I love a good theme party! Thankfully for me, I have a gaggle of nieces and nephews so the theme parties are never in short supply! When I found out my niece was having a Monster High party for her 7th birthday, I had no idea what that was. At all. I had to stop what I was doing and Google it and I still didn’t really understand! Basically, I learned that it is a Saturday morning cartoon about monsters who go to high school. Ok Got it.
In addition to my pretty epic costume that I created, I thought we needed some theme food. I spent some time on Pinterest and found an image that inspired to make these fantastically fun “monster” sandwiches!
They were a hit and the birthday girl, Lili, who can be quite the picky eater, was more than excited that she got to have ‘more than one!’ Everyone had a blast picking out which ‘monster’ they wanted to eat!
I made half the sandwiches on white bread and half on wheat bread and opted for classic combinations of Ham & Swiss and Turkey & Cheddar. I served mayonnaise and mustard on the side so everyone could dress them how they like.
So next time you have picky eater on your hands or an event with a theme, think about making your food more fun! It’s sure be a hit of ‘Monster Proportions!’
Baked to golden perfection, these delectable bites have the slight crunch of the Brussels sprouts and the creamy, cheesy filling, creating a palate-pleasing dish that’s both elegant and comforting.
How to make stuffed Brussel sprouts
Start by blanching, halving and then carefully hollowing out the center of a large Brussel sprout. Mix together a creamy stuffing of of ricotta cheese, grated parmesan, a variety of aromatic herbs and panko breadcrumbs. Bake until golden perfection and serve.
I came across this gem of a recipe for stuffed Brussel Sprouts by Jerry James Stone who has an awesome vegetarian food blog. He takes incredible photos and produces killer “how -to” videos like the one below.
Stuffed Brussel sprouts can be time consuming to make at first, but they can be made in advance and are totally worth it. And like most things, the more you do it, the better you get at it. I have made them enough times that now I can bang them out pretty quickly, but it wasn’t always that way. You just have to get the hang of it but trust me- it’s worth it!
This recipe combines the cored out pieces of Brussel sprouts with garlic, breadcrumbs, herbs, ricotta cheese, and parmesan cheese and then stuffs them back into the shells of the Brussel sprouts. The result is pure, bite sized deliciousness!
*This recipe is Gluten Free Adaptable
To make this appetizer gluten free, be sure to use Gluten Free breadcrumbs.
Cored out Brussel sprouts are stuffed with a blend of garlic, breadcrumbs, herbs, ricotta cheese, and parmesan cheese then baked to golden perfection.
Ingredients
15Large Brussels sprouts
1cupwhole milk ricotta
1cupParmesanshredded
½cuppanko bread crumbs
3clovesgarlicminced
1tablespoondried thyme
1tablespoondried basil
1teaspoondried marjoram
1teaspoondried sage
1teaspoonkosher salt
pinch of pepper
Olive oil
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degree F.
Wash the sprouts, trim the ends and halve them through the core.
Fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the sprouts cut-side down. Cook for 1-2 minutes, remove them, separate them, and let them cool.
Core the sprouts. (Tip: Watch the video above for this next step. James teaches us how to quickly core the Brussels sprouts in just a few minutes.)
Finely chop the cored out Brussels sprouts pieces. Add the chopped sprout insides and 3 cloves of minced garlic to a sauce pan. Sauté over a medium-high heat. Cook until the chopped sprouts are tender and the mixture is aromatic.
Mix the sprout & garlic mixture with the ricotta, Panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, thyme, basil, marjoram and dried sage. Add a dash of salt and taste the mixture. You want it to taste a bit overly salted because it will be less salty once they are baked.
Using a small spoon, fill the Brussels sprouts with the stuffing. Over fill them.
Bake for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until the caps are crispy and slightly burnt.
