small plates and snacks – In Good Taste

Healthy Make-Ahead Party Recipes [Hot Double Spinach Dip]

Maris Callahan — Fri, 30 Dec 2016 21:52:07 +0000

I love to go out on New Year’s Eve. Now, I don’t love crowded bars or busy hotel celebrations, but I like to celebrate special occasions, like New Years’ Eve, at friends’ parties and going out to dinner. I love an excuse to get a little dressed up and have a night out. Brad, on the other hand, loves the Ohio State Buckeyes. and they happen to be playing in The Fiesta Bowl on Saturday night. Suffice to say, we’ll be spending New Year’s Eve in and not unsurprisingly, I’ve been spending a lot of time planning our New Year’s Eve menu. Last week, I shared some of my favorite New Year’s Eve recipes on CBS Chicago with Marissa Bailey. If you want to start the new year on a healthy note, preparation is power. Each of these ideas have one thing in common: they are each super easy to prepare and in most cases, make ahead, using fresh Organic ingredients from the O Organics line at Jewel-Osco. O Organics’ mission is to make a wide variety of USDA certified organic foods affordable for all. O Organics features more than 300 items for every occasion throughout the store—from fresh fruits and vegetables, to wholesome […]

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Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Maris Callahan — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 01:42:54 +0000

For a simple snack, roasted pumpkin seeds are fun, simple and cheap way to embrace the spirit of fall. Mix and match spice combinations to find your favorite, or stick with our favorite spicy variety with cumin, coriander and cardamom. One of the fun things about being a grown up is that you can do all of the fun things you did as a kid, but with a more sophisticated twist. Picnics in the park can mean sandwiches, but also fancy cheeses and your favorite sparkling wine. Movie and pizza nights mean fresh fig, blue cheese and caramelized onion pizza and in the Fall, pumpkin carving parties mean sparkling apple cider sangria and spicy roasted pumpkin seeds. The upside to roasted pumpkin seeds is that they’re cheap, easy and healthy for quick snacks or even adding crunch to autumn salads. The downside is that you have to scoop them out from the stringy flesh inside of the pumpkin, which smells not great. Once you rinse and season them, they have a completely neutral scent, so if you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, it’s worth it in the end. There are dozens – probably hundreds, but let’s not get dramatic here – of ways to […]

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How To Host a DIY Crostini Bar: Crab & Avocado Bites

Maris Callahan — Fri, 01 Jul 2016 04:00:16 +0000

If you ask anyone for their entertaining staples, they’ll probably say cheese and crackers. I love cheese and crackers as much as the next person (don’t try telling me it isn’t a meal, either), but if you entertain often, it’s easy to start feeling like your go-to spread is a little ho-hum If you want to take your next party or date night to the next level, create a DIY crostini bar. No bread? No problem. Dare Crackers are the perfect base for your favorite spread and toppings, and my favorite combinations are insanely easy to make. I’m someone who loves to host, so I’m constantly reading magazines and blog posts about all sorts of fun and festive party themes. As much as I would love to host a nautical themed backyard barbecue for the Fourth of July or a Hamptons chic clambake on a beach somewhere, those plans are not in my immediate summer future. Simple ideas like this one though, are easily executed whether you’re hosting a a gathering for 20 or 10 or 1. ] Whether prepping for an extravagant party or an impromptu get-together, Dare’s variety of crisp crackers are sure to make each bite better. You can select your favorite from a complete […]

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Easy Sliders with Chipotle Mayonnaise

Maris Callahan — Wed, 25 May 2016 17:00:29 +0000

May is National Burger Month. Based on how I’ve been eating lately I would have preferred that May be called National Iced Cream Sandwich Month or National Chips and Guacamole Month, but burgers are a pretty excellent choice, too. As you can imagine, the Internet is chock full of epic burger recipes, piled high with fried onions, blueberries, caramelized onions, buffalo wing sauce, blue cheese and god no, not all together. I’m kind of a purist though and sometimes epic burgers are made with the best beef, high quality cheese and your choice of lettuce, tomato and onion. To kick these burgers up a notch, I made a spicy chipotle aioli to dress them and formed them into sliders, to keep things a little more interesting. If you’re making these bad boys for a cookout or picnic, they can be appetizers or a main dish, but either way, they’ll be eaten quickly. To celebrate National Burger Month, we have a sweet giveaway for you, in conjunction with a bunch of other awesome bloggers who are sharing their kick-ass creations, too. Swissmar Glow 7PC Fondue Set ($15.00) American Lamb Cabot cheesebox Cert Angus Beef Charbroil Grill Cowboy Charcoal Samplers Cuttingboard.com cutting board GrillMasters Club […]

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Brie, Cranberry and Leek Flatbread

Maris Callahan — Mon, 09 May 2016 05:00:03 +0000

Cranberries, brie and leeks balance this filling and easy to bake flatbread perfect for an evening of entertaining or paired with a salad as a quick dinner for two. I’m going to go ahead and make a quick confession here: sometimes I go to Whole Foods and I don’t buy anything. Yes, you’re reading this correctly. I window shop at Whole Foods. Just like some people go to department stores, try on a sweater and check back online every few days to see if its gone on sale, I go to the grocery store, cruise the prepared food section for ideas and file them away in the notes section of my iPhone until I’m ready to make something nicer than the yogurt and pretzel sticks that I had for dinner tonight. Last week, I was doing just this when I spotted a new shelf of ready-to-bake flatbread next to the pizza counter at my neighborhood Whole Foods. I happened to have a bag of dried cranberries and a wheel of brie in my refrigerator so one pre-packaged flatbread and a leek later, I knew what I was making for a gathering that I was hosting. Save Print Brie, Cranberry and Leek […]

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