View Full Version : Easy Hors D'Oeuvres
Roguish Lawyer
03-05-2005, 17:54
Let's see some recipes for ones that are not difficult to make.
Roguish Lawyer
03-06-2005, 20:00
Nothing from any of you?
OK, fine. I'll start. I'm at the office, so I'll do something off the top of my head. Not something that can be hand-passed on a tray, but it's good. Simple and easy too.
RL's Seven Layer Dip.
1 Can Refried Beans
1 Can Black Beans, drained
1 Medium Jar of Salsa
Finely Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or Cheddar-Jack Blend)
2 Small Cans of Sliced Ripe Black Olives, drained
Onion Powder
1 Tub Guacamole (ideally use fresh, but I just buy it at the store)
1 Tub Sour Cream
Take a medium lasagna dish and spray it with a light layer of Pam
Spread the refried beans onto the bottom of the pan
Layer the black beans next
Sprinkle onion powder generously on black beans
Layer the salsa next
Layer the olives next
Cover with cheese
Bake in oven at 350 degrees until heated through, about 20 minutes
Layer sour cream next
Layer guacamole next
Serve with your favorite tortilla chips
Use hot plate to keep warm if you have one
How about a nice antipasto?
I like to set up a tray with a nice chunk of cheese (parmesan), Kalamata Olives, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, salami, prociutto and a nice crusty Italian bread.
This is one of the best grilled shrimp recipes I've ever used as well as the easiest:
-21-25 count shrimp
-Bacon
-Wooden skewers
-Dale's Steak Seasoning
Start your coals. Soak the skewers in water for about an hour. Peel the shrimp leaving the tails on. Cut strip bacon in as many 1" pieces as you have shimp (or more if you prefer) Marinate the shrimp and bacon in the Dale's for an hour stirring every so often. Dale's is some badass powerful stuff so an hour is max. Skewer the shrimp alternating with the bacon. When they are all skewered up spray them with some Pam to prevent sticking. The oil quality doesn't make much difference. When the coals are to your liking put the skewers on and grill turning frequently until done.
I have never met anyone that didn't like these shrimp. The bacon is just as good! We had a couple over for dinner Friday night and I made 4 dozen of these little gems. My wife and our lady guest were hanging out in the kitchen while her husband and I were on the patio tending the grill and the beer. Grilled the shrimp and brought them in. Brought out the ribeyes and put them on the grill. By the time the steaks were done (10 min) the women had eaten all the shrimp. Couldn't eat their steaks or baked, stuffed potatos. They did manage to polish off a bottle of decent beaujolais and half a bottle of Asti. At least they ate their salads.
Roguish Lawyer
03-07-2005, 12:19
Squidly:
I have said it before and I will say it again.
You can't go wrong adding bacon.
Unless your guests are kosher. ;)
RL
-1 Package cream cheese (regular or lowfat)
-1 bottle Pickapeppa (http://www.pickapeppa.com/) sauce
-Jess Hall's Serendipity Seasoned salt (http://jesshall.com/) to taste
-Crackers of your choice, Works well with everything, CLub, Ritz, Wheat thins, etc.
Place block of cream cheese on plate, Cover with Pickapeppa Sauce, present with crackers and Seasoned salt on side.
The above may also be presented individually on crackers or rolled up in ham/salami/deli meat of your choice.
Roguish Lawyer
03-07-2005, 13:36
-1 Package cream cheese (regular or lowfat)
-1 bottle Pickapeppa (http://www.pickapeppa.com/) sauce
-Jess Hall's Serendipity Seasoned salt (http://jesshall.com/) to taste
-Crackers of your choice, Works well with everything, CLub, Ritz, Wheat thins, etc.
Place block of cream cheese on plate, Cover with Pickapeppa Sauce, present with crackers and Seasoned salt on side.
The above may also be presented individually on crackers or rolled up in ham/salami/deli meat of your choice.
I like that sauce.
4 boxes Totenios pizza rolls.
Put in microwave for 4-5 minutes.
