Day Thirteen

She Said:

Day Thirteen of our own Julie/Julia Project was limited. He was not home all day so I did the only cooking done, which wasn't really cooking at all.

But what I made was from Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman, and so it counts!

Celery Stuffed with Herbed Cheese

1 garlic clove, peeled
8 large basil leaves
2 tablespoons dill leaves
2 tablespoons parsley leaves
8-12 chive stems
2 tablespoons summer savory, oregano, mint, thyme, or sage leaves (I used sage)
8 ounces Neufchâtel cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-2 bunches celery, trimmed and cut into 4-inch lengths

1. Combine the garlic, basil, dill, parsley, chives, and summer savory in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the cream cheese, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Process until well blended. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

2. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, to blend the flavors.

3. Spread on the celery sticks and serve.

We had this as an appetizer before we ate something wonderful that He had made on Saturday (more on that later, perhaps). It was really tasty and I feel like it would make a better dip for other vegetables than a spread for celery. Thinking of this with sliced cucumber or slices of red pepper makes me happy!

Also, I didn't have enough sage (should have added some thyme, since I had some on hand) and I went a little heavy on the parsley. But I wasn't overwhelmed by the lemon as I usually fear, so that was nice!

This is a pleasant appetizer and one I'll keep in my back pocket, just in case I'm looking for something a little different down the line.

Day 13/365:Recipe 9/175