Cheese Grapes and Champagne Gelee

You can't have too many appetizer recipes, you just can't. Hummus is great but it isn't exactly elegant, and how many times do you feel the need to 'take watch' to ensure no double-dipping is going down?

These adorable little cheese-stuffed and covered grapes are cute and require one bite, a bonus for those times you don't want to carry around a plate with you (you need those hands for drinks and shaking.)
When I put this tray together I wanted something special on it - like edible flowers. But since we are in the midst of a polar vortex, even non-edible petals are hard to come by, that wasn't going to happen.  The tray didn't really need more food on it, but it needed just a little something to set it apart. The guest of honor and I have a penchant for Champagne, I began to look for ways to incorporate.

Yes it was a fancy and stylish party and yes, jello shots (or in this case gelee) fits right in. These aren't the nasty little neon jello shooters you get from a half-naked girls at the local club. These Champagne gelee cubes are light, tender and the perfect accompaniment to the grapes. Just a little square or two is needed; though a couple of us polished off the remainder of the pan in record time later in the night.

Below I've listed two flavor options for the grapes and a couple of options for how to put them together too. My goat cheese and lemon with toasted pine nuts version is super lovely while the more traditional blue cheese and walnuts arrangement is just a classic taste combination. In both cases, the grapes are a wonderful sweet vessel for the ingredients.

Take your next appetizer tray to a new level with Fat and Happy Grapes and Champagne.

Beet Flan with Citrus Wild Mushrooms

Are you a beet fan but stuck in the classic beet soup and beet salad rut? Do you have beets sitting in your home now just begging for a little love? Consider this a personal recipe for you.

Due to a slight clerical error while ordering my weekly organic vegetable delivery (turns out the order was in pounds, not units), I found myself inundated with the earthy red roots. Facing a very special dinner celebration, a beet course was clearly added to the menu. But this was not the time to go basic. I was inspired by a photo of a spring flan and the rest, as they say, is history. Successful history.

It's the most delicate, light beet dish ever with a loose texture that melts in your mouth. The citrus garlic mushrooms add grounding to the dish and are bursting with flavor.

I'll admit that I rarely get tired of basic roasted beets, but why not push the envelope of creativity with this stunning Fat and Happy Beet Fan with Citrus Wild Garlic Mushrooms.

Recipe Swap: Chocolate Avocado Chipotle Tequila Popsicles

After taking a month off from the Recipe Swap, we are back in full force to kick off the first weekend of summer with our individual remakes of a Chocolate Mint Pie.

My first inclination was to make an inside out pie in the form of a crunchy mint truffle using the homemade creme de menthe left over from my shamrock shake adventure. Days before this post was due I received an invitation to a Top Chef Drink party ... being held at my house!

Visions of glasses smudged from smoldering rosemary, concoctions bubbling with pop rock inventions and deconstructed cocktails swirled in my head. The only thing I knew for sure was that I didn't have a lot of time to create the winning drink AND prepare for the party.

I toyed with chocolate and mint in a drink but I couldn't get past the girly martini stigma surrounding those flavors. A frozen cocktail felt a bit better, but it needed a savory edge, something almost spicy. And it needed a filler. The obvious choice was a Greek yogurt until I remembered a chocolate avocado shake I once made. Avocados are green and so is mint, seemed like a fair swap.

Boozy Pudding Shots

First there was the plain old shot of alcohol. Then came Jello shots. And now enters the pudding shot. Thick, creamy pudding mixed with alcohol for a tasty adult party favor.

While intrigued when we first heard about these, I struggled with a full understanding of the flavor. Then we tried a chocolate pudding shot and WOW- it was a creamy, chocolatey, boozy sensation that called for more tastes!

Two parties presented the perfect opportunities to try my hand at these punched-up pudding shots; a fundraiser and a going away party for a coworker. Sure the pudding shots may sound a bit out of place for a fundraiser, but it loosened the crowd for the live auction and turned into a super fun conversation starter.

The Irish Chocolate Pudding Shots tout Baileys and Kahlua while the Tiramisu Pudding Shots make use of Amaretto. For the Gluten Free party goer, the Limoncello pudding shots packs a serious lemon POW without the flour base

Jello shots are so old-school. When your next party calls for a shot of fun, step it up with boozy pudding shots for a Fat and Happy party boost. My good friend and fellow foodie Marianne helped create these - Thanks M.A.!

