Search Results for "blue cheese grapes"

I made these easy and pretty grapes for the first time about 15 years ago for a holiday open house. They are a perennial favorite. The cheese and nut-coated grapes make such a stunning presentation when placed on a pedestal with fresh grapes and leaves and are perfect to set on a bar at a party.

Since there are only 4 ingredients this recipe certainly qualifies for my “easy-breezy” category and if you have kids around, they will love helping make them. If you are putting them together alone, use one hand to roll or lightly coat the grapes with the cheese mixture and keep the other hand clean to roll the cheese-coated grapes in the nuts and place them on a plate, otherwise, you’ll end up with a gooey mess.
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EASY – BREEZY

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HOLIDAYS

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VEGETARIAN

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APPETIZERS/HOR D’OEUVRES

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Last night I taught a private cooking class here at my house. It was a demonstration class with an appetizer theme.

Since individual appetizers can be time-consuming to assemble and to make the class a bit more fun, I did ask for assistance from the students on a couple of the recipes.

The best of both worlds, I teach with free help!

Setting up for a class is a lot like entertaining and many of the techniques I use for a class are the same that I suggest to people when they entertain, such as:

• Choose do-ahead recipes
• Mise en place is a must
• Lay out your serving pieces and “map out” your table long before guests/students arrive
• Make Lists and a Timeline

All five of these recipes can be done well ahead of time, perfect for entertaining.

Blue Cheese Grapes, Caesar Dip with Crudités, Pigs in a Warm Puffy Blanket, Hot Feta and Tomato Spread, and Smoked Salmon Quesadillas.

For a cooking class, we set all the ingredients and utensils needed and place them on individual trays for each recipe. When entertaining (or cooking in general) pull together everything you need and prep (chop/dice) what you can ahead of time. This is known as Mise en Place, or “everything in its place.”

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APPETIZERS/HOR D’OEUVRES

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Wedding Taco Bar Recipes

These are recipes and stories from Cody and Chanté Howard’s amazing wedding weekend in northeastern Arizona over Mother’s Day Weekend in 2018. You may go to this LINK to see the complete taco bar with all the chopped toppings that are not included in this recipe list.

Photo courtesy of griffithimaging.com

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Connor’s friend, Rachael, brought these super easy and super tasty little appetizer picks. Luckily I was able to snap a photo before they were all snapped up!

No one had signed up for chips and dip, so I asked Connor to provide those.

You have to have chips and dip!

I threw together a red, white, and blue flag snack tray using, red grapes, banana slices, strawberries, yogurt-covered pretzels, blueberries, and raspberries.

Lastly, I purchased a mock gingerbread house at Trader Joe’s, which was really a sugar cookie White House and I pretended like it was Christmas in July. I loved putting it together since our long family tradition of Marissa and Connor each assembling their own Christmas gingerbread houses has fallen by the wayside. Mostly because they hate it! Oh well, a mom can reminisce.

These were a few of the little extras at the 4^th of July Party Pot-Luck Pool Party. The main course and dessert details will follow in the coming days.

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I served this salad on Christmas. I think it’s one of the prettiest salads around. It is inspired by a photo I saw on Pinterest.

Easy and Pretty. Now that’s a nice combination!

Fruit & Cheese Green Salad Wreath with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

Salad

• 1 small head iceberg lettuce
• 3 cups mixed greens
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves
• 2 small bunches grapes (red and/or purple)
• 1 small red and 1 small green apple (1 cored and cubed and 1 sliced)
• 2 pears (1 cored and cubed and 1 sliced)
• 8 Strawberries (3 left whole for decorating, the rest diced)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Dressing

• Zest of 1 lemon (remove zest and set aside before juicing lemon)
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Salad: Place the iceberg lettuce and mixed greens in a large bowl and toss to combine. Place a bowl in the center of a large round platter and spread the lettuces around the bowl on the platter. This is your wreath base.

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