Party Plate Ideas

Here are some great ideas for your party plates this Labor Day weekend!Party PunchSpicy HummusEasy Pretzel BitesSpicy Sausage Phyllo BitesCheesy Mushroom Cups

Spicy Hummus

We love hummus here at our house so when I found a jar of organic Tahini at Trader Joe’s a few weeks back I figured it was high time I tried making my own hummus from scratch. Alex prefers a spicy variety so I thought that would be a good place to start. I’ve made hummus before, but never with tahini, it didn’t quite taste right though I was excited to see how it turned out.This recipe turned out fantastic! The addition of tahini was what the hummus needed to really taste perfect. This was such a hit that by the time I got around to taking a photo it was mostly gone! This is a perfect recipe for a party, especially when served with a variety of crackers.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:227]

Cheesy Mushroom Cups

Wow! It has been so long! My summer has been completely crazy and full of wonderful, exciting adventures. How was yours? This summer I not only stage managed for our local community theatre’s production of Into the Woods, I also created and ran a summer theater camp program for the local youth. So between these theater things and my regular work I’ve had no time to make new recipes or update my site. Follow me on Instagram to see what I’ve been up to this summer!These are one of Alex’s favorite snack items. His mother and grandmother have been making them for years and he asked me to make them for one of his game nights earlier this summer. They were a huge hit, everyone enjoyed them and couldn’t believe they were made with mushrooms. If you’re looking for a fun new party snack these you should definitely try these out.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:215]Source: Star Tribune - April 12, 1979

Beer and Cheese Dip

Alex hosts a weekly game night for several of his friends and I like to make snack food for them. They love having chips and different kinds of dip so I decided this was a fantastic way to use the extra Guinness I had in my fridge left over from making Guinness cake.I’ve used ground beef in this recipe but you could also use bacon crumbles if you prefer. I already had some ground beef browned so I thought it would be the perfect addition.I never actually got a photo of this dip because the boys ate all before I could get one. They typically don’t eat dips I make that fast so they really must have loved this one (either that or they were really hungry, you can never know with a group of men).  However, you’ll just have to take my word that it actually looked beautiful and your guest will fall in love with it.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:194]Source: Adapted from Foodie Crush

Twice Baked Potatoes

Baked potatoes are one of my absolute favorite foods. You can make them pretty much any way you like and they are still amazing. I only make this specific recipe on very special occasions since it has so much butter, sour cream and cream. But seriously, this is a fantastic recipe!This would make a great nontraditional dish for your Easter celebration. If you’re tired of the same old mashed potatoes this would be a way to spice up a dish you might be tired of having since you make it several times a year.The amount of milk called for in this recipe is just enough to soften the mixture up. If you add too much the potatoes will be runny and if you don’t add enough they will end up being pretty hard. It really just depends on your personal consistency preference. I typically put in more milk since I like my potatoes pretty soft and squishy. However, I know people who prefer the potato chunks so they would choose to put less milk in. Its really up to the cook. You can also use heavy cream instead of milk to give the recipe a fuller taste.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:183]

Oven Roasted Garlic

Oven roasted garlic is one of the easiest things you can possibly make. You can use it in so many different recipes. I’ve used this recipe for roasted garlic to add flavor to hummus, dips and to use on a white sauce pizza! Come back tomorrow for a recipe using this garlic!Alex and I love the flavor of the finished product. It also smells amazing while you’re cooking it. I guarantee you’ll be salivating while it finishes cooking.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:175]

Party Punch

This is a recipe I absolutely love! It is from my Mother in Law and every time she makes it I just can’t get enough.  Not only is this recipe easy to make it is also super variable depending on what flavors you use. I’ve included my personal favorites in the recipe below but you can use whatever you like.My mother in law likes to use the cranberry sierra mist and strawberry concentrate. I haven’t been able to find that exact juice concentrate around here so I typically just purchase the fruit punch. If you prefer a citrus punch you could use orange juice concentrate and regular Sierra Mist or 7 Up. It really just depends on what your local grocery stocks and what your flavor preferences are.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:162]

Garlic Rosemary White Bean Dip

When I first saw this recipe I just knew I had to try making it. Alex and I both absolutely love hummus and I figured this bean dip would be close to that. I was right and it was a huge hit at the parties I served it at. Apparently I forgot to photograph the finished product, however this recipe is too amazing not to share with you!This dip is a fantastic blend of garlic, rosemary and pepper.  I found this bean dip best after a day or two sitting in the fridge. I found the flavors had mixed together creating a better blend than the day I served it immediately after making it.  I highly suggest making this a day or two in advance of your party so the flavors have time to blend together.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:161]Source: Adapted from Annies-Eats

