Full disclosure: I am not a girl who LOVES to cook. It’s not that I’m a bad cook, but my real joy is in setting the “stage”, rallying the people and watching everyone enjoy themselves at my gatherings. That said, serving yummy food is part of the experience and also an important part of the “recipe” to a successful and FUN party (see what I did there?) 😉
So, over the years I’ve curated a group of recipes I’ve found to be tried and true when entertaining. To make it on the list, the recipe has meet three criteria:
- It must be simple to prepare. Some are even ‘make ahead’ the morning of or day/night before! You typically won’t see a long list of ingredients either. Simple for me is better.
- It can’t be too time intensive. I’d much rather be sitting around the table eating the food and partaking in the festivities than slaving away in the kitchen.
- It has to be a crowd pleaser. My taste testers begin with my family, but I’m only sharing dishes that always end with a request for the recipe from attendees.
*Admittedly I have not been great about taking pictures of the dishes. I’m a girl who likes to see a picture to know what I’m aiming for so to speak, so I get it and will continue to add them to the post as I can.
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APPETIZERS:
Cowboy Caviar:
I’ve seen variations of this recipe many times, but this one has settled in to be our favorite. This appetizer is a great one for a casual event. Perfect for hosting some football! I’ve also used it on top of BBQ chicken and it was delicious.
Ingredients:
- 1 – Bag frozen Sweet Corn (I like to use the Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn)
- 1 – 15oz. can Black Beans
- 1 – 15oz. can White Beans
- 3 – Avocados
- ⅔ C – Cilantro, chopped
- ⅔ C – Onions, chopped
- ½ C – Tomatoes, chopped
Marinade:
- ⅓ C – Olive Oil
⅓ C – Red wine vinegar (or balsamic)
¾ tsp – Salt
¾ tsp – Pepper
2 generous tsp – Cumin
Mix all ingredients (except avocados) and let marinate for an hour. Before serving, add avocados. Serve with tortilla chips and let the crowd go crazy. It’s so good! I’ve also made this recipe the night before and it was fine, just no avocados until just prior to serving.
BBQ Shrimp Skewers:
We typically serve this as an appetizer, but have also served them as part of a main course alongside some BBQ’d tri-tip or chicken. They’re delicious!
Ingredients:
- Shrimp (15-20)
- Olive Oil
- Lawry’s Cracked Pepper, Garlic & Herb Rub
Metal or Wooden skewers
*(If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 5-10 minutes prior to avoid burning on barbecue)
- Clean and devein raw shrimp (best to use descent size shrimp, not too small)
- Spear shrimp on skewers (4-5 shrimp per skewer) and place on a plate
- Brush the shrimp lightly with olive oil, and then sprinkle lightly with Lawry’s Cracked Pepper, Garlic & Herb Rub
- Grill skewers on a hot grill for 3-5 minutes per side
- Let cool for 2-3 minutes and serve hot.
Cheese-Chili on Rye:
This appetizer was one my mom served when I was a little girl and was always a fav. As I grew up and learned the ingredients, I wasn’t too sure how all the flavors went together…but believe me it works!
Ingredients:
1 – Block Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 – Block Monterey Jack Cheese
1 – Lg. can chopped Black Olives
1 – Lg. can chopped jalapeno chiles
2T – Mayonaise, +/- for consistency
Rye bread rounds
In food processor, grate the cheddar and jack cheeses. Place in a large bowl. Add black olives, jalapenao chilies and mayonaise. Blend until smooth. Spread on rye bread rounds and place on cookie sheet. Place under broiler until cheese is melted. Allow to cool a bit, place on serving tray and serve warm. Makes tons!
SIDE DISHES
Roasted Brussel Sprouts:
I was on the hunt for a great roasted brussel sprout recipe that emulated a dish I’d had at a fabulous local restaurant (sadly, Prime was a casualty of COVID). Our family was never really a fan of brussel sprouts, but it only took one well-made delicious dish to change our tune. After scouring different recipes and some trial and error, I’ve settled into this as our family favorite.
My family prefers their brussel sprouts on the crispier side, so adjust accordingly. Here’s the clear winner:
Ingredients:
Brussel sprouts (1/4-1/3C per person)
Olive oil
Salt (sea salt preferred, but not necessary)
Pepper
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated preferred
Garlic – optional
Balsamic glaze (I think this is the secret that takes it to the next level)
Preheat oven to 400 – (Hot tip: Starting with a hot oven is key to getting a crisp outside. Otherwise I found it steamed the brussel sprouts and they never really got that good crispiness.)
