Easy Appetizers

Those cute little stuffed cherry tomatoes are so cheerful looking. But best of all, they are delicious, adding a nice touch to your repertoire of simple appetizers. Even if you think you don’t like tomatoes, I bet you’ll change your mind just a little if you tried this easy recipe. These cherry tomatoes are tiny, and stuffed with great flavor. Basically, the tomato acts like a little holder or a cup. And, they present nicely. Try it, you tomato-haters might change your mind!

What you’ll need:
- 48 cherry tomatoes
- Salt
- 1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
- 3 oz. cream cheese
- 2 Tbsp cognac or other good brandy
- 2 oz. pimiento stuffed green olives(chopped)
- Tobasco sauce
- 1/2 cup parsley (minced)

What to do:
First, cut a thin slice from the stem end of each tomato and scoop out center pulp. Yes, it’s a bit labor-intensive and you are wondering where is the “easy” part of this appetizer recipe? Well, what’s easy about it, is the eating part. REAL easy.

Next, sprinkle inside with salt and invert the tomatoes on a paper towel for 10 or 15 minutes. Combine the cheeses and cognac. Blend until smooth and then add olives and 2 or 3 dashes of Tobasco sauce. Fill the drained tomatoes with the cheese mixture, sprinkle with parsley and serve it up!

Serve this easy appetizer on your favorite party platter. Enjoy!

By now you know I love Spanish food and yes, their cheese is to die for. Manchego cheese is my favorite and as it happens, La Tienda, my favorite Spanish food place online is having a half-off sale on Manchego.

Here’s what La Tienda says about their offering:

Villajos Reserva is an authentic hand-made, raw sheep’s milk cheese. The aged Manchego has a full rich flavor with a healthy sharpness. Slice and serve with olives and sliced Serrano ham for the authentic flavor of Spain. Packed in a wooden box, it would make a superb gift. Read more here.

What is Manchego and what makes it so delicious? It’s a raw sheep’s milk cheese. It’s natural sharpness is a perfect match for the sweet flavor of Membrillo and a perfect way to end a great meal.

One of the things I love about this cheese is how good it tastes with other flavors married to it. For example, Manchego is used as a dessert when paired with a favorite Spanish jelly called Membrillo quince. I have to say, this is my favorite way to eat this cheese.

But Manchego also works well with the tart goodness of Jamon Serrano ham. This combination makes for an excellent addition to your Tapas servings.

However you decide to use Manchego cheese, you’ll enjoy it. It’s a flavor that takes you instantly to Spain. Find out more at La Tienda.com.

I wrote a post not too long ago about the history of Tapas Small Plates because tapas are one of my favorite ways to serve appetizers. I think the Spanish did it up right – even from such humble beginnings.

Tapas Small Plates are a wonderful way to entertain guests. Not only does it satisfy the creative chef within, it also is a way to present many small packages of food that represent a wide variety of flavors, plus tapas are easy appetizers to make.

People LOVE appetizers, tapas are Spain’s way of serving them up. I have lots of great ideas and recipes for these Spanish appetizers. Just visit my page at Tapas Small Plates.

Below are a selection of some of my favorite Tapas recipes. And if you don’t have the time or inclination to make your own Tapas small plates, simple visit my favorite site for Spanish food and they will help you out. La Tienda has a wonderful selection for creating a Tapas party.

Bread and Olive Tapas – Delicious and satisfying tapas to make are simply chunks of bread with marinated olives.

Smoked Ham Tapas with Tomato, Garlic and Toasted Bread – (Pan con Tomate, Ajo y Jamon) – Delightfully fragrant and flavorful, this extremely simple smoked ham tapas is made with slices of toasted bread and a few other ingredients.

Figs and Ham Tapas – (Higos con Jamon) – Who would have thought that a combination figs and ham tapas could make such a yummy and simple appetizer?

I’m on a cheese “bender”. I decided I want to try different cheeses that I don’t normally eat or find in my local supermarket. So, I visited a great site that I love, La Tienda, and ordered a few different cheese types that I thought sounded interesting.

Here’s the first one that I must say, is delicious. It’s called, Idiazabal Sheep’s Cheese Lightly Smoked.

Wow! I have tried other smoked cheeses and sometimes the smokey flavor is just too overwhelming, but this cheese was perfect. Lightly flavored with just enough of the smoke essence and but not so much that it overwhelmed the natural cheese flavor. DEEEEELISH!

This is the description you’ll find on La Tienda’s website about this delicious finger food of cheese:

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Being that I am a huge fan of anything with cheese in it, I did a little research and found a very interesting article all about cheese. Read it and enjoy!

