We had so much fun playing around with different ways to decorate our “snowman.” We ended up going the tropical route and served him on a plate with brown sugar “sand,” a tropical drink umbrella, a beach ball, and a sand dollar. How will you theme your snowman?
Tropical (or not) Snowman Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 2 8 oz packages cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1/4 cup chives snipped
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan
- 10 peppercorns
- 1 piece red licorice
- 3 pieces dried cherries
- 2 wafer sticks or pretzel sticks
- 1 carrot very tip cut off
Instructions
- Put cream cheese, monterey jack cheese, spices, hot sauce and chives in a medium bowl. Mix.
- Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour or until cream cheese has set.
- Make 3 balls in varying sizes. Roll balls in the shredded parmesan cheese. Place on a platter. Secure with a wooden skewer cut to the height of the snowman.
- Decorate with peppercorns, licorice, wafer sticks, and dried cherries.
Notes
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This is a basic salsa recipe. You can add other ingredients you have on hand to change it up. We used avocado, chipotle, and fresh corn to create a salsa “bar.”
Fresh Tomato Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 large vine-ripened tomatoes larger seeds removed and diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeded and diced
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
- Juice of one lime
- 5 drops of hot sauce
- Several shakes of cumin
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl and cover for at least 3 hours to let flavors meld.
- Serve with tortilla chips.
Additions to the Salsa
1. Avocado – cut up one avocado into chunks
2. Chipotle – dice one chipotle chili in adobe sauce
3. Fresh corn – cook 2 corn ears in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove from water, cool, and cut kernels from the cob.
This appetizer is delicious, simple, and full of flavor – just the way we like it! The sweet and savory flavor of chutney combined with the salty and crispy prosciutto and creamy mozzarella on top of crunchy bread tastes fantastic.
Chutney, Prosciutto, and Mozzarella Bruschetta
Ingredients
- 8 slices sourdough baguette
- 1/3 cup fig chutney
- 8 slices fresh mozzarella
- 2-3 Tbsp fresh basil leaves
- 4 slices prosciutto halved
- 2 Tbsp grated parmesan
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place sourdough under a preheated broiler and toast one side.
- Turn bread and spread with chutney, top with mozzarella, prosciutto, parmesan, and pepper.
- Broil for one-two minutes, or until parmesan is melted and prosciutto is crisp.
- Top with basil.
Put these cashews out for guests and watch them disappear. The crunch of roasted cashews mixed with the delicious flavors of fresh herbs and salt and an added kick of cayenne pepper – wow, it’s a party in your mouth!
Herbed Party Cashews
Ingredients
- 1 pound cashews
- 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh Rosemary
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 3/4 Tbsp kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°.
- Place cashews on baking pan and toast for about 5 minutes in oven.
- Put the rest of the ingredients in bowl and add cashews once out of the oven.
- Mix and serve warm or room temperature.
This is another great recipe to make in advance of your party – even weeks ahead. It is a great compliment to wine and is one that people have a hard time “eating just one.” This recipe is easy to double and will keep fresh in a Ziplock bag for several days after the party.
Cheese Crisps
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp kosher or another gourmet salt Hawaiian Black is very good
- 1/16 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 7 Tbsp unsalted butter chopped
- 3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 2 tsp jalapeño peppers minced
- 3 tsp green onions minced
- 1 ½ Tbsp ice water
- 1 egg beaten
- black salt also can use fine sea salt
Instructions
- In a food processor, add flour, salt, baking powder and chili powder. Pulse to combine.
- Add the butter and pulse again until a coarse meal forms.
- Add the cheese, jalapeño and green onions and pulse one more time. With the motor running, add the water and pulse until a ball forms.
- Lightly flour a counter top and place ball on the flour. Form it with your fingers into a rounded 7 inch long log.
- Wrap log in plastic wrap refrigerate for several hours before baking.*
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cut the dough into 16 equal size pieces and place on parchment paper.
- Brush with egg and sprinkle with black salt.
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until brown.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
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For our 200th blog party we decided on a simple, fun, no-cook menu. We headed to our fantastic local Italian market, Mazzaro’s, and bought a wonderful assortment of meats, cheeses, and other goodies.
Our first stop was to the cheese counter where we met Charlie. We sampled many great Italian cheeses and settled on three – Robiola Bosina (a soft cheese made with both cow and sheep’s milk); Moliterno al Tartufo (an amazing truffle sheep’s cheese from Sardinia); and Alpeggio (a mild hard cheese).
Next stop was the meat counter. After another round of tastings we picked hard salami, Sopressa, Proscuitto di Parma, and Speck.
To round out our platter we added:
- Red seedless grapes
- Fuji Apples
- Dried apricots
- Black Mission Figs
- Jar grilled artichokes by Decarlo
- Jarred Pomodorini – sweet cherry tomatoes by Decarlo
- Kalamata Tapenade
- Mixed Olives
- Rosemary Cracker
- Breadsticks
A wonderful time was had by all and there were no pots or pans to scrub!
