ladies' night part deux

as promised, here are the remainder of the holiday entertaining recipes from ladies' shopping night at the market.

cheese balls

1/2 c butter, room temp

2 8oz pkgs cream cheese, room temp

salt & pepper

1 tsp worchestershire

1/2 tsp tabasco sauce

1 lemon, zest & juice

cranberry: sharp cheddar cheese, dash cinnamon, toasted walnuts & dried cranberries

fresh herb: goat cheese, garlic, green onions, chopped fresh herbs

- in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until fluffy & pale

- blend in the cream cheese a little at a time and mix until smooth

- divide the mixture evenly in to two bowls

- in one bowl stir in 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, a dash of cinnamon and 1/4 c chopped, toasted walnuts. roll in to 1 inch diameter balls and coat in finely chopped dried cranberries

- in the other bowl, stir in 1/2 cup softened goat cheese, 1 clove minced garlic and 2 chopped green oniosn. roll in to 1 inch diameter balls and coat in finely chopped fresh herbs

- arrange the red & green cheese balls in alternating layers on a nice platter

olive caponata

1 cup pitted kalamata olives

1 c roasted red peppers

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 bunch fresh basil, chopped

- combine all ingredients in a food processor & blend until smooth

- adjust seasoning with salt & pepper

- done

this can be kept for ages & ages in the refrigerator & makes a great dip, spread, condiment, pasta topping, pizza sauce and addition to a plain marinara.

white bean dip

1 can white navy beans, drained & rinsed

3 tbsp roasted garlic in olive oil

2 tbsp olive oil

1 lemon, zest & juice

1/2 bunch fresh basil, chopped

- combine all ingredients

- mash with a fork, blitz in the food processor or crush in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment

- adjust seasoning with salt & pepper

keeps for about a week in the refrigerator. if you make a thicker version of this it can be used in place of mashed potatoes if you're looking for a new starch to add to your repetoire.

i had also planned on making some mushroom filo bundles & spanokopita but ran short of time. i actually wrote a blog post ages & ages ago showing how to make them. take a gander for step-by-step instructions. for a simple spanokopita filling, thaw & squeeze dry one package of frozen spinach. stir together with 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 cloves crushed garlic, salt & pepper.

okee dokee hope this helps & isn't too late for your holiday entertaining.