October 2010 Eat-n-Greet Menu and Recipes

October 2010

This month, it was all about "Oktoberfest" at St. Hilary's Eat-n-Greet!  We centered our menu around foods that would appeal to the theme and satisfy the kids too!

October 2010 Menu

Oktoberfest Pizza
Apple Dippers
Cheese Quesadilla's
Spinach Balls

Surprisingly, the kids, even small ones, LOVED the Oktoberfest Pizza.

Oktoberfest Pizza

INGREDIENTS

• Pre-baked stone pizza crust (such as Boboli or other brand)
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups Prepared mashed potatoes (either homemade or store bought)
• 2 cups of prepared sauerkraut (either canned, jarred, or bagged) 
• 1 (1 pound) package of Polska Kielbasa
• 1 tablespoon of caraway seeds
• 2 cups of shredded Swiss cheese (or mozzarella)

PREPARATION
Spread mashed potatoes on top of crust all the way to the edge.  Squeeze the sauerkraut until dry (almost all liquid removed) and spread to the edge, on top of the mashed potatoes.   Cut the kielbasa into coins then into 4ths, (small diced) and in a skillet, saute the the kielbasa until heated through and nicely browned.  Sprinkle on top of the sauerkraut.   Sprinkle the pizza with the caraway seeds followed by the cheese. Press the toppings down a bit firmly towards the crust.
Bake at 400 degrees for 12-18 minutes until cheese is a nice golden brown.  Slice and enjoy!

Spinach Balls with Honey Mustard Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 pkg. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry                             

1 cup Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing Mix, Crushed                        

½ cup parmesan cheese                                                                              

¼ cup butter, melted                                                                                    

2 small green onions, finely chopped

2 medium eggs

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp onion powder

PREPARATION

Combine first (8) ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. At this point you may cover and refrigerate or freeze until ready to bake. To Bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set balls on ungreased baking sheet ( I use tin foil on bottom of pan—spray the tin foil to avoid sticking) until golden brown about 15-20 minutes. Makes 30 to 35 balls. Serve with Honey Mustard Sauce (recipe below)

Honey Mustard Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cup Helllmans Mayonnaise                                                                 

¼ cup sugar                                                                                                          

¼ cup honey                                                                                                     

3 Tabl prepared mustard (Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard)

2 Tabl white vinegar

1 Table minced onion

½ cup salad oil


PREPARATION

To prepare sauce, combine mayonnaise, sugar, honey, mustard, vinegar and onion. Blend in oil.  Makes about 2 cups.

There are two ways to serve. First arrange spinach balls in an attractive serving dish and the sauce in a gravy boat with a spoon. Spoon sauce over balls when served. Second, place spinach balls in sauce with toothpicks to serve.  Good to serve cold.


Apple Dippers

 INGREDIENTS
Fresh apples, whatever kind you prefer, each apple cored and sliced into 8 wedges
Smooth and creamy peanut butter, 4-5 tablespoons per apple
Chex Brand Honey Nut cereal, 1/2 cup per apple
Optional/Alternative   Marzetti's Caramel Apple Dip





PREPARATION
Slice/core the apples into 8 wedges (each apple).  Using paper towels or clean kitchen towel, dry cut sides of the apple (if you skip this step, the peanut butter and/or caramel will  not stick).  In a ziptop bag, place the cereal and small into small pieces, pour into a shallow dish. Using a knife, spread a good amount of peanut butter to each of the cut sides of the apple.  Immediately dip the apple into the crushed cereal.

OPTION would be to substitute the caramel for the peanut butter.


Cheese Quesadillas

INGREDIENTS

Flour Tortillas (either 6", 8", or 10")
3/4 to 1 cup of cheese per quesadilla
Butter spray or butter for pan

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT--a Quesadilla maker, if you do not have one, you can still make, see directions below!



 PREPARATION
 To make using a Quesadilla Maker, heat the equipment up, and spray the teflon insides with butter spray. Lay one tortilla on the bottom, spread the cheese around to within 3/4" of the edges and lay a second tortilla on top.  Close the equipment and heat until cheese is melted.  Remove from equipment, and allow to cool slightly. Following the indents made by the machine, cut the wedges apart with a pizza cutter, knife or kitchen scissors.

Stove top method.
This works best with the 6" size tortilla's.   In a large skillet, melt one teaspoon of butter over medium to med-hi heat.   Lay one tortilla in butter in pan.  Quickly add the cheese (3/4 cup) laying over half the tortilla, and spreading to within 1/2" of the edge.  Let heat for approx 1-2 minutes checking to make sure that the butter is not burning. Fold the "empty" half of the tortilla ontop of the cheese side. Flip the entire tortilla over to allow the other side to turn a nice golden color.
Let the tortilla set on a cutting board for a few minutes to allow the cheese to "set" and then cut into 4 wedges.  Serve with salsa and sour cream.

You can make a large batch of these and freeze to reheat later.