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It’s summer. It’s hot. Too hot – I think the heat is to blame for my missing culinary mojo. There’s just something about 95 degree temperatures that makes turning on my oven a little less appealing than normal.
With all the heat, blue skies, and an 85 acre pond in our backyard, we’re kind of used to last minute entertaining. So we keep the fridge stocked with simple, fresh ingredients that can be transformed into delicious eats without too much cooking involved.
For our recent Fourth of July festivities, I decided to keep things pretty effortless and portable, so people wouldn’t have to be tied to the table while enjoying the food. One of the most well received items on the menu were these easy Greek Salad Skewers. With only 6 ingredients and minimal prep time, these Greek Salad Skewers couldn’t be easier – or cuter!
Now, here’s where things get a little fun! I want you to share YOUR favorite appetizer recipe that uses 6 ingredients or less (see below for specifics) for the chance to win a $600 gift card. I’ve teamed up with American Express and their Dinner @ 6 promotion to create simple appetizer recipes that use 6 ingredients or less.
Are you seeing a theme here with the number 6? Let me explain. American Express recently launched two cash back credit cards – Blue Cash Preferred and Blue Cash Everyday.
One of the most exciting benefits of the Blue Cash Preferred card is that Cardmembers receive 6% cash back for purchases at the supermarket – the highest cash back rate available for grocery purchases! With these new Blue Cash® Cards, there are no spend minimums, cash back caps, ongoing enrollments or rotating categories of cash back benefits. Which is a pretty sweet deal when used responsibly.
Greek Salad Skewers
Ingredients:
12 grape tomatoes
4 ounces feta cheese, cut into 12 (1/2-inch) cubes
1 mini cucumber sliced into 12 pieces
12 pitted kalamata olives
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons Za’atar*.
12 (4-6 inch) bamboo or wood skewers
Directions:
1. Thread the skewers starting with a tomato, then a piece of feta cheese, a cucumber and an olive. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
2. Just before serving, arrange skewers on a platter, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Za’atar.
Notes:
- I highly recommend finding Za’atar. It’s such a great spice (a blend of sumac, sesame seeds and herbs) to have on hand. I love the brand Urban Accents because it’s flavorful and readily available at my local market.
Follow Jamie on Instagram. We love to see what you're baking from MBA! Be sure to tag @jamiemba and use the hashtag #mbarecipes!
Requirements for Participation
One winner will receive a $600 Gift Card from American Express:
1. Submit your favorite APPETIZER recipe that features 6 ingredients or less. You MUST cut and paste the entire recipe into the comment form. If you have a blog, please also provide a link to the post.
2. You may submit 2 recipes – leave each recipe in a separate comment.
Seasonings, spices and herbs, garlic, vinegars and oils DO NOT count as one of the 6 ingredients.
3.. Contest ends July 23, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. PST. Entries that do not follow the directions above will be deleted without notification.
4. Winner will be posted in a follow up post by July 29, 2011.
5. Contest open to US residents only.
6. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will have 3 days to respond or a new winner will be selected.
Additional Entries
If you also have a MAIN COURSE recipe that uses 6 ingredients or less, be sure to head over to goodLife {eats} and enter on Katie’s blog as well. Good luck!
Disclosure
This post and the giveaway are sponsored by American Express. The views and opinions expressed within this post are my own.
I dont know if it has a name…
Savory pie crust dough
Cheese (Muenster, gouda, some people do brie but I prefer muenster or gouda)
Wrap the cheese in the pastry crust. Bake at 350 till golden brown. Amazing
8 oz cream cheese
3 slices Bacon, cooked, crumbled
3-4 scallions or a small bunch of chives, chopped
2 cans (8 oz. each) reduced fat refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
Heat oven to 375°F.
Mix cream cheese, bacon, and scallions or chives until blended.
Separate each can of dough into 8 triangles; cut each in half lengthwise. Spread each dough triangle with 1 generous tsp. cream cheese mixture. Roll up, starting at shortest side of triangle. Place, point-sides down, on baking sheet.
Bake 12 to 15 min. or until golden brown. Serve warm
http://stressbaking.blogspot.com/search/label/cheeseball
These are a holiday staple and I’m always asked for the recipe.
