Frontier Foodie: May 7, 2016 - Kentucky Derby Party at Las Palmas

We celebrated and watched the Kentucky Derby from the clubhouse at Las Palmas. What a fun day! Sandy and I, along with many other Las Palmas women and men, made their own hats for the celebration. I wanted to pass along some of the recipes that Sandy and I used to make snacks for the function. At a later date I will also post the Mint Julep recipe that Sandy used. Everyone must have enjoyed our food and drink because we came home only with empty plates and bowls!

And, big news! My prizeless winning streak has ended. My bet was on Nyquist! Love that horse.

Sandy tried this recipe for the first time. I ate late but was able to taste these. Delicious!

Lorraine’s Bacon-Cheddar Straws

We call them: Bacon Twists

From the kitchen of: Food Network

Lorraine Pascale

All-purpose flour, for dusting work surface

One 13-ounce package puff pastry

1 tablespoon prepared English mustard

14 strips good-quality streaky bacon

3 ounces mature cheddar, grated

1 free-range egg, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll the puff pastry into a large rectangle, 1/ 4-inch thick.

Rotate the pastry so that the longer side is facing you. Spread the mustard evenly over the pastry. Lay the bacon slices on the pastry, long side facing you, leaving a small gap in between each slice. Trim any mess edges that spill over the puff pastry, to neaten the rectangle into a straighter edge. Sprinkle the Cheddar over the bacon. Cut in between each slice to form individual pastry-bacon strips.

Carefully twist each strip 4 or 5 times, so it looks like a curly straw. Place o th prepared baking sheet and brush with beaten egg. Chill in the fridge for 15to 20 minutes.

Remove the twists form the fridge and brush a second time with beaten egg. Bake until the pastry is well risen and golden-brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

I tried these for the first time. They are easy to make. Taste wonderful. These were very easy to make and didn't take a lot of time. Thank God, we are able to buy these cute litte phyllo tart shells because I would have been working on these for weeks.

Mini Phyllo Tacos

We call them Mini-Tacos

From: Taste of Home Appetizers

Roseann Weston, Philipsburg, Pennsylvania

1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)

1/ 2 cup finely chopped onion

1 envelope taco seasoning

3/ 4 cup water

1 1/ 4-cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided

2 packages (1.9 ounce each) frozen miniature phyllo tart shells

In a small skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir n 1/ 2 cup of the cheese blend.

Place tart shells in an ungreased 15-inch x 10-inch baking pan. Fill with taco mixture.

Bake at 350* for 6 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese blend; bake 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Yield: 2 1/ 2 dozen

Sandy also made these. Once again I ate late. None of these were left.

Smoked Salmon Pinwheels

From the kitchen of: Taste of Home Appetizers

Cristina Mather, San Miguel, California

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon snipped fresh dill

1 tablespoon capers, drained

1/ 2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/ 2 teaspoon lemon juice

4 spinach tortillas (8 inches), room temperature

1/ 2 pound fully cooked smoked salmon fillets, flaked

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, dill, capers, garlic powder and lemon juice. Sprad over tortillas; tope with salmon. Roll up tightly.

Cut into 1-inch pieces; secure with toothpicks. Chill until serving. Discard toothpicks before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

Yield: 32 appetizers.

I will include one more. The pictures of my Artichoke Dip with crackers didn't come out very good.

This is a recipe given to me by my aunt, Joan Leeds Patrick, over 20 years ago. I have used this a lot for a party appetizer. I always have received wonderful comments. Try it! Very easy time make and doesn't take much time.

ARTICHOKE DIP

From the kitchen of: Joan Leeds

1 14 ounce can artichoke hearts (not marinated)

drain and chopped

1 small can diced green chiles

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients. Place in small ovenproof bowl and bake

at 350* F for 20 minutes or until top is browned and bubbly.

Serve as dip for chips or crackers (use Ritz).

Enjoy trying these recipes. Serve something new when you are asked to bring an appetizer. But most important - Have Fun!

I thought you would also enjoy some pictures of what other people brought.