Smoked Salmon Appetizer

 

Tony and I enjoy smoked salmon and bagels for our Christmas breakfast.  I bought a package from Costco, which is always too much; but the price is right.

I made this simple appetizer to take to a friend's house for dinner. 

Slice some cucumber about 1/2 inch thick.

Top with some cream cheese, then the salmon. The salmon slices were large, so I cut them in half and folded each one.

Top with a small dollop of plain yogurt and then a caper. 

Top with a splash of lemon juice. 

Sausage and Boursin Stuffed Mushrooms

                         (I meant to take a photo after I plated these stuffed mushroom)

There are many recipes for stuffed mushrooms. This is mine.

Serves 8

 
Ingredients
 
Large mushrooms, 24 oz (from Costco). The package I bought had 21 mushrooms
1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage (or hot or a combination of the two), casings removed
Fresh chopped parsley
1 t. dried sage
4 T dry sherry, divided
2 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 T onion, minced
Pepper to taste
4 T panko breadcrumbs
1 5.3 oz package Boursin cheese, room temperature (I like the garlic and fine herbs flavor)
5 T grated parmesan cheese, divided.
 
Directions
 
Clean the mushrooms with a paper towel, or mushroom brush. Remove and finely chop the stems. I like to scoop some of the inside of the caps to make more room for the stuffing.  Note that I only used about 12 stems.
 
In a large bowl, toss the mushroom caps with 2 T dry sherry and olive oil. Set aside to marinade.
 
In a large non-stick skillet, add the sausage, parsley, sage, pepper, and brown until cooked through. Use a wooden spoon to break up into small pieces. Remove from the skillet and set aside on a plate. If the sausage pieces are not small, chop them on a cutting board.
 
In the same skillet, add the garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and the remaining 2 T dry sherry. Cook until everything is softened. Add the breadcrumbs. Return the sausage to the skillet and add the Boursin cheese and 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese. Stir to combine. By this time, turn off the heat. Let cool a bit.
 
Preheat oven to 350°F.
 
Place the mushroom caps in a large baking pan that has been lightly coated with olive oil. You can also add parchment paper to the pan. 
 
Spoon heaping tablespoons of the sausage mixture into each mushroom cap. Place the remaining parmesan cheese on a plate, dip the mushroom cap top into the cheese to coat the top.
 
Bake the mushrooms for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown on the top.
 
Serve while warm.
 
I made this for a small dinner party for a group of 8 people and these stuffed mushrooms were a hit.

Orange & Cinnamon Biscotti

I've had this recipe since about 1988.  It was from the Bon Appetit magazine.  I recently searched for the recipe online just to see if it was around and found this link:  https://www.californiagreekgirl.com/orange-and-cinnamon-biscotti-paximathia/ It's the same recipe.

Ingredients
 
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature (1 stick), microwave for 10-12 seconds to really soften.
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons grated orange peel (next time I will use 3 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
 
Instructions
 
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter 2 baking sheets. (I use parchment paper).
 
Beat the sugar and butter together in a large bowl until blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in orange zest and vanilla.
 
Stir flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mix just until incorporated. (I cover with saran wrap and place the bowl in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, just until cool before forming into logs.) This makes them easier to form.
 
Divide the dough in half. Place each half on the prepared sheet. With lightly floured hands, form each half into a 3-inch wide by 3/4 inch-high log.
 
Bake until dough logs are firm to touch, about 35 minutes. Remove the logs from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
 
Transfer logs to a work surface. Using a serrated or sharp knife, cut on diagonal (or straight) into 1/2 -inch thick slices. Arrange cut side down on the baking sheets. Bake until bottoms are golden, about 12 minutes.
 
Turn Biscotti over, and bake until bottoms are golden, another 12 minutes longer.
 
Transfer Biscotti to a cooking rack and cool. Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store in airtight container.
 
My Notes:

This is a little time-consuming because of baking three times, but they are delicious. 

I made this 14 December 2025 for a cookie exchange party. I doubled the recipe, which I ended up with 70 biscotti.

15 December 2025: Since I had extra oranges on hand and plenty of other ingredients, I decided to make these biscotti with chocolate cocoa and instant espresso.
 

Ingredients:
 
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature (1 stick), microwave for 10-12 seconds to really soften.
2 large eggs
2 oranges, grated orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons orange juice
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt + a dash more
1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (Ghirardelli brand)
2 t. instant espresso
 
Follow the directions as above, adding the cocoa powder and instant expresso when adding the flour.
 
These were delicious!!