Pretty much traditional cocktail meatballs, and they were awesome. The recipe I was using pointed us to the slow cooker, but we ended up using the dutch oven and that worked out fine. Definitely about to be a party staple.
Appetizers
Hoisin Cocktail Meatballs
We recently hosted a dumplings, ramen, and games night and thought we wanted something…well, not wrapped in a dumpling wrapper or part of a noodle bowl. Or really, I saw these, thought they looked awesome, and they were. 😉 We kept these warm in a slow cooker during the party, which worked well but I’d advise making sure you stir them now and then, which I forgot to do. I would definitely make these again, especially for a party – I might double the recipe next time as well. Leftovers were pretty good. 😉
Spinach, Feta, and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms
Stuffed ‘shrooms are one of my favorite appetizers for parties, since they’re easy, portable, and tend to be a crowd-pleaser. I’m actually not a huge mushroom fan myself, but I’ll eat anything with cheese and bacon. 😉 I got this one from Bon Appetite, and just added a bit more bacon and feta, and a bit less spinach (I thought 10 ounces would overwhelm everything else). I think adding some roasted red peppers would be awesome both for color and taste, though, and would do that next time.
Onion Dip
As much as I love onion dip, I’ve never tried to make it before. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was – caramelize some onions and blend. This was delicious – I could have eaten the whole batch myself. This was from an Ina Garten recipe, and my only alteration was to add a pinch of smoked paprika, which I think was a good addition. Another of our Memorial Day picnic recipes.
Sausage and Asiago Stuffed Mushrooms
I really heart stuffed mushrooms. They’re easy, portable, and you can stuff them with just about anything. I brought these to a holiday party this year and they seemed to go over well. The only change I would make is choosing a stronger sausage…though I picked Italian, it was a chicken sausage and I thought the mushrooms could use a bit more kick than this really provided.
I found this on a blog called Sweetsugarbean.com, which I landed on after sorting through what I felt were twenty-bajillion mushroom filling suggestions!
Guacamole
Needs no intro, who doesn’t love a good bowl of guac? 🙂 This is a tried and true Alton Brown recipe I’ve been using for years, and it’s always reliable.
Om nom nom! 