Pizza Phyllo Bites

These are another fantastic appetizer just like the Spicy Sausage Phyllo Bites I posted last week. These are a quick easy appetizer that will please a large crowd. Everyone who tried these bites absolutely loved them.These bites taste like a cross between pizza and lasagna. You could add some browned sausage or pepperoni pieces if you wanted even more pizza taste. If you purchase the prebaked phyllo crusts making this recipe will take you approximately 20minutes from start to finish. I loved that it was so quick, I needed that when I was getting ready for a large gathering. I’m sure your guests will be impressed by your cooking ability when you make this recipe for them.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:156]Source: Adapted from: Food Network Magazine, December 2015

Spicy Sausage Phyllo Bites

We threw a New Years’ Eve party and I saw this recipe in my issue of The Food Network Magazine. I thought they would be the perfect appetizer to serve. This recipe is very easy to make and will really impress your guests.I wasn’t sure about the ingredient combination on these, but people absolutely raved about these when they tried them. You will want to use a very spicy sausage. The spicier the sausage used, the better the final product. Since you don’t include a lot of other spices, most of the flavor in this dish comes from the sausage you end up using.You will really want to use prepared Phyllo shells for this recipe. Phyllo dough is incredibly difficult to make since it requires a lot of careful steps. You can typically find Phyllo dough in the frozen food section of your local grocery store.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:152]Source: Adapted from: The Food Network Magazine, December 2015

Quick & Easy Bruschetta

We first had this at a family gathering, Alex’s Aunt made it for us once and I was hooked! It is so quick, easy and yummy. I found all my ingredients at Aldi (grocery store) so it is also really economical to make. You will definitely surprise and excite your guests with this party appetizer.I’ve used premade ingredients for this recipe. You can do the same, or if you have fresh produce from the garden you could make your own. The key is to keep the tomato sauce chunky and full of spices. The sauce really provides much of the flavor for the dish so you do not want to skimp.The Parmesan cheese really provides a salty compliment to the slight sweetness of the tomatoes. You want to make certain you do not skimp on the cheese. It is also key that the cheese has completely melted and has begun to brown before you remove it from the oven. These are best served warm.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:83]

Oven Baked French Fries

Oven baked French fries can be an excellent alternative to fried. They have the same great taste without all the extra oil. Baked fries are also very easy to make, they simply need about an hour in the oven for the best crispness. You can season these fries with just about anything you like. I prefer to simply use sea salt but Alex normally likes to use something a little spicier. You can add some seasonings before you bake it, but you don’t have to. I prefer to bake the fries then season them at the end so Alex and I can season each of ours how we prefer.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:78]

Easy Pretzel Bites

My Mom and I were talking the other day about making homemade pretzels. When she asked how I made them, I mentioned that I typically use my breadmaker to prepare the dough. She doesn’t have a breadmaker anymore so she was slightly disappointed that she couldn’t prepare them the same way. That conversation got me thinking, how did I made pretzels and pretzel bites before I had a breadmaker?I remembered that I used Rhodes prepared dinner rolls. I decided to put together a little post on making these since I happened to have a bag of rolls in my freezer. They are super yummy and VERY easy! The most time spent is waiting for the dough to defrost and rise. While I use Rhodes rolls you can use any prepared raw dough you like. Just make sure it is fully defrosted before you start, or else you’re going to end up with a nasty finished product.

There are several different schools of thought on using baking soda to make homemade pretzels. Some people think you can simply soak the pretzels in a baking soda bath. However, I’ve never had good luck with this. I prefer to boil the raw dough in the baking soda bath for approximately 1 minute. I feel like this gives it time to fully absorb what it needs to nicely brown.I like brushing the butter onto these just after they’ve come out of the oven. This gives them that buttery flavor you’d get from a mall pretzel. I only use salt on these, however if you wanted to use cinnamon sugar instead you could have sweet pretzel bites. Just make sure you sprinkle whatever topping you use generously. In my opinion you can never have too much flavor on these!

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Easy Pretzel Bites:12 Unbaked Rhodes Dinner Rolls or other raw prepared dough2 Cups Water¼ Cup Baking Soda2 Tablespoons Butter (melted)Kosher Salt

Defrost the dough and allow it to rise until doubled.Preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using greased scissors cut the dinner rolls in quarters.Combine the water and baking soda in a small saucepan on high heat. When you reach a rolling boil begin to add the raw dough.

Cook until the dough has inflated, approximately 1 minute per batch. Remove with a slotted spoon, shaking off the excess water.Place the dough on the baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the dough chunks.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the dough is lightly browned.Remove from the oven and brush generously with the butter.

