My best friend is engaged! For her engagement party I’m responsible for the appetizers. I thought it would be a great idea to try them out prior to the big date- and also a fun idea for dinner night! All the recipes I chose were appetizers and could be eaten by hand. I tried to pick out recipes that not only tasted good, but also looked super cute. We made a wide variety of cuisines which made me very nervous that it wouldn’t all come together. There were a few things I had been dying to use that I incorporated into our meal- utensils to make sushi from a cooking class I took at Sur La Table and champagne glasses I got for my Birthday. Combine this with the other genres of food and it made for an interesting but delicious night. I definitely found some winners for the party.
Bellini Cocktail- Kristin
Recipe was super simple. 2 peaches per bottle of champagne. We blended the peaches into a puree and then added them to the drinks. I thought the peaches didn’t mix well and ended up sitting at the bottom of the glass. I liked it- but only because it was champagne. Next time I’ll leave out the fruit.
K: Thumbs down
N: Thumbs down – I love champagne, but for some reason this combo did not taste quite right.
R: Thumbs down - not a huge champagne person, and did not like how the fruit sat at the bottom.
H – Thumbs down – It really didn’t taste like a Bellini to me.
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (Courtesy of AllRecipes.com)
Nicole
This recipe was also very easy to make, and I was excited to do it because I had always wanted to learn how to make hummus. I echo Kristin’s request to add olive oil (isn’t that a staple of hummus?), and would also add a bit more garlic and salt for additional flavor.
Kristin- Thumbs up. Could use some olive oil though.
Nicole – Thumbs up.
Rissa - thumbs sideways. I like hummus more room temperature, and with a little olive oil. I think doing these things to the recipe would improve it for me.
Heather – Thumbs sideways. I’m not a huge hummus fan in general. This was just ok for me.
Bellini Cocktail- Kristin
Recipe was super simple. 2 peaches per bottle of champagne. We blended the peaches into a puree and then added them to the drinks. I thought the peaches didn’t mix well and ended up sitting at the bottom of the glass. I liked it- but only because it was champagne. Next time I’ll leave out the fruit.
K: Thumbs down
N: Thumbs down – I love champagne, but for some reason this combo did not taste quite right.
R: Thumbs down - not a huge champagne person, and did not like how the fruit sat at the bottom.
H – Thumbs down – It really didn’t taste like a Bellini to me.
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (Courtesy of AllRecipes.com)
Nicole
This recipe was also very easy to make, and I was excited to do it because I had always wanted to learn how to make hummus. I echo Kristin’s request to add olive oil (isn’t that a staple of hummus?), and would also add a bit more garlic and salt for additional flavor.
Kristin- Thumbs up. Could use some olive oil though.
Nicole – Thumbs up.
Rissa - thumbs sideways. I like hummus more room temperature, and with a little olive oil. I think doing these things to the recipe would improve it for me.
Heather – Thumbs sideways. I’m not a huge hummus fan in general. This was just ok for me.
Caprese sticks – Kristin
This recipe comes from Rachel Ray. The thing I loved about this one was that you actually could make it in less than 30 minutes! Very simple- yet great presentation. I couldn’t find the mini balls of mozzarella so instead I used one big piece of fresh mozzarella. I also added in balsamic vinegar since I thought it would add taste. In the end, I thought the dish was ok. I didn’t like the grape tomatoes as much as normal slices but I thought the presentation made up for it.
K: Thumbs Up
N: Thumbs up.
R: Thumbs up. I liked the grape tomatoes! Thought it worked well and kept it neat.
H: Thumbs up. I have made these before and I’m a big believer in the tomato-basil-mozzarella combo!
This recipe comes from Rachel Ray. The thing I loved about this one was that you actually could make it in less than 30 minutes! Very simple- yet great presentation. I couldn’t find the mini balls of mozzarella so instead I used one big piece of fresh mozzarella. I also added in balsamic vinegar since I thought it would add taste. In the end, I thought the dish was ok. I didn’t like the grape tomatoes as much as normal slices but I thought the presentation made up for it.
K: Thumbs Up
N: Thumbs up.
R: Thumbs up. I liked the grape tomatoes! Thought it worked well and kept it neat.
H: Thumbs up. I have made these before and I’m a big believer in the tomato-basil-mozzarella combo!
CA Roll – Nicole
I love Japanese food, but somehow had never made rolls before. It took up until the third roll before we figured out the proper rolling technique, but regardless of the way they looked they all tasted great. We modified the recipe slightly to use “krab” (aka artificial crab), and instead of using logs of crab and avocado we just mixed the crab chunks, avocado pieces, and mayo in a bowl. It turned into a bit of crab guacamole that we spread onto the rolls, and worked out very well.
