Appetizers Galore

My Aunt Carlen came to visit this afternoon. Whenever I am in town, we usually stop by her house near Orlando at some point or another and she always has this amazing spread out... My Aunt Carlen prepares the best brunches and appetizers and everything is always so classy and perfectly put together on beautiful plating. So today, I tried to follow in her footsteps and serve her some delicious appetizer snacks.

Antipasto Bowls:

Who doesn't like an edible bowl? And one that is made of meat???? Well, if you have salami, a cupcake tray and some Italian fixings, you can throw this together easily.

You can make this as simple (or not) as you like it. I chose to marinate the tomatoes in the Balsamic and then set aside. I cleaned the asparagus, diced the cheese and made thin strips of basil. Then I made the salami bowls.

Simply place the salami into the cupcake tray and form a little bowl. There is no reason to spray the pan because the salami will produce enough grease to avoid sticking. Place your tray in a pre-heated (350 degree) oven and let it cook for 7 - 10 minutes. Watch that it doesn't burn.

Remove your bowls and allow them to cool. Then fill them with your Italian fillings. Customize! It's delicious, eye-pleasing, and fun.

Check out those meaty bowls!

Crab Ragoons:

I make crab Rangoon in wonton when I am at home in Japan. Wonton wrappers seem to be easy to find. I must not have know where to look at Publix, so I ended up Phyllo pre-made shells. Oh... Score!!!! Now this is a recipe I just made on the fly and really didn't think to chronicle. I wasn't sure how it would turn out. In fact, I had a script prepared when they turned out horribly.

I did not need the script. They were the hit.

Ingredients:

1 block of cream cheese
1 bag of faux crab sold in the seafood section
2 TBsp garlic salt
Handful of chives
Phyllo cups (I am soooo going to miss these babies when I go back to Japan)

I mixed together the first four ingredients and spooned it into the Phyllo cups, then baked them for 15 minutes in the same 350 degree oven that my antipasto bowls had just warmed in.

Finally, I threw together a few more ingredients to make some mini cheese balls. Another box of cream cheese, some prepared pimento and cheese, a handful of chives... then rolled them in some bacon. A pretzel became the serving device and crackers were set out to compliment. 

If you're wondering about the white cupcake holders in the back, that is simply kielbasa warmed and placed in a bowl of sauerkraut.

So, yes... this was a super simple spread and everyone enjoyed. I was glad to please my Aunt with an eye-pleasing, tasty appetizer spread as she so often creates for me.