Here is an unbelievably simple party hors d'oeuvre recipe. Often times simple equal sophisticated in my book.
I was in Portland, OR a week ago and had these hot wings at Pok Pok. They were so delicious that I decided to try to recreate them. Warning…they’re spicy.
Baby Face Buffalo Wings
The reason that I named these Buffalo wings Baby Face is because when you eat them there’s a good chance that your face will get all messy just like a baby’s. If you are having a Super Bowl party then you just might want to make these to serve your hungry fans.
INGREDIENTS
2 Pounds Chicken Wings (Separated Into Wings & Drumettes)
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
3 Tablespoons Bottled Red Hot Pepper Sauce
2 Teaspoons Ground Paprika
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cayenne Pepper
1/2 Cup Blue Cheese Dip
Celery Sticks
Place chicken wing pieces in a shallow dish. In a small-size bowl mix together melted butter, hot pepper sauce, paprika, kosher salt and cayenne pepper. Pour mixture over wing pieces. Cover wings with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1/2 hour. Drain and throw away marinade. Place wings on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for about 10 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Remove from oven and transfer to serving platter. Serve with blue cheese dip and celery sticks. Serves 6
Americana Pigs In A Blanket
I’ve had so many requests for the good old Pigs in a Blanket recipe. This has got to be the easiest thing to make ever. I’m almost embarrassed to post it. Tradition is to dip them in ketchup and mustard, but I like to shake it up with various unexpected dips.
INGREDIENTS
1 Can (8 Ounces) Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
24 Fully Cooked Cocktail Wieners
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease a baking sheet. Unroll dough and separate into 8 triangles. Cut each triangle into 3 smaller triangles. Put one wiener on the shortest side of each triangle. Roll up to the opposite point. Put, point side down, on greased baking sheet. Place into oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Remember that each oven heats differently. You will want the dough to be a golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately remove from baking sheet. Serve with your favorite dip. Serves 8
Easy Appetizers
As the host, you can be the life of the party, if you like, or just the life behind the party. Preplanning will keep your get-together lively and running smoothly.
Guests will be hungry at events held close to dinnertime, less so at late evening gatherings. It’s always a good thing to be organized and prepared.
For small gatherings of 8 to 10 guests, three or four types of appetizers are suitable. For parties of up to 45 guests plan on 6 varieties of appetizers. For more than 45 guests offer 8 choices of appetizers.
Plan on about 12 bite-size servings per person for cocktail parties. Hot appetizers and shrimp go fast, so provide plenty.
Estimate that guests will eat about half of what they would at an all-appetizer party if a full meal is to be served later.
Keep extra nibbles in your freezer and have the makings for things that can be assembled at the last minute in your pantry or refrigerator. Good options include crackers, cheeses, nuts, candies, smoked meats, olives, and vegetables for dipping.
Asparagus Wrapped In Prosciutto
Wrap strips of thinly sliced prosciutto around steamed asparagus. So simple!
Cheese Stuffed Pecans
In a medium-size bowl bring 1 cup finely shredded Gouda cheese to room temperature. Add 3 tablespoons sour cream. Beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Mound a teaspoon of cheese mixture onto the flat side of 20 large pecan halves. Top with an additional 20 pecan halves (flat side down). Cover and chill for 1 hour.
Cheesy Basil Shrimp Pizzas
Arrange three 6 to 8 inch Italian bread shells on a baking sheet. Brush 1 tablespoon garlic olive oil over bread. Top with 3 sliced roma tomatoes. Peel, devein, and remove tails from 8 ounces cooked medium shrimp. Halve shrimp horizontally. Top pizza with the cooked shrimp and 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese. Bake in preheated 425 degrees oven for 5 to 6 minutes or until cheese melts. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons finely shredded fresh basil.
Nutty Sweet Brie
Place one 8 ounce round Brie cheese in a shallow baking dish or pie plate. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup chopped nuts of your choice, and 1 tablespoon honey. Bring mixture to boiling over a medium heat. Stir constantly. Pour sauce over warm Brie. Serve with assorted crackers.
Devilish Deviled Eggs
Here is another winner for your Super Bowl party line-up. I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t like these deviled eggs. Adding the diced red bell pepper gives a bit of nice crunch to the basic deviled eggs.
INGREDIENTS
6 Large Eggs
1/4 Cup Diced Red Bell Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cayenne Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Paprika
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1/4 Cup Sour Cream
Dried Parsley Flakes For Garnish
Place eggs in a medium-size saucepan. Add enough water to cover eggs. Cover saucepan with lid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook eggs for 10 minutes. Drain hot water. Add cold water and let water drip slowly from tap into pan to allow eggs to cool completely. Remove shells from eggs and carefully cut eggs into halves lengthwise. Scoop out yolks into a medium-size bowl. Mash yolks and add diced bell peppers, cayenne, paprika, and pepper. Stir in sour cream. Spoon and slightly mound yolk mixture into each hollowed egg white half. Garnish with dried parsley flakes. Make 1 dozen.
