Italian sausage skewers -- small bites

So I threw a surprise birthday party for my husband over the weekend and made a bunch of hors d'oeuvres. Plenty of munchy snacks besides libations and cake helped ring in the big surprise. Trust me; he was super surprised. :) In any case, I made a few things from cold sesame noodles with cucumber shavings to parmasan chicken skewers with marinara sauce. One particular small bite caught the fancy of many party goers. They were Italian sausage skewers with a definite antipasto twist. These small bites took no time to make. Make them for your next party.


Ingredients
Cooking spray
12 ounces fully cooked Italian-style sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup fresh basil
1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained, rinsed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces if large
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 package of small wooden skewers

Directions
Heat skillet or medium pan over medium heat; spray with cooking spray. Add sausage; cook, turning a few times, until warmed through and browned. Thread 1 small or 1/2 large basil leaf onto a small wooden skewer. Add a piece of roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomato, artichoke and sausage, arranging them on the skewer so that it can stand up on the sausage end. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make about two-dozen skewers. Enjoy!

Tofu delight

I was craving something simple and easy the other day and thought about making this easy dish. My parents used to make this dish for my brother and I as a snack after school, but they also included 1000 year old egg in it. The version below is all vegetarian/vegan style. It's simple and literally will take you about 5 to 10 minutes to make since nothing needs to be heated or cooked. It's what I call Asian tofu delight. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.


Ingredients
1 package firm tofu
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp water
2 cloves garlic -- minced
1 jalepeno pepper -- sliced small and thin
1 tbsp sesame oil
small bunch of cilantro -- roughly chopped
Dash ground black pepper

Directions
In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, water, garlic, jalepeno pepper, sesame oil, cilantro, and black pepper. Open and rinse firm tofu and place onto plate whole. Pour soy sauce mixture on top. Serve with spoon.

** You can opt to seed the pepper if you would like to take the spice factor down a notch.

new checklist

My birthday was last weekend. I celebrated it by eating tons of Asian cuisine and tons of seafood in Houston. It was a nice change and the food was yummy to my tummy. We went to Reef, a restaurant in downtown Houston. From the name, it's obviously a seafood restaurant. I do have to say that the fried mac and cheese was pretty damn good. It was shaped like a large cube and was breaded and fried. Once you broke through the hard but crispy outer fried shell, the mac and cheese was gooey and cheesy on the inside. A definite heart attack waiting to happen, but a must try. The mussels were cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth. The sauce was a tomato base and was great for bread sopping. Overall, the meal was excellent, but the company was better. Nothing beats having good friends celebrate your last year in your twenties.

Speaking of the last year in my twenties, I've been coerced to make a checklist of things to do before I turn 30. On this list, I'm going to train for a half marathon possibly in February in Austin. Besides that big milestone, I've also decided to look into foods that will enhance my training experience. I'll be posting some recipes that will help in the training process. Healthy doesn't always equate to foods not tasting well. I'll be posting food recipes/critiques that are not only good for you, but taste good too. Here's to a healthy start. See you at the finish line. :)