Easy appetizers!

[Heidi3]

how about shouting out or sharing recipes for some easy appetizers to go with London broil ...for this party next month?

I need some ideas and would love to use some of yours!!!!

also I am doing low carb lemon drop martinis...will have beer and wine and club soda and non boozy stuff

do you hve a good punch or herb iced tea recipe that would be nice to serve?

so far the main dish will be the London Broil.grilled marinated chicken wings.....salad ...and tortillas with all kinds of condiments....

want to help me fill in the blanks?

[not2late]

Re: Easy appetizers!

What about the simple no cooking kind of appetizers like a really good cured olives, roasted almonds/nuts, etc.

[Heidi3]

Re: Easy appetizers!

What about the simple no cooking kind of appetizers like a really good cured olives, roasted almonds/nuts, etc.

perfect I love that!!!!

maybe I could marinate my own olives early? some roasted veggies too perhaps... ...and some spicy nuts maybe? ...marinated feta.... I love planning parties...but get a ton of anxiety about it as well ..so far 35 people!!!!

[dotsamantha]

Re: Easy appetizers!

Insalata Caprese Salad

Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil


Yum.
Minus the bread for me, I like it on the plate with a fork.

Insalata Caprese is one of the simplest and most delicious of salads. It requires only the right ingredients and the right season. The season first. This is basically a summer dish from which follow the ingredients: it should be made only with local vine-ripened tomatoes that are red, juicy and flavorful but not overly soft, and preferably unrefrigerated. </B>


The next ingredient should be truly fragrant, flavorful young basil: green basil grown in the earth and sun, not the hydroponically grown giant leaf variety which has little flavor. The next essential ingredient is good quality fresh, moist mozzarella. Good fresh cow's milk mozzarella (called Fior di latte) does just as well. Never use the yellow plastic-sheathed supermarket variety! Finally, you need genuine extra-virgin olive oil and only olive oil, the best you can afford. With a good quality fresh bread and a glass of cool or slightly chilled white wine, this makes an excellent summer lunch or, in a small portion, an ideal first course for a summer meal. </B>

Check out Linda's Salad and Salad Dressing Recipes and here for more Tomato Recipes.



1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 cup fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons drained capers (optional)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a circular design around the side of a serving plate, alternate fresh mozzarella slices on a large platter (or on individual plates if you are doing individual portions) with sliced tomatoes, overlapping for effect.

Tear fresh basil leaves and sprinkle liberally over the slices. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Sprinkle capers over the top.

Just before serving, drizzle on some excellent extra-virgin olive oil. NOTE: Insalata Caprese should never be allowed to sit in oil for any length of time and become soggy, and no vinegar of any kind goes on Insalata Caprese! Makes 4 servings.
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Salad...ataCaprese.htm

[Isabeau]

Re: Easy appetizers!

I like veggies and dip for an appetizer. Easy and everyone likes it. How about some mixed olives and pickles? There's a yummy dip that I make. You mix a package of cream cheese with a couple of tablespoons of mayo and sour cream and spread it in a glass baking dish. I then put a layer of salsa, some sliced black olives and shredded cheddar cheese. I put out tortilla chips for those that eat them, and cucumber slices and pork rinds for the Atkineers. It's really yummy.

[killerbombshell]

Re: Easy appetizers!

You could try doing the sesamie crackers from Linda's website that are made with almond flour. I just posted them a few days ago. They are AWESOME, you'd never know they were low carb and would go great with some sort of dip.

[not2late]

Re: Easy appetizers!

perfect I love that!!!!

maybe I could marinate my own olives early? some roasted veggies too perhaps... ...and some spicy nuts maybe? ...marinated feta.... I love planning parties...but get a ton of anxiety about it as well ..so far 35 people!!!!

Nothing better than going to a good store, buying a good quality product, opening a jar and pouring the contents onto a platter.

What I do sometimes is to buy the olives, stick them into a bigger jar with a clove or two of sliced garlic, some fresh herbs, fill the jar with olive oil and let the olives marinate for a couple of weeks.

Marinated feta sounds good too. Ditto for marinated mushrooms.

[not2late]

Re: Easy appetizers!

Oh rats! I clicked the reply button too fast....