Sprinkle liberally with the kosher salt and enjoy!

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Iowa Superbowl Dip

This is apparently quite a popular dip here in Iowa. I had no idea about it until Alex had it at work and decided that I needed to make it. He loves this dip because it is cheesy and spicy and is fantastic for dipping on crackers or chips. When I talked about it with some of our friends they gave me the name as “superbowl dip”.When I made this I halved the recipe and heated it in the microwave. If you are pressed for time you can do it that way and either serve it immediately or put it into a crockpot to keep warm. If you have extra time before your event just put everything in the crockpot and stir once the cheese has melted. The quantities mentioned here in the recipe will make a fairly large pot of this dip, so be sure to pair it down if you won’t be serving a large crowd.

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Iowa Superbowl Dip1 Brick Velveeta Cheese2 Cans Rotel1lb Browned Ground Beef or Italian SausageCut the velveeta into 1 inch chunks.

Combine all ingredients in a greased slow cooker.Serve when the cheese has fully melted and everything has been stirred together

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Gluten Free Salty Crackers

Since I was making crackers this week I wanted to be sure to include one that I could eat. These are super easy crackers and will only take you about 45 minutes total. These crackers are fantastic! They are crispy and perfect for dipping or using for cheese.I’ve used Trader Joe’s Himalayan Pink Sea Salt to top them, but you can feel free to use regular sea salt or Kosher salt if you prefer. I simply wanted to give them a little bit of a fancier feel when they were finished.

When transferring these on to the baking sheet you can either follow the method I’ve laid out here, or you can use an offset spatula to move the crackers. I found that the spatula method is more difficult and tends to crumple the cracker dough.

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Gluten Free Salty Crackers1 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Gluten Free Flour¼ Teaspoon Xanthan Gum¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda1 ¼ Teaspoon Baking Powder1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt¼ Teaspoon Cream of Tartar2 Tablespoons Shortening1 Tablespoon Butter1/3 Cup WaterTrader Joe’s Himalayan Pink Sea Salt (for garnish)Preheat your oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paperIn the bowl of a food processor combine the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt and cream of tartar. Pulse to mix well.Add the shortening and the butter, pulse the food processor until the mixture has a sandy texture.

With the food processor running add the water slowly. Once all the water has been added the dough should be smooth and shiny but not wet.

Prepare your counter top by placing a large sheet of parchment paper down on it. Place the dough on top. Spread an additional sheet of parchment paper over the top of the dough. Roll the dough out to be ¼ inch thick.Remove the second piece of parchment paper from the top. With a pastry wheel or pizza cutter cut the dough into rectangles that are about 1 ½ inch by 2 ½ inches.

Place your prepare cookie sheet over top with the silpat liner on the dough and the sheet inverted on the counter.Turn the entire stack over so that the parchment paper is on top and the dough is on the silpat liner.Carefully remove the parchment paper from the dough.

Pierce each cracker a few times with a fork. Sprinkle water over top of the dough. Sprinkle evenly with the pink Sea Salt.Bake for approximately 8 minutes or until the cracker edges are just beginning to brown. Allow to cool on the baking sheet until firm.These are best served immediately when made, however you can wrap the extras and store at room temperature for a few days if needed.

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Source: Adapted from: Gluten Free on a Shoestring, Quick and Easy – Nicole Hunn

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Rtizy Sandwich Crackers

This week Alex requested that I make a few more savory items than normal. I decided that this would take the form of several cracker recipes this time around! I have had the book, Crackers and Dips by Ivy Manning for a couple years now but I’ve never made anything from it. I just never seemed to have the time to make something I could so easily purchase.I chose these crackers because they seemed like a good basic cracker that would go with just about any dip I might make. These are reminiscent of Ritz crackers, but in my opinion much better. They are crunchy and crispy and make an excellent base for dips.

These crackers require a rest period in the refrigerator. I found it was best to leave them for 3-4 hours in the fridge, then let the dough rest on the counter for another 30 minutes. This makes the dough easy to handle when you go to roll it out.

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Rtizy Sandwich Crackers4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter2 Cups Flour2 Teaspoons Baking Powder2 Teaspoons Sugar1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt½ Cup of Water2 Teaspoons Dark Corn Syrup1 Tablespoon Olive Oil1 Egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon WaterKosher Salt (For Sprinkling)Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine.

Add in the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse corn meal. This will take between 15 and 30 seconds.

In a small bowl or measuring cup combine the water, dark corn syrup and oil. Stirring until the corn syrup has dissolved.