Put on plate with Kraft Garlic/Ranch and Four Cheese dressing.
Dig in.
Hey.....you didn't say it had to be good, just easy. :D :lifter :munchin
I like that sauce.
Yeah, it's simple, but it just works
Nothing from any of you?
what? the Supermarket is closed near you?
Squidly:
I have said it before and I will say it again.
You can't go wrong adding bacon.
Unless your guests are kosher. ;)
RL
Yup. There was bacon in the baked, stuffed potatos too.
brewmonkey
03-07-2005, 18:23
Dave's Insanity Sauce (http://www.davesgourmet.com/) is always good too!!!
What about a tub of cream cheese, some salsa, chives and a pack of tortillas.
Mix some of the salsa with the cream cheese and spread it out on the tortilla (spread it fairly well and thick) and the top with another and add some more of the cream cheese/salsa mix. You can make it 2-3 layers but after that it gets messy.
Depending on the size of the tortilla cut it in to abut 12/16 wedges and plate out sprinkled with the chives and a side of salsa for dipping.
Assemble:
Bag(s) of Tastybird Buffalo Style Wings of Fire.
Ranch and/or Blue Cheese dressings for dipping.
Beer.
Grill wings until nice and crunchy.
Artfully place on platter with cups of dipping sauce.
Or just eat off the grill.
Quench the fire with beer.
Peregrino
03-07-2005, 19:28
This looks like a good place to throw gas on the fire. :D Check out http://www.mohotta.com/ to add a little spice to the hors d'oeuvres you guys are bragging about. I guarantee somebody will find something worthy on an honorable mention. (Course Brewmonkey might have to chill the product a little more than usual.) Peregrino
Roguish Lawyer
03-07-2005, 20:24
This looks like a good place to throw gas on the fire. :D Check out http://www.mohotta.com/ to add a little spice to the hors d'oeuvres you guys are bragging about. I guarantee somebody will find something worthy on an honorable mention. (Course Brewmonkey might have to chill the product a little more than usual.) Peregrino
OK, here's one for you, P:
Fresh habanero peppers
vinegar
salt
Wash peppers
Spinkle with vinegar and salt
Serve with beer.
:D
Peregrino
03-07-2005, 21:19
RL - Funny you should mention that. I ran into a "bocadilla" (El Sal slang for HD's) that consisted of roasted and peeled jalapenos stuffed with a cream cheese filling then returned to the oven to heat all the way through. Not as vicious as the habaneros but very tasty. The roasting seemed to mellow the pepper and as long as the cheese didnt stick to the roof of your mouth, a cold beer was all that was required. Peregrino
Roguish Lawyer
03-07-2005, 21:21
RL - Funny you should mention that. I ran into a "bocadilla" (El Sal slang for HD's) that consisted of roasted and peeled jalapenos stuffed with a cream cheese filling then returned to the oven to heat all the way through. Not as vicious as the habaneros but very tasty. The roasting seemed to mellow the pepper and as long as the cheese didnt stick to the roof of your mouth, a cold beer was all that was required. Peregrino
"Jalapeno poppers" which are the same thing, but breaded and deep-fried (sometimes with cheese instead of cream cheese), are offered at a lot of restaurants and bars I've been to.
brewmonkey
03-07-2005, 21:21
This looks like a good place to throw gas on the fire. :D Check out http://www.mohotta.com/ to add a little spice to the hors d'oeuvres you guys are bragging about. I guarantee somebody will find something worthy on an honorable mention. (Course Brewmonkey might have to chill the product a little more than usual.) Peregrino
Have you ever tried the Tabascco brand Habanero sauce? Man that is good eatin!
A couple of easy recipes. One for everyday, one to impress. You decide which is which.
1. Smoothed out Chips and Salsa
Tostitos
Philly Cream Cheese
Pace Picante Sauce
Place Philly in a 8x8 glass dish, pour Pace over top. Serve with Chips.
2. Caviar
Caviar (Doesn't have to be expensive)
Philly Cream Cheese (anybody see a pattern here?)
