Stick a fork in the summer, it’s done. Here in the states, most of us like to stick a barbecue fork in summer with hosting or organizing one last outdoor get together on Labor Day.
I’m here to offer some menu help. Below is a selection of five delicious appetizer ideas to serve at your party or barbecue this weekend. The cold ones are perfect to bring if you are a guest and not hosting your own. Almost all of these take around one hour, some way less to create. All have been tested by my circle of friends and have been proclaimed crowd pleasers whether serving carnivores, or vegetarians.
As for me. I’m looking forward to my favorite season, FALL. Crispy weather, bulky sweaters, harvest recipes, pumpkins everywhere and leaf-peeping the fall foliage in breathtaking colors against bright blue skies. Bring it.
One:
This absolutely adorable yet simple to throw together, cold appetizer takes about 1 hour to create and never fails to elicit oohs and ahhs and sometimes even squeals of delight. You can’t lose serving the traditional delicious and classic Caprese combo of flavors.
The main thing to remember in creating these is to drain the mozzarella and the cut tomatoes on paper towels before assembling. Do not skip this step or you will end up with a runny mess.
TWO:
I never get bored playing with Everything seasoning. From incorporating it on homemade dinner rolls to schnitzel. Fried pickles are perfect for a barbecue or picnic. They also have an outdoor festival feeling to them.
You can use storebought horseradish sauce or just your favorite creamy dressing. The recipe for making your own Everything seasoning is included in the post.
Three:
This is a German-inspired take on the beloved by many, pigs in blankets. Pieces of pan-fried bratwurst are folded into a delicious mustard flavored bread knödel. What’s not to love?
Don’t get intimidated by the word Knödel. It is dead easy to make but impressive looking on a buffet table. I used beef bratwurst in the recipe post but switch it out for chicken or vegetarian or a mixture of all three to please everyone.
Four:
I admit this dish is way over the top. Ptriotic hummus is kind of kooky. The post includes recipes for three separate hummus flavors that are swirled together. Each recipe serves four people so if you go for the trifecta, you can feed 12. Or you can just choose one flavor, and double or triple the recipe depending upon how many people you need to feed.
five:
Like the Ladybug Caprese above, these are a real crowd pleaser. They look beautiful on a food table. If you bring this to a get-together, you surely will get extra points from the host or hostess. The tomato tulips are stuffed with seasoned cream cheese. You can easily riff on this, using your favorite seasonings.
No go forth and appetize. For those of you celebrating this upcoming holiday weekend, make it a great one.
Bye, Bye summer!
