Carbo’s Homemade Salsa

Mark T. Carboni shares his Cookin With Carbo party recipes with Shindigz

When Carbo has a gathering of friends, he always is on the search the perfect opening bites of food and a comfortable surrounding. Bring your friends together around a bowl of homemade salsa that is painfully simple and tasty! Whether it is a Memorial Day picnic or any Summer party, you will find this salsa to be a hit!

Carbo’s Homemade Salsa

Whip up this Homemade Salsa in minutes for your next Party!

3 roma tomatoes
3 kumato tomatoes
1 Anheim pepper
1 medium onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of cilantro
1 T Olive Twist Organic Lime Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Olive Twist Spicy Hot Red Cayenne Olive Oil
1 T Olive Twist Honey Ginger White Balsamic Vinegar
2 limes
1 tsp salt

Dice 2 roma and kumato tomatoes, the pepper, onion and cilantro. Mince the garlic, add to the tomato mixture. Juice two limes and add to the tomato mixture.
In a blender, place one roma and kumato tomato, the lime oil, the cayenne oil and the honey ginger and blend until smooth.
Add the liquid mixture to the tomato mixture, add the salt and stir. Allow to refrigerate at least one half hour to infuse the flavors.
This party favorite will be a great appetizer for up to 8 people.

The passion for cooking was inherited through Carbo’s maternal grandmother who inspired Mark T. Carboni (Carbo) to bring joy to friends and family through the act of preparing food and celebrations. Carbo and his partner travel to sample and learn regional and cultural differences in food. The experiences allow him to make new and exciting recipes that can be reproduce in your own home using every day products and equipment in a short amount of time. Carbo provides private cooking lessons, authored his first cookbook and keeps a highly interactive Facebook page that showcases food-talk and fun. www.facebook.com/carbocooks.

Bacon and Avocado Dip

Shindigz welcomes Mark Carboni and his collection of recipes to our party family:  

Mark T. Carboni shares his Cookin With Carbo party recipes with Shindigz

Growing up Carbo, I have found the greatest joy being surrounded by great family and friends. Whether it’s a small gathering, or more extravagant themed party, I know that the food and drink you serve will set the tone just as much as the decor.

The best way to make an acquaintance a friend is through amazing food, fun and the ability to be honest and true. Honesty and truth, a mighty powerful combination just like the combination of bacon and avocado. Join me as I open my kitchen, to you, as I share food coupled with fun and a recipe from the Cookin’ with Carbo collection.

This Bacon Avacado Dip will be the hit of your next party!

Bacon and Avocado Dip

3 ripe avocados
1 clove of garlic – minced
1 small lime – juiced
6 slices of bacon – cooked and diced
3 T of fresh chopped cilantro
Heavy dash of salt and pepper

Slice the avocados from top to bottom and around to the top. Hold avocado in your hand and turn one side left and one side right and it will open. Remove the core and keep (just one).
Scoop the avocado from the shell and place in large bowl. Add garlic, lime, salt and pepper. With the back of a spoon. Smush the avocado against the bowl. It should be somewhat chunky. Next mix circular to incorporate all the ingredients. Drop in the bacon and cilantro and mix again.
Place the core in the center, place in refrigerate and serve within an hour of making for best flavors. (Wrap tightly or spray the top with a non stick spray to prevent discoloration).

The passion for cooking was inherited through Carbo’s maternal grandmother who inspired Mark T. Carboni (Carbo) to bring joy to friends and family through the act of preparing food and celebrations. Carbo and his partner travel to sample and learn regional and cultural differences in food. The experiences allow him to make new and exciting recipes that can be reproduce in your own home using every day products and equipment in a short amount of time. Carbo provides private cooking lessons, authored his first cookbook and keeps a highly interactive Facebook page that showcases food-talk and fun. www.facebook.com/carbocooks.

