Birthday Appetizers: Cheesy Italian Pinwheels

I probably went overboard with Toddler's party.  I tend to do that.  For his first birthday, I used an Elmo mold and made an Elmo cake, when he was barely even familiar with the red, furry guy.  This year was a bit different, though.  The area where I went overboard was on appetizers.  This, from a person who never makes appetizers.  I guess it was time to branch out.

Here's another super easy appetizer to put together, and these were also quite a crowd pleaser, especially amongst the kids at Toddler's party. They were a super cute version of a garlic cheese bread. I used Muir Glen tomato sauce and added some Italian seasoning and garlic powder, which gave it some great flavor (not to mention made it easy!).  I love the Muir Glen tomato products, they are so much more flavorful than some others I've tried.

Every last one of these were scarfed down, so I'd have to say that they were good, though I didn't manage to get a hold of one myself. I doubled the recipe, in fact, and they still vanished pretty quickly! I will definitely be making these little guys for my next party!  They were so quick and easy!  

Cheesy Italian Pinwheels

adapted from Pillsbury
Printer-friendly recipe

1 can Crescent rolls
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup tomato sauce (for dipping)

1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Unroll dough, separate into 2 long rectangles. Press perforations together to seal.
3. Sprinkle garlic powder and cheese over rectangles; gently press into dough.
4. Starting with 1 short side, roll up each triangle and press ends to seal. Cut into 8 pieces with a serrated knife. Place cut sides down on an ungreased cookie sheet. Brush tops with beaten egg, then sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Heat up tomato sauce, either in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Serve warm.

Wonton Churros

For Toddler's birthday party last weekend, there was one heck of a spread. I had hot food, I had cold food, I had a ton of cupcakes, and I had these churro wontons. Churros are totally on my list of things to bake (and this alternate version does not exempt me from trying them!).

Never heard of churros?  Oh, I'm so sorry.  Churros are a delicious Spanish-style donut that is tossed in cinnamon sugar after frying.  Best of all, they're usually served with a delicious chocolate dipping sauce...unless your only source of churros is your local skating rink or county fair, like me, in which case, you just get the yummy, fried goodness of a churro.  Ah, memories.  Just the thought of churros makes me think of the skating rink where I grew up and spent so much time as a kid.  Fall down out on the rink?  A churro will make it better.  The boy you like didn't ask you to do the couples skate?  A churro won't let you down like that!

I spotted these on Tastespotting just before Valentine's Day and knew I wanted to try These were a challenge to twist and turn, but the step-by-step pictures posted on La Fuji Mama really help out a lot. These were light and tasty, and darn near addictive! Also, if you visit La Fuji Mama, she also has a recipe for some awesome salted caramel dipping sauce!

Churro Wontons
Makes 45 pieces

Printer-friendly recipe
30 wonton wrappers
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Oil for deep frying

1. Cut the wonton wrappers into thirds. Stack 2 pieces on top of each other and cut a slit (about 1-inch in length) down the center of the pieces. Pull one end through the slit in the pieces to make a bow shape. Repeat the process with the rest of the wrappers.
2. Mix the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon together and put in a sifter.
3. Heat about 1/2-inch of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot until it registers 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add six to eight wontons at a time; cook until golden and crisp on one side, and then flip them over and cook them until they are golden and crisp on the other side. Carefully remove them from the oil (take care not to splatter hot oil on yourself!) and set them on paper towels to drain. Give them a shower of cinnamon and sugar. Repeat with the remaining wontons.

Birthday Appetizers: Easy Mini Soft Pretzels with Sweet Spicy Dip

I've never really made appetizers before - last year for Toddler's first birthday, I think I cut up some crackers and cheese, bought a fruit salad, and made cupcakes. Oh, and I think I put out some chips and dip. While this year was infinitely more stressful, I still enjoyed the process, and enjoyed trying out several new recipes at the party.

These mini pretzels were ridiculously easy to put together for Toddler's party last weekend, which was a good thing, given that I was trying to do way too many things on the day of his party. They were a total hit - I doubled the recipe, and every last pretzel got devoured. I only managed to get one bite, but it was a good one. Nice and soft, with a bit of chew, and some nice buttery, salty flavor. Yum. I didn't taste the dip myself - I'm not a fan of spicy mustard - but some of my trusted personal taste testers did, and said it was wonderful, so you'll have to take their word for it!!

Mini Soft Pretzels with Sweet Spicy Dip

adapted from Pillsbury

Printer-friendly recipe

1 can refrigerated Crescent rolls, or Crescent Recipe Creations sheet

2 tbsp melted butter

Kosher salt

1/4 cup spicy brown mustard

1/4 cup apricot preserves

1. Unroll Crescent rolls, into two long rectangle sheets. Press seams together to seal into two big pieces. Take a pizza cutter and cut each rectangle into 4 long strips - yielding 8 total pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then into a long rope. Roll the rope into the pretzel shape, overlapping the dough about 2 inches from each end, leaving the ends free. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

2. Melt butter. Brush each pretzel with melted butter then sprinkle with kosher salt.

3. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

4. Meanwhile, mix spicy brown mustard and apricot preserves together, to taste - too spicy? Add more apricot. I ultimately did about 1/3 cup of apricot preserves to cut down on the spiciness.