Gradually add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients while pulsing the food processor.Gather the dough into a ball on a sheet of cling wrap, flatten into a disk. Chill for 3-4 hours in the fridge, then let the dough rest on the counter for another 30 minutes.Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with a silpat liner or a sheet of parchment paper.Separate the disk of dough in half and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out until it is approximately 1/16^th’s of an inch thick.

Using a small round cookie cutter or a small scalloped cookie cutter cut the dough into pieces, reserve the scraps.Repeat with the rest of the dough.Spread the crackers on the prepared cookie sheet. Brush them with the egg/water mixture and then prick the crackers with a fork.

Sprinkle the remaining kosher salt onto the crackers sparingly.Bake for 4 minutes. Then rotate the pan, reduce the heat to 375 and bake until the crackers are golden brown and firm to the touch, about 8-10 minutes.

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Source: Adapted from: Crackers and Dips – Ivy Manning

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Spicy Lime Guacamole

I wish I could say that this recipe has more of an origin than this, but avocados were on sale at the grocery store and Alex decided he wanted guacamole. I’ve made this recipe for him several times now and I feel like I’ve really gotten it perfect. Alex really loves the finished product. He says that it has the perfect amount of onion, spicy and tart.Picking avocadoes is not an easy thing. Ripe avocadoes are soft and squishy. The first few times I purchased them I bought firm ones then tried to use them for guac. It wasn’t until a nice old man at the store taught me how to pick them that I actually began to pick good ones. If you want to use the avocadoes right away pick soft squishy ones. If you are wanting to use them later the firm ones are what you need.The best way to remove the insides of an avocado is to cut the avocado in half. Remove the pit, either by using a spoon to pop it out, or by using a knife to pull the pit out. After the pit is gone use a spoon to spoon out the meat inside. You can then discard the skins and the pit.

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Spicy Lime Guacamole:2 Avocados½ Teaspoon Salt½ Fresh Lime Juice4 Tablespoons Onion (minced)2 Jalapeños (minced)2 Tablespoons Cilantro (minced)1 Clove Garlic (minced)Dash of White Pepper

Remove the skin and pit from the avocadoes, mash the insides with a fork until smooth.Mince the onion, cilantro, jalapenos and garlic, stir into the avocado.

Add the salt, lime juice and pepper. Stir until well combined.Store in the refrigerator with plastic wrap directly over the guacamole.

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Cream Cheese Wontons

We love to go to the Chinese place down the street from our house, but unfortunately it’s not in the budget to go more often! However they don’t have a good cream cheese wonton which is one of my favorites. I’ve made these several times at our house and they are a huge hit. This batch I made when we had a couple of friends over for dinner and they were gone pretty quickly. No one can resist a crispy wonton filled with fried cheese.Unfortunately these are not gluten free as-is. If you want to make them GF, I know Gluten Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread by Nicole Hunn has a recipe. However, if you make that substitution these are gluten free.

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Cream Cheese Wontons:20-25 Wonton Wrappers8oz Cream Cheese (softened)2 Green Onions (chopped)½ Teaspoon Garlic PowderOil (for frying)Set your oil on medium heat in a large saucepan.

Cream together the cream cheese, green onion and garlic powder until fully combined.

Carefully put about a teaspoon into the center of a wonton wrapper.

Using water to make the edges stick together, close the wrapper.When the oil is boiling carefully fry them, approximately 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Set on a plate covered with a couple paper towels to drain out some of the oil and enjoy!

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Fried Ravioli

Are you looking for the perfect hors d'oeuvre to complete your New Years Eve party menu? This is a great last minute recipe that your party guests will love.I absolutely love ravioli in any form. I just love the way the filling adds the hint of cheesiness that make the pasta so yummy. These are super easy to make, and your party guests will love this treat.

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 Fried Ravioli:Boil the ravioli until fully cooked. They will rise to the surface of the water when they are done. Rinse in cold water and pat dry.

Place about 2 inches of oil in a sauce pan and set on medium low heat.

While your oil is heating prepare your breadcrumb topping. I used about 2 cups of Panko bread crumbs, garlic salt, Italian seasoning and a pinch of white pepper. You can use whatever flavor combination appeals to your taste buds. Be sure to mix thoroughly.Take two eggs, put them in a separate bowl and beat lightly until the yolk and egg whites have mixed.Take your dry ravioli and dip in flour, then in the egg mixture and finally into the bread crumbs.

When your oil is bubbling put the covered ravioli in the oil and fry until golden brown. Remove from the oil and place on clean paper towels to drain the excess oil.

Serve with Marinara sauce.