Remember, way back when (as in April 2010), I got new carpeting? My house looked like THIS! All of the furniture and stuff that was on the carpeted portions of the house got moved onto the marble tile portions of the house. And the new carpet was installed.

Then do you remember when about a month ago, in a super-long post, I told you all about “a day in the life” of the cooking school and I said,

“The only solution is to have my marble floors stripped and polished, once classes are over at the end of the month. Now those are before-and-after photos I promise to show you!”

… remember? Well, the time has come.

Upon our return from a relaxing and rejuvenating two-week vacation at our BFF’s log cabin (which is really more like a log mansion) in Wisconsin, I moved all of the furniture and stuff that was on the marble tile portions of the house onto the carpeted portions of the house, and the next day the floor guys came and did their magic.

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This is the final entry of my quick and easy party food ideas for the week… and it may be the easiest of them all. Only four ingredients take only minutes to assemble and bake.

Get the kids to help and put them together, assembly-line style, and you’ll be chowing down on these puppies in less than 20 minutes.

Tip: I always keep cooked bacon pieces in my freezer. Anytime a recipe calls for bacon that is chopped and cooked crisp, I will cook up a full pound, use what I need, and place the rest in a freezer ziplock bag. Then when you need a small amount, such as for these poppers, you just pull out what is needed.  Perfect for a quick omelet any morning of the week too.

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These individual lasagna servings are a fun and less-mess way to serve lasagna at a casual party.  They are delicious straight from the oven or even at room temperature.

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Buffalo Chicken “Wings” without the bones or the mess. Yum!

Buffalo Meatballs

Meatballs
1 pound ground chicken or turkey
2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 eggs
2 tablespoons diced celery
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Sauce
1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot
1/2 stick unsalted butter

Celery sticks

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For the next several days I will be giving you quick and easy party food ideas. Finger food or individual serving-size portions of what would normally be a larger dish.

These six-ingredient spirals are an example of that. You may think of chicken cordon bleu as an elegant dinner entrée, but with this preparation, it becomes a fun bite-size treat.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Spirals

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder for seasoning
4 thin slices of deli ham
4 thin slices of provolone cheese
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup panko breadcrumbs

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Here is soup number two from the big refrigerator clean-out.

Mixed Potato Soup

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
3 pounds russet, sweet, and red potatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half

Add oil to a large pot over medium heat, until melted. Add the onions, garlic, and jalapeno and cook until the onions or soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add the sweet potatoes and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat and let cook for 8 minutes without browning.

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When classes ended on the last Friday of June, I still had a refrigerator full of vegetables and I was leaving town on Sunday. Summer squash, bell peppers, onions, shallots, garlic, tomatoes, jalapeno, eggplant, russet, red potatoes, and sweet potatoes. If you know me, you know what I made with all that – SOUP!  The first, I am calling Rataouille Soup since it has all the makings of the classic Provencal dish.  The second is a mixed potato soup, which I shall post tomorrow.  It’s too hot for soup, so it all got packaged up and went into the freezer to await a cool spell.  I know that won’t happen for another 4 months, but when it does, I will be ready!

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Connor is completely addicted to these tasty morsels!  And if I had owned and operated a bar, I would put out huge bowls of these. Customers would inhale them and then order more drinks!

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So easy, so good!

Sweet and Savory Pretzel Bites

1 package frozen Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed according to package directions
Savory
3/4 cup baking soda
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt
Sweet
Melted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

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Do you have a child in your life?
Does he/she love spaghetti?
Do you want to see a huge smile on their face?
Then make this – and be sure to have them help you!
Joy!

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