One morning while I was out walking last week, I realized we only have a few summer weekends left. I decided to invite a few of our neighbors over for a socially distant patio party and to my surprise…they could come!
To keep things simple, I just served drinks and appetizers. While appetizers have never been my strong game, I did find a few recipes that were a hit that I’m sharing on the blog today. These recipes are quick to pull together and only ask for a few ingredients.
Melon Prosciutto Skewers
What You Need
- 1 cantaloupe
- 12 fresh basil leaves
- 8 oz. mozzarella balls
- 12 slices prosciutto
- Balsamic glaze, for drizzling
What You Do
- Halve cantaloupe, then scoop out and discard seeds. Using a melon baller, scoop out 24 balls.
- Assemble skewers: Layer cantaloupe, basil, mozzarella, prosciutto, and a second piece of cantaloupe until you have 12 skewers.
- Drizzle skewers with balsamic glaze and serve immediately.
Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates
What You Need
- 24 dates (pitted)
- 4 oz. goat cheese
- 24 thin slices of bacon
- Brown sugar to sprinkle/pat on top
What You Do
- Preheat oven to 350 and line cookie sheet with tin foil.
- Remove pits from dates.
- Stuff a pinch of goat cheese in each date.
- Wrap each date in bacon and pierce with skewer.
- Sprinkle with brown sugar.
- Bake for 15 minutes and flip bacon skewers. Then bake for 15 minutes more or until back on is crispy.
Bunless Hamburger Skewers
What You Need
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 large egg
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 5 slices cheddar cheese, quartered
- 6 leaves Bibb lettuce, torn into large pieces
- 1 cup small jar dill pickle chips
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
What You Do
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Cook patties until your desired doneness, 6 to 8 minutes per side for medium.
- Top each with a cheese square and cover with lid to let melt, 2 minutes.
- Thread a patty, lettuce, pickle, and tomato on each appetizer skewer and serve.
Mini Cuban Sliders
What You Need
- 16 mini Hawaiian rolls, sliced in half
- 32 total small pieces of cheese, Swiss or havarti work well
- 1 pound or so deli ham
- Dill pickles
- 1 stick salted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
- Poppy seeds, for topping
What You Do
- Grease a 9×13 dish and line bottoms of rolls along the bottom. Top with a slice of cheese, ham, pickle, and another slice of cheese. Place top of roll on top.
- Mix together butter, Dijon, and minced onion. Pour over the sliders. Top with poppy seeds.
- Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes. (These also can be made ahead of time and baked whenever you’d like.)
With these appetizers anchoring our spread, we filled in with a few chips, some fruit, and some cookies from Bent Fork.
If 2020 has taught me anything, it’s to bring the people you love together and hold them close. So if you’re inspired to be with your people in a fun way, I hope these recipes free you up to enjoy them, too!
xo,
P.S. I’ve had a few questions about my dress. It’s one of my favorites! The dress is from J.Crew and is on super sale. And my new favorite button necklace is from Charlotte Muzik and my bracelet stack is from Birdie Designs That Fly.
P.S.S. This cute puppy is a rescue that our neighbors got earlier this month. Somehow this sweetie found the lap of the one who knows the least about dogs to take a nap!
