What is you favorite appetizer?

[southerncook]

shrimp rumolade (sp)
crab stuffed mushrooms, hot crab dip..cold crab dip, any crab dip!!! (but not Krab dip)
bacon wrapped anything...breadsticks are good done this way.
I love teasers!

 

[marmalady]

These are so easy and quick - great to have on file for last minute party ideas!

No quantities required - make as much or little as you please!

Your favorite deli roast beef - I like Dietz and Watson eye round

Sour cream, horseradish, chives - mix to your taste

Slice the roast beast into 1 inch long strips, roll them uplengthwise, skewer with a toothpick. Make the sour cream mixture, place in a bowl in the center of a platter, and arrange the skewers around it.

 

[Bangbang]

Fried Wontons with Sweet Sour Sauce
I have been known to go into a Chines Joint and just order a mess of appetizers with a bowl of Eggdrop Soup. I ofetn make this soup at home and eat it with lots of salt and peeper. I am now sneakin into the kitchen at almost 2am to make some. Yummy :!:

 

[luvs]

My fave app has to be cured meats, cheese and marinated olives.
Unfortunately, I often make a meal of this and forgo tha etree

yum.
you need to come shop at my favorite grocery store. the olive bar and all of the meats and cheeses they have... well, suffice to say you'd be a very happy JohnL.

 

[debthecook]

I keep going back to what my mother had on the table for guests:

A woden cutting board with a big wedge of Swiss and a big wedge of Brie, a container of sweet butter and some Ritz crackers. Sometimes another small board with a great piece of salami.

 

[Juliev]

sometimes the simplest things are the best... sounds great!

 

[norgeskog]

Shrimp Coctail, rumaki, and my marinated stuffed mushrooms with caviar.

 

[AllenOK]

Somebody mentioned Mozzarella sticks. Sometime here soon, I'm going to get a big mess of those, and make some fried mozzarella sticks. I don't have a recipe, yet, but the technique is fairly simple.

Set up a standard breading station with a large bowl of flour, a bowl with an egg wash, then a bowl with some Italian bread crumbs, regular breadcrumbs seasoned with Italian seasonings, or cracker crumbs. Also, have a sheet pan lined with parchment paper ready. It really helps if you have enough counter-space to line all these up in a row.

Take some Mozzarella "String Cheese". Yes, the stuff they market as a kiddie snack! Cut them in half, so that they are about 1 1/2 - 2" long. It helps is the cheese is cold, so that as it sits, it "sweats" a bit as moisture condenses on it. Place some of the cheese into the flour, shake it around, dip it into the egg wash, then into the breading. You may have to cover the cheese with some of the breading and lightly press down to adhere the breading to the egg wash. Place the breaded cheese sticks onto the sheet pan. Repeat until you have breaded all the cheese sticks you want (or have the patience to do).

FREEZE the cheese sticks! This is the most important part. This allows the breading to completely cook before the cheese melts and oozes out through the breading.

Deep-fry the cheese sticks in 350°F oil for about 2 minutes, or just until the cheese starts to "ooze out". Serve with a good Marinara sauce, or Ranch dressing.

Also, you can do a beer batter. Just replace the egg wash and the final breading with the batter. You also want to cut the cheese and freeze, then go with the flour and beer batter. Cook immediately.

 

[marmalady]

Allen, for the real deal, try these -

MOZZARELLA IN CARROZZA

4 oz. fresh mozzarella cut in ½ inch thick slices
¼ cup flour
½ - 1 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg, beaten
2T grated Romano cheese
salt/pepper
3 T. milk

Mix together milk, Romano cheese, egg, salt/pepper. Dip mozz. slices into mixture, then coat with bread crumbs.

Heat a skillet over medium high, add oil to a depth of ½ inch; when oil is hot, add cheese and fry til browned. Turn to other side and fry another 1-2 minutes. Drain and serve with marinara sauce.

 

[spryte]

Nachos!!!

 

[buckytom]

sandwich a cleaned and peeled shrimp between 2 very thin slices of water chestnut, then wrap in bacon, skewer and grill until bacon crisps, and the shrimp is opaque..... yummmmmm.

if that's not enough, drizzle with a tiny bit of maple syrup after grilling...