Table Water Crackers (NOT saltines)
Spread Philly on cracker, spoon on Caviar (a dollop about the size of a dime will do)
NOTE: You can substitute basically any toast/cracker. It also works well with celery cut into 1" pieces fill the celery with CC, add caviar.
magician
03-10-2005, 14:21
You guys made me remember Wings to Go (http://www.wingstogo.com/menu.htm) in Wilmington. Freakin' awesome sauces.
Lately, I have been eating a lot of Mu Manao (spicy pork in lime sauce) and Som Tam Thai (papaya salad, Isan style, with one pepper, no more, on pain of death). Thais consider these dishes to be appetizers or snacks. I eat them as meals. My mouth is getting calibrated to the heat of the Thai capiscum. I have to have something spicy to eat everytime I sit down, or it just is not a meal.
I wish that I could write a legit recipe for Mu Manao....my girlfriend makes it for me, or I buy it in restaurants for around $2, or from a street cart for about a buck. Here is the best that I can do.
Ingredients:
about half a pound of thin-sliced pork
like...four good limes
a bunch of garlic....a handful
small diabolic red peppers from the market on Soi Rung Ruang...maybe one to four of them.
some kinda....parsley or something along those lines...maybe a tablespoon of parsley root.
a head of cabbage
Chinese kale
Instructions:
1. Slice the pork thin, and throw it in a sauce pan with a ton of chopped garlic. Throw in a couple of peppers, sliced lengthwise, and then cut into small sections. Not sure what the TGF uses to coat the pan, probably light oil. Grill the pork, peppers, and garlic over medium heat, pretty slow and patient, until it is done.
2. Trim the leaves from the kale, cut the stalks into two inch lengths, and throw them in the freezer for five to ten minutes to get them nice and chilled. Some restaurants serve them with ice on a plate on the side. You will need this to cut the heat of the peppers. If you make this dish correctly, your mouth will be on fire.
3. Slice your cabbage up, and make a mound of it, tossed, in a big bowl. It will serve as a bed for your Mu Manao. Throw it in the freezer for a few minutes, too. All this stuff tastes better if your greens are chilled, and your pork is still hot. I do not know why.
4. Mix up your lime juice, the chopped garlic from the sauce pan, a little sugar (to taste), and if you want to be certain that your Mu Manao is adequately spicy, throw in a couple more little peppers. Hell, my TGF may be throwing in raw chopped garlic here, too. Not sure. You will have to experiment a little bit. You want this stuff garlicky, spicy hot, and sour. You should break a sweat when you eat it. You can use lime slices to garnish the plate if you want to be fancy.
5. Lay your pork slices while still hot into the lime sauce, soaking them well, then lay them onto your bed of cabbage in your big bowl. Once you have all your pork slices laid out, pour your remaining lime sauce over the whole thing. Make sure that you have tons of chopped garlic all over the place.
6. Stuff your face. I prefer to use takiam, chop sticks, so I can shake off excess juice as I feed. When you are dying, eat some of the chilled kale. Drink lots of water. Use a chilled wash cloth to wipe your forehead.
Here is a recipe for Som Tam Thai that I found on the web (http://www.thai-food-recipes.com/som_tam.html). It looks pretty close to what I eat, the way that my TGF makes it. I prefer my Som Tam with small dried shrimp, not big ones. Like a pig, I keep the excess juice and drink it afterwards.
Ingredients:
1 medium sized green papaya
4 small plum tomatos
1 carrot
10ml tamarind juice
25ml lime juice
2 cloves garlic
50gm prik kee noo (evil little peppers)
10gm brown sugar
25ml nam pla (this is, I believe, fish sauce. I do not use it. I think that it is gross).
25gm dried shrimp
50gm unsalted roasted peanuts.
(She is missing mint leaves and green peas still in the pod, and cabbage on the side).
Peel the papaya and shred the green flesh (if you don't have a suitable implement for the purpose a coarse cheese grater may work).
Also peel and shred the carrot.
