BBQ Shrimp Skewers

I was looking for something quick and light to round out the appetizers for my party. This were very last minute, but so simple. The recipe calls for any BBQ dry rub that you like. I highly recommend visiting www.galenagarlic.com to look for rubs, marinates, and spices. I visited their store when seeing my niece in Galena this spring. They have a ton of unique blends. Here I used the Coffee BBQ Blend. It's slightly spicey and the coffee adds a really different flavor that people don't expect. These were the first appetizer gone!

BBQ Shrimp Skewers
50 Large shrimp, peeled and deveined
10 kabob skewers
4-6 Tbs. BBQ dry rub of your choice (I used Coffee BBQ Blend from Galena Garlic Co.)
2 Tbs. Lime juice, plus some for garnish
2 Tbs. cilantro, chopped, plus some for garnish
1 tsp. olive oil

Soak the wooden kabob skewers in water for about 20 minutes to make sure they do not burn on the grill. Skewer 5 shrimp on each kabob. (To make the appitizer go a little further, you can always cut each kabob in half and skewer 3 shrimp) Place all skewered shrimp in a 13X9 pan. In a small bowl whisk together the rub, lime juice, cilantro, and olive oil. Pour over the shrimp and let marinate 30 minutes or up to overnight.

Heat grill to medium high. Cook shrimp on one side until there are grill marks, about 3 minutes. Flip and finish cooking, about 4 minutes more. Remove from grill, sprinkle with fresh cilantro and lime juice.

Brie and Almond Tartlets with Fruit Preserves

I have always loved the combination of brie and fruit preserves in puff pastry. For our party, I wanted something easy to grab and take outside so I made a small, bite-sized version. These are really simple, but make a very classy impression. You can use any kind of preserves/jam that you like and it's sure to be a hit!



Brie and Almond Tartlets with Fruit Preserves

1 puff pastry sheet
3/4 lb. Brie cheese
1/3 C. sliced almonds
Fruit preserves/jam: I used blackberry, apricot, and raspberry

Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the sheet into a 14-inch square (doesn't have to be exact). Cut into 36 (2 1/4-inch) squares. Gently place each square into mini muffin tins.

Cut the Brie cheese into 36 pieces. Spoon about 1/4 tsp. of preserves into the bottom of each pastry square. Sprinkle with almonds, saving some for the tops of the appetizer. Top the preserves and almonds with one piece of cheese. Top with any remaining almonds.

Bake the tartlets for 15 minutes or until golden. Let cool on a wire rack, but serve warm.

Bacon Pastries

This recipe came from my uncle who served them over Memorial Day. They are really easy and remind me of BLT dip. Using the flaky biscuits as a little cup is a great idea and I am really excited to try this trick out with my Spiced Chicken Wonton filling - I'll let you know how that one turns out! In the meantime, I hope you try and enjoy this recipe!

Bacon Pastries
(adapted from Uncle Tom)

4.3 oz. package of REAL crumbled bacon (I suggest Hormel Real Crumbled Bacon)
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 medium tomato, chopped
3/4 C. grated Gruyere cheese (you can substitute regular swiss, but the gruyere really makes it tasty!)
1/2 C. Miracle Whip (or mayo if you're not a Miracle Whip person like me!)
1 Tb. fresh basil, chopped
1 large can of refrigerated biscuits, flaky style

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine bacon, onion, tomato, cheese, mayo, and basil. Separate each biscuit into 2-3 layers. Flatten slightly with your hands and press each layer into one well of a mini muffin pan. Spoon the filling mixture into each muffin.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until hot and biscuits are lightly browned.

These are great hot but are also just as good at room temperature. :)

Green Olive Dip

For the party, I wanted to have a different spin on olive antipasto. I really like the salty bite of green olives and thought this dip would be great. It's so easy, everything goes into your food processor and it's done! This dip was great on chips but would also work nicely with crackers or melba toast.

Green Olive Dip
1 1/2 cups green olives (I used Spanish Manzinilla with pimento)
1 1/2 Tbs. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In your food processor, combine the olives, parsley, garlic, lemon juice and pepper. Pulse to combine roughly. Add the olive oil and pulse, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. The dip will be chunky, not smooth.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Last school year I was working just outside of St. Louis. As a wedding present from the other teachers, they put together a book of their favorite recipes. In it, there was this recipe that I’d had at many luncheons and absolutely loved. I really does taste like buffalo chicken and has just the right amount of spice for people who like their food spicy (like me!). This recipe is so easy and is always a crowd pleaser!


Buffalo Chicken Dip
(from Amy Haar and Abby Litteken)

3 chicken breasts (you can also use canned chicken here)
8 oz. cream cheese
2 C. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
¾ small bottle of Frank’s Hot Sauce
¾ small bottle Ranch dressing

*You can adjust the hot sauce and ranch to taste.

Mix all ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. You can also put all ingredients into a small Crockpot and heat until warm.