Feta Cheese Fingers

These easy appetizers are good and awesome for parties.  I made these all by myself for a family party. 

Feta Cheese Fingers
by A Little Side Dish

Feta cheese, cubed
Green Olives

1.  Take a toothpick and place one green olive and two feta cheese cubes on each one.  Serve.

Orange Chocolate Macarons

These delightful macarons just melt in your mouth and are delicious.  My whole family loved them.  We brought them to a party.  I helped my mom make these. 

Orange Chocolate Macarons
adapted from What a Dish!

110 g almonds meal/flour

200 g powdered sugar
1 scant teaspoon powdered orange food coloring
50 g granulated sugar
100 g egg whites (about 3 egg whites), aged (left out) a day at room temperature

1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

2. Pulse almond flour, powdered sugar, and powdered food coloring in a food processor until evenly mixed. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, and scrape the seeds out using a paring knife. Add the seeds to the granulated sugar and whisk to combine.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the granulated sugar and continue to whip until a shiny, stiff, glossy meringue forms (but not dry).

4. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, and add the almond mixture. Using a rubber spatula, briskly and quickly fold the almond meal into the egg whites. After a few brisk strokes, slow down and then gently incorporate the rest into the batter.You want a batter that flows and "ribbons" for at least 5 seconds.

5. Pour the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip (I use Wilton 12). Pipe the batter into 1 1/2-inch rounds, spacing them about 1-inch apart. Whack the baking sheets on the counter a few times, then allow to sit at room temperature for about 1 hour, or until a hard shell forms. (While you wait, prepare ganache, below.)

6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 280 degrees. Bake the macarons 10-12 minutes, depending on size. (Should be dry and lift away easily from parchment when done.) Allow to cool completely on the pan before using a small spatula to remove them. Match the cookies according to size and pipe filling on half, using the other half to form a sandwich.

Dark Chocolate Ganache

6 oz. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream

1. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, over medium heat, heat and stir the cream until it barely comes to a simmer. Immediately pour over chocolate in bowl and cover bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes.

2. Then, whisk until combined and smooth. It might take a little bit, but it should turn dark, smooth, and shiny. Set aside to cool until needed. I set it in the fridge, since it needs to be on the thick side for the filling.

Bacon Cheddar Triscuits

I made these for my family for an appetizer party we had.  I did these all by myself.  My mom helped me put them in the oven though.  They were good and easy and we liked them. 

Bacon Cheddar Triscuits
from Nabisco

1 regular box (around 8-9 oz) Triscuit Crackers

1 cup (or more) shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

1/2 cup Real Bacon Bits

 

1.  In a large bowl, combine cheese, mayonnaise and bacon bits.  Spread onto Triscuits.  You probably will not use all of the Triscuits.

 

2.  Bake at 400 F for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.  

 

Strawberry Smoothie

I had an idea from Jamba Juice and decided to make this smoothie.  This is a delicious smoothie that my family loved.  I really like it too. 

Strawberry Smoothie
my own recipe

1 bag frozen strawberries
1 single-serve container of plain Greek yogurt
handful of frozen raspberries
juice of one lime
about 1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup orange juice

1.  Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  Serve!

Ice-Cream Sandwiches with Opa's Cookies

This was a delicious treat for me and my family.  I made these with Opa's Cookies that I made before.  I used my mom's camera for this picture!!!  My mom helped put in the ice cream but I did the rest myself. 

Ice-Cream Sandwiches with Opa's Cookies
adapted from Do It Myself Kids' Cookbook
12 chocolate-chip cookies
ice cream, slightly softened (any flavor)
sprinkles

1.  On the bottom of half of the cookies, place a scoop of ice cream.  Top with the other halves, bottom-side touching the ice cream.  Push ice cream out to edges and roll edges in sprinkles so that they stick on the ice cream. 

Opa's Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are delicious cookies that make really good ice cream sandwiches.  That's what we made them for, and we had a hard time not eating them all before that.  This is my Opa's (Grandpa's) recipe.  We only made a half recipe because the whole one makes a lot. 

Opa's Chocolate Chip Cookies
from my Opa; this is a half-recipe

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups oatmeal (like quick oats)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 (10-12 oz) package chocolate chips
3/4 cups chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

1.  Preheat oven to 400 F.  Mix butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs.  Mix well until smooth.  Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and oatmeal.  Mix in.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.  Shape into golf ball size balls and mash down slightly on lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake 6-8 minutes.  Do not overbake.  Makes about 3 dozen. 

Egg Cream

This was a delicious treat for me and my smaller brother. 

Egg Cream
adapted from Do It Myself Kids' Cookbook

1/2 cup cold milk
1 cup cold seltzer water (sparkling water)
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

1.  Pour the milk into a tall glass.  Pour the seltzer water on top.  Stir in the chocolate syrup with a long spoon.  Drink right away.