Put the shredded papaya and carrot in the fridge.
Soften the dried shrimp in a few mls of boiling water.
Pound the garlic and the prik kee noo together in a pestle and mortar. (Prik kee noo is her term for peppers. I just call them pik, or prik, as that is the way that it sounds, when used in casual conversation with the ladies at the market. )
Separately pound the peanuts together with the shrimp, but only until coarsely broken up, not reduced to dust or paste.
Mix the tamarind, juice, lime juice, fish sauce (again, I omit fish sauce, as it is horrifying) and the sugar. (There is another way to make this dish, known as Som Tam Lao; that is the version that uses nam pla fish sauce.)
Chop the tomatoes into quarters.
Mix all the ingredients together and serve in a bowl. Most restaurants would drain off some of the excess juice before serving, but I usually keep it.
My two favorite dishes. So far.
Last month...my favorite dish was this version of Dom Yawm Gung, spicy shrimp stew in lime sauce, that this restaurant Noodie makes up at Major Cineplex on Lat Prao. They use these fat noodles...and some kind of oil...that floats on the top of the broth. Man, that stuff is good.
:)
Philly Cream Cheese (anybody see a pattern here?)
Table Water Crackers (NOT saltines)
This is good with pepper jelly.
Magician, great picks on the apps. We always order those when we go to the Thai restaurants around here, although I'm sure they're not as good as where you are.
Thai food is awesome, but I always pay the next day, especially since my wife asks them to prepare it at "traditional" spicy levels.
magician
03-10-2005, 21:14
it is interesting....like many old guys who are now much fatter than we used to be in our prime years....I had developed a problem with reflux.
since I moved to Thailand and stopped eating farang food, the condition has remitted entirely.
I do not particularly even try to eat "low cal" Thai food. I just eat whatever looks good, smells good, and does not include fish sauce or anything nasty and fermented. Thais do eat some nasty stuff, sometimes. And I do not eat bugs, period.
but I was noticing yesterday....my reflux symptoms are completely in remission. It has been months since I took any medication for it. I have dropped weight over the past year, too, though my weight has rebounded a bit since I quit dipping Copenhagen.
I cannot imagine that Thai restaurants in the States use ingredients different than they use here....though I wonder if they have the very same peppers. You would think that gatiam garlic and hom yai onion would be the same, whether you found them at the Piggly Wiggly or at Foodland.
But there are so many varieties of peppers....the peppers that are used here are spectacular. I have never had a discussion about this with any local authorities, but I am almost certain that there are several varieties, all with their appropriate usage. I was completely unprepared for the surprise of Thai cuisine when I came here. I had never heard that Thailand was reknown for its food. The longer that I stay...and the more that my culinary horizons broaden, the more surprised that I am.
The other thing that blows me away: the restaurants here. There is an Italian place in the food court at the Emporium shopping center, for example, that makes Italian food that is as authentic as anything that you can buy in Milan. In the FOOD COURT. There is an Italian place on Ao Nang beach, where you can sit outside and watch the sun set. The food is stunning, and you are...dead-center on Ao Nang beach.
There are not a lot of choices for Mexican food, or for Tex-Mex (there is a difference) in Thailand, that I have found. So far, the best places are Woodstock in Nana, and the Silver Dollar in Washington Square. I am keeping an eye out for new places, and cooking my own, when my craving for enchiladas or burritos overwhelms me.
Maybe you should come and stay awhile. I have a suspicion that you could eat on the economy here and eat food as spicy as you like...and not suffer ill effects. Thais are very healthy people...and it is possible to eat good here for less than a buck a day.
Thanks, Magician. Yes, I definitely want to visit Thailand. Closest we ever got was some layovers at BIA. These days it seems like the highlight of my vacations, trips, etc., is the food. The most memorable moments revolve around food and drink, and it seems like there are many opportunities in Thailand.
Roguish Lawyer
03-11-2005, 00:18
Congrats on quitting. I've done that a whole bunch of times. ;)
magician
03-11-2005, 00:40
Yeah...I am still vulnerable.
