Tag Archives: party food

Slow-Cooker Sweet and Savory Meatballs

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Very similar to the “retro meatballs” of yore, this sauce goes beyond just grape jelly and chili sauce. With the additional ingredients, the depth of flavor is slightly more pronounced.

If you grew up with go-go boots, hot pants, princess phones, and avocado green kitchens, you probably remember when saucy meatballs first became the rage at neighborhood parties in the ‘burbs. The secret ingredient was (drumroll, please)… grape jelly!

According to Southern Living, it’s still the secret ingredient, bringing a sweetness to the heat and spice of companion ingredients like chili sauce and barbecue sauce. And we still love those sweet-tangy-saucy little bites. They’re always crowd pleasers in the South (hey, in the North too), and they’re strictly a dump-and-stir proposition, leaving plenty of time to attend to other party chores.

Our preferences lean toward savory as opposed to sweet, so we upped the chili sauce by 25%. The recipe is easily finessed to appeal to your personal preferences. For instance, you could reduce the amount of grape jelly to lower the sweetness factor even more; double the mustard to 2 teaspoons; and/or use a tangier BBQ sauce. Another change we made was to the quantity of meatballs. The original recipe called for two pounds and we used three-and-a-quarter pounds, but did not increase the other ingredients.

Easy-Peasy, just whisk together the sauce and give your slow cooker a spritz of cooking spray. In go the meatballs, in goes the sauce. Toss. Cook. Done.

Sprinkle chives on top before serving. Actually, you don’t even have to serve them. Just place a container of toothpicks next to your slow cooker, and guests can serve themselves. Try them and find out why this groovy appetizer from back in the day is once again a hit.

Slow-Cooker Sweet and Savory Meatballs

  • Servings: 104 meatballs
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups grape jelly, such as Smucker’s
  • 12 oz. bottle of chili sauce, such as Heinz
  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
  • 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • Cooking spray
  • 3 1/4 lbs. frozen meatballs (about 104)
  • 2 Tbsp. finely chopped chives
Directions
  1. Whisk together grape jelly, chili sauce, barbecue sauce, mustard, Sriracha, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Lightly coat slow cooker with cooking spray.
  2. Place frozen meatballs in slow cooker. Pour jelly sauce over meatballs, and toss to coat. Cover and cook on HIGH until sauce is thickened, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring halfway through.
  3. Top with chives, and serve immediately.

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Adapted from a recipe for Southern Living

Tex-Mex Chili

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Well, it was the biggest football game of the year—”Super Bowl 57″—and our hometown Eagles team were part of the action, so we wanted to make it an authentic culinary experience, even if it was just the two of us. When we think football, our minds conjure up certain food items that are iconic stalwarts of the game celebration. To us that might mean spicy wings, soft pretzels with mustard, loaded nachos, buffalo chicken dip, bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers, and of course chili with all the fixins’.

Over the decades we’ve made many a chili recipe with as many variations as there are football fans. This one by Pati Jinich is worth the effort. She is a Mexican chef, TV personality, cookbook author, educator, and food writer. Pati is best known for her James Beard Award-winning and Emmy-nominated public television series Pati’s Mexican Table. So she has some hefty credit backing up her authority on the chili issue.

Chili is a hearty and flavorful crowd-pleaser that’s perfect all winter long, not just on football Sundays. As is typical, we did make a few tweaks. Number one, we used an entire large jalapeño, not just a mere tablespoon’s worth. Secondly, the stew beef was not tender after one hour (no surprise there), so we simmered, uncovered, for another hour before adding the beans. It then takes another 45 minutes to an hour for the beans, covered on low with a gentle simmer, stirring every once in a while.

Alas, our team lost the Super Bowl, but the chili was a clear winner!