The Wonder of Cheese
by Antonio Gazquez Ortiz

Looking back in history we can speculate on how man first came upon the production of cheese, possibly just by coincidence or intuition. Regardless of how it happened, it was thousands of years ago.

It could have been that on the evening of an ordinary day after milking his sheep, a shepherd lay down under a shadowy tree and satisfied his appetite with the product of his animals: a bowl of creamy and tasty milk. The morning after, he woke up happy but with such a sensation of emptiness in his stomach, that made him think of the bowl of milk he drank the night before. He grabbed the bowl with the leftover milk. However, instead of milk he found a miracle: a few flowers had dropped in the milk and the milk had thickened. He felt so hungry though that he tried the cream. Never had he tried such a delicacy before!

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I think Brie cheese is the food of the gods. It is so creamy, so sweet, and so blendable with other flavors. I love making Brie appetizers and sharing them with friends and family, so in this post, I want to share with you, dear Foodie, my top 8 Brie appetizers. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

#One: Amaretto Brie Appetizer – There’s nothing like serving this yummy appetizer. Especially when you watch everyone diving into it without leaving a trace behind. Appetizer or dessert? You decide.

#Two: Apples and Brie Appetizer – Easy to make ahead, just pop it in the oven right before serving. My mouth waters even when I’m writing down the ingredients!

#Three: Apple Brie Appetizer Soup – Well, this recipe certainly surprised me! It’s reminiscent of a Brie appetizer that’s garnished with apples, but this recipe, made into a soup appetizer is a new twist on an old theme.

#Four: Brie and walnuts is such a rich, delicious combination and this recipe for baked brie with curried California walnuts is perfect for Mother’s Day, wedding showers or any kind of fun and elegant gathering.

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Well, the Mexican Holiday of Cinco de Mayo is here and I have some really great appetizers for you to choose from if you are planning a party or celebration. Here’s a little Cinco de Mayo history…

The 5th of May is not Mexican Independence Day, but it should be! And Cinco de Mayo is not an American holiday, but it should be. Mexico declared its independence from mother Spain on midnight, the 15th of September, 1810. And it took 11 years before the first Spanish soldiers were told and forced to leave Mexico.

So, why Cinco de Mayo? And why should Americans savor this day as well? Because 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashed the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east of Mexico City on the morning of May 5, 1862. To continue reading about Cinco de Mayo history, click here. Otherwise, take a look at the list below of great appetizers for this well loved holiday.

7-Layer Guacamole Dip
Baked Tortilla Chips
Black Bean Cheese Dip
Chiles con Caso Dip
Chipotle Salsa
Cilantro Lime Shrimp
Corn Tortilla Chips

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One of the great things about Crostini is that it is a beautiful appetizer that you can put together quickly.

I like finding what I have in my refrigerator and turning it into an elegant small bite that not only looks like I spent a lot of time on it, but it tastes good too.

I had some prosciutto left over from another recipe that I made and decided to see what I could do with it. Rummaging around, I also got out a jar of sun-dried tomatoes that looked lonely and decided to try my hand at creating a yummy treat.

It worked. Nothing was left over. Be creative – almost anything tastes good on little toasted pieces of bread.

What you’ll need:
- 1 loaf of French baguette
- 8.5 ounce jar of sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 24 slices of prosciutto
- 8 ounces Fontina cheese, sliced
- 24 basil leaves (Genovese – if you can find them)

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I never liked figs until my mouth grew up and decided it liked different flavors other than hotdogs and Cheezits. So, my exploration into the land of figs found me sampling a couple of different easy appetizers.

Thanks to Joe Camilleri’s blog, I found this lovely Ricotta Stuffed Figs recipe. Ooo La La! It makes for a beautiful presentation, but even better, it tastes heavenly. Make it for Mother’s Day or a fancy-schmancy party. Or just for fun! Enjoy!

What you’ll need:
- 8 medium figs (480g)
- ¼ cup (25g) roasted walnuts chopped coarsely
- ½ cup (120g) ricotta cheese
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) cream
- 30g butter
- 1/3 cup (75g) firmly packed brown sugar

To find out how to put Ricotta Stuffed Figs all together – check us out on our Mother’s Day Appetizers page.

I love meatballs and I love this recipe for smoked mozzarella meatballs. You will too. Take a couple of minutes and watch this video on how to make them. Then, go do it and make a few for fun, a party or your family.

Smoked Mozzarella Meatballs

Posted to Taste of Home by sarahjames on April 08, 2009

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For more great party ideas, visit our Party Planning page.