Good Things Come in Small Packages

It started with 2 avocados. Just two. I had two avocados that needed eating. Any normal person would have just made some guacamole and called it a day. I, however, am not a normal person. I have to do things the hard way and have to go above and beyond, when going above usually isn’t necessary. That is why, on a normal Wednesday night, the Husband and I were eating hors d’oeuvres fit for the Queen (if I do say so myself.)

It all started with my guacamole:

1 avocado, diced
2 Tablespoons onion, diced (use red onions if you have them)
¼ cup tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 small clove garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
½ teaspoon Cholula hot sauce (or Tabasco, or use a fresh jalapeno, seeded and minced)
1 pinch of salt and one pinch of pepper
½ teaspoon lime juice
½ teaspoon lemon juice

Gently stir everything together and let it sit for about 30 minutes

While the guacamole was melding, I cut out 1½ -inch rounds from two flour tortillas. I baked the rounds for 10 minutes at 350, until they were slightly crispy. Meanwhile, I sautéed ½ pound of shrimp in some butter and olive oil (extra virgin, of course!). Then came the fun part--assembling the appetizers:

Was it worth the effort??? See for yourself:

Except for being a tiny bit hard to handle, these were amazing!

Next came the Mascarpone Tartlets

I started with square won ton wrappers and baked them in a mini-muffin tin for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, I began working on the filling. For the base, I mixed equal parts mascarpone cheese and reduced fat sour cream and put the mixture in a pastry bag. For the topping, I gently sautéed julienned bell peppers (red, green and orange) and thinly sliced onions in butter and olive oil. I added a little salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning to the veggies too.

When the pepper and onion mixture was cooled slightly, I piped the cheese and sour cream mixture into the won tons and topped them with the peppers and onions.

DELISH!!! Although the Husband and I agreed that the pointy edges of the won tons were slightly intimidating. Next time, I’ll use round won tons!

Here are the tartlets:

Not the best photo, but here is the final result:

Overall Score: Shrimp and Guacamole Bites: 4.5 out of 5
Mascarpone Tartlets: 4 out of 5.

Queen Elizabeth, you're welcome any time!