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Tag Archives: Appetizers


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Easy Entertaining: Yogurt Cucumber Dip

OMG Friday. This has been a looooooooooooooooooong week for me- but I’m excited for the weekend and especially the Oscars! Will you be watching?? I’ve been thinking about inviting a few friends over to watch so I tested out a few quick snacks to make. This yogurt cucumber dip is AMAZING if I do say so myself!  A little bit tangy a little bit sweet, crunchy and creamy all at the same time. Start to finish it took about 10 minutes to whip up- it is so easy!

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Yogurt Cucumber Dip

What you need:

  • 14oz Greek yogurt (I used Fage)
  • Zest and juice of one lemon
  • 2T chopped parsley
  • 2T chopped mint
  • Medium cucumber
  • Pomegranate seeds
  • salt and pepper

Put the yogurt in a bowl. Add lemon, parsley and mint. Peel the cucumber and scrape out the seeds using a spoon- chop to small cubes and add it to the dip. Stir everything all around and add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. Serve with pita chips.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend. What movies do you think will be the big winners? My money is on Silver Linings Playbook ;)


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Easy Entertaining: Smoked Salmon Pinwheels

TGIF! This was a long week for me so I’m especially happy to celebrate the weekend! I think the word pinwheels definitely conjures up an image of a summer party- but trust me that these ones made from smoked salmon are great all year long! I think they qualify perfect for easy entertaining, because not only are they delicious, but they look SO fancy and impressive for very little effort. Trust me that they would make a perfect snack for a holiday cocktail party or just a fancy breakfast at home!

Smoked Salmon Pinwheels

Smoked Salmon Pinwheels

What you need:

  • 1 package smoked salmon
  • 4 oz cream cheese (trust me and don’t get anything but philadelphia- whipped makes things easier if you can find it)
  • Chopped green onions
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • Salt and Pepper

Carefully open the package of smoked salmon and gently lift out the thin slices. Arrange the slices on a piece of plastic wrap (its easy to do this if you wrap a plate in plastic wrap first). A lot of them are folded up in the package so make sure to have a SINGLE layer. The idea is to cover as much surface area as possible- with a slight overlap on the edges of the smoked salmon pieces. Its kind of like making a quilt of salmon.

In a small bowl combine the cream cheese, chopped onions and lemon and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Stir vigorously until creamy and all combined.

Now, scoop the cream cheese onto the salmon and gently spread it all around until every bit of salmon is covered. Don’t make the layer too thick- I did this and next time I will be much more careful. If you have extra cream cheese that’s OK- use it for something else, but trust me to not overdo it.

Starting at one end of the salmon begin rolling the entire thing up like a sleeping bag. Don’t do it too tightly or all of the cream cheese will squeeze out. It’s kind of like making sushi. Wrap the salmon/ cream cheese log in the plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for minimum an hour and optimally, overnight.

When you take the log out of the fridge, cut pinwheels about the width of your pinky finger with a VERY sharp knife- its easy to keep things together if you put toothpicks all the way through the log and then cut between each one. Serve and enjoy!


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Easy Entertaining: Mini Mushroom Tarts

Everyone loves the ease of frozen hors d’oeuvres but a lot of times they can fall really flat on flavor. So this week I decided to try an experiment in creating my own mini treats from scratch… well…. not total scratch because I had some frozen puff pastry nearing expiration in my freezer and that is what inspired this recipe. (who makes puff pastry themselves anyway???) But the rest of the recipe IS- and let me tell you that you can TOTALLY tell the difference between delicious caramelized mushrooms and onions with gooey goat cheese and those Trader Joes imposters.

Active time for this was probably 20 minutes, so I’m convinced that the extra “work” was manageable enough that I’m never going back to the frozen version again.

Mini Mushroom Tarts

What you need:

  • Frozen puff pastry
  • 4tbs butter
  • one yellow onion
  • 1 pack baby portobello mushrooms
  • One egg
  • Herbed goat cheese (or plain with your own blend of chopped up herbs)

Defrost the sheet of puff pastry (this takes about an hour or so pull it out of the freezer and THEN run to the store for ingredients)

Thinly slice onion and mushrooms and place in a small pan on medium heat with the butter. Cook until the onions are amber colored and caramelized- about 15 minutes. Meanwhile roll out your puff pastry and cut into circles about the size of the O of an OK hand gesture. Arrange on a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Take the mushrooms and onions off the heat and let cool for a minute or so. Transfer to a bowl. Beat the egg and then stir it into the mixture.

Place about a tablespoon of the mushroom/onion/egg mixture on each puff pastry circle and then add a bit of the herbed goat cheese.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes at 375.

easy!!


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Easy Entertaining: Charcuterie Plate

Is there anything better in life than cheese and cured meats? I challenge you to find it… Last night I went out to dinner with one of my girlfriends and we shared an amazingly enjoyable plate of charcuterie, cheeses and spreads. Which got me thinking- how EASY is it to put one of these together? I think, my friends, easy enough to present here as easy entertaining.

The art of charcuterie dates back to the Roman Empire- it originally was a method of preserving meat. But after the advent of the refrigerator, we kept these recipes around because they taste just so darn good! The selections range from  salami and bacon to pates and rilletes. Two of my favorites? Coppa and Soppresatta.

This post is a bit of cheat, because really, there is no cooking involved in putting together a great platter. Assuming that you have these things on hand, I can’t think of a quicker dish to put together for guests. Select a few meats, a few cheeses- its hard to go wrong.  But, just in case you get overwhelmed by the choices, I’ve come up with this fool proof guide:

Charcuterie Plate

Might have to do this for dinner 2 nights in a row. Have a great weekend!


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Easy Entertaining: Roasted Grape Bruschetta

Have you ever tried roasted grapes? I hadn’t either.. but last night I came across this recipe and gave it a shot for myself. Let me just say that they were AMAZING and SO SIMPLE. You must try them this weekend! Imagine a cross between a tart juicy grape, your favorite bottle of wine, and a raisin. But warm. I promise in a good way.

I’m sharing someone else’s awesome recipe here but I’ve reworked it slightly to be truly idiot proof:

Roasted Grape Bruschetta

What you need:

  • A bunch of red grapes
  • Baguette
  • Olive Oil
  • Fresh Ricotta
  • Salt and Pepper

Set the oven to 425 degrees. Slice the baguette at an angle to make 1/4-1/2 inch slices. Arrange on half of a baking sheet. Pick the grapes off the stems and spread out on the other half of the sheet. Sprinkle everything with olive oil and gently shake the sheet around to roll the grapes in the oil. Flip the slices of bread over and repeat. Now stick this in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the grapes begin to bust and the bread magically becomes toast.

Now, without burning your fingers, spread a dollop of ricotta on each toast and top with a spoonful of grapes. Add salt and pepper to your liking. And that’s it!

They would be perfect to try on the same night you make my Ricotta Bruschetta- they are the same with only one extra ingredient (but completely different flavor)

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