Pears, Proscuitto, & Arugula

Had some wonderful friends over for the weekend and what better way to greet them after one had a (6 hour!) drive and the other a 3 hour bus ride. With some cold beer (courtesy of my favorite Stella Artois) and some hot appetizers (courtesy of Rachel Ray) mini tuna melts, portabella mushroom pizzas, arugula and pear wrapped in,  we were ready to quieten those rumbling bellies and give some much needed rest to our traveling nomads. This was of course, only a snack to tide us over- as we were to hit the town later in the evening for a sushi e proscuitto xtravaganza! Enjoy! XoxO <3>Üdo

Pears, Proscuitto, & Arugla
Ingredients

• 
  
  1 bundle arugula leaves
• 
  
  1 ripe bosc pear
• 
  
  1 lemon
• 
  
  1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
• 
  
  Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 
  
  Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 
  
  8 slices prosciutto

Directions
Place arugula in bowl. Quarter the pear lengthwise and remove the core. Cut into quarters and then in half again. Dress the pear with the juice of 1/2 lemon, thyme leaves, olive oil, salt and pepper. Place a few leaves of dressed greens on each slice of prosciutto with a slice of pear and roll up into a tight bundle. Cut each bundle in half, to make 16 pieces. Recipe from Rachel Ray

Enjoy! XoxoX <3>Udo

Portabella Mushroom Pizzas

Had some wonderful friends over for the weekend and what better way to greet them after one had a (6 hour!) drive and the other a 3 hour bus ride. With some cold beer (courtesy of my favorite Stella Artois) and some hot appetizers (courtesy of Rachel Ray) mini tuna melts, portabella mushroom pizzas, arugula and pear wrapped in proscuitto we were ready to quieten those rumbling bellies and give some much needed rest to our traveling nomads. This was of course, only a snack to tide us over- as we were to hit the town later in the evening for a sushi extravaganza! Enjoy! XoxO <3>Üdo

Portabella Mushroom Pizzas

Ingredients

• 6 large portobello mushroom tops, stems removed and gills scraped
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling plus 1 tablespoon
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound Italian sweet sausage
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, shredded or torn
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano

Directions

Preheat broiler.

Dress the mushroom caps with liberal drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil the portobello mushrooms 5 minutes on each side until tender.

While caps are broiling heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat, add sausage and brown and crumble the meat, then add tomatoes to skillet and cook another few minutes until they burst. Add cream to skillet and reduce 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove the sausage from heat and fold in basil. Fill mushroom caps and top with cheese, place under broiler to brown 2 to 3 minutes then quarter caps and serve. Rachel Rays recipe.

Enjoy!

xOXox <3>Udo

Mini Tuna Melts with Rosemary

Had some wonderful friends over for the weekend and what better way to greet them after one had a (6 hour!) drive and the other a 3 hour bus ride. With some cold beer (courtesy of my favorite Stella Artois) and some hot appetizers (courtesy of Rachel Ray) mini tuna melts, portabella mushroom pizzas, arugula and pear wrapped in proscuitto we were ready to quieten those rumbling bellies and give some much needed rest to our traveling nomads. This was of course, only a snack to tide us over- as we were to hit the town later in the evening for a sushi extravaganza! Enjoy! XoxO <3>Üdo

Mini Tuna Melts

Ingredients

• Italian tuna in olive oil, lightly drained
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1 large sprig rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
• Black pepper
• 4 slices provolone cheese, deli sliced
• 16 rounds sliced sesame baguette
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Mash tuna with finely chopped shallot, rosemary and black pepper. Quarter the sliced cheese. Build mini sammies of bread, cheese, tuna, cheese, bread. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Grill sandwiches on both sides until golden. Remove from skillet and serve. Rachel Ray's recipe.

Enjoy!

XoXo <3>Udo

Breakfast Brushetta

Bruschetta in the morning?! You betcha! Especially if it is a breakfast bruschetta. Take some cherry tomato slice in half and saute in olive oil with diced garlic. Set aside. In a small bowl combine a diced avocado with the sauteed tomato and garlic. Add a little olive oil and lemon juice. Toss gently in a festive looking bowl and set aside to mingle. Take a baguette that you've sliced on the bias (cut diagonally to make for a larger surface) toast in a toaster oven and dab with country fresh cream buttah. Top with the bruschetta mixture, garnish with sweet sea salt and enjoy! XOXO <3>Udo

Wild Boar Bacon

Wow! In the mood for a "LOST" breakfast? Want to eat what John Locke, James Ford, and Kate Austen eat? Chow down on this Sayid special! Guaranteed to be caught at the bare hands of Ben Linus himself! This delicious breakfast treat is made from free-range wild boar... yields a lean, richly-flavored meat because of the boar's unique diet of grasses, roots, acorns and heather.

Serve it for breakfast or use it as a substitute for traditional pork bacon whenever you want an added dimension of flavor. This meat from feral swine is bred using all vegetarian feed, no antibiotics ever, no growth hormones, no animal by-products, no preservatives, nitrates or nitrites added. Learn more about D'Artagnan Wild Boar Bacon here.

Soooo good you'll go hog wild! ::snickers::
Enjoy!
XoOXxO <3>Udo