I took this awesome Greek-inspired salsa to a pool party recently. Dang, it’s good! I chose to make it because it’s super easy and I had all the makings for it. It’s a perfect summertime appetizer!!!

I followed the recipe for the salsa except that I didn’t have the fresh oregano so I used a little extra fresh dill and parsley. I also added some chopped red bell pepper and a few dashes of dried red pepper flakes for some zip. If you want the salsa to have a bit more tang, add a few dashes of red wine vinegar.

The recipe calls for making fresh pita chips but I didn’t feel like turning on the oven so I served it with store-bought pita chips. Next time I’ll make my own, though, because the store-bought kind were too small and fragile to hold much of the salsa. Bigger pita squares or triangles would work much better. Enjoy!

Greek Salad Salsa with Toasted Pita Chips
-recipe from San Francisco Flavors: Favorite Recipes from The Junior League of San Francisco

This zesty blend of feta cheese, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, and parsley is a wonderful alternative to guacamole and chips. If, by chance, there is any left over, pulse it in a blender or food processor and use as a sauce for grilled fish. Serves 6 to 8.

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1 1/2 cups)
1 large ripe tomato, seeded and chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced, including green portions
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup black olives, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup olive oil
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Toasted Pita Chips (recipe follows)

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients except the pita chips and gently mix.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to one day.

Toasted Pita Chips
You might want to double this recipe — these chips disappear quickly! Make them the night before you plan to serve them, and leave them in the turned-off oven overnight. Makes about 40 chips.

1 package mini pita breads
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Garlic powder, dried
Dill, and paprika to taste

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Cut the pita rounds in half. Cut each half again into thirds, then separate each piece to make two bite-sized chips. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat each chip with the melted butter.

Lay the chips in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Dust with the garlic powder, dill, and paprika. Place in the oven and turn the oven off. Do not open the oven door until the oven is completely cool and chips are crisp, about 4 hours or overnight. If the chips are still soft, repeat cooking process, preheating oven to 200 degrees F.

Blog parties I’m linked to:
Foodie Friday
Friday Favorites
New Friend Friday
Friendly Friday
Hop Along Friday
I’m Lovin’ It
Family Food Fridays

Tags: Appetizer, black olives, cucumber, dill, Feta cheese, lemon, olive oil, oregano, parsley, pita bread, scallions, tomato

This hoagie “dip” is not a dip at all. In fact, I refer to it as a deconstructed hoagie because it’s got all the hoagie makings chopped into small pieces that you spoon on top of bread (like a bruschetta topping). It’s very easy to make and people love it!

This recipe is great for improvising (adding or subtracting ingredients to your liking). For the meat, I usually just use salami and deli turkey; the other deli meats would be great in it, too, but I decided to simply the recipe. Other changes I made include: using less onion than called for (about a 1/4 red onion instead of a whole onion); adding chopped red bell pepper and olives (black or kalamata) for color, texture and flavor; substituting Italian dressing for the olive oil for extra tanginess; and serving with baguette slices instead of hoagie pieces.

The recipe calls for chopping everything into bite-sized pieces but I dice everything smaller than that. If you want to save a few bucks, skip making the bread bowl and served the “dip” in a regular bowl. Be sure to put a serving spoon in the ”dip” so that people know to spoon it onto the pieces of bread. Now stand back and watch your friends devour it!

Mary Alice’s Hoagie Dip
-Recipe courtesy Mary Alice Yeskey for Food Network Magazine

8 servings.

1 medium onion
2 pickled pepperoncini peppers
1/2 head iceberg lettuce
1 large tomato, halved and seeded
1/4 pound deli-sliced Genoa salami
1/4 pound deli-sliced ham
1/4 pound deli-sliced prosciutto
1/4 pound deli-sliced roast turkey
1/4 pound deli-sliced provolone cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 10-to-12-inch round loaf Italian bread
8 hoagie rolls, cut into pieces, for dipping

Chop the onion, pepperoncini, lettuce and tomato into bite-size pieces. Dice the meats and cheese.

Combine the chopped vegetables, meats and cheese in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise, olive oil, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes and stir until everything is all mixed up and tasty. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Carve out the center of the bread loaf to make a bowl (don’t cut through the bottom) and cut the scraps into bite-size pieces. Serve the hoagie dip in the bread bowl, with the extra bread and hoagie rolls to scoop it up. Yummers!

Tags: Appetizer, bruschetta, deli turkey, hoagie dip, provolone, salami

Here’s a great appetizer for holiday entertaining: pimento-stuffed olives wrapped in an easy-to-make cheese pastry then baked until golden brown. They are tasty, bite-sized and sure to be a party pleaser…you may even want to double the recipe!