Chicken Enchilada Meatballs

Heather Jurczyk from HeCooksSheCooks.com shares her recipes with Shindigz

Happy Cinco de Mayo! One of the tastiest food holidays ever. Ever ever. So many delicious tastes! Tacos and burritos and taquitos. Fresh salsa and guacamole. And margaritasssssss! Sigh. I love it all. And much to Jeff’s dismay, I could eat Mexican food every day of my life. For now he concedes on twice a week. I am working on increasing that.

These Chicken Enchilada Meatballs came about as we were planning a Cinco de Mayo party. I wanted simple finger foods (no dinner time assembly required like tacos) but I also wanted all the flavor of some of my favorite elaborate meals. The Enchilada meatball was born.

This is simple but does require some prep work. Grind your own chicken if you can, and get a good quality enchilada sauce. You can make your own and we usually do but we make a half gallon at a time. I wanted easy for this recipe.

Mexican Inspired Chicken Enchilada Meatballs are perfect for a Fiesta anytime!

Chicken Enchilada Meatballs

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 4 scallions minced
• 1 teaspoon whole chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup Mexican cerveza
• 2 hand fulls of corn chips, crushed fine
• Mexican Quesadilla cheese (not fresh crumbling cheese, melting cheese)
• Red enchilada sauce (we used Frontera brand which is really good.)
• Cooking oil (olive, canola, vegetable or corn)

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine. Let sit for 30 minutes. Roll into 1″ balls.

Preheat oven to 400°

In a heavy bottomed pan add about 2 Tablespoons of oil and heat till hot. Add the meatballs in 2 batches (This is so you do not over crowd the meatballs and steam them instead of browning them.) and cook till browned on all sides.

Move the meatballs to a 9 x 9 pan and pour the enchilada sauce over them. Top with 6 oz of shredded cheese and bake for 25 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Be sure and check back Friday for a special “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” recipe just in time for The Kentucky Derby!

Recipe by Heather Jurczyk, the sassy half of the  duo that make up the cooking team of He Cooks She Cooks. They have a weakness for feel good, down to earth, amazingly tasty eats that almost always include the addition of beer.

From growing their own tomatoes to brewing their own beer, they like to cook from scratch as much as possible. They know what’s important. Love. Food. Beer. Visit He Cooks She Cooks for more recipes.

Pear, Pecan, Bacon & Brie Bites

Heather Jurczyk from HeCooksSheCooks.com shares her recipes with Shindigz

It’s National Pecan Day on April 14th! And where some may celebrate it with pecan pie or pecan sandies or even one of my favorites, the praline, my absolute preference is to celebrate the pecan with bacon.

These will disappear quick from your table, no matter what the occasion!

This bite sized snack is super easy to throw together in no time and always receives rave reviews. Well. When they actually make it to the table and not just in your belly. (Yep. THAT good!)

Pear, Pecan, Bacon & Brie Bites

(Makes 24)

• 24 Frozen Filo Dough Shells (You can also make your own with filo dough shells with filo sheets and spray oil)
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 4 slices of bacon, cut into thin strips, fried & drained
• 1 pear quartered and sliced thin
• 12 oz of brie cheese, rind removed & cut into 24 .5 oz cubes.
• Honey

Preheat your oven to 350°.

In each shell, layer a cube of cheese, 2 pear slices on 2 sides of the cheese cube, pecans and then bacon.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from heat, move each tart to a rack to cool slightly and drizzle with honey.

Serve immediately.

Next week: Cheese Balls to celebrate National Cheese Ball Day & Tax Day!

Recipe by Heather Jurczyk, the sassy half of the  duo that make up the cooking team of He Cooks She Cooks. They have a weakness for feel good, down to earth, amazingly tasty eats that almost always include the addition of beer.

From growing their own tomatoes to brewing their own beer, they like to cook from scratch as much as possible. They know what’s important. Love. Food. Beer. Visit He Cooks She Cooks for more recipes.

