A Craftacopia: November 2010

The reason we're all such terrible bloggers is because we have friends, and lives outside of the Internet craftosphere. One of those friends is the EPIC JKWW. She recently had a shindig that was so amazing that the Kitchen Ninja had to have it on the blog... Here it is, put your fins together for JKWW!!!

Shark-o-Ween

Greetings Craftacopians!

The Kitchen Ninja has graciously invitied me to share the sharktastic silliness my hubs and I (OK, mostly I) offered up to our friends on Halloween this year.

See, I love/hate sharks. I love them because they are awesome, but I hate them because they are scary and give me nightmares. Seriously. What's scarier than sharks? And what better way to celebrate their awesomeness and scariness than a shark-themed Halloween party?

I made some of my favorite simple appetizers, and came up with sharky new names for them.

Like...

"We're Going To Need a Bigger Boat" Bruschetta

1. Cut up a narrow baguette.
2. Stack up some fresh basil leaves on a cutting board, roll them up lengthwise, then use a sharp knife or scissors to slice them into little ribbons (rolling the leaves up tight is key to thin, pretty herb ribbons).
3. Slice up some fresh tomatoes and some fresh mozzerella into disks. (Hey! Didn't Kitchen Ninja make HOMEMADE mozzerella?).
5. Stack cheese, tomato, and basil ribbons onto your bread slices, drizzle with olive oil, shake on some salt and pepper, and then toss them in a 350 degree oven for just a couple of minutes. Just until the cheese gets a little melty.

You could also whip up some

Fried Shark Fins (aka: Cranberry Cream Cheese Wontons)

* Ninja's Note - Turn on your stove top exhaust fan as soon as you start heating the oil for this. I have never made this recipe without filling the apartment with smoke. The oil gets hot quickly, and frying without the benefit of a deep fryer is smokey business. But soooooo worth it.

3/4 package (8 oz size) fat free cream cheese
3 TB chopped dried cranberries (I like mine berry-er, so I add like 1/4 cup, but the recipe called for 3TB)
2 TB finely chopped chives
3/4 tsp minced gingerroot
1 TB minced parsley
Salt&Pepper
24 wonton wrappers
1 egg white, beaten
Veg Oil for frying (NOT olive oil)
store-bought jalapeno jelly or tamari sauce

1. Mix cream cheese, cranberries, chives, ginger, and parsley in a small bowl, season with S&P.
2. Spoon 1/2 TB of filling onto the wonton wrapper, brush edges of the wrapper with egg white. Fold wrapper in half and press edges to seal. Repeat until you've used up all the filling and wrappers.
3. Heat 2 inches of oil to 375 degrees in a large saucepan. Fry wontons, a few at a time, until golden - 1-2 minutes. Drain onto paper towels. Serve with dipping sauce.

*Frying tip from my fave Alton Brown - throw and unpopped popcorn kernal into the oil to test if it is hot enough. If it pops, you're ready to fry. If it turns brown or smokes, the oil it to hot. If it just sinks, the oil isn't ready yet. Careful, though, an oil super-hot kernal will fly out at you if it's good to go :)

We also made "Fish are Friends, Not Food" veggie sushi stacks