My remaining time with my DC friends is dwindling which means dinner parties are a must. These dinners have been getting me through the work week since I first moved up here. Since we only had discombobulated ingredients to work with at home, I decided to devise an appetizer menu that used up what we had and let me get creative. Not to mention, you always see recipes for cute, delicious looking appetizers but when do you ever actually get to make them?
Menu is as follows:
Basil Vodka Strawberry Spritzers
Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed with Gorgonzola
Arugula & Apple Salad with Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
Salmon-Avo Crostini
Sweet Potato Chips with Chive Yogurt Sauce & Hummus
Baked Brie with Mango Butter & Red Pepper Jelly
No Bake Snowball Cookies
Basil Vodka Strawberry Spritzers
1 shot Basil infused vodka*
1 frozen strawberries
sparkling water
*Add 1 bunch of basil in a tupperware container and pour 1 cup vodka over basil. Cover and store in refrigerator for up to 3 days. Strain basil leaves and keep vodka in freezer until ready to use.
Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed with Gorgonzola
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved and hollowed out
4 ounces gorgonzola, finely crumbled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl combine olive oil and garlic, then toss hollowed tomatoes in the oil and spread on baking sheet, hollow side up. Combine gorgonzola and breadcrumbs, then stuff tomatoes and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Steamed Artichoke with Lemon Butter
In a medium sized pot, set artichoke in 1-2 inches of water. Cover and steam for approximately 20 minutes, or until artichoke has started to open and is tender. Melt 2 tablespoons butter with juice from half of a lemon.
Arugula & Apple Salad with Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
Arugula
1 apple, shaved or sliced very thinly
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
salt and pepper
Mix together ingredients for vinaigrette and drizzle over the kale, apple and nuts. Best when prepared 15-30 minutes before serving.
Salmon-Avo Corstini
French rounds (or toasted sliced French bread)
1 avocado, mashed
lemon juice
smoked salmon
salt and pepper
Spread mashed avocado on rounds and sprinkle with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Top with smoked salmon and Greek yogurt (or tzatziki) if desired.
The recipe for the No Bake Snowball Cookies can be found on Peas and Thank You.
No way!!! I want all of these. Especially the Salmon-Avo crostini. Mmm!
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