Tex-Mex Chili

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil, plus one Tbsp. set aside
  • 1 lb. beef stew meat, cubed into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 lb. ground pork or beef
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt, or more to taste
  • 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
  • 1 large white onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. chopped jalapeño, seeding optional
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. chili powder, such as ancho or chipotle chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp. chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, or more to taste
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 2 15-oz. cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

To Garnish

  • Sour cream
  • Chopped fresh cilantro
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Tortilla chips
  • Green onions, sliced thin

Directions

  1. In a Dutch oven or heavy bottom casserole, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef, and begin to brown on all sides. After 2 to 3 minutes, add the ground meat, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and let it brown along with the cubed meat for another 5 to 6 minutes. The juices of the ground meat should have come out and then dry out. Stir as the meat browns. Remove meat from pot, set aside.
  2. Make room in the center of the pan, add the extra tablespoon of oil and add the onions and peppers, cook for 5 more minutes or until they begin to soften.
  3. In the casserole again, add the garlic, red pepper flakes, cayenne, paprika, chili powder, chipotle sauce, cumin, oregano, stir well.
  4. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and vinegar, mix well and cook for 3 to 4 minutes stirring a couple times. The tomato paste should have dissolved and the sauce thickened a bit.
  5. Pour in the beef stock and once it comes to a strong simmer, reduce heat to medium. Add the browned meat back into the pot, cover and cook for another hour.
  6. Next, add the beans and stir. Lower the heat to medium-low, it should have a low steady simmer, and cook uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring every once in awhile.
  7. Serve the chili in bowls and let your guests garnish with sour cream, cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese, tortilla chips and green onions.

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Original recipe by Pati Jinich

Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs with Goat Cheese and Honey

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These addictive fig bites are very simple, but it’s crucial to use the best ingredients, from true Spanish ham to ripe, juicy figs, crunchy marcona almonds and best-quality olive oil. That being said, we couldn’t parse any Spanish dry-cured ham, such as jamon iberico or serrano and therefore opted for prosciutto. If you can locate the Spanish types, by all means use that.

The original recipe directs you to place the almonds on top of the ham-wrapped figs and goat cheese mixture. However, we didn’t think they’d stay atop the figs once encased, so we put the almond on top of the goat cheese and then wrapped it all in the thin slices of ham.

Just a word to the wise, let your guests know that there is a nut inside, so they aren’t surprised and think it’s a pit (as one of our guests thought)!

Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs with Goat Cheese and Honey

  • Servings: Yields 16 pieces
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 8 fresh figs, stemmed and halved lengthwise
  • 1/4 cup ruby port
  • Black pepper
  • 4 oz. fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
  • 2 Tbsp. honey
  • 1 scallion, thinly sliced
  • Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
  • 4 oz. very thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into 16 long strips
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
  • 16 marcona or roasted almonds
  • Small mint leaves, for garnish

Directions

  1. Arrange the figs cut side up on a plate. Drizzle with the port and season with black pepper. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, using a fork, blend the goat cheese with the honey, scallion and a pinch of flaky sea salt.
  3. Dollop small spoonfuls of the goat cheese on the fig halves. Wrap each cheese-topped fig half in a strip of ham and transfer to a platter. Drizzle the figs with olive oil, top with the almonds, mint and sea salt and serve.

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Adapted from a recipe by Abraham Conlon for Food & Wine

Adaptable Taco Salad Bowl

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With Cinco De Mayo right around the corner, this quick riff on taco salad might just be the ticket for dinner. Having a small party? Then just double the recipe and you can feed up to eight. Let guests prepare their own, layering on just the right ingredients to suit their own preferences. This way it appeals to vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

Don’t eat red meat? Substitute ground turkey. Follow a vegetarian lifestyle? Swap out the meat for refried beans. Not into hot and spicy? Omit the jalapeños, and use a mild taco seasoning and salsa. Can’t tolerate raw onion? Cook it with the ground meat to eliminate some of the pungency.

