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Game Day Pinwheels

February 2nd, 2012

It’s been a wild week around our house so we’re all looking forward to a fun, relaxing weekend and can’t wait to watch the big game this Sunday. I’m pretty sure I’ll be watching with one eye on the game and the other on my sewing project.

There’s four things I really love about the Super Bowl:

Food.
More food.
Commercials – How smart are those ad agencies? They’ve actually made folks excited to watch the ads. Including me…. aka the Guppy.
I can sew while I’m watching it.

Yes. I do like football. But mostly I like college football. So the Super Bowl is really just an excuse to make a bunch of fun appetizers and eat. One look around pinterest and you’ll see lots of fun appetizer ideas.

So here’s my contribution to the big Game Day food party:

Pigskin Pinwheels

Have you made puff pastry pinwheels before? They are super easy and delicious. There are lots of recipe out there with varied fillings. I’ve tried several different recipes and this one is one of my favorites. Plus it’s not too snooty for a football game.

Here are the ingredients. Puff Pastry, Ham, Gruyere, Parmesan, Mustard (I like Honey Mustard for this recipe) and pepper.

Thaw the puff pastry but keep it in the refrigerator, you’ll want to keep it really cold to make working with it easier. Unfold one puff pastry sheet on a floured surface. I love to use my pastry frame. You can use it as is, but I always roll my out a little before adding my toppings.

Before adding the mustard be aware that you will need a 3/4 inch section along the long top of your pastry for sealing the edges. Now that you know, add the mustard…

and spread it out evenly.

Next layer the ham. I cut the pieces in half for the edges to they are straight and clean. I’m using a good Black Forest Ham today. Notice the clean edge at the top.

Then layer the Gruyere. YUM. Ham and Gruyere are a match made in Heaven. Just be sure your cheese is very thinly sliced. If you like, you could also use Swiss.

Add some cracked pepper.

And some grated Parmesan.

Wet the top of the pastry with a little water on your finger.

Then roll the whole thing up.

It couldn’t be easier.

Once it’s rolled use a little more water on your finger to seal the edge, otherwise your pinwheels will open up wide when they are cooking. If all you’d like to make is pinwheels, you can skip what’s next.

If you are making little footballs then press the whole roll into an oval shape. Then pinch down the edges to make it roughly a football shape.

It’s helpful, but not necessary to wrap it all up tight in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for an hour or so. You can even make it a day ahead.

Slice it into 1/2 inch slices with a sharp knife. Just an FYI, I quickly moved my roll to the cutting board since it was getting mustard on my pastry frame.

Place them an inch or so apart on a WELL greased cookie sheet. If you have a silpat, I’m jealous of you, and by all means use it.

Bake them at 400 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes, until golden brown. Because it’s puff pastry, it does PUFF while baking and loose the football shape a bit.

But once you top them with a little mustard football strings… they are unmistakably footballs!

In addition to eating pinwheels, I’ll probably be sewing pinwheels during the game… or broken dishes…. and laughing at funny commercials. Sounds like a perfect weekend.

Posted in cook it, make it a party | Tags: football shaped food, puff pastry pinwheels, Super Bowl appetizers |

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Mixed Berry Cobbler and Giveaway Winner

January 27th, 2012

First of all, for the random winner of Tanya Whelan’s beautiful book Sew What You Love: The Easiest, Prettiest Projects Ever

Congratulations Enid! Send me an email with your mailing address so we can get your book sent out to you.

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And now to share my favorite Berry Cobbler recipe. This cobbler is the perfect mid-winter dessert because it works so well with frozen berries.

It comes together in just a few minutes and with the help of tapioca in the berry mixture, it has a wonderful consistency and serves up nicely.

The flavor of the fruit is the show stopper here, with the crunchy top that compliments it perfectly. In short, it’s absolutely delicious.

My neighbor who is allergic to gluten makes this recipe gluten free by substituting gluten free white cake mix for the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in the topping.

Here’s how to make this yummy cobbler:

I’m starting today with frozen berries, since berries are LONG out of season. This the blend of frozen berries from Costco, which are awesome for cobblers, smoothies and more. They are a great price too. Another smart option is to freeze your own berries when they are in season.

You can definitely use fresh berries for this cobbler and even peaches are great- just as long as you end up with 8 cups of fruit in a large mixing bowl.

Add 1/4 cup quick tapioca

and 1 cup of sugar. This can be adjusted slightly if your fruit is really sweet.

Add juice of 1/2 a lemon. I always squeeze my lemon in a separate bowl to make sure I don’t squeeze seeds into my cobbler.

Add a pinch of salt.

Give it all a good stir.

Spray your 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray or rub it with butter. Today I’m using a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Pour in your berry mixture and spread them out evenly.

Now for the topping. Chop up 1/2 cup pecans.

Add sugar, pecans….

…flour,

and butter into the a large mixing bowl. I like to chop up my butter with a knife to make it easier to cut into the topping mixture.

Also add in your baking powder and salt.

Cut the butter it in with a pastry cutter until it pea-sized. If you don’t own a pastry cutter, no worries, you can use your hands to work the butter in… or two knives.