 

[mudbug]

Nachos!!!

when I first read this, spryte, I wondered why I hadn't said this, too. Then I remembered that for me nachos are an entree!

 

[luvs]

i have a really, really easy appetizer...
just buy a Stouffer's creamed spinach. glance around the aisle first just to make sure nobody you know is around.
take it home and add things like black pepper, garlic, artichoke hearts, sauteed onion, etc.
parmesan cheese- if you sprinkle it over the cooked dip and broil till melted- makes for a great topping.
make sure you put it in a pretty dish. if someone asks for your recipe, get distracted ASAP.
tortilla chips are great for scooping this dip up with.

 

[quidscribis]

New Wave Garlic Bread!!!!

1/4 cup sambal oelik; (Indonesian Chili Paste)
1/4 cup Butter; melted
5-8 cloves garlic; crushed
1/2 cup cilantro (fresh); chopped
1 loaf french bread; sliced
1/2 cup tomato; diced
1/2 cup onion; sliced thinly
1/2 cup mushroom; sliced and fried in:
2 tablespoon Butter
red chili peppers; crushed
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese; grated
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Mix together the sambal oelik, melted butter, garlic, and cilantro and spread over the sliced bread. Put the tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms on the bread. Sprinkle the crushed red chili peppers next, then the cheeses. Put under a broiler and bake until the cheese is melted.

Adjust the amount of sambal oelik to taste - it's hot. If you're a spice wuss, use perhaps 1 or 2 tablespoons. Same goes with the red chili peppers - use lots if you like it hot, less if you don't. Garlic - I love it. If you don't, adjust. You can use sun-dried tomatoes instead, and if you'd like to make it into a protein meal, you can toss shredded chicken or turkey, or cooked shrimp on top. You can use mozzerella, marble, or other cheeses in the place of cheddar - obviously, you will get a different flavor.

Once baked, it does not keep well. It's better to leave the spread mixture (sambal oelik, butter, garlic, and cilantro) in the fridge and make more New Wave Garlic Bread the next day.

 

[auntdot]

My favorite is raw clams.

But have to agree with Alix that an antipasto platter always goes over well.

Have a dynamite recipe for smoked mullet spread, but can't find the mullet anymore.

One that is simple, and everyone loves, is to take pickled watermelon rind (have been able to find it, in jars, in supermarkets from Maine to Florida), and cut the pieces into about one inch rectangles.

Then wrap bacon, one third to one half of a rasher, you have to go by feel here, about the watermelon rind piece and secure with a toothpick.

Bake until done (375 or so and just keep an eye on them, pull them out when the bacon looks cooked).

It is always the first appetizer to go, and there is never any left.

 

[SierraCook]

sandwich a cleaned and peeled shrimp between 2 very thin slices of water chestnut, then wrap in bacon, skewer and grill until bacon crisps, and the shrimp is opaque..... yummmmmm.

if that's not enough, drizzle with a tiny bit of maple syrup after grilling...

BT, your recipe sounds good. I love anything wrapped in bacon. I found a recipe for cooked shrimp marinated in lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, fresh ginger, red chili, and sugar. Then place them on a skewer. I usually double the recipe.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

My favorite is hands down a clear clam broth with tiny clam shells. No meat, no veggies. Just the exquisite clam broth with just the right amount of salt, to awaken my taste buds and make me ravenously hungry for the main course, without filling me.

Seeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[buckytom]

aren't the clam shells kinda crunchy?

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

aren't the clam shells kinda crunchy?

I think they're just there for the looks. But if you want to much 'em...

Ya can't go wrong with a great salad either, mut it defineatley ahs to be a greens kind of thing. It can't be heavy, and must not overpower the taste buds.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[velochic]

Hands down, my favorite has to be Turkish Borek - all kinds. I especially like the kind that just have Kashar cheese, but I also really like the kind that have spinach and feta, and the kind that have pasterma and kashar.

We also love making snacking on various Crudite.