MLK Cocktail Party, Phase 1.

It's almost 12:30am and I am laying in bed, thinking about what needs to be done for tomorrow's "bougie" cocktail party.  What's on the menu, you may ask?  Yes... please ask.  Let's run it, shall we?

Crab salad on endive
Mushroom and Ricotta Crescent Rolls
Pasta Salad

 Beginning stages of the pasta salad


Mini Quiche
BBQ Chicken Wings
Turkey Meatballs in a cream sauce
Crudités (the good old veggie platter)
Cheese Plate with Fontina and Brie
Deviled Eggs

So this evening, my good friend Nicole helped with a lot of the prep work for the crab salad and the crudités.  We also were able to knock out the Crescent Rolls.  The eggs were boiled for the deviled eggs. 

So here's the ultimate question.  "How are you making all this food by yourself?"  The answer to that is... I'm not making it all.  I'm a firm believer in taking the help where you can get it.  The good old Costco membership is a necessity in my life and you'd be surprised by the quality of the hors d'oeurves that you can find in the freezer section.  So guess what, I'm telling you the secret behind the quiche and the wings.  They are frozen!  So please don't judge me!!! LOL!!!   Those are all the secrets you are getting out of me with regards to saving time to prep!  Shoo... I still have to get my hair cut tomorrow!  LOL...

Now, for the recipe for the crescent rolls.  Let's be real.  I don't bake.  Baking for me is waaaay too exact.  I don't really like to measure.  So I take the shortcut where I can get them.  The shortcut in this recipe... pre-made "popum" crescent rolls in a tube.  Yes I said it, IN A TUBE. 

4 tubes of crescent rolls
1 medium onion, diced
1 shallot, diced
8 cloves of garlic, diced
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of thyme
1 carton of sliced baby portobello mushrooms (then pulsed a few times in a food processor), or any type of mushroom you happen to enjoy.
1 cup of ricotta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In a saute pan, heat your olive oil  over medium heat.  Once hot, saute your onion, shallot, and garlic until translucent.  Add mushrooms to this mixture and saute, until your mushrooms have have begun to reduce and brown.  Add thyme and salt and pepper.  Turn off heat, and allow to cool.

Combine the mushroom mixture to your cup of ricotta.  Viola!  This is your filling for your crescent rolls.

Pop open those crescent rolls... and separate per the package directions.  Fill each roll with your mixture, place on a baking sheet, and bake per the package directions.  The bake time may vary, usually around 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 32 crescent rolls.

In the process of rolling, aren't they cute?

 After baking, aren't they much cuter?

 
I did this recipe for the first time for a friend of mine's family Chinese New Year celebration.  They were a hit!  The other great thing about this recipe is, it doesn't have to be mushrooms, it can be any sauteed vegetable you want it to be... I could see summer squash... asparagus... OOOH... asparagus... I think I may have to try that one next time around. 

Alright... I think its time for bed.

Onward and upward...

-Vince