I am over the daily, moment by moment cravings for a big fat juicy dip, but I have to stay away from JUSMAG, because they often have a tin of Cope in the display box next to the checkout register in the restaurant.
I was hanging out at Thermae the other night with a former Black Sheep/1SFGA guy who was only slightly after my era, he just got back from the 'box, and sure enough, he asked me "dude, you got any Cope?" He had the look in his eye.
I dipped Cope without pause beginning in 1981 to.....2001, or so, when I quit the first time. I mean, I ALWAYS had a dip in my lip. All those years. Quitting kicked my ass. Smoking helped.
It was much easier to quit smoking that it was to quit dipping. I was finally tobacco free after a couple of lost battles, but it required a total health kick and two long prescriptions on the patch to get that way.
I was in Baghdad no more than...three days, I would say, when someone offered me a dip. Very social, considering that at that time there would be periodic dip droughts at the AFEES on BIAP. Hell, yeah, I thought. A dip was just what I needed, and it was freakin' perfect. There is just something about...dust, and heat, and the stench of jet fuel...and guns and BreakFree that goes well with a nice fat juicy dip. I was back in the grip of the demon weed.
After that...I actually ran a dip BANK out of my office. I had a safe, and I would put a log in there. Guys who were in extremis could come and see me, but they would have to agree to replenish the bank at "field rates," which were a one-for-one ratio. In other words, if you took a tin out of the bank, you had to bring back TWO tins.
It was very popular.
:)
Roguish Lawyer
03-11-2005, 00:43
I have been working 18-20 hour days for a few weeks now, and I've been dipping constantly to get me through. I quit without much trouble, but when I'm working like this, I relapse easily. It helps me focus when I'm exhausted, or at least that's my perception.
magician
03-11-2005, 00:59
Dip and coffee, counselor.
Nothing like them.
I just brewed up a carafe of StarBucks, in fact. I decided what the hell, I will stay home from work today, and work from my home office. My Wi-Fi network is faster than the office ethernet, and I can make my own coffee. Many Thais still consider instant Nescafe to be coffee, and that is what the nong brings me when I am at work. Blech.
I can also crank my audio library via iTunes through my H-K SoundSticks, and keep my cat company. Heh. Like I NEED a reason to stay home.
:)
Which brings me back full-circle to the original topic of this thread. Where in the hell did Thailand get all this goofy fruit that I have never seen before? Aside from the obvious durian, what the hell is lamut? You never see this stuff in the states....hell, anywhere that I have been. And it is all good. You can get fruit smoothies made at most restaurants, too....I generally order nam dangmo, watermelon juice, or nam moklatet, tomato juice. My TGF has a blender, and she occasionally goes on a tear, putting glass after glass of mystery juice in front of me. Last night, it was fresh squeezed OJ and bannana smoothies.
:)
Roguish Lawyer
03-11-2005, 01:35
I like durian. :lifter
LOL. Magician - the "Cope Shark." :D
Even though I went to b-school across the street from a cigarette factory I never really smoked, but yet I now have a raging nicotine addiction. Late in the afternoon, I shut the door to my office, take a 10min power nap, then shove a big wad of Red Man Golden Blend in and read my cases before class. Often, that is followed by more coffee, Mountain Dew, or "energy" drink. It keeps me focused and alert through class - and slightly decreases the instances of something stupid coming out of my mouth when I'm the Socratic victim. :) The only problem is when I get home at night, even after a blast on the treadmill, I am still fookin wired! I know I'm shaving a few years off my life, but whatcha gonna do.
Here's an easy smoothie recipe:
- Ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Crushed ice
Combine in blender and blend until smooth.
Not recommended if you are watching your waist....but it's tasty.
Roguish Lawyer
03-11-2005, 13:05
Late in the afternoon, I shut the door to my office, take a 10min power nap, then shove a big wad of Red Man Golden Blend in and read my cases before class. Often, that is followed by more coffee, Mountain Dew, or "energy" drink.
