ripe and sliced into thin slices

Directions

1. Cook red onion with a little olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat until well softened
2. Preheat oven to broil
3. Mix butter and gorgonzola well in a small bowl, set aside
4. Slice loaf in half lengthwise
5. Drizzle olive oil on cut side of bread and place under broiler a minute or so until it just starts to get crispy
6. Remove and cover cut side of bread with red onion and then cover that with pear slices
7. Then spread gorgonzola butter over pears
8. Put under broiler until light brown and bubbly
9. Remove and slice into serving pieces

Pepperoni Pizza Appetizers

Makes about 15

To make this really simple, it can all be mixed in a Cuisinart. Unless, like me, you don't have one and need to cut everything into tiny pieces by hand. Not that I'm complaining. I mean, is it really a big deal if a guy with a cooking show doesn't have a Cuisinart? Nope - I can handle it. It would be nice; but I can handle it.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni
• 1/2 cup Swiss cheese
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 3 tablespoons sundried tomato paste
• cocktail bread slices, rye or pumpernickel - about 15

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Either throw everything (except the bread) in a Cuisinart and mix until pretty smooth, or
3. Chop everything (except the bread) by hand in a fine dice and mix with tomato paste
4. Spread thickly on bread
5. Bake about 10 minutes then
6. Broil about 2 minutes until brown & bubbly

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs

Makes 24 halves

Think deviled eggs are old-school and don't belong in contemporary life? Think again junior.

Ingredients

• 12 hard-boiled eggs
• 6 ounces package smoked salmon, chopped fine
• 1/3-cup mayo, roughly
• 1/2 cup red onion, diced small
• 1 or 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
• Big pinch Kosher salt
• Pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup green onions, chopped fine
• Caviar

Directions

1. Slice eggs down the middle lengthwise (you knew that right?)
2. Put whites on your serving plate, and the yolks in a bowl
3. To the yolks add the salmon, mayo, red & green onion, hot sauce, salt, pepper & mustard
4. Mix all well and then fill each of the egg halves
5. Add a tiny amount of caviar to the top of each egg and sprinkle with chives
6. NOTE: You can get these all set a few hours in advance, but don't add the caviar until the last minute because when it sits on the eggs too long the liquid can come out and make the top of the eggs a bit messy.

Blue Cheese & Red Onion Quesadillas

Serves 4 as an appetizer

Think about this - melty blue cheese married to caramelized red onion that's been sweetened with a little brown sugar. On second thought - don't think about it - just make it.

Ingredients

• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2-3 ounces crumbled blue cheese
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 8 corn tortillas

Directions

1. Cook red onion in a non-stick pan over medium heat until very soft, then stir in brown sugar
2. Add blue cheese and mix until cheese is melty
3. Divide onion and blue cheese mixture between 4 tortillas, spread out and top each with another tortilla
4. Cook in non-stick pan until both sides are lightly browned, remove, cut into wedges and serve

Sweet Hoisin Wings

Makes 2 dozen

Hoisin is sort of an Asian bbq sauce. You'll find it in the Asian aisle at the supermarket

Ingredients

• 24 small chicken wings, frozen even
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon chili paste, optional

Directions

1. Mix hoisin, honey and garlic (and chili paste if using)
2. Place wings in zip lock bag and add hoisin mix - keep a little out for dipping after
3. Place bag in fridge, making sure the wings all get covered with sauce - the longer they marinate the better, from 30 minutes to 24 hours
4. Grill until cooked through and browned - serve with extra sauce

Toasted Pitas

Great for serving with appetizers, dips and spread-kinds-of-things.

Ingredients

• Pita bread
• Butter

Directions

1. Slice pitas around, so you end up with two circular halves.
2. Butter inside of each lightly, and cut into triangles.
3. Put on a baking sheet under broiler until slightly golden.
4. Serve with dip.

Tomato, Onion & Goat Cheese Pie

This is no quiche - not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just a wonderful collection of simple ingredients that you'll love. My teenager had friends over one day when I was making this and they all ate it. All of it. Here's what they said:

Nick: "Sam at the top of his game." John: "It was a loped out dank piece of pie." Dean: "It was a gnarly chill pie." Josh: "It's a creeped out danky piece of dank cheese pie."