- Wash and thoroughly dry brussel sprouts (Hot tip: Choose bright green tightly compacted sprouts. Smaller ones tend to be sweeter.)
- Trim brussel sprout bottoms and if not tightly compacted, peel outer leaves.
- Cut brussel sprouts evenly sized and put in bowl
- Add olive oil, salt, pepper, (minced garlic, if desired), some of the parmesan cheese and toss to coat. Evenly coat the brussel sprouts for best results.
- Transfer brussel sprouts onto a baking sheet cut side down on the pan. If going for a crispier effect, don’t overcrowd the pan.
- Roast for 30 minutes or until crispy brown and carmelized on the outside.
- Add Balsamic glaze and more parmesan cheese, toss and serve while hot.
(Hot tip: For crisper results, do not use a glass baking dish with high sides. It will allow moisture to get trapped in your pan and will steam your brussel sprouts instead of roast.)
Parmesan Broccoli:
I was never a girl who really liked her “trees”, but this simple and yummy recipe turned me into a huge fan. This is such an easy recipe and takes little time to do. Winner!
Ingredients:
Broccoli florets (1 large bag)
1 T Olive Oil
1 T Garlic, minced (if desired)
¼ C Parmesan Cheese
Pinch of Salt
Preheat oven to 425.
Line baking sheet with foil and drizzle olive oil onto pan using a paper towel to spread evenly.
In a large bowl, add broccoli, olive oil and salt to taste. Toss broccoli with spoon until coated. Pour broccoli on prepared baking sheet into an even layer. Use spatula to scrape bowl and drizzle contents over broccoli.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until broccoli is cooked through. Before serving, sprinkle broccoli with parmesan cheese. Voila!
MAIN DISHES
Turkey-Eggplant Casserole:
Hard to believe, but this is a Weight Watchers recipe circa “way back when” that I tweaked a bit to make it more flavorful. I’ve served it many times and no one suspects it is actually good for them ‘cause it tastes so darn good!
Ingredients:
1 lb. Hot Italian Turkey Sausage (I love Jennie-O)
1 Medium Onion, chopped
3 Garlic gloves, minced
1 Large (about 1 ½ pounds) Eggplant, cubed
1 – 28oz. Can Crushed Tomatoes, Italian seasoned
1 Yellow Bell Pepper (orange works, too), seeded and diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and diced
¾ C Seasoned Dried Bread Crumbs
1 tsp Dried Basil
¼ C Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9 x 13” baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Spray large non-stick saucepan or Dutch oven with non-stick cooking spray; heat. Add turkey, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring as needed, until turkey is browned and onion is softened.
- Add eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, bread crumbs and basil; bring to boil, stirring as needed.
- Transfer turkey mixture to baking dish. Bake, covered, until vegetables are tender (about 45-50 minutes).
- Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese is lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Viva La Chicken Casserole:
This recipe is a Padilla family favorite and has become a traditional dish for our annual family cabin as well as holiday events. It’s especially convenient when entertaining as you make the casserole the night before eliminating some of that “day of” pressure.
Ingredients:
4 Cooked chicken breasts
12 Corn tortillas
1 Can cream of mushroom soup
1 Can cream of chicken soup
7 oz. Green chile salsa
1 Medium onion minced (I use a small onion)
1 C Milk
3-4 C Cheddar cheese, grated
- Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
- With scissors, cut tortillas into 1-inch strips.
- In a bowl, combine soups, salsa, onion and milk. Mix well.
- Spray 9 x 13 pyrex dish with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange ½ the tortillas over the bottom of the dish.
- Cover tortillas with ½ the chicken, then ½ soup mix
- Repeat layers and top with cheese.
- REFRIGERATE 24 HOURS.
- Bake uncovered at 300 degrees for 1 ½ hours
*We tend to like the top a little crispier, so a quick stint under the broiler does just the trick. (Serves 12)
Vegetarian: Tomato & Pesto Casserole:
This recipe is a crazy “find” from many years ago at Trader Joe’s. An employee had cooked this in-store and was handing out samples. I was looking for a new dish for Easter brunch and this one checked all the boxes. I especially liked that it was a vegetarian option. BONUS: Easily grab all your ingredients at Trader’s and you’re good to go!
