Here are the recipe I prepared on HomeWorx with Gary Sullivan. The Rosemary Roast Beef Crostini is from my book, Amy’s Table: Food for Family and Friends. The second is made with brie and fig spread, items right off the shelf at The Party Source. I think it’s important to keep things like great cheeses and spreads on hand to pull together quick and easy appetizers.

Rosemary Roast Beef Crostini
Makes about 20 pieces

This is a favorite of our cooking school students at EQ at The Party Source. If you’re looking for an alternative to blue cheese, try a horseradish sauce.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Make ahead: The crostini can be made a day ahead; store in an airtight container. The beef can be mixed several hours in advance; refrigerate until ready to assemble. The topping can be made several days ahead; refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tip: Get a great quality rare roast beef thinly sliced at the deli. Cut the baguette on an angle for a larger, prettier crostini. When serving a cheese tray or dips, serve crostini in addition to crackers for a great looking display.

¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 pound thinly sliced rare roast beef, sliced into 1/3-inch wide strips

In a shallow dish combine the olive oil and seasonings. Add roast beef; toss to coat. Set aside while making crostini.

Crostini:
½ cup olive oil or olive oil spray
Salt and pepper to taste
1 baguette sliced into 1/3-inch slices

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush or spray both sides of bread slices with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.

Topping and Garnish:
4-ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup blue cheese dressing
¼ cup crumbled blue cheese plus more for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped fresh Italian parsley

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add dressing; beat until well blended. Stir in crumbled blue cheese by hand. Season with salt and pepper.

To Serve: Top each crostini with some of the meat. Top with a dollop of blue cheese mixture. Sprinkle with additional crumbled blue cheese and chopped Italian parsley; serve.

Yum, yum Bumble Bee! I received so many awesome recipes, it was hard to choose! In the end, Michael Schiaparelli’s Gourmet Italian-Style Tuna Melt won the $250 cash prize. Check out the recipes from the other finalists, too! Thanks for entering!

Gourmet, Italian-Style Tuna Melt
by Michael Schiaparelli

Ingredients
2 (5-ounce) cans Bumble Bee ‘Prime Fillet’ Solid Light Tuna packed in Olive Oil
1 small shallot, finely minced
1 stalk celery, diced
12 to 15 cured black olives, pitted and chopped
2 slices of roasted red pepper, diced
½ TSP ground fennel seed
Small bunch of Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 rounded TBS garlic aioli (see separate recipe, below), or mayonnaise blended with 2 TBS lemon juice and 2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Sliced semolina bread
1 heirloom tomato, sliced
Sliced, smoked mozzarella

Preparation:
Heat broiler
In a mixing bowl, combine tuna, shallot, celery, black olives, roasted pepper, fennel and flat leaf parsley. Blend together garlic aioli (or mayonnaise) and tuna mixture. Spoon onto sliced, toasted semolina bread. Cover with a slice of tomato and sliced smoked mozzarella. Heat under broiler until cheese starts to bubble, about 2 minutes. Serve with an Italian rosé, such as the 2008 ‘Il Mimo’ from Piedmont.

Ingredients for the Aioli:
3 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
2 large egg yolks
1 TBS lemon juice
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions
Combine the garlic, egg yolks, salt and pepper in a large bowl and whisk until combined. Then, slowly drizzle in the olive oil; continue to whisk until the mixture starts to thicken. Once the aioli has reached the desired consistency, slowly add the lemon juice, continuing to whisk to combine.

Mary Scahill
Yum Yum Bumble Bee,
Please please pick me!
I love Bumble Bee Tuna,
I want to win and be the big kahoona!
Bumble Bee, Bumble Bee, yum, yum, yum,
It’s so yummy in my tum tum tum!!!

Ingredients
2 cans of BUMBLE BEE solid white albacore, drained
1 large red apple, chopped
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
4 lettuce leaves
1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the tuna, apple, celery, raisins, dates and walnuts. Combine yogurt and mayonnaise; add to tuna mixture and toss to coat. Serve on lettuce-lined plates; sprinkle with the cheese.
It’s so delicious….everyone will love this, and it’s healthy too. Yeah—mmm mmm good!!!!

Thai Tuna Wraps
by Lori Dulle

Ingredients
1 (12oz) can of Bumblebee Solid White Albacore tuna packed in water, drained and coarsely flaked
1/4 pound dried cappellini or angel hair pasta
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons Thai/Asian fish sauce
4 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup of cashew halves (lightly salted or unsalted)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 jalepeno or red chile, minced
2 cups coarsely chopped romaine leaves
6 (7 inch) flour tortillas
Orange slices, for garnish
Green onions, for garnish

Directions
1. Start to cook pasta according to package directions.
2. While the pasta is cooking combine lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar in large bowl. Add cilantro and salt; stir in chile. Gently fold in tuna and cashews.
3. Drain pasta. Rinse under cold water until cool; drain well. Stir into tuna mixture.
4. Stack tortillas and wrap in damp paper towels. Microwave 45 seconds to 1 minute until tortillas are heated through.
5. Arrange 1/3 cup romaine down center of one tortilla. Spoon a 1/2 cup tuna-noodle mixture on romaine and roll up; transfer to serving platter. Repeat process with remaining tortillas and filling. Garnish with orange slices and green onions. Makes 6 servings.

Ceviche
By Natalie Marx
Here is a recipe I love to make with Bumble Bee Tuna. I have been making this healthy and fun recipe ever since I lived with a family in Ecuador while studying abroad in college.