You can see how moved they were. Maybe you should try it for yourself.

Ingredients

• 3 large red onions, sliced thin
• 3-4 large ripe tomatoes, in 1/4 inch slices
• 6 ounces crumbled goat cheese with herbs
• 1-9 inch unbaked pie crust
• Olive oil

Directions

1. Saute onions in olive oil until softened, season with salt & pepper
2. Place pie crust in pie plate, and fill with onions
3. Cover with sliced tomatoes in a nice pattern
4. Sprinkle cheese crumbles over the top
5. Bake at 350 until edges become brown
6. Remove from oven and slice into wedges

Won Ton Chips

These are perfect to use when you have a flavorful dip you don't want to take add additional cracker taste to.

Ingredients

• Won ton wrappers

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250
2. Place individual wrappers on un-greased baking sheet
3. Bake for 15 minutes

Tomato & Yellow Pepper Gazpacho

Serves 6

This is big and bold and full of flavor and deserves to be made.

Ingredients

• 2 yellow peppers, seeded & cut into big chunks
• 4 medium ripe Roma tomatoes, quartered with just the stem end removed
• 2 long English cucumbers, or 1.5 medium ones - cut lengthwise and then into 1 inch chunks
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into big chunks
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce, I like Cholula
• 1 large bunch Cilantro or Parsley - no stems
• 3-5 ounces tomato juice or Bloody Mary mix - depending how thick or thin you like it
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil for serving

Directions

1. The key is to blend everything, so if you can fit everything in a processor or blender the first time, go ahead and blend until still a bit chunky
2. If you need to do it in 2 shifts, do that - eventually everything will fit for a final blend, but don't blend it too perfect - keep it a little chunky
3. Put in a bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil

Sammy-Boys Margarita

Makes 1 - go on, be selfish

The Margarita may have been born in Mexico in the 40's, but it came of age in my kitchen in the late 80's. Don't change it, just make it. And please use a decent tequila. I have this theory - crappy tequila makes a crappy Margarita. Oh, and be a little careful, they're kinda strong.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces reposado tequila

• 2 ounces Sweet & Sour - not Margarita mix

• ½ ounce Grand Marnier, plus extra for serving

• 1 splash Roses Lime Juice

• 2 lime wedges

• 2 orange wedges

Directions

1. Add ice to shaker and put in tequila, sweet & sour, Grand Marnier, Roses limejuice and juice from one lime & orange wedge

2. Place lid on shaker and shake well - you want it icy

3. Add fresh ice to a glass and pour in contents from shaker

4. Squeeze a new wedge each of lime and orange on top and drop wedges into glass

5. Then float a little more Grand Marnier over the top and voila - life is good.

WATCH ME MAKE THIS... PLUS, A BUNCH MORE RECIPES

Yakitori Chicken

Japan is famous for the little shops that serve many incredibly delicious types of charcoal grilled chicken. The 'little' refers to the fact that the shops can be as small as having seats for as few as 6 or 8 people. The 'many types' refers to the many different 'parts' of the chicken they use. For our purposes, we'll stick with just thighs.

Ingredients

• 16 bamboo skewers
• 4 chicken thighs
• 5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 5 tablespoons sake
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 green onions

Directions

1. Soak skewers in water for 20 minutes
2. Combine soy, sake and sugar in small pot over medium heat for 5 minutes
3. Cut each thigh into approximately 8 bite size pieces
4. Thread 2 chicken pieces onto a skewer with a piece of green onion in the middle
5. Grill chicken over medium heat until done, basting constantly while they cook until done

Grilled Pesto Shrimp

Serves 6

2 ingredients - OK, technically 3 if you count the stick. Larger shrimp like at least 31/40's are great. That just means there are between 31 and 40 shrimp per pound.

Ingredients

• 24 large shrimp, de-veined with shell & tail removed
• 2 cups pre-made pesto, store bought is easier
• 24 wooden skewers

Directions

1. Thread 2 shrimp onto 2 skewers - the 2 sticks keep them from spinning around.
2. Coat shrimp well with pesto and let sit about 15 minutes - reserve some pesto for serving.
3. Heat grill or grill pan
4. Cook a couple of minutes on each side and serve with extra pesto for dipping