Ladies night

We have a monthly get together that we used to call Bunco or as the husbands call it....Drunko. I think we might have to change the name of our group though since we don't actually play very much.  I get to host once a year and have tons of fun trying new recipes on my friends.

We had the Costco Kirkland Margarita (Courtesy of the DC Costco that sells liquor) and lots of wine.  I am going to need to go visit Costco in DC again soon to pick up some more margaritas.  They were refreshing and delicious.

I tried three new recipes this year.  Potato skins, Goat cheese with blackberry and honey and Zucchini pizza bites.  All delicious in my opinion.  Hope you enjoy trying them.


Goat Cheese with Blackberry and Honey
Adapted from: Foodie with Family

Ingredients



1 small artisan loaf
Goat cheese
fresh blackberries
mild honey

Directions
1.  Slice the bread thinly.  I tried for 1/4 inch.  Crisp in the oven for 3-4 min each side in the oven at 350 degrees.
2. Arrange the bread in a single layer on a plate.  Place a slice of goat cheese on each round.  Top with a blackberry and drizzle with some honey. I tried 3 types of goat cheese - plain, herb crusted and sweet cranberries.

Easy Potato Skins
From: Iheartnaptime

Ingredients
4 large baking potatoes (washed)
3 TB butter, melted
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 1/2- 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
7 slices bacon -cooked and crumbled

Directions
1.  Pre-heat oven to 400°. Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
2.  Wash potatoes and then cut the ends of the potatoes off and discard. Next cut the rest of the potatoes into approximately 1/3 inch slices.
3.  Brush both sides and edges of the potatoes with butter and sprinkle with salt. Place on the foil covered pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until lightly browned. Turn potatoes onto the opposite side after about 15 minutes, to brown the other side.
4.  When potatoes are done, top with cheese, bacon and green onions. Continue baking for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese in

Zucchini Pizza Bites
From: thecomfortofcooking

Ingredients
2 large zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds
Nonstick cooking spray
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
1/4 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
1/4 cup mini pepperoni pieces, optional
Italian seasoning, for sprinkling

Directions
1.  Spray cookie sheet, then spray both sides of zucchini rounds lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil or grill the zucchini rounds (I used a grill pan set to medium-high) for 2 minutes on each side.
2.  Place cooked zucchini rounds on a large lined baking sheet. Top with small amounts of sauce, cheese and pepperoni pieces, if desired. Broil for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until cheese is melted, careful not to burn. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and serve warm.

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Looking back at my "resolutions" for this year....Meatless meals.  This is one of my favorites.  I love the spinach and cheese combo and for some reason I don't think one roll has a huge number of carbs so I consider this good skinny food to eat when I'm watching my carb intake.  I didn't change anything from the recipe.  If you like diet friendly meals you should check out the Skinnytaste site. I try a ton of recipes and haven't found one I don't like yet!

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

From: Skinnytaste

Ingredients:
9 lasagna noodles, cooked
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and fresh pepper
32 oz tomato sauce
1 cup part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each roll with mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.