Monday, March 10, 2014

Carrot-Leek Baked Appetizers and 50 years to deal with...


I loathe Daylight Saving Time, yesterday was a complete blur.  I really needed to curl up in a ball and crash out somewhere about 5, but instead downed excess caffeine and stayed up till after midnight working on my parents 50+ year photo hoard.  When my head finally hit the pillow I yearned to pass out into a coma like state, but of course why would anything happen the way I want it to?  Hot Dog Dude came to bed at the same time as me and started talking and then just lapsed into a snore induced coma with no warning, leaving me lying there wide awake.  (For the love of God I have no idea how my parents' stayed married 50 years sleeping in the same room?)  Then again I'm still unsure if I actually fell asleep when I was awoken by a dream of me trying to help deliver Azmina's baby in a Target store.  

In my dream I told her I had done this plenty of times before and that everything would be fine, they had all the supplies we needed for the job in the baby isle and that she needed to make herself comfy on a blow-up mattress in the camping isle.  Just to clarify here Azmina I have absolutely zero baby delivery skills and if you are in my company and you suddenly feel compelled to give birth, for goodness sakes call 911.  CALL 911!  Also, I think we should stay at least 100 feet from any Target until we know the coast is clear.


Much less stressful than dream delivering a baby in Target was making these tasty carrot, leek, and goat cheese appetizers the other day.  I was thinking back to Christmas when the lovely Lisa invited a group of us to her home for a cookie swap.  I made a carrot, leek, and goat cheese tart to share with the group and while I was craving another one, I decided to lighten the recipe.  Looking over all those old photos was incentive enough to never eat again, but I have a better chance of actually delivering a baby than that happening.  

Carrot, Leek, and Goat Cheese Baked Appetizers
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces 
2 teaspoons olive oil 
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Salt
Pepper 
2 ounces leek, white part only 
2 teaspoons olive oil 
1 clove finely minced garlic 
3 tablespoons water 
1/4 cup kalamata olives, roughly chopped 
2 ounces soft chevre goat cheese 
1 package square won-ton wrappers 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 

Combine carrots, olive oil, thyme, and salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to combine. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment and cook for 25-30 minutes until carrots are tender. 

Add leeks, oil, and garlic to a pan and sauté on medium heat for 3-5 minutes until limp. Add water and cover and cook on low for 10 minutes until the leeks are soft. Set aside.

In a bowl combine, cooked carrots, leeks, and olives and toss to combine. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Spray a mini-muffin pan with olive-oil spray or brush it with olive oil. Fill cups with won-ton wrappers and fill with the carrot mixture.  Top each one with a little crumbled goat cheese.

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Serve warm or room temperature.


I almost forgot to give you the update on my brother's Volkswagen Bus; he wasn't able to make a deal with Rick.  I'm sure he will find the right buyer for the car eventually.  I am also leaving the offer on the table to broker the deal with you myself for a small commission.

Hope your week goes much better than my feeble attempt at sleep did.

Gina




11 comments:

  1. Gina,
    I know alll about going through fifty years of pictures, when I planned my parents' 50th Anniversary. Mind boggling, but you will get through it, and it will be beautiful, and made with love:)

    Your appetizers look so "Springy", and around here we need all of the 'Spring things", we can get. 50's today, more snow Wed..

    Hugs

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  2. Like you, they should simply leave the time alone and let it come naturally. It was hard to get up this morning for work. Smile. I am sure that you will throw one heck of a party for your parents and how great that you can throw a party to celebrate 50 years! Woo Hoo! Your appetizer just might have to make an appearance to my Friday Night Bites - a perfect little bite in my book! :-)

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  3. Hi Gina, it's been so long since I caught up with you. I hope you are doing great!

    Wow, congratulations to your parents on their 50 years! That's amazing. I'm not sure why they keep doing the time changes as it doesn't apply anymore. Ours doesn't happen until next month, why don't they happen at the same time everywhere? I hope you get some sleep tonight and if not you can alway get up to snack on those tasty bites. Take care! xoxo ~N

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  4. 50 years is incredible congrats to them :D
    Your appetiser looks fit for such a special occasion!!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  5. Thanks everyone, I'm super excited I get to share this with my parents. :) Gina

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  6. I love going through old pictures...The appetizers look beautiful and delicious! :) ela

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  7. Those goat cheese bites are so adorable, Gina. We love going through old black and white photos too. My husband actually has ordered a whole new print of old photos for the backup...

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  8. Heh, this is hilarious and also totally feasible given the amount of time I'm spending at Target these days. If I have to have a baby in a store, I'm glad your team predicted Target and that you were there helping (although for both our sakes, I hope that remains just a dream). I love these wonton cups, especially because when they're dubbed appetizers, you can eat a lot of them without feeling guilty ;)

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  9. I loathe time changes too. I wish we'd just settle on one time, and keep it forever. We go back to standard time for such a short period that it seems hardly worth it. Anyway, fun, fun read! And nice appetizer -- thanks.

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  10. 50 years. My oh my! And the time change has been so hard on me and Lucy! These small bites look just lovely. Thank you for sharing it with us!

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  11. 50 years!! WOW! So many memories!

    These are so cute! I love the simplicity :-)

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