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These were a lot of fun to make (as you can see from the video link below). The rice paper rolls look like a plastic disc when you open the package. Once you thoroughly soak them, either by wiping them with a wet towel or dipping them into water, they become much more pliable and easy to work with. If pork isn’t your thing, leave it out, they will taste just as good! Check out our “how to” video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPUQb_qWHf8
Fresh Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls
Ingredients
Rolls
- 8 sheets of rice paper rolls
- 3 cups of mixed herbs - basil mint, lettuce, etc.
- 8 ounces rice vermicelli noodles - cooked according to package directions
- 12 shrimp cooked and cut in half, lengthwise
- 8 slices cooked pork
- 12 chives cut 2 1/2 inches long
Sauce
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp water
- 1 tsp mild red chili sliced
- 1 tsp thinly sliced garlic
Instructions
- For the sauce, mix together the lime juice and sugar until dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and set aside.
- As demonstrated in our video, put a sheet of rice paper on a flat surface. Wipe it with a very damp cloth or dip in water for 10-15 seconds.
- Arrange a handful of herbs on the side closest to you. Top with noodles.
- Place a piece of pork and two pieces of shrimp next to the herbs.
- Fold the rice paper over herbs and roll until it reaches the shrimp. Fold in the side and bottom of the rice paper.
- Place chives on rice paper with about one inch sticking out of the top.
- Repeat until all rolls are made.
- Place on a plate and serve with a small bowl of dipping sauce.
Wow your friends and family the next time you serve an appetizer or need to bring a pot luck dish with these delicious simple dumplings.
This Asian recipe comes all the way from Australia thanks to Skye K. who is Jennifer’s (Vicki’s daughter), wonderful sister-in-law.
Ginger, Pork & Shrimp Dumplings
Equipment
- Dumpling Press*
Ingredients
Filling
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 10 large shrimp shelled deveined and roughly chopped
- 1/2 Tbsp fresh ginger chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp green onions minced
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 package wonton wrappers
- 1 egg
Dressing
- 1/8 cup peanut oil
- 1 Tbsp ginger julienned
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
Filling
- Put all filling ingredients listed above up to wrappers in a bowl and mix with your hands, set aside.
- Beat egg with a little water in a small bowl. Place a wonton wrapper on a flat surface or on a dumpling press. Brush wanton wrapper edges with egg wash.
- Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in middle of wrapper.
- Fold wrapper in half and crimp edges. Cut corners for professional look. Repeat until all filling is used.
Dressing
- To make dressing, heat peanut oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat until hot. Put ginger in a heat proof bowl and pour peanut oil on top. Let sit for 1 minute, add remaining ingredients and whisk. Set aside.
- Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Carefully add dumplings. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring once.
- Remove dumplings with a slotted spoon to a platter. Drizzle some of the dressing over the dumplings and place remaining dressing in a bowl to pass.
Notes
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Another simple recipe from The Simple Celebration! This appetizer goes together very quickly, can be made well ahead of your get-together, and looks and tastes great.
Mexi-Corn Salsa Appetizer
Ingredients
- 5 ears fresh yellow corn or use frozen if fresh is unavailable
- 1 medium tomato diced
- 1 small jalapeño pepper seeded and minced
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 4-ounce can green chiles undrained, chopped
- 1/4 cup sliced green onion
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Boil corn for 4 minutes, drain and cover with ice water.
- Cut corn from cob and combine with remaining ingredients.
- Stir gently, cover and chill.
- Serve with "Scoops" corn chips.
Recipe courtesy of Evie from Cincinnati.
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This recipe makes A LOT. If you are making this mix during the holidays, make sure you have plenty of Christmas tins on hand (available at the dollar store). Otherwise, store the mix in Tupperware containers. Line your containers with paper towels and store them in a cool dark place – like your closet.
Mom's Party Mix
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pound salted butter
- 2 Tbsp garlic salt
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 12 ounce bag thin pretzel sticks
- 12 ounce bag mini pretzels
- 8.9 ounce box of Cheerios
- 14 ounce box of Corn Chex
- 12.8 ounce box of Rice Chex
- 14 ounce box of Wheat Chex
- 4 cans 10.3-ounce cans of mixed nuts
- 3 cans 8.3-ounce cans of whole cashews
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°.
- Melt the butter and add the salts and Worcestershire sauce.
- In two very large bowls combine the rest of the ingredients.
- Pour butter mixture over dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Place party mix on as many baking dishes or cookie sheets that fit in your oven.
- Bake for 2 1/2 hours stirring every 15 minutes and rotate pans among the oven shelves.
- Take party mix out of oven and pour on paper bags (grocery bags from the store). You can use paper towels, but the bags work just as well.
- Store in containers.
Notes
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