Strawberry and Port Jello Shots

I'm no stranger to the jello shot; let's just say I've licked more than one of those annoying little plastic containers clean. So when my good friend Alina shared a photo of her hollowed out strawberries filled with jello shots- I said 'Hell yes' to this fancy vessel touting shot idea.

No longer do need to struggle with getting the liquor -laden jello out of the stiff little plastic cups while nearly slicing open your tongue on the hard edge, nor do we need to look like we are desperate for that teaspoon of alcohol found in each as we try to gracefully smack the back of the cup hoping the jello will magically fall into our mouths. Those days are over my friends!

Enter the strawberry cup; a simple strawberry with a hollowed out core, filled with flavored gelatin. All edible. All delicious. All genius.

Fall Spiced Pumpkin Jello Shots

Jello shots are the new ice cream. Last year I couldn't stop making delectable frozen treats, but now it's all flavored gelatin-ized liquor and I see nothing wrong with this.
 
These pumpkin jello shots took a few turns before the final recipe but my motto is to eat your mistakes- so it wasn't all bad. Super spicy with a hearty fall undertow, these are not for the weak at heart; topping with whipped cream is essential to get the full pumpkin pie jello shot effect.


If you want to really kick the content up on these fall jello shots, run out today and get this alcoholic whipped cream (called Cream). We were shocked at how strong this is! It's an odd product, completely shelf stable. After trying this on the jello shots, our friend ran out and bought a can for a torrid weekend rendezvous...word is that it was well received but the hotel staff may begin to ban it!

Lame Jello shot flavors blow, get on the fat and happy bandwagon and make it interesting.

Fall Spiced Pumpkin Jello Shots


1 cup chai tea
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbls white sugar
1 package of unflavored gelatin 
1/4 cup chilled vanilla vodka
1/4 cup chilled vodka
Spice mixture (recipe below)

In a sauce pan, heat 1/2 cup chai tea and the brown and white sugar until the sugar is melted.  Add in 1/2 tbls of the spice mixture. Remove from heat and sprinkle the gelatin over the tea, whisking to combine.  Let sit for 10 minutes.

Add the vodka and the remaining tea, stir to combine.  Strain the mixture to capture any undissolved gelatin, then pour into small jello shot cups.

Refigerate for at least 3 hours. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Spice Mixture
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 ground clove
1/2 tsp ground allspice
pinch of ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger

Mix the above ingredients in a bowl and set aside until ready to use.

Halloween Jello Shots

Halloween offers a plethora of creative food ideas - it's super easy to make pumpkin, spider and witch cookies or cakes.  But if you want to really stand out at your next Halloween party, make jello shots and watch Adult face light up!

Because it is Halloween, these shots need to be a little spooky, weird really, AND they have to taste good.  I came up with a number of ideas, bounced them off of Dave and together we refined the ideas to two.  From there it was just a matter of how to execute.  Making a clear gelatin with a floating heart was the most fun.  I never use actual box Jell-O in my shots, as much prefer to create my own flavors and control the sweetness.

The names of these spooky gelatin shots help to set the tone, make a fun sign so everyone understands what they are.  The party I attended was quite dark, so vulnerable guest had no idea there was a 'heart' in the middle of one of the shots...I couldn't have planned that better.  It really freaked people out - an unexpected, Fat and Happy Halloween spook!

Tips and Techniques: Each recipe below makes about 15 - 20 jello shots.  You can pick up the jello shot cups at most liquor stores. Click to see my other tasty jello shot recipes.

Black Raspberry Vanilla Jello Shots
or
A Zombie ripped my heart out and put it in Jello

Soak about 15-20 cherries in Cinnamon schnapps, vodka or rum

In a pan over medium heat add:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar (if you prefer a sweeter taste, use 1/2 cup)

heat until dissolved - sprinkle one envelope of gelatin. Once the gelatin is dissolved (you may have to help this by stirring.)

Add:
1/2 cup Black Raspberry water
1/2 cup Vanilla vodka

Stir and strain into a pouring device.  Pour into plastic shot cups*.  Add a liquor soaked cherry. Chill.

*worth the extra step:  If you want the 'hearts' to appear like they are floating, fill each cup to a quarter a half of the cup and then place in the fridge.  Once that sets firm, add a soaked cherry and top with the rest of the jello liquid.
Chill for 3 hours. Enjoy!


