Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Easy Party Foods

A few weeks ago, we had some friends over after work for a casual hang out- really, Matt and I were trying to play matchmaker between two of our friends... both of whom clearly knew our intentions. So rather than potentially make things awkward with a sit down dinner, I decided to make some heavy appetizers. Let's be honest though, do I ever need an excuse to make a meal out of appetizers?

Fig, Goat Cheese, Honey, and Crackers
I first had this appetizer at my friend Mary's house- I love an appetizer that looks pretty and is quick to make!

Figs are from Whole Foods

Goat Cheese is from Costco





Spinach Artichoke & Parmesan Dip

I sampled this yummy dip at Costco one day and decided it could definitely be an oven-dip (it's supposed to be served cold, but hot spinach and artichoke dip is my fave).

So I scooped it into a dish, grated some fresh parmesan on top, and baked it on 350 for 25 minutes.

I used these same crackers for the Fig and Goat Cheese appetizer.

Pimento Cheese

This deliciousness is also from Costco. I took it out of the jar, put it in a fancy bowl, and pretended like it was homemade (well, not really... but a fancy bowl made it not look store-bought). It takes extra yummy with these crackers. The Spinach Dip and this cheese can be found in this section.


Brown Sugar Pork Sliders
I started with this recipe in the crockpot (which cooked all day while I was at school), cut up pineapple, grilled it on the George Foreman, and made little sliders using King's Hawaiian Rolls.








FRUIT


BROWNIE BITES
I learned this trick from my mama: 
Start with store-bought brownies, add store-bought chocolate icing, and voila... not nearly as fancy as these homemade brownie bites, but super quick and yummy!



For other appetizer recipes, click here or here.



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10 comments:

  1. And now I'm hungry. These all look SOOOO good!! Thanks for linking up with us!

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  2. Oh my gosh! These all look amazing.. especially the fig and goat cheese! YUM!

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  3. So hungry now! Fig and Goat cheese sound amazing, and the pork sliders YUM!

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  4. I love simple foods for low key gatherings! And goat cheese, always a favorite.

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  5. Appetizers are my favorite to put together! These look so good. I love pairing goat cheese with things- last I had it was on a burger with cranberries and arugula- so good! :) And everyone loves spinach dip :) Great choices!

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  6. I love sliders- definitely going to try this one!

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  7. I love appetizers!!! I love having them as my dinner :P thanks for all the recipes!!

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  8. Oh my I love all of these. I have figs in the freezer from this summer. I usually make a plain fig crostata. I wonder if I could add goat cheese in the mix???

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  9. I have never tried figs before (well, a fig newton). Everything looks amazing. How did the set up go with your friends??

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  10. my new fav apetizer is toasted croistini, topped with, a mix of feta, soft cream cheese and a little lemon juice, mix till smooth, spread on toasts, then throw a carton of cherry tomatoes, some shallot, some garlic, fresh basil, a small amount of vinegar and a smal amount of olive oil, salt and pepper, pulse several times , leave chunky, put on top of cheese spread.

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