Note: The recipe says to “drop the dough by tablespoons onto wax paper” — just make sure you don’t bake them on the wax paper or you will probably end up with a waxy baked olive mess. The wax paper is for prepping purposes only.

Baked Cheddar Olives
-recipe from Gourmet Magazine

Makes about 24 Cheddar olives

1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
a 3-ounce jar small pimento-stuffed green olives (about 24), drained and patted dry

In a bowl combine the Cheddar and the butter, add the flour and the cayenne, and blend the dough until it is combined well. Drop the dough by tablespoons onto wax paper and wrap or mold each tablespoon around each of the olives, covering each olive completely. Bake the wrapped olives on a baking sheet in the middle of a preheated 400°F. oven for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden, and serve them warm.

Tags: Appetizer, pimiento-stuffed green olives, sharp cheddar cheese

This crisp-tender, Asian-inspired asparagus dish is easy, delicious and a snap to make! I’ve made it many times and people always love it.

Always, always, always trim asparagus!!! There’s nothing worse than having to gnaw on the woody, tough end of a piece of asparagus, especially at a party. Those untrimmed ends are impossible to eat. Do your guests a favor and take a few extra  minutes to trim the tough ends off. Next, have your bowl of ice water ready when you start cooking the asparagus so you can immediately “shock” it after you drain it from the boiling water. This stops the cooking process and helps the asparagus stay bright green.

I’m linking this recipe to the following blog parties: Ultimate Recipe Swap.

Chilled Asparagus with Sesame Vinaigrette

Serves 8.

2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
toasted sesame seeds (garnish)

Cook asparagus in large skillet of boiling salted water until just crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain and immerse in bowl of ice water. Drain again, pat dry and set aside. In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and sesame oil. No more than 1 hour before serving, add asparagus to soy sauce mixture and marinate. Chill at least 30 minutes. Remove from marinade and arrange on a serving plate. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Tags: Appetizer, Asian, asparagus, sesame oil, sesame seeds

Not only is this appetizer beautiful but it’s incredibly simple. It takes about 5 minutes to make but needs to marinate for at least 24 hours for best flavor. I didn’t have coriander seeds so I substituted whole peppercorns. Sometimes I add a splash of red wine vinegar to the marinade to add a little acidity. I like to warm the olive mixture for about 30 seconds in the microwave before serving to really bring out all the flavors. Serve with baguette slices to sop up the delicious marinade.

Herb-Marinated Olives
- recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse – www.foodnetwork.com

Don’t discard the remaining olive oil after the olives are gone — it is delicious served as a dipping oil for crusty French bread or drizzled over pasta or grilled vegetables.

1 pound assorted olives, such as Kalamata, Cerignola, Greek, Gaeta or Nicoise
2 cups olive oil
1 onion, julienned
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 bay leaves, torn into pieces
1 branch fennel or 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
3-inch piece orange peel, julienned
12 coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more, to taste)

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and stir well to combine. Marinate at room temperature at least 24 hours before serving (cover and refrigerate if longer). Transfer to glass jars with lids and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. (Allow to return to room temperature before serving.) Makes approximately 1 quart.

Tags: Appetizer, olives, Quick Cooking

I’m sure most people in the free world have eaten onion dip at some point in their life. It’s one of those classic dips that has been around for years, and can usually be found at a party hanging out with the potato chips and other dips. Most people make onion dip using a package of onion soup mix or buy it premade in a plastic tub at the grocery store. That’s all fine and dandy but those versions have all kinds of funky things like “Natural Flavors”  added in. Yikes! I ran across this recipe recently when trying to decide on an appetizer to take to a party. It’s easy but does require a little more time in the kitchen than just opening a package of soup mix. One of the steps for this French Onion Dip is caramelizing the onions, which gives the onions a rich, slightly sweet flavor. Once the onions are caramelized and cooled, the rest of the ingredients can be mixed together. Voilà, a better version of onion dip.

French Onion Dip
-recipe from williams-sonoma.com

Laced with caramelized onions, this fresh-tasting dip will disappear quickly at parties and on picnics. A touch of cayenne adds a spicy kick.

2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Potato chips for serving
Crudités for serving

In a fry pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring often, until soft and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the Worcestershire sauce and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom. Transfer the onion to a small bowl and let cool to room temperature.

In a bowl, stir together the sour cream, mayonnaise, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Stir in the onion. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 week. Serve with potato chips and crudités for dipping. Makes about 2 cups.

Tags: Appetizer, caramelized onions, Dip