Emily's Aps from Girls Weekend

First, a reminder of how warm and tropical we were just last weekend...


Beaching it


Underwater camera fun

Now for the eats! I could eat appetizers for every meal of the day. Pick, pick, pick, yum! An awesome idea for Girls Weekend. Here's my pair:

Roasted Eggplant Spread (Barefoot Contessa recipe)

Ingredients
1 medium eggplant
2 red bell peppers, seeded
1 red onion, peeled
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup chopped parsley (my own addition)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the eggplant, bell pepper, and onion into 1-inch cubes. Toss them in a large bowl with the garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly browned and soft, tossing once during cooking. Cool slightly. Place the vegetables in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, add the tomato paste & parsley, and pulse 3 or 4 times to blend. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with plain crackers or pita chips. Hearty & healthy!

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Red pepper & cream cheese spread

1 block room temperature cream cheese (Sadly, this recipe works best with the full-fat version)
1/2 jar red pepper jelly (Stonewall Kitchen or Harry & David's work well)

Mix together until creamy and voila! Serve with plain crackers.

Can't wait to see some baby pictures posted here!!!