1 can Bumble Bee tuna
5 lemons juiced or 1 C orange juice
1/4 C red onion slivers
dash ketchup (poco)
dash of pepper
1 tomato chopped

Mix all ingredients, add tuna last & enjoy

Bite Sized Panko- Crusted Crab Cakes
Makes 24 crab cakes
#6 2007 Frei Brothers Chardonnay $14.99 Aisle 5A
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 15-18 minutes
Make ahead: The crab cakes can be assembled several hours ahead, cover and chill. The Aioli can be made 1- days ahead; cover and chill.
Note: these look great served on flat Asian-style soup spoons

12 ounces lump crab meat
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 large egg
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1 1/4 cups panko ( or fine dried bread crumbs
Fresh chives, rinsed and cut into 1-inch lengths

Sort through crab and discard any bits of shell.
In a large bowl, combine celery, minced chives, mayonnaise, egg, mustard, and hot sauce; mix well with a fork. Add crab and 1/4 cup panko; stir gently just to mix.
Put remaining 1 cup panko in a shallow bowl. Shape crab mixture into 24 cakes, each about 2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Turn each cake in panko to coat on all sides, pressing gently to make crumbs adhere. Place cakes slightly apart in an oiled 12- by 17-inch baking pan.
Bake at 475° until golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes. With a spatula, transfer crab cakes to a platter. Spoon a dollop of Roasted Pepper-Chive Aioli onto each cake. Garnish each crab cake with 2 crossed pieces of chives. Serve hot.

Roasted Pepper-Chive Aioli
Makes about ½ cup

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped drained canned roasted red peppers
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic.

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl

When you’re looking for inspiration for week night family meals, grab a pound of Certified Angus Beef Brand ground chuck. Ground chuck is economical, family-friendly and the basis for all kinds of simple, satisfying meals. I like to brown ground chuck  and freeze it in meal size packages  for  tacos, casseroles and pasta sauces.    I have a great recipe for you: Manicotti Beef Florentine. Start by browning Certified Angus Beef Brand ground chuck. Add frozen choppped spinach that’s been thawed and well drained, plus some Italian seasoning and ricotta cheese. Use this mixture to fill manicotti shells. Top with your favorite spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese and bake until bubbly and heated through. Save yourself time by making a double batch of Manicotti Beef Florentine. Toss one in the freezer for another night. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did. You can find more family friendly recipes plus lots of cooking tips at Certified Angus Beef.com

Listen to the interview.

My grandmother made all of her grand daughters a Raggedy Ann. Each one had a little heart sewn on her chest that said “I love you” I love, love, love that doll and still have it. Some day I’ll pass it on to my grandchildren. There’s something about a handmade toy that is so special. I was inspired by  Susan Anderson,  author of Itty Bitty Toys , which shows you how to make adorable hand-knit toys for the kids in your life.

Susan is also the author of Itty-Bitty Hats and Itty-Bitty Nursery. Her knitting blog, susanbanderson.blogspot.com, gets more than 50,000 hits a month. Her series of 10 knitting tutorials, posted on You Tube, has been watched by more than 130,000 people in just the past 6 months. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and four children.

Coconut Almond Cream Pie

Chocolate Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie

Maple Walnut Cream Pie

Listen to the interview.

Did you know that 4 million cats and dogs—about one every 8 seconds—are put down in U.S. shelters each year? Megan Blake is a pet expert, animal advocate and host of the PBS show Animal Attractions and she joined us on Amy’s Table today to talk about pet adoption from rescues and shelters.

Here’s why Megan says we  should adopt from an animal shelter instead of buying a pet from a store:

o You’ll get a healthy pet! Your new pet is more likely to be vaccinated, de-wormed, and spayed or neutered if obtained from a shelter rather than a pet store.
o You’ll save money! Fees from a shelter are usually much less than the purchase price of an animal from a pet store or breeder.
o You’ll find a better selection! Shelters have a great selection of adult animals, kittens, puppies and purebred animals available for adoption.
o You won’t be supporting puppy mills and pet stores. Did you know that purebreds account for about 25 to 30 percent of a shelter’s dog population?
o You’ll save a life!

Check our Megan’s new social network for pets, MeganHeartsPets

Taco night is a popular night at my house. Since I know we’ll have taco night a couple times each month, I prep extra meat and freeze it for a future meal. I try to keep things interesting with different taco fillings and toppings. Instead of the usual ground beef sometimes I’ll do ground turkey, shredded chicken or pork or slices of grilled beef.  Tossing the tortillas on the grill for just a second makes them taste great, too. I  like to round out the meal with spicy beans, lime scented rice and a nice big salad. Here’s a perfect salad for taco night. Start with Dole Just Lettuce and toss it with Chipotle Ranch Dressing , fresh diced tomato, tortilla strips, and shredded Mexican cheese. Sounds great, doesn’t it? That idea came right from the package, thanks to the pairs well with guide. I’m just loving all this new salad inspiration. It makes eating healthy a whole lot of fun. You can find more salad recipes, ideas and inspiration at Dole.com

The new Amy’s Table Book Club selection is Magnolia Wednesdays by Wendy Wax

At forty-one, Vivian Armstrong Gray’s life as an investigative journalist is crumbling. Leaving her tiny apartment in New York, she reluctantly heads south to Georgia to experience the suburban soccer-mom experience through her widowed sister’s eyes. As she digs up her long-buried roots, and begins to secretly investigate her brother-in-law’s death, she starts to wonder if life inside the picket fence isn’t so bad after all.

Want to be in our next book club discussion? The first person to contact me will get a $20 Joseph Beth gift card and the first 4 will get a copy of this months book and the chance to chat about the book with Wendy on the air in April.