Cowboy Salsa

This is the first year I managed to hear that eating black eyed peas will bring you good luck in the New Year!  All thanks to the man sampling "Cowboy Salsa" at Whole Foods.  Since these little legumes bring you good luck, and since the sample we had was oh so tasty, my Mama and I decided to make some Cowboy Salsa at the end of the year.  

Cowboy Salsa - The picture doesn't do it justice

As it is with many bean salads, this is simple to make and all you have to do is put it out with some chips or crackers.  Not only is it delicious, but it is also healthy...so don't let this worry you if your resolutions include weight loss or improved health.

I hope your New Year has started with some luck of your own and I hope you enjoy this dish!

Cowboy Salsa
Ingredients:

• 2 ripe avocados (but not over ripe), diced
• 1/2 C green onions, sliced thin
• 1/2 C fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 C roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 can of corn (I like the sweet, light yellow kind), drained and rinsed
• 1-2 cans of black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 C red wine vinegar
• 1/4 C olive oil
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
 Easy as Pie:

1. Mix first six prepared ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Whisk together red wine vinegar, oil, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper.
3. Pour dressing over other ingredients and toss to combine.

Now, technically, you should chill the Cowboy Salsa for atleast 30 minutes but I say have at it!
Serve with chips, crackers or bread....or just eat it plain!

Bon Appetit!

Bacon, Leek and Cheddar Mini Quiches

I know I promised I would be posting about my recent travels, but I have much to share about my discoveries in the Caribbean and so it is taking longer than I had anticipated.  Rather than keeping you waiting, I wanted to give you an opportunity to try another delicious appetizer I made for the holiday party in PA.

I can not explain why, but for about the past 6 months I have really wanted to bake something in mini-muffin tins, besides mini-muffins of course.  Way back in the day I had seen a variety of mini-muffin tin recipes from cornbread bites topped with a tomato relish, to bacon and egg bites.  Entertaining opportunities came and went and I had yet to try one of these easy to eat creations.  Hence, when my mother-in-law suggested making Bacon, Leek and Cheddar Mini Quiches for the party I was all for it!  I had never cooked with leeks either so that was an added bonus!
Side Note: Yes, I get excited about leeks and mini muffin tin recipes.  It is all about the small things in life. Don't judge.

 Anyway, here is the run down on the mini quiches:

• Making the filling for the quiches is easy and can probably be done a day ahead of time and kept in the fridge if needed
• The crust is what takes some time.  My wonderful husband helped me by rolling out the pastry and cutting the circles while I placed the dough in the tins and scooped the filling.  Having the two of us working together made this much easier and saved us some time.  If you do decide to make these, just don't leave it until the last minute
• We froze the filled quiches and cooked them the following day and it worked perfectly.  It made it much easier to have them out hot when people were hungry, which was difficult since we had people dropping in and eating over the course of about 6 hours
• When it comes to taste...these are delicious!  The leek and cheddar are the most prominent flavors and are a great combination with the egg.  Depending on how equally divided the filling is, the bacon promises an added bonus but is not necessarily in every bite.  
• The quiches are slightly crispy on the outside with a fluffy, egg filled middle and are great finger foods.  Each one is bite size so it is a perfect dish for making it easy to eat, drink and chat without feeling like you are going to spill your food everywhere
• Definitely worth trying when you have the time to assemble them!

 Bacon, Leek and Cheddar Mini Quiches
Yields 4 dozen quiches - made in mini muffin tins

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb bacon, cooked crispy and diced into medium chunks
• 3 C leeks, white and light green parts only, medium diced
• 1-1/4 C half and half
• 1 C grated cheddar cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 T fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 1 package of frozen puff pastry, using both sheets, thawed (I use Pepperidge Farms)
• cooking spray
• flour as needed for rolling pastry

Directions

1. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon until browned and crispy - about 6 to 8 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
2. Pour off all of the excess fat, reserving about 1-2 tablespoons in the skillet
3. Return the skillet to heat and, stirring occasionally, cook the leeks until softened, about 5 minutes.  Set aside and allow to cool slightly
4. While leeks are cooling, combine the half and half, egg, egg yolks, thyme, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a medium bowl
5. Add cooled leeks and bacon to the liquid mixture and stir to combine

To assemble the mini quiches:

1. Spray the mini muffin tins with cooking spray.  If you do not have 4 dozen mini muffin tins, assemble the quiches in batches and store mixture in the fridge while one batch cooks
2. To assemble, roll out one thawed puff pastry sheet on a floured surface sing a floured rolling pin.  Roll until the pastry measures about 10"x18".  I realize this seems rather large, but trust the capabilities of your puff pastry and make sure it is well floured to make it easy to roll out to this size!
3. Once pastry is rolled, use a 3 inch circle cookie cutter (or something around 3 inches) to stamp out 3 inch circles of dough.  Each rolled out pastry will yield about 2 dozen quiches
4. Gently press the rounds into the mini muffin tins so the pastry comes slightly above the min quiche holes
5. Fill each dough round with about 1 T of the filling.  It is okay if the filling comes up to the edge of the dough.
6. Bake the quiches immediately, or freeze them to bake at a later time.  They will keep for about a month if you choose to freeze them.  If you have limited tins you can freeze these in batches.  Simply place the filled tins in the freezer for about an hour.  Once frozen, remove the quiches from the tin and store in an airtight container.  Repeat after assembling all batches.  When baking, quiches will need to be returned in batches to the mini muffin tin.
7. To bake the quiches, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Bake until the filling is puffed up and the crust is golden, about 20 minutes if you bake immediately, about 30-35 minutes if the quiches are frozen.  If you choose to freeze the quiche, do not thaw before baking.  Simply place frozen quiches back into the muffin tins (if removed for freezing) and bake as mentioned above.

BON APPETIT!