Hot Cinnamon Jello Shots
or
Hot Worms are Eating my Spicy dead Jello

In a pan over medium heat add:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar (if you prefer a sweeter taste, use 1/2 cup)
Heat until dissolved
Sprinkle one envelope of gelatin, once the gelatin is dissolved (you may have to help this by stirring), Add:

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup hot Cinnamon schapps

Stir and strain into a pouring device.  Pour into plastic shot cups (if you don't have the little plastic cups, pour into a pan and you can cut this into squares after it sets.)  Let the shots set slightly in the refrigerator, and then add a gummy worm to each.
Chill for 3 hours. Enjoy!

Pomegranate Basil Jello Shot

Yes. This is my second post on Jello shots, er, I mean gelatin shots. But come on, these are just fun! And so much simpler that anyone thinks they are. Call me crazy but I think making them from scratch is easier than from a box; or at least more interesting!

This time we had a barbecue party to attend, and along with a simple side salad, we wanted to bring something extra. Sometimes this means a dessert and sometimes it means liquor. Jello shots just can't be beat. They have a bad rap of being having too much liquor - but there is less than a tablespoon in every shot, if that!

I'm just having fun with flavors and gelatin. I literally came up with Pomegranate Basil because I had pomegranate juice in the fridge and fresh basil growing outside. These are quite fun and tasty and while I liked the flavor from the start, I do think the flavor grows on you the more you have. Some might say thats the alcohol. You decide. Make up a batch of jello shots today, share them with some friends and be fat and happy!

Have ready in a glass bowl:
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup basil
couple of mint leaves
juice of 1 lime

In a pan over medium heat add:
1/2 cup water
1/2 sugar
heat until dissolved
sprinkle one envelope of gelatin
once the gelatin is dissolved, pour into the glass bowl with the basil and pomegranate; steep for 15 minutes.

Then add 1/2 cup rum, stir.
pour into cups (or if you don't have the little plastic cups, pour into a pan and you can cut this into squares after it sets.)

Chill for 3 hours. Enjoy!

Mojito Jello Shots

We were invited to a party on Saturday night. What to bring to a party can greatly depend on the type of party it is and how many people are going to be there. This particular party, as we were told, is one of the craziest parties that kick off the summer; clearly THE party to attend and we weren't about to miss it.

Food was not the appropriate item to bring along; this party called for alcohol- but do we bring a six pack of beer or a bottle of wine or.....jello shots? Jello shots definitely carries the most fun factor while still offering the opportunity to be creative.

I saw this recipe in Food and Wine some time ago and they sounded so fabulous. I think what is really exciting is the other ideas that this recipe is sparking: I'm already thinking limoncello jello shots, grappa jello shots maybe even a rum and coke jello shot!

These were a huge huge hit at the party, we could have made hundreds more! We left the party about 3 am and people were still talking about them Mitch thought they were extremely potent, or so that's what I think he was saying as he held up the wall next me. Dave thought they needed more rum. Just know your crowd and plan accordingly.

1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
warm this over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved.

Add
3 envelopes of unflavored gelatin, whisk until this is dissolved.

Have ready in a glass bowl:
1 cup lime juice
1 cup mint leaves (muddle the leaves a bit)

Pour the hot sugar water into the lime juice and let steep for 15 minutes.

Add 1 cup of white rum. Strain, then pour the mixture in to your jello shot cups (add a mint leave here for better presentation and for a slightly mintier flavor.) I couldn't decide if each shot should have a mint leaf in them or not. My concern was that it might hinder the shot to just slide down- but the extra minty flavor was nice in the shot that I did put leaves in.
**Updated note: DO strain the mint leaves out. When I put the extra leaves in, it was a fresh leaf after the shot were already set. If you want to add one or two fresh leaves to the top for presentation- do it just before serving and then take them out before eating. If you don't strain the leaves- you'll end up with a weird chewy shot that doesn't slide down (I heard our friend Kasey's shots didn't turn out so well because of this!).

Refrigerate about 3 hours.

I highly recommend making these for your next party. They are quite simple and you'll be the hit of the party! Watch everyone flock to you to find out how you made them; and you can just smile, throw down a shot and be fat and happy!