Now that I'm in a home with much more space (MUCH more) and room to move around, I'm basically finding any and every excuse in the book to throw a party and have people over. As I've said before, there really isn't much in life that makes me happier than making my friends and family happy, and this is just one of the ways that I can do that!
On Sunday, I hosted an "Origami Owl" jewelry bar party for some of my friends and family members. If you've never heard about Origami Owl, you really should go check it out. They have the cutest stuff! We really enjoyed learning about the company and looking at all of the goodies. Their biggest seller is something called a "living locket," an "open" locket-type necklace that you can add a variety of charms to in order to represent things that you love and to tell your life story. It was a lot of fun hearing about the different pieces that each of the guests picked out for themselves. My friend JoLynn is the rep who helped me throw the party, and she did a fabulous job (she's pretty darn awesome, if I say so myself!). If you're interested, go check it out here (and tell her Cocktail Cutie sent you!). We had a lot of fun building our "living lockets" and trying on different necklace combinations. It was the perfect girl's day!
Aside from the jewelry bar, I wanted to make sure that I took care of my guests as far as food and drinks go, too - after all, I have a reputation to uphold! I spent a lot of time in my kitchen last weekend getting ready for the party, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Here's a little taste of the menu I prepared for my guests...and some of the recipes, too!
Cucumber-Dill Toasts Pumpkin Spice Cookies Pink Moscato Champagne
Chicken Salad Cups Spice Cupcakes Riesling
Avocado Deviled Eggs Lemon Bars Raspberry Limeade Punch
Prosciutto Purses Pumpkin Roll*
Caprese Salad Skewers
Mini Quiches (Variety)
Sausage Balls*
Cheese Plate
*Not pictured - thanks so much to my mother-in-law and sister-in-law for sharing these goodies with the group!
Now, I cheated a bit, I'll admit. I used boxed mixes for the sweets. Yep, that's right, I have to thank Betty Crocker for those. However, I did mix everything, bake everything and frost everything myself. So, I'm doing better. I'm still an amateur when it comes to baking, and I'm not ashamed to admit it! Really though, those pumpkin spice cookies are pretty amazing...and I don't even like sweet stuff, so you know that's saying a lot.
I also cheated on the mini quiches, as those were kind of a last minute buy while I was grocery shopping. Apparently I just thought I needed one more item. So, they were there and I bought them. To be honest, they weren't a big hit. I probably wouldn't spend the money again.
Anyway, I'll stop blabbing and give you what you really want - the recipes! Please let me know if you have any questions and I will be glad to help. ENJOY!
Cucumber-Dill Toasts
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 package dry Italian-style salad dressing
1/2 cup mayo
1 french baguette, cut into 1/2 inch circles
1 english cucumber, sliced
Dried dill weed
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and toast baguette rounds. Very thinly slice cucumber. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, italian-style salad dressing and mayo. Spread on baguette toast and top with slice of cucumber. Sprinkle with dill.
Chicken Salad Cups
1/2 cup mayo
1 tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 container frozen mini fillo cups
Thaw frozen fillo cups as instructed on package. Combine remaining ingredients in a medium bowl until mixed well. Spoon chicken salad mixture into fillo cups and serve immediately.
Avocado Deviled Eggs
12 eggs
1/2 cup mayo
1 tbs dijon mustard
1 tsp caper juice
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 dash bottled hot pepper sauce (like Texas Pete)
1 avocado, halved, pitted and cubed
Chives (optional)
Place eggs in a single layer in a Dutch oven. Add enough cold water to cover eggs by at least 1 inch. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Remove from heat and cover, allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain and run cold water over eggs. Allow eggs to cool before peeling.
Once peeled, cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and place in large bowl. Put egg whites aside. Mash egg yolks with fork. Add mayo, mustard, caper juice, black pepper, and hot pepper sauce and stir to mix well. Spoon mixture into a ziploc bag and seal tightly.
Snip off a corner of the ziploc bag filled with the egg yolk mixture and pipe mixture into egg white. Top each with a piece of chopped avocado and garnish with snipped chives, if desired.
Prosciutto Purses
Thinly sliced prosciutto
Pre-sliced melon
Trim melon into bite-size cubes. Lay prosciutto slices on cutting board and place bite-size melon on top of the prosciutto. Cut prosciutto in a square around the melon piece, leaving enough room to wrap the melon on each side. Wrap up melon completely with prosciutto and secure with toothpick.
Caprese Salad Skewers
Grape tomatoes
Fresh Basil leaves
Marinated Mozzarella balls
Small wooden skewers
Black pepper
Balsamic vinegar (for drizzling, optional)
Slice grape tomatoes in half lengthwise. On each skewer, thread one grape tomato half, one mozzarella ball, another grape tomato half and half of a basil leaf. One skewers are completed, sprinkle with black pepper. Serve with balsamic vinegar, for drizzling.
Raspberry Limeade Punch
1 container frozen limeade, thawed
1 2-liter raspberry gingerale
2 cups pineapple juice
Lime, sliced
Add all ingredients to large punch bowl or beverage dispenser. Stir to mix well, and add lime slices. Serve over ice.
So there you have them! Plenty of hors d'oeuvres recipes (and a drink, too!) for the next get together you have at your own humble abode. A note on the cheese plate - I served havarti with dill, pepperjack and asiago (along with pepperoni and salami) because these cheese went well with the wines I was serving. If you decide to make your own cheese plate as well, think about the drinks you're planning on providing so that you are choosing the cheeses that will best compliment them.
Until next time...
Cheers!
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