Easy Appetizers

Well, Mother’s Day has come and gone… sigh… mine was a really nice one. My wonderful hubby and son went all out and provided all the meals – beautifully cooked and presented, allowed me to stay in bed and catch up on my reading, and then took me to my favorite place to buy plants. I spent the rest of the day in the garden. Pure heaven! I hope all you Mom’s out there had a nice day as well.

Mother’s Day also signifies that warm weather is here or about to be here… so it got me to thinking about what are some great appetizer recipes for warm weather? Parties will be outside for the next few months, what kinds of easy  appetizers work well when the weather turns hot? And with Memorial Day heading our way, I decided it’s time to start making my favorite salsas again.

There are so many different kinds of Salsa and you’ll find a few of those recipes here on this blog. But, this recipe for Fresh Corn Salsa is a wonderful combination of color, sweetness and texture. Everybody seems to love it – I never have any left over! Serve this beautiful Fresh Corn Salsa with some warm homemade tortilla chips and WOW! You’ll have a hit on your hands.

What you’ll need:

• 2 cups diced ripe tomatoes
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels
• 12 oz-can black beans, rinsed well, drained
• 4 green onions, sliced thin
• 1 or 2 green jalapeño, seeded, diced fine
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 fresh lime, juiced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

What to do:
Toss all ingredients in a large glass or stainless steel bowl to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Toss well before you serve it.

This easy appetizer recipe can be made up to 8 hours ahead of time.

I got this recipe from About.com and have loved it ever since. You will too.

*photo by Flickr user Luke Wisley

My Mom lives in Arizona and I live in California. As much as I would love to be with her this year on Mother’s Day, I can’t. Just wasn’t going to work out.

Happily, she is spending the weekend with a very dear friend of hers. They are planning to go to two different concerts, lunch with mutual friends, church and lunch again on Sunday. Mom is quite happy about this.

So, even though I would love to make all kinds of fun and easy appetizers for her and her friends, I’m doing the next best thing. I sent her a gourmet gift basket from the three siblings -  her children – to share with her friends and to let her know that we think she’s the best Mom ever.

If you need to do Mother’s Day long distance, sending a gift basket is a great way to show how much you wish you could be there. It’s easy to order on line and in most cases, they can deliver the next day. Below are some fantastic places to order gift baskets. Show Mom you love her…

GiftTree.com – is your gift company dedicated to making the gift giving experience simple and impressive.

Gourmet Gift Baskets – Mother’s Day Special Offer! 10% off any order. Please use coupon code LoveMom10. Valid Only till May 31st.

AppetizersToGo – Award winning gourmet appetizers shipped overnight.

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mother’s Day Appetizers
Mother’s Day is almost here and why not surprise your Mom with some special appetizers. All of the ones listed here are easy to make and taste delicious.

Your Mom loves you know matter what, but she’ll be so pleased that you took the time to prepare some fun foods for her. So show her some appetizer love with a wide variety of little foods to choose from.

And if you are a wine drinker, all these appetizers go well with a glass of the red or white. And, why not think of a wine gift to give your Mom?

Brie Appetizers - A wonderful selection of delicious appetizers using Brie cheese as it’s main ingredient. The delicious, creamy, texture of Brie marries beautifully with all kinds of flavors.

Caramelized Onion Tarts – Sweet and savory, these easy to make tarts dress up any occasion.

Caviar Parfait – A beautiful appetizer that will impress guests, please the palate, and best of all, is simple to make.

Cheddar Cheese Mushrooms – A huge crowd pleaser that keeps the foodie snitcher at bay, and at the same time gets your guests hungry for the main course. Everyone loves these!

Cilantro Lime Shrimp Kabobs – Get the BBQ ready and throw on the shrimp kabobs. This is a fantastic appetizer for everything from backyard parties to fancy-schmancy cocktail parties.

Cocktail Sandwiches - These little bites are super easy to make – a hold over from the 50s – using common ingredients.

Check out the Easy Appetizer Recipes website for a complete list of Mother’s Day Appetizers. You’ll be glad you did!

Wines of Burgundy

Since I love deviled eggs so much, here’s a couple of great videos to watch on how to make a basic recipe for deviled eggs. Great idea for Easter or Mother’s Day or any kind of gathering… Enjoy!

For more great recipes – check out our Holiday Appetizers page.