A Month-of-Appetizers: Date Bites for Date Nights

Daughter-in-law, London, shared this recipe with me at Christmas time. They had served it at one of their appetizer parties, so I had to try it, too.

I believe any appetizer party, or even appetizer spread, needs all five tastes if possible: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami (more on umami in another post). Having the range allows for full participation of your taste buds. Today’s appetizer recipe gives you salty and sweet.

Before we go out to dinner, we like to have a small appetizer and some wine. Sort of prime the pump for date night, right? These Date Bites for Date Nights fill the bill because unlike some of the recipes here, you can modify this for the number of servings you want. This recipe serves two.

2 slices of bacon, cut in half

4 dates

4 whole almonds

1 tablespoon cream cheese

Fry the bacon to render some of the fat. Only partially cook it so it is still very flexible. Remove from skillet and drain.

Make a slice in each date. Put a schmear of cream cheese on each almond and stuff it into the date. Wrap each date with one bacon piece, holding together with a toothpick.

Broil 5 minutes (or until bacon is crispy and brown all over). Serve immediately.

DH’s Rating: 3 Tongues Up. “It tastes fine, good, but I don’t like sweet appetizers.” Fair enough. I do! More for me.

Catch-Up and a New Project

I am excited about a new venture. I am doing a monthly food column for a small community paper in Northern Arizona. The Quick Cook will provide tips and recipes assembled easily to make meals appear effortless.

The Pinewood News already runs one monthly cooking column, The Creative Kitchen, but that columnist cut back the number she wrote. This way every issue of the paper (twice a month in the warm times; once a month in winter) will provide the readers with recipes and cooking ideas.

I needed something new to do, right? And, the column will provide me with a new and different reader base for my culinary mysteries. It’s all marketing, isn’t it?

Too cynical? Nah! I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t love cooking and writing about cooking. First column, for November, is done and ready to e-mail off. The next three are roughed out. Hey, it’s only 500 words. I can hardly say “hello” in that amount of words!

Here’s the first tip in my first column:

QC tip #1: Always keep some basic mixes in the fridge for quick cooking.

For me, that means my Savory Butter (done in an earlier column in this blog) and my delicious, adaptable Cream Cheese Spread.

Here’s the recipe:

8 ounces cream cheese (low fat okay)

3 tablespoons prepared horseradish (not creamy)

Soften cream cheese at room temperature. Vigorously stir in horseradish. After use, cover and refrigerate.

I use this as a sandwich spread in wraps, as a dip for fruits and veggies ,mixed with cooked, hot hamburg for a chip dip, and to sauté mushrooms or other veggies as a side dish or appetizer.

You like? Try both and see what other uses you can create for my Quick Cook mixes.