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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.
Steamed Artichoke
Lemon – sliced
Atrichoke
Butter
Garlic minced
Mayonaise
Salt, Pepper
Put a large pot of water on the stove. If you have a steamer basket, great! If not, I place a ramekin at the bottom of the pot, and then place a salad plate on top of it. I make sure that the water level does not rise above the salad plate.
Trim the bottom of the artichoke stem, and then slice one slice pf lemon per artichoke you plan on cooking. Place an artichoke on the lemon slice and top with a knob of butter. Put the lid on the pot, and let it simmer for 45 min to 1 hour to steam the artichoke.
While the artichoke is cooking, make a lemon-garlic aioli. Mix mayo, lemon, salt, pepper, and finely chopped garlic to taste. Then set in the fridge until ready to serve.
Pull the cooked artichokes out carefully, they will be HOT!!! (I use tongs.)
Serve with lemon-garlic aioli.
This is my Grandma’s recipe, which, to me is close, but never the same as the real thing she makes. My grandma is the type of lady who does a little bit of this and a little bit of that until it tastes right. :-)
Stuffed Artichoke
Ingredients:
4 Artichokes
1 1/2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
1 cup Pecorino Romano Cheese (freshly grated)
5 cloves of fresh garlic
Olive Oil
1 lemon
Directions:
Blend the breadcrumbs, cheese, and garlic in a food processor. Add olive oil slowly until the mixture is just binded (should only take a few tbsp.)
Boil or steam artichokes until tender.
Cut stem and leaf bases, and allow to cool.
Stuff the artichokes with the breadcrumb/cheese mixture and drizzle more olive oil on top.
Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned on top.
Serve with fresh lemon juice drizzled on top and enjoy!
Spinach Artichoke Dip!!
Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup coarsely chopped canned artichoke hearts
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
ยผ tsp. salt
ยฝ tsp. roasted red pepper flakes
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400ห F. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, Parmesan, sour cream, mayonnaise, spinach, artichokes, garlic powder, salt and red pepper flakes. Mix well with a rubber spatula until all ingredients are evenly blended. Spread into a small baking dish. Sprinkle additional grated Parmesan over the top if desired. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is slightly browned. Serve warm with baguette slices, pita chips, crackers, etc.
Baked Brie!!!!
1 sheet of Puff pastry
1 small wheel of Brie
Any type of marmalade (I like apricot)
Any fresh fruit that complements the marmalade (I like peaches)
1 egg
Directions:
1. Lie the sheet of puff pastry on a cool surface.
2. Cut the Brie in half, horizontally, to make two thinner disks. Lay one of the halves in the middle of the pastry sheet.
3. Coat the top surface of the Brie with the marmalade and then add the second half of the Brie on top (making the layers brie, marmalade, brie).
4. Coat all surfaces of the brie with the marmalade.
5. Top with slices of fresh peaches. Wrap up the brie with the corners of the pastry sheet.
6. In a mixing bowl, make an egg wash and coat the top surface of the puff pastry with it.
7. Pre-heat the oven to 450 (or whatever temp the puff pastry box says). Put the brie wrap in the oven on a greased baking sheet and remove from oven whenever the pastry sheet plumps up a little and the surface is golden brown. Grab some crackers and enjoy.
Crescent Chicken Bundles
1 3 oz cream cheese โ softened
2 cups small cubed baked chicken breasts(see below)**
2 Tbsp chopped pimento
1 can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
5 Tbsp butter โ melted
1 cup seasoned croutons โ crushed
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl mix cream cheese, 2 tablespoon melted butter, beat until smooth.
Stir in chicken, long green onion, pimentos; mix well. Season well to tasts. Unroll crescent roll dough separate into 4 rectangles and press together perforation lines to seal. Spoon 1/2 cup mixture on center of each square and pull corners of dough to center of chicken mixture and twist firmly and pinch edges to seal. Placed on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush tops of bundles with melted butter and sprinkle with crushed croutons.
Bake 25-30 until golden brown.
** I bake my chicken breasts in oven drizzled with extra virgin olive oil with salt & pepper until firm to touch.
I double and sometimes triple the recipe for parties as they go very quickly.
Apple Blue Cheese Dip
1 pkg Cream cheese (softened for easy mixing)
1 cup sour cream
1 small red onion (diced)
2 cups Granny Smith Apples (diced)
1 cup blue cheese (crumbled)
1/2 cup pecans
Mix cream cheese and sour cream (I use a hand mixer). Then, fold in the rest of the ingredients. Refrigerate for a few hours and serve with assorted crackers.
Hot Ham and Cheese Dip
1 pkg Cream cheese (softened for easy mixing)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup ham (diced)
Mix everything together and bake at 350 degrees in a shallow dish (I use a pie plate). Bake until bubbly and golden-about 20 minutes. Serve hot with assorted crackers or cubes of bread.
Pepperoni Knots
http://lifewithgena.blogspot.com/2010/08/pepperoni-knots-and-cowboy-salsa.html
2 oz pepperoni, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic. finely chopped
1 13.8 oz tube refrigerated pizza dough
1 egg, beaten
Coarse salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking sheet.
In a small bowl, mix the pepperoni and garlic. Cut the dough by cutting the tube length in half, then cut each piece in half and continue to cut each piece in half until you have 16 pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a 7 inch long rope. Tie each piece into a knot and place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush each knot with egg and sprinkle the pepperoni garlic mixture on top. Add it on thick because as they cook they will rise and the sprinkles will spread out. Top off each roll with coarse salt. Bake until golden, about 18 minutes. These can be served with a spicy mustard or pizza sauce.
Brown Sugar Smokies
1 pound bacon
1 (16 ounce) package little smokie sausages
1 cup brown sugar, or to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cut bacon into thirds and wrap each strip around a little sausage. Place the wrapped sausages on wooden skewers, several to a skewer. Arrange the skewers on a baking sheet and sprinkle them liberally with brown sugar.
Bake until bacon is crisp and the brown sugar melted.
STUFFED CELERY
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese (not shredded)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
Pickle relish (to taste)
Tabasco sauce
Celery
Shred cheddar cheese. Mix together all ingredients and stuff in celery. Chill and serve.