K: Thumbs up- Surprisingly DELICIOUS!
N: Thumbs up.
R: Thumbs up. Very professional and I loved the avocado in it!
H: Thumbs sideways: These looked very professional and actually tasted pretty good. I’m just not a huge lover of sushi these days which is why it didn’t get a thumbs up from me.
Bacon wrapped scallops – Rissa
I don’t know if it’s fair for me to judge this one because I had never tried scallops before this night. I can’t say I like them…not my estilo, and they really didn’t have much taste. The bacon around it worked though because I love bacon! But it was painful to actually toothpick the bacon around each scallop when it was piping hot. That’s more of a technique issue obviously. Also, it seems difficult to tell when scallops are done!
K: Thumbs down.
N: Thumbs sideways – I think that this one has potential, and that we just need to learn the proper technique to make it.
R: Thumbs down.
H: Big fat thumbs down – Sorry but due to the burns I have on my leg from the bacon grease and the fact that the scallops tasted mushy to me, I would not make these again.
I love Japanese food, but somehow had never made rolls before. It took up until the third roll before we figured out the proper rolling technique, but regardless of the way they looked they all tasted great. We modified the recipe slightly to use “krab” (aka artificial crab), and instead of using logs of crab and avocado we just mixed the crab chunks, avocado pieces, and mayo in a bowl. It turned into a bit of crab guacamole that we spread onto the rolls, and worked out very well.
K: Thumbs up- Surprisingly DELICIOUS!
N: Thumbs up.
R: Thumbs up. Very professional and I loved the avocado in it!
H: Thumbs sideways: These looked very professional and actually tasted pretty good. I’m just not a huge lover of sushi these days which is why it didn’t get a thumbs up from me.
Bacon wrapped scallops – Rissa
I don’t know if it’s fair for me to judge this one because I had never tried scallops before this night. I can’t say I like them…not my estilo, and they really didn’t have much taste. The bacon around it worked though because I love bacon! But it was painful to actually toothpick the bacon around each scallop when it was piping hot. That’s more of a technique issue obviously. Also, it seems difficult to tell when scallops are done!
K: Thumbs down.
N: Thumbs sideways – I think that this one has potential, and that we just need to learn the proper technique to make it.
R: Thumbs down.
H: Big fat thumbs down – Sorry but due to the burns I have on my leg from the bacon grease and the fact that the scallops tasted mushy to me, I would not make these again.
Chicken Italiano- Rissa
This recipe was so neat to make. A few chopped veggies combined with chicken and mayo. The spices that Heather cooked into the chicken helped make it even tastier. I’m not huge on mayo, but it worked well and the recipe tasted great. It held together well inside two wonton wrappers. Someone mentioned maybe just using one wrapper, but I liked two…put a nice “crust” on it. Perfect party recipe as it can really be eaten by hand without a mess!
K: Thumbs up- I’ll be making this for the party.
N: Thumbs up.
R: Thumbs up.
H: Thumbs up – These were delicious and beautiful…like little flowers.
This recipe was so neat to make. A few chopped veggies combined with chicken and mayo. The spices that Heather cooked into the chicken helped make it even tastier. I’m not huge on mayo, but it worked well and the recipe tasted great. It held together well inside two wonton wrappers. Someone mentioned maybe just using one wrapper, but I liked two…put a nice “crust” on it. Perfect party recipe as it can really be eaten by hand without a mess!
K: Thumbs up- I’ll be making this for the party.
N: Thumbs up.
R: Thumbs up.
H: Thumbs up – These were delicious and beautiful…like little flowers.
Brie with Strawberries – This was an interesting recipe. I was very skeptical about this recipe as a dessert because I’m used to full-on cakes, cookies, pies, etc. for dessert. Also, I like brie but chives in dessert just didn’t sound right. This recipe was easy to put together and it actually ended up tasting quite good. The savory of the brie paired well with the sweetness of the cream cheese. I don’t think I would serve this for dessert, per se, but it is definitely an option for an appetizer in the future!
K: Thumbs down.
N: Thumbs up.
R: Thumbs up - Surprisingly, I liked this! I might add a weebit of sugar to the cream cheese though.
H: Thumbs up.
K: Thumbs down.
N: Thumbs up.
R: Thumbs up - Surprisingly, I liked this! I might add a weebit of sugar to the cream cheese though.
H: Thumbs up.
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