Happy Hour at the New Chateau

Well, the house is really coming together.  We are STILL waiting on shutters, which in turn, means we are waiting on window treatments as well.  Regardless, the landscaping is complete in the backyard.  Stay tuned for project gardening!  We plan to plant some herbs and vegetables...

In the meantime, we decided to host our first official happy hour.  We had over my husband's coworkers with their kids and some of my friends as well.

The Menu

Shrimp & Scallop Ceviche

Balsamic Chicken Skewers

Spicy Sausage Toasts

Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Sourdough Crostini

Assorted Crudite

Chips & Salsa

Pomegranate Blueberry Lemonade

Pretzel M&Ms

I wanted to keep the fare as finger foods but maintain a fairly hearty menu for all the boys!  I also had to keep the kids in mind.  I started with thinking about a beverage (this was a happy hour afterall, and libations were a must).  I bouht some crystal light lemonade and some ocean spray pomegranate blueberry juice and mixed them together for a very pretty, very refreshing summer beverage.  This was perfect for kids and adults and provided a wonderful mixer to go along with vodka or rum.

The spicy sausage toasts are a major crowd-pleaser.  Everyone always asks how its done and its very simple.    You need some HOT ground sausage like Jimmy Dean or something comparable.  You cook it up and stir in garlic and herb creamy cheese.  I usually use Alouette or Rondele cheese.  It looks like this:

Then, you spoon the mixture onto rye bread and bake approx 20 mins at 350.  Its nice if you can find those miniature loaves of cocktail bread but I couldn't so I sliced marble rye in half.  

For the ceviche, I chose shrimp and scallops.  You could also use lobster, or fish.  You need raw seafood to make ceviche.  It is ok if it is frozen but it can't be cooked and frozen.  First, thaw if frozen, then chop up seafood into a small dice size.  In this particular version, I added chopped cilantro, diced mango, fresno chile, red onion and diced avocado.   Fresno chile looks like a red jalapeno.  

Toss it all together and top with zest and juice from 3 lemons and 5 limes.  Keep in the refrigerator and toss sporadically for a few hours.  The seafood will become opaque as the acid in the citrus coagulates the proteins.  "Ceviche" is a method of marinating seafood.  It essentially becomes "cooked" without using any heat.  Drain off the juice and serve it with your favorite tortilla chips.  I personally like the multi grain.  That bowl disappeared quick!  

You could use other things like different types of chile, different fruit like papaya, grapefruit, watermelon, cantaloupe.  You could add bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, edamame and so on!  Its light, refreshing and very healthful for summer parties.

Another healthy and flavorful appetizer is balsamic glazed chicken skewers.  Start by thawing and dicing boneless skinless chicken breasts.  Cut baby bella mushrooms in half, and get some cherry tomatoes.  Soak some skewers in water before you start.  Dry skewers will burn easily when cooking.

Skewer the items, 2 of each piece, and season with salt and pepper.  Sear off with a bit of olive oil on a griddle pan, on the grill, or in a skillet.  In the meantime, reduce some balsamic vinegar slowly over low heat.  I threw in a sprig of rosemary to add some herby flavor.

When almost cooked, place on a sheet ban and brush with balsamic glaze, and finish baking in the oven.  Top with extra glaze to serve.  The balsamic reduction should thicken up and sweeten significantly as it reduces.  Keep it very low and slow so you don't burn it and give it a yucky bitter taste.  

The spinach and artichoke dip is far from healthful but delicious nonetheless.  Thaw a bag of frozen chopped spinach and squeeze out all the excess water.  Stir it together with 1 can of artichoke hearts, chopped, 1 cup of mayonnaise, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan and 1 cup shredded mozzarella. Bake at 425 for 45 minutes.  I serve it with mini slices of sourdough bread, brushed with butter, sprinkled with garlic and salt, and baked until slightly crisp and golden.  A mini crispy bread item is also know as a crostini.  You can also serve the dip with pita chips, pita bread, chips, crackers and raw vegetables, also known as crudite.  I had baby carrots, celery sticks, and sliced cucumber for my crudite. 

On this particular day, I worked 8 - 4 then everyone showed up at 5:30.  You can throw these things together quickly!  However, I didn't have time for a goody so I just put out a bowl of pretzel M&Ms. It was a hit! The kiddos especially enjoyed them.  Also, I invested in some bubbles while I was doing my grocery shopping.  They were 50 cents and they kept those munchkins entertained for hours!  It is always nice to have something special to offer a kid...it doesn't have to be expensive.  

Whenever you are entertaining, write a menu.  Print it on a piece of cardstock and place it on a little easel or write it on a little dry erase board.  People love to see a menu! Furthermore, it adds a touch of class to any event.  Make sure you talk like a chef on your menu.  Use words like those noted in this blog: ceviche, crostini, crudite and so on.  Other fun appetizer words are: pouches, pockets, rounds, tarts, purses, cups, boats, or shots.  For example, you could serve chilled soup in a shot glass, then name it appropriately.  Aaagh, but that will be another day.

What is your favorite party appetizer? Do you have a fun name for it? Any struggles when entertaining groups?