The base of these hors d'oeuvres is cucumber. Kids love to cut out the cucumber rounds and top them by themselves. I will include the toppings as presented in the appetizer book I like, but you could top them with all your children's favorites: peanut butter, marshmallow, fruits, jams, cheese, Nutella®, hard boiled eggs, egg salad, chicken, olive, nuts, etc. The possibilites are as limitess as your children's imaginations. Have some fun in the kitchen this weekend with your kids or grandkids.
This was Erin and Eli's first time on an airplane and were very apprehensive, but once the engines started accelerating and we started gaining speed, Eli became very excited. We were on the wrong side of the plane to see any of New York for we had hoped to see the city with all its magnificent lighting. The kids were excited to see The Lady at night because we had seen her covered in scaffolding during the day as we had crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. They had their first taste of airline food: dried, crustless corned beef and turkey sandwiches with gruyere, grapes, and soda for snack. For breakfast, we had rolled pancakes with applesauce, sweet rolls and croissants, canned orange grapefruit juice, orange and grapefruit slices, and the worst airplane coffee I have ever had. All in all, much better fare than you get today unless you are in first or business class. When the seat belt light went off, Eli switched sides of the plane and saw a bit of the city. It was amazing to see him just so excited. As we approached the cruising altitude of 37,000 feet, he became a bit queasy, but it passed. When I think back on this adventure, the beginning was perfect. To see their enthusiasm and anticipation for our trip and our new life in Ireland made up for the apprehension I was to have on that flight after they went to sleep.
After we watched the movie The Survivors, Erin and Eli moved to the center seats, pushed up the armrests and slept. There were very few people on the flight so they were able to take advantage and really get a good night's rest. I did not fare as well. At first it was terribly cold, and then it became oppressively warm. As things always seem worse at night, I sat on that plane wondering what I had done. This was really happening. I had leased my home, taken the children from everything and everyone they knew, and was flying off to an unknown country with no definite plans other than I would settle in Trim, County Meath, outside Dublin. Lordy, lordy. I was beginning to think maybe my attorney was right: I was insane. And I had only two paychecks to see me through all this. I knew I had to be smart and strong because I was not on this adventure alone. I was a mother responsible for her two children. What if things were more expensive than I had anticipated? I guess I had credit cards to fall back on--typical attitude of the 80s.
In the morning after breakfast, we were greatly awaiting our first look at the Emerald Isle. It was quite a sight to see Eire initially though it was not what I had dreamed. It looked more like the Midwest with all the land parceled out in little plots of green, and it was not the lush green I had envisioned. I found out that Ireland had experienced an unusual long, dry, hot summer that year. We landed in Shannon near the west coast because it was a less expensive flight, and I wanted to see the country once before we settled on the east coast. And thus it begins...
Next up: our adventure crossing Ireland on a bus, our first look at Dublin, and how we got to Trim.
Me with the black and white straw hat and Carla Mooney sitting in the traffic circle in the center of Trim during the Tidy Town Awards in October of 1984
Erin, my father and mother, and Eli at the same traffic circle in April of 1985
Cucumber Cups with Blue Cheese Mousse and Crispy Bacon
Again let me credit Eric Treuille and Victoria Blashford-Snell for these wonderful recipes found in their Hors D'Oeuvres cookbook.
CUCUMBER CUPS WITH BLUE CHEESE MOUSSE AND CRISPY BACON [Makes 20]
Ingredients:
6 slices of bacon
4 oz. of Roquefort cheese
4 oz. of cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 scallion, cut into strips for garnish
1 cucumber made into 20 cucumber cups
Essential Equipment: piping bag with large star nozzle, 1 3/8-inch fluted pastry cutter, melon baller
Preparation:
Place bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet. Cook until golden and crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels and cut into small triangular pieces as shown in photo. Cut the cucumber into 20 ¾-inch slices. Cut each slice with the pastry cutter. Using the melon baller, scoop out centers to make cups, leaving a ¼-inch layer as a base. Beat the cheeses until smoothly blended. Add the salt and pepper. Fill the piping bag with mousse and pipe into cucumber cups. [As shown on all cooking shows, you can substitute a plastic bag with the corner cut off for the piping bag.] Top with crispy bacon pieces and garnish with scallion strips.
Tips: Prepare the mousse up to 3 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Cook bacon up to one day in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Crisp in preheated 350° oven for two minutes.
Make the cups up to 2 days in advance, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Fill cups up to one hour before serving.
Cucumber Cups with Trout Mousse, Lemon, and Dill
CUCUMBER CUPS WITH SMOKED TROUT MOUSSE, LEMON, AND DILL [Makes 20]
Ingredients:
5 oz. of smoked trout
4 oz. of cream cheese
½ tsp. of grated lemon peel
1 tbsp. of lemon juice
Cayenne pepper to taste
1 cucumber made into 20 cucumber cups
1 tsp. of paprika for dusting
20 dill sprigs for garnish
Essential Equipment: piping bag with large star nozzle, 1 3/8-inch fluted pastry
cutter, melon baller
Preparation: Place the smoked
trout, cream cheese, lemon peel and juice in a food processor or blender; pulse
to a smooth paste. Add cayenne pepper to taste. Cut the cucumber into 20 ¾-inch
slices. Cut each slice with the pastry cutter. Using the melon baller, scoop out
centers to make cups, leaving a ¼-inch layer as a base. Fill the piping bag
with mousse and pipe into cucumber cups. [As shown on all cooking shows, you can
substitute a plastic bag with the corner cut off for the piping bag.] Dust with
paprika, and garnish with dill sprigs. Tips: Prepare the mousse up to 1
day in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Make the cups up to 2 days in advance,
and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Fill cups up to one hour
before serving. Illustration of how to make cucumber
cups: Next up: more kid-friendly hors d'oeuvres.