Lasagna Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1/3 pound ground beef
• salt and pepper
• 24 wonton wrappers
• 1 3/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese (7 oz)
• 1 3/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (7 oz)
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese (3 oz)
• 1 cup pasta sauce
• (optional) basil for garnish

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Brown beef, and season with salt and pepper. Drain.
3. Cut wonton wrappers into circle shapes (about 2 1/4- inches) using a biscuit cutter or using the top of a drinking glass. You can cut several at a time. Note: For a more rustic look, no cutting necessary!
4. Reserve 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese and 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese for the top of your cupcakes. Start layering your lasagna cupcakes. Begin with a wonton wrapper and press it into the bottom of each muffin tin. Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella cheese in each. Top with a little meat and pasta sauce.
5. Repeat layers again (i.e. wonton, Parmesan, ricotta, mozzarella, and pasta sauce). Top with reserved Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until edges are brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. To remove, use a knife to loosen the edges then pop each lasagna out.
7. Garnish with basil and serve.

Spicy Chicken Kabobs

INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 red bell pepper cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 medium yellow onion cut into 1 inch chunks
• Bamboo wood skewers
• Olive oil, salt, black pepper
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
• 5-6+ drops of Sriracha Hot Sauce –To taste. Some like it hot.
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Soak your bamboo wood skewers in water for about 15 minutes so that they don’t burn on the grill.
2. Season the chicken and veggies with salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Skewer the chicken, then skewer the red peppers and onions.
3. Pre-heat your grill or grill pan to medium high heat then add the chicken and veggies to the pan. Rotate the meat and veggies every couple of minutes so that everything cooks evenly. When the veggies are tender, remove them from the grill.
4. While the chicken is cooking, in a small bowl combine mayo with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce and Sriracha Hot Sauce. Whisk it together until smooth.
5. When the chicken is almost completely cooked through (after about 10-12 minutes), use a brush to spread the sauce over the chicken. Rotate the chicken and brush the other side with the sauce. Remove from grill and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Pizza Appetizers

Ingredients

• 1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
• 1/4 pound Genoa salami, thinly sliced
• 1/4 pound pepperoni sausage, sliced
• 1/4 pound provolone cheese, sliced
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. Roll pizza crust dough into an approximately 10×14 inch rectangle on the baking sheet. Layer with Genoa salami, pepperoni and provolone cheese. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese to within 1/2 inch from edges of the dough. Roll jelly roll style. Seal the edge with a fork.
3. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Slice into 1 inch pieces to serve.

Chicken and Bacon Shish Kabobs

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 10 large mushrooms, cut in half
• 2 green onions, minced
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into chunks
• 1/2 pound sliced thick cut bacon, cut in half
• 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
• skewers

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix the soy sauce, cider vinegar, honey, canola oil, and green onions. Place the mushrooms and chicken into the mixture, and stir to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat grill for high heat.
3. Remove the mushrooms and chicken from the marinade and shake off excess. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes; set aside.
4. Wrap the chicken chunks with bacon, and thread onto skewers so that the bacon is secured. Alternate with mushroom halves and pineapple chunks.
5. Lightly oil the grill grate. Arrange skewers on the prepared grill. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, brushing occasionally with remaining soy sauce mixture, until bacon is crisp and chicken juices run clear.

Beer Battered Fried Vegetables

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups beer
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 1 carrot, cut into thick strips
• 1 onion, sliced into rings
• 6 fresh mushrooms, stems removed
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced in rings

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cup flour and beer with a wooden spoon; let stand for at least 3 hours at room temperature.
2. Mix eggs and milk in a small bowl. In a separate bowl mix together 1/2 cup flour and salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Dip each vegetable in the egg and milk mixture. Next dip the vegetable into the flour and seasoning mixture, finally dip the vegetable in the beer and flour mixture. Place the vegetables into the oil and fry until golden brown,

Stuffed Celery

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 20 green olives with pimento, chopped
• 1 bunch celery, cut into bite-size pieces

 Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and sour cream. Stir in the walnuts and chopped olives. Spread filling onto the celery pieces.