Sweet Cheese Balls
2 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 small package of vanilla instant pudding
1 cup powdered sugar
1 (regular) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup finely crushed pecans
1/2 package of mini chocolate chips
In a medium bowl, mix together the first four ingredients. Freeze overnight.
After removing from freezer, mold mixture into a ball shape.
Mix the pecans and chocolate chips together. Roll ball in mixture. Serve cheese ball with graham crackers.
Tomato & Goat Cheese Tarts
recipe adapted from Ina Garten
and http://joelens.blogspot.com/2009/09/tomato-goat-cheese-tarts.html
1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) puff pastry, defrosted
Good olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, sliced thin
3 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
Kosher salt
4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese (recommended: Montrachet)
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons julienned basil leaves
Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface cut it into 9 squares. Repeat with the second pastry sheet to make 18 squares in all. Place the pastry squares on large sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Remove from the heat.
Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/4-inch-wide border around each pastry square. Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and place 1/8 of the onion mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Crumble 1/2 ounce of goat cheese on top of the onions. Sprinkle the diced tomato in the center of each tart along with the basil, salt, and pepper.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Serve hot or warm.
Quick, simple, and different: Cajun Coleslaw
Bag of shredded cabbage mix
Jar of olive salad
Balsamic vinegar
Add 1/2 jar of olive salad to cabbage mix. Add balsamic vinegar to taste. Chill. Easy, peasy, tasty.
I love making this appetizer around Thanksgiving or Christmas:
Stuffing Balls
Ingredients
1 box stuffing mix
boiling water
1 tbsp butter
8 oz pork sausague
2 cups canola oil
1 cup flour
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and drop dime-sized dollops of sausage into the pan. Cook until golden brown, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the pan to a plate and set aside.
In a separate saucepan heat 2 cups of canola oil on medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F.
Make stuffing according to box directions. Take quarter-sized or 1 tablespoon of stuffing mix and wrap it around the individual sausage balls. Cover the sausage completely and set aside
Once all of the sausage balls have been coated in stuffing, dredge them in flour. When all the balls are lightly coated in flour, carefully drop them into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove them from the oil, to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
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I don’t even have a name for this recipe, but it is my failsafe when I need to put an app out, and I usually have all the ingredients on hand. It sounds odd, but tastes amazing and is completely adaptable depending on how many folks you need to feed.
Ingredients:
Baguette slices
Mayonnaise
Shredded parmesan cheese
herbs (either fresh or dried; I love fresh rosemary and thyme or dried herbes de provence mix)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
place baguette slices on cookie sheet
mix equal parts mayo and cheese in a bowl, and add herbs
spread mayo and cheese mixture generously on bread slices
Bake until cheese mixture is melty and browned on top
Enjoy (but let cool a bit as the topping gets super hot!)
I love this recipe from Rachel Ray! So easy and delicious.
Bacon Wrapped Pineapple Shrimp
Ingredients
12 jumbo shrimp, deveined
1/4 fresh pineapple cut into bite sized chunks or 1 (14-ounce) can pineapple chunks in natural juice, drained
6 slices center-cut bacon, cut in 1/2 crosswise
12 wooden toothpicks
Directions
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Holding a shrimp, nest a chunk of pineapple in the natural curve of the shrimp then wrap bacon around the shrimp and pineapple and secure with a wooden toothpick. Wrap and secure all 12 shrimp then add to the hot pan and cook 3 minutes on each side or until bacon is crisp and shrimp are opaque and firm
Fiesta Ranch Dip
1 16-oz container of Sour Cream
1 packet of Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch Dip
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese
Sliced green chilis-I use canned (however much or little you prefer)
Mix all ingredients. Let chill for about 30 minutes. Serve with chips, crackers, or veggies. Or just eat it by the spoonful like I do!
Pepperoni Bread
1 loaf frozen (or refrigerated) bread dough
Sliced pepperoni
Shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Allow the frozen bread dough to thaw/raise throughout the day. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut the dough in half and roll out two rectangles. Layer the pepperoni on the dough, and then cover with mozzarella cheese. Roll up lengthwise and seal the ends and seam and place seam-side down on the baking sheet.
3. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and the cheese is bubbling.
From this website: http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2007/05/03/pepperoni-cheese-bread-yum/