Lets all be honest here… food makes the world go round. Now take a moment and think of every fun story or party you have been apart of. I would bet that somewhere in that story was food! Whether the food made the moment better or if the food was better the event would have been improved. Either way food is at the center of these stories.
For your fun future weekend story or party you want to make sure that you and your friends have a positive memory about the food of course! Here are three recipes guarantied to make your night a hit!
The Appetizer
The perfect food to start out the evening, this warm easy appetizer is delicious and simple to eat with a toothpick. Go crazy and get some multi colored toothpicks!
Barbeque Meatballs
Makes: 4 dozen
Prep Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
1 egg, lightly beaten
5 oz. of evaporated milk
1 cup of quick-cooking oats
½ cup of finely chopped onion
1 tsp. of salt ¼ tsp. of pepper
1 tsp. of chili powder
¼ tsp. of garlic powder
1 ½ lbs. of ground beef
1 ¼ cup of Big Bad Buddas BBQ Sauce
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the beef and BBQ sauce (first eight ingredients).
Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-inch balls.
Put meatballs on greased rack in a shallow backing pan. Bake uncovered for 18-20 minutes at 350˚ then drain.
Meanwhile, simmer the BBQ sauce in a saucepan for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Pour over meatballs and bake 10-12 minutes longer.
The Entrée
These spicy shrimp cakes are a delicious dinner and will keep your friends talking!
Spicy Shrimp Cakes with Salsa
Makes: 10 shrimp cakes
Prep Time: 30 Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Cakes:
1 lbs of medium shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 cup of finely chopped red bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup of thinly sliced green onions
3 Tbsp. of reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. of fresh lime juice
1 ½ tsp. of Chicago Hit Sauce
½ tsp. of sugar
¼ tsp. of salt 1 large egg
¼ cup of finely chopped fresh cilantro
¾ cup of panko
Salsa:
1 cup of frozen white corn, thawed
¾ cup of diced peeled avocado
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbsp. of finely chopped red onion
2 Tbsp. finely chopped seeded poblano pepper
1 tsp. of fresh lime juice
¼ tsp. of salt
Directions:
Place shrimp in a food processor and pulse 10 times or until finely chopped.
Spray pan with cooking spray and heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper to pan and sauté for 3 minutes. Add garlic to pan and sauté for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Place bell pepper mixture in a large bowl. Add shrimp, green onions and the next 6 ingredients, ending with the egg, stirring well.
Stir in cilantro and ¼ cup of panko.
Divide shrimp mixture into 10 equal portions. Then shape into a ½ inch thick patties. Coat both sides of patties in remaining ½ cup of panko. Chill at least one hour.
Heat pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Add 5 cakes to pan. Cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan then cover and keep warm. Repeat with remaining cakes.
To make salsa, combine all salsa ingredients and stir gently. Serve immediately with shrimp cakes.
The Dessert
This simple wonderful recipe will leave your company wanting more!
Pumpkin Butter Bars
Makes: about 20 bars
Prep Time: 15 Total Time: 50-55 minutes
Ingredients:
1 box of yellow cake mix
½ cup of melted butter
3 large eggs
1 jar of Pumpkin Butter
2 Tbsp. of milk
1 Tbsp. of flour
¼ cup of sugar
2 tsp. of cinnamon
4 Tbsp. of cold butter
Directions:
Set aside one cup of the cake mix in a small bowl.
Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray
Mix together the remaining cake mix, melted butter and 1 egg. Press into the bottom of pan
In bowl mix together pumpkin butter, milk and 2 eggs. Pour over crust in pan.
Add flour, sugar and butter to the reserve cake mix. Use a fork to cut the butter until it resembles small peas. Sprinkle over the pumpkin butter layer.
Bake in a preheated 350˚ oven for 35-40 minutes. Cool completely and cut into squares. Top it off by sprinkling with powdered sugar.