Anyhow, I saw this in a magazine (can't remember which one). Pop popcorn, then toss the hot pop corn with fresh herbs. The recipe in the magazine used fresh sage leaves. Supposedly the oils from the herbs will be released when they come in contact with the hot popcorn and will perfume the popcorn.

[Starmaker]

Re: Easy appetizers!

Stuffed mushrooms maybe? Easy Peasy

Remove stems from 20 med sized mushrooms and sautee heads in butter. Don't let them get mushy, al dente only.

Mix up 1 can crab meat with 1 can broken shrimp meat, add 2 to 3 heaping tbsp softened cream cheese and salt and pepper to taste, fill mushroom heads til slightly overfilled. Top with a thin slice of mozza (I buy thin mozza slices and I cut circles out for the shroomies) on each and put in oven on 350 til cheese is melting, then put on broil to brown the cheese a bit.

Delish and easy, you can make them up a night ahead, just heat in oven a little longer that way.

[H2Ohhh]

Re: Easy appetizers!

Chicken dip:
Mix two cans chicken breast with an 8-oz block of softened cream cheese and one packet of dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (yeah, it has sugar in it). Serve with crackers or pita chips.

[Barbde]

Re: Easy appetizers!

Sliced cheeses and pepperoni (or sopprasada?) along with the veggie and dip, pickles, relish tray. Yumm.
Oh, I have been making that broccoli slaw, every seems to love that!!

[Barbde]

Re: Easy appetizers!

Oh, how bout shrimp cocktail??
OK, I am getting hungry.

[Heidi3]

Re: Easy appetizers!

ok this would be my plate please

I wish I could grow nice basil

[Swimmom]

Sausage &amp; Cream-Cheese stuffed Mushrooms?

I got this recipe from one of my Bunko buddies after she brought it to my house and I ate almost all of them! Of course, you can use any of the breakfast sausages that come in a tube. I use the Jimmy Dean original flavor. My favorite is the Owen's Original, but I think you can only get that in Texas.

Stuffed Mushrooms

3 (8oz) pkgs. whole fresh mushrooms
1 lb. Jimmy Dean hot pork sausage
1 (8oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened

Carefully remove stems from mushrooms and clean caps with damp paper towels. Brown sausage, stirring until it crumbles; drain well. In a medium bowl, combine sausage and cream cheese, mixing well. Place mushroom caps on an ungreased baking pan (preferably one with sides in case they slide). Generously fill mushroom caps with sausage mixture. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Broil 5 1/2 inches from heat 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Yields about 3 dozen depending on size. *If you add the sausage while it is still warm, the cream cheese does not need to be completely softened.

[dotsamantha]

Re: Easy appetizers!

I can't believe I forgot one of my favs. I've been making this for a while, but it definitely isn't an original

It looks like a bunch of steps but it's so simple.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
16 oz cream cheese
12 oz blue cheese dressing
1/2-3/4 cup hot sauce ( I use more, and I use Frank's extra hot )
8 oz sharp cheddar

about 20 servings

Boil the chicken breasts about 15 minutes. I've also seasoned and grilled them, but I found that the rest of the ingredients are enough to taste good, so boiling is easier.
Remove the chicken, pat dtry and shred. I use two forks and tear it apart until it's shredded.
Put the chicken into a 13x9 or two 8x8 baking/casserole dishes.
Pour the desired amount of hot sauce over the chicken and season with salt and pepper if you want.
Cover and put in the fridge to "marinate". I do this the night before usually.
Preheat the oven to 350 (fahrenheit)
Melt the cream cheese over medium heat in a saucepan.
Pour the blue cheese dressing in with the cream cheese and stir until combined.
Pour the mixture over the chicken. No need to stir, but you can if you want.
Bake uncovered for 10 minutes.
Remove the dish from the oven, leave the oven on.
SHRED the cheddar and sprinkle it over the top of the chicken mixture.
Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and just starts to brown. ( I never wait for it to brown )

Serve hot or cold with whatever dippers you like.

If you don't shred the cheddar it will get very oily as it melts. I make half of this recipe and it's plenty for a small group. It gets funky looking as it cools, but still tastes great. I throw in in the microwave for a few seconds. If i have leftovers i transfer it to a smaller container and refrigerate it.