Caviar
Every New Year’s Day my husband and I make sure to have delicious caviar to ring in the New Year.
Caviar is the salted roe of the sturgeon, which is considered a great delicacy because of its rare flavor, though it is truly an acquired taste and not appreciated by everyone. Most prized are the Russian varieties: the processed roe of the starlet from the Caspian Sea consists of a mass of black eggs each about the size of a pinhead. Beluga and sevruga caviar are also highly prized. Once abundant in the United States, caviar has begun to reappear with the return of sturgeon to the Hudson River.
Caviar should be kept very cold (preferably on ice). It is served either from its jar or from a small barrel placed on a folded napkin and is accompanied by crisp toast or brown bread and butter; or it may be sprinkled with lemon juice if desired. Caviar may also be made into canapés, included in hors d’oeuvre, spread on croutes of fried bread or served in blinis (small Russian pancakes).
Where to purchase caviar:
If You’re In NYC:
Caviar Russe Boutique & Restaurant
538 Madison Avenue, 2nd Floor between 54th & 55th Street
New York, NY 10022
Phone: (212) 980-5908 Fax (212) 980-5928
Toll-Free: 1 (800) NY CAVIAR (692-2842)
Zabar’s
2245 Broadway (at 80th Street)
New York, NY 10024
Phone: (212) 787-2000
Fax: (212) 580-4477
http://www.zabars.com/buy-caviar/Zabars_Caviar,default,sc.html
Russ & Daughters
179 East Houston Street
New York, NY 10002
T (212) 475.4880 or (800) RUSS-229 F (212) 475.0345
http://shop.russanddaughters.com/store/department/1/Caviar/
Elsewhere:
The Seattle Caviar Company
2922 Eastlake Avenue
East Seattle, WA 98102
(206) 323-3005
Toll Free: (888) 323-3005
Just Caviar
Online Ordering
Toll-free at (888) 24-CAVIAR or (888) 242-2842
http://www.justcaviar.com/servlet/the-Caviar/Categories
Chili Spiced Pecans
If you’re having a family over for the holidays it’s nice to have snacks sitting out. Here is an easy recipe for Chili Spiced Pecans. You can also give them as a gift by putting them in a pretty jar adorned with a beautiful ribbon.
INGREDIENTS
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
1 Teaspoon Curry Powder
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon Hot Pepper Sauce
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
3 Cups Pecan Halves
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large-size skillet, combine olive oil, garlic salt, curry powder, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, ground cumin, hot pepper sauce, ground ginger, and ground cinnamon. Cook over a medium heat 3 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the pecans. Toss to coat. Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Stir occasionally. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Makes 3 cups.
Grissini
While in Rome I had the best grissini (breadsticks). While grissini is typical of Turin they were on every restaurant table that I visited. They really aren’t too difficult to make and are so much better than buying those packaged ones from the supermarket. You can make them plain or sprinkle them with kosher salt, sesame seeds or any herbs you may like.
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Unbleached Flour (Plus More As Needed)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
3/4 Cup Warm Water (Not Hot Water)
Semolina Flour
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. In a large-size bowl combine flour, olive oil, kosher salt and yeast mixture. Knead for at least 30 minutes. Divide dough into 12 pieces and let rest for 5 minutes. Form pieces into oblong rolls. Set them out on a damp surface, flatten them by hand, and let them rise for 1 hour. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle a baking sheet with semolina flour. Cut dough into strips and set them out on the semolina. By hand, draw each out to at least 12 inches in length. Place in oven and bake for about 10 minutes until crisp and golden. If you are going to sprinkle them with your favorite salt, sesame seeds or herbs do this right before baking. Remove from oven and let cool. Makes about 2 dozen depending on the size you make your grissini.
Kentucky Benedictine
I love this Southern spread made popular by Louisville’s Benedict’s restaurateur, Jennie Carter Benedict, who opened her restaurant in 1893. It can be used as a dip or for a sandwich and is perfect for either an afternoon tea or a light meal.
INGREDIENTS
1 Large Cucumber
8 Ounces Softened Cream Cheese
4 Tablespoons Grated Onion or 2 Minced Green Onions
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise
Remove the cucumber skin and then grate it into a medium size bowl. Drain the cucumber and onion juice (unless using minced green onions). Add the cream cheese, grated onion, kosher salt and mayonnaise. Beat with a hand mixer on medium until all of the ingredients are combined. Place plastic wrap over the bowl and put into the fridge for 2 to 3 hours. If you are using for a vegetable dip then thin it out with a bit of sour cream. Makes about 1 1/2 Cups
