Hummus and Other Easy Party Recipes

Hummus is super simple to make:

1 16 oz can of garbanzo beans
1/4 cup liquid from the can
3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste
cumin and/or paprika to taste

Just mix it all together in a blender or food processor. You can garnish it with paprika and parsley if you want it to look pretty.

If you want to make it red bell pepper hummus do the exact same thing, but broil 1-2 red peppers depending on the size and your taste preference. You need just remove the skin from the pepper(s) and mix the flesh in with the other ingredients.

Another super easy recipe for desert- Peanut Clusters

1 standard size bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 12 oz cans lightly salted cocktail peanuts (without skins)

Put the chocolate in a large microwave safe bowl and heat 90seconds. Stir the chocolate to a smooth texture. Mix in the peanuts. Drop the mixture in clusters on waxed paper. Allow the chocolate to cool.

Super simple! All you have dirtied is a bowl and a couple of spoons.

Happy Partying!

I have a great hummus recipe! I just made sure yesterday that I had the ingredients, so I could make it today.

1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tbsp tahini (I find it in the organic section at my grocery store)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper (I leave out)
1/4 cup bean liquid
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed
2 garlic cloves (I use minced garlic)
2 Tbsp olive oil

Measure everything directly into food processor & blend.

I love to slice red peppers to dip in it. I recently read an article about combining certain foods to maximize the health benefit (better absorption, ect) and the first one was hummus & red pepper! I also like to dip baby carrots, sliced cucumbers, and pita chips. Good luck with your party!

Easy hot appetizers you can make ahead. Split and toast a pack of English muffins (whole wheat is best, but don't use the honey or cinnamon ones). You will have 12 muffins halves. Meanwhile, mix together a combination mayonnaise (light is fine) and any type of cheese - cheddar, taco-style, etc. Start with about a cup of mayo and 2 cups of shredded cheese. Use real cheese, not the grated & dried up Parmesan, but otherwise the choice is yours. If you are using a plain cheese but want to jazz it up, add pepper, seasoned pepper, chili powder, etc. Some people add a can of crabmeat at this point. Adjust the mixture to get enough quantity to cover all the muffins - it should be thick and more cheesy than mayonnaise-y. You don't have to be that exact in your quantities. Spread the cheese mixture on the muffin halves going almost to the edge. Cut the muffin circles into 4 wedges - this will give you 48 appetizers. Put them on a cookie sheet slightly separated from each other. Cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, pop under a hot broiler for maybe 5 minutes - keep an eye on them. They will bubble up and start to brown -- take them out before they burn but do let them brown up a little. Serve. People LOVE them and think you fussed!

can of garbanzo beans, rinsed
2 cloves of garlic minced to a paste
zest and juice of 1 lemon(sometimes i replace that with 1 tbsp vinegar)
1tbsp tahini(sometimes i use peanut, almond, cashew or sunflower butter)
1 tbsp water
1tbsp olive oil
one chopped jalapeno, seeds removed
hot sauce(i like sriracha), salt, to taste

mix all of this in a food processor, its awesome, seriously

My go-to appetizer is veggie pizza. You can pretty much tailor it to your preferences, but the crust is made from two crescent roll packages rolled out flat onto a cookie sheet with the seams pinched together, then baked and cooled. Mix together 1 cup mayonnaise and 2 bricks of cream cheese (softened) with 1 pkg of ranch dressing mix and spread over the crust. Then top it with your favorite veggies chopped up really small and some shredded cheese (I like sharp cheddar). For veggies I usually do broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and tomatoes. You can also add peppers, mushrooms, cucumber, etc.

Here are several recipes from my favorite foodie website, epicurious.com:

HUMMUS:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Hummus-358329

EGGPLANT HUMMUS:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Eggplant-Hum...

RED PEPPER HUMMUS:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Red-Pepper-H...

Bacon Wrapped Waterchestnuts
1 pound of bacon (cut each slice in half)
2 cans of whole waterchestnuts
Package of toothpicks

Sauce:
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup of Heinz Chili sauce
1/3 cup of mayo

Cut bacon in 1/2. Skewer a piece of bacon and a waterchestnut on a toothpick, wrap the bacon around until you can't anymore. Do this for all pieces of bacon. Put on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Take out of oven, transfer to pyrex dish (just to get out of the grease). Mix sauce together, pour over bacon. Stick back in oven and bake until bacon is crispy looking. About 20 minutes.
Serve hot.
This recipe is amazing and always a big hit at parties (as long as you don't have objections to bacon).

Grape tomatoes, fresh mozzerella, fresh basil leaves, balsamic vinegar, fresh crushed garlic,olive oil,salt,pepper.
Skewer the tomato and cheese with a small piece of basil leaf on toothpicks. lay them all out on a platter. Drizzle garlic,vinegar,and oil over them (be generous) grind a bit of sea salt and black pepper over to taste.
So simple and a HUGE crowd pleaser! Helps if you make it a couple of hours in advance (keep in fridge) so the dressing can mesh together nicely.