Hey, you're OK! LMAO
magician
03-11-2005, 13:52
holy shit.
an avacado smoothie. It never occurred to me.
I am going to try it. I will report back in with results. Do you use any pepper or salt? Is this concoction supposed to be sweet? Or salty? I am intrigued.
I love freakin' avacados, and make dip when I make Mexican food all the time. Lots of sour cream.
reminds me of the salsa at this Italian place at Emporium. My TGF decided that she wanted pizza there, after she had already brought me a Pizza Hut pie earlier in the afternoon, so I agreed, even though I was already stuffed. (Hell, I am still stuffed, and I ate several hours ago).
I went and got a Starbucks large mocha, then joined her at the table. This Italian place makes the freshest salsa...that I have ever had, and I have consumed a legendary amount of salsa in my time. They really have it down to an art. It may be the olive oil that they use. Or, they just may have phenomenally fresh gatiam garlic, hom yai onion, maklatet tomato, and just a couple little cubes of cheese...looks like mozarella. They bring this stuff out with garlic bread. Yum.
I really like sitting in this place, as I get to scope out the TGFs that other farang have, and brothers, there are some spectacular girls there. All spoiled, well-kept, of course....their job in life is to be hot for their men. It is wonderful.
anyway, today I had farang food for the first time in days...a small Pizza Hut pepperoni and cheese pie....this was the first farang food that I have had in days....maybe a couple of weeks. And sure enough...guess what? The reflux is acting up.
I feel like crap, too. Real heavy. Tomorrow, I am reverting to Thai food, and directing my TGF to eschew farang food forever more.
I am eating Thai food, and just a little bit of Mexican food, from now on. That is it. Ok...maybe a little Italian. But no more Pizza Hut. I have no idea what they put in this damned thing...it was authentic...it tasted just like the 'za at any Pizza Hut in the states....but I am very uncomfortable right now.
and it was not spicy.
:)
Roguish Lawyer
03-11-2005, 15:19
anyway, today I had farang food for the first time in days...a small Pizza Hut pepperoni and cheese pie....this was the first farang food that I have had in days....maybe a couple of weeks. And sure enough...guess what? The reflux is acting up.
Prilosec OTC if you can get it. If you can't, let me know and I'll supply you.
Do you use any pepper or salt? Is this concoction supposed to be sweet? Or salty?
It's supposed to be VERY sweet, lush and decadent - almost like a dessert. And you could also substitute durian for avocado (for RL :) ). But I suppose you could add a dash of salt and pepper if your taste desires. Cooking is an art, not a science. Ok, it's a science to a certain point, but beyond that everyone's taste buds are different. That's why my wife and I cannot coexist in the kitchen. She's over there measuring everything to the 0.001 tsp., and I'm over here saying, "That shit don't taste right!" (or words to that effect ;) )
Magician, you are a storyteller extraordinaire. I enjoy reading your posts.
BTW, what does farang mean? Caucasian, or foreigner? I googled it and it wasn't clear.
magician
03-12-2005, 01:14
sorry about that. Here is a google search (http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=definition+thai+term+farang&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8) that will explain all.
I heard about Prilosec OTC.....I head that the manufcturer....is it Astro -Zeneca? I heard that they are conspiring to constrict manufacturing and hence deliveries to the marketplace because their patent expired, and they are no longer able to reap blistering margins from its sale.
Anyway...just about anything is available over the counter in Thailand, without a prescription....you just have to know what you need, and you need to go to a good pharmacy that would not be caught dead selling counterfeit medications. My needs are pretty prosaic these days....I pretty much confine it to Naprocin. I buy it at whatever pharmacy is in front of my face.
That avacado smoothie recipe....looks like it is crying out for salt and capiscum....and maybe a little salsa, and a topping of sour cream. Need to be careful that I do not end up with a glass full of avacado dip.
Someone told me that while avacado is fat, it is "the good fat."
That is my story, and I am sticking to it.
:)
Thanks for the link Magician.