Ingredients:
6 Eggs
1 Pint half & half
7 oz. pesto (I use Genova from Trader Joe’s)
Challah braided egg bread
5 tomatoes, chopped (I use Romas)
Sliced white cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350. Mix eggs, half & half and pesto in a bowl and set aside. Rip up loaf of bread and put in a greased 9×13 pyrex dish. Pour ½ of the egg mixture over the bread. Add tomatoes and torn pieces of cheese. Pour remaining mix over bread.
Bake for 1 hour. Check middle, if soupy, bake more until toothpick comes out clean.
**To cut prep time the day of my event, I typically chop the tomatoes the night before and store in the frig in an airtight container.
SALADS
Mexican Caesar Salad:
This was my friend Lisa’s attempt at emulating the ole El Toritos’s Mexican Caesar Salad. It came awfully darn close and is always a huge hit when served. I often serve this with my Viva La Chicken recipe or anytime serving Mexican fare.
Ingredients:
Romaine lettuce
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Avocados
Cotija cheese, crumbled
Pepitas, toasted
Carrots, shredded
Tortilla strips, if desired
*Amounts of each are to taste and dependent upon the number of people you are serving. When I am making this for a party, I do as much ahead as possible. I toast the pepitas, let cool and put them in a ziplock bag. Romaine lettuce is washed, dried and torn. Tomatoes can also be done the night before or the morning of.
Dressing:
El Torito Cilantro Pepita Cesar Dressing (though I haven’t been able to find this for awhile.). A good alternative is: Trader Joe’s Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing
Strawberry & Feta Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing:
The best part of this yummy salad is that not only is it incredibly easy to do, but there are so many variations you can do depending on the season (pears are great for the fall season!), likes and dislikes and you could also change out the poppy seed dressing and drizzle some raspberry vinegar or a vinaigrette as an alternative.
In addition, this salad is perfect for entertaining as it can be ready to go in the fridge until dinner is served. I put all the goodies on the bottom of the bowl and place the lettuce on the top. I place a paper towel on top of the lettuce and cover with saran wrap. When ready, toss with dressing and serve.
Poppyseed Dressing:
½ C Sugar
1 tsp. Dry Mustard
1 tsp. Salt
2 Heaping T onion, minced
5 T White Vinegar
1 ½ T Lemon Juice
¾ C Oil
1 ½ T Poppy Seed
In a blender (or an electric mixer works, too) combine: sugar, dry mustard, salt, onion, white vinegar and lemon juice and blend. Slowly add oil. Add poppy seed by hand. Refrigerate.
*This dressing also goes well with fresh fruit salads. A little bit of dressing goes a long way, so slowly add to your ingredients to avoid overdoing it. If you don’t want or have time to make the poppy seed dressing, a great option I use in a pinch is Brianna’s Homestyle Poppy Seed Dressing.
Salad Ingredients:
- Strawberries, sliced (or seasonal fruit such as pears)
- Craisins
- Crumbled Feta
- Lettuce, Spring Mix or Red Leaf
Combine all ingredients together with dressing and enjoy!
Mandarin Walnut Salad:
My neighbor shared this recipe with me many moons ago. She is a fabulous cook so I wasn’t sure I could pull it off, but alas found easy success. Thought it was a great one to pass along.
Dressing Ingredients:
- ¼ C Red wine vinegar
- 1 T Dijon mustard
- 1 Garlic clove, minced
- ¾ C Vegetable oil
- Pinch of sugar
- Salt/Pepper
Combine ingredients in blender or mixer until well blended.
Walnut Ingredients:
- Walnuts
- Balsamic vinegar
- Brown sugar
Soak walnuts in balsamic vinegar for approximately 20 minutes. Roll in brown sugar and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 200 for 20 minutes or until done. (Definitely watch them so they don’t burn!). Dry on parchment or wax paper.
Salad Ingredients:
- 1 Can mandarin oranges
- Green onions, chopped
- Candied walnuts
- Lettuce – spring mix or red leaf (or your preference)
Toss, serve and ENJOY!
DESSERTS
Pumpkin Crunch Cake:
For the fall season, you just can’t beat a dessert with pumpkin in the ingredients. Add in some nuts and well, to me that’s nearly perfection. Honestly the smell alone when baking this is enough to make me happy.
Cake Ingredients:
- 1 – 29oz. Pumpkin puree
- 1 – 12oz. Evaporated