Another fun twist is using beer instead of water when you add the seasoning to the ground meat. As you can see, this salad is very adaptable. I like to start with a layer of lettuce, followed by the meat mixture and cheese, then the peppers, tomatoes, onion, and olives. To finish, add a bit more meat and cheese, and a final topping of jalapeños and sour cream, if using,

To up the party ambiance, plate it all on some fun and festive picnic ware!

Adaptable Taco Salad Bowl

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 4 tostada bowls
  • 1 1⁄4 lbs. ground beef or turkey (or refried beans if going vegetarian)
  • 3 Tbsp. homemade or packaged taco seasoning
  • 3⁄4 cup water, or beer
  • 1⁄2 cup salsa (your favorite brand)
  • 1 head iceberg or Bibb lettuce, torn into 2-3″ pieces
  • 8 oz. (2 cups) shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • 1⁄2 each large red and yellow bell pepper, cut into 1⁄4 dice
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
  • 1⁄2 red onion, cut into 1⁄4 dice
  • 1⁄2 cup black and/or green pitted olives, sliced thin
  • 1⁄2 cup pickled jalapeños, 1⁄4 slices, then chopped
  • Sour cream for garnish, optional

Directions

  • Prep all ingredients.
  • In a large nonstick skillet, brown the ground meat until there is no more pink, making sure to break up any large chunks.
  • Add the taco seasoning and the water (or beer), and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until it thickens. Add the salsa to the meat mixture and heta through.
  • While the meat is thickening, prepare the tostada bowls starting with a layer of torn lettuce.
  • Next, top with some meat and cheese, then add any of the other ingredients you prefer. Finish with another layer of ground meat and cheese, and top with sour cream and jalapeños, if desired.

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Warm Artichoke-and-Feta Dip

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This is one of the easiest appetizers to make, thanks Trisha Yearwood! Instead of canned artichokes, we used the marinated jarred version, and we sprinkled some paprika on top for a touch of color and even more depth of flavor.

To lighten our load on the day of the party, the dish was made and put in a small casserole dish covered with foil, then refrigerated overnight. About an hour before it went into a 350° oven, it sat on the countertop to warm up. Make sure to uncover the dish before popping it in the oven.

Artichoke-and-Feta Dip

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • One 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
  • 5 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 2-oz. jarred roasted red peppers, drained and diced 
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced 
  • Paprika for topping, optional
  • Sea salt pita chips, for dipping 

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together the artichoke hearts, feta, mayonnaise, Parmesan, red pepper and garlic until thoroughly combined. Sprinkle paprika on top, if desired.
  3. Transfer the mixture to a small casserole or glass pie plate and bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly browned.
  4. To serve, place the dish on a larger platter and surround with pita chips.

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Adapted from a recipe by Trisha Yearwood

Sausage-Cheddar Balls

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Party time! While these look amazingly like mini-meatballs, they are actually biscuits! This reinterpretation of meatballs combines breakfast sausage, cheddar cheese, and onion for a very flavorful holiday appetizer, enough for a crowd of hungry folks.

You can opt to serve them alone or with your choice of dipping sauces, such as mustard or barbecue sauce. Our opinion was that they packed enough flavor by themselves, so a dipping sauce didn’t seem necessary.

The only change we made was using one small onion as opposed to half of a large one. Unfortunately, the balls sat in the oven a bit too long while we tended to other things so the bottoms got a touch crusty—which some guests actually preferred!

Sausage-Cheddar Balls

  • Servings: 60 balls
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
  • 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 cups grated sharp cheddar (1/2 lb.)
  • 1 lb. bulk breakfast sausage
  • 1/2 large yellow onion, grated on large holes of a box grater
  • 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and baking powder. Add cheddar and toss to coat.
  3. Add sausage, onion, and butter. With your hands, mix until well combined and roll mixture into 1-inch balls.
  4. Place balls, 1/2 inch apart, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until balls are golden and cooked through, 25 minutes. Serve warm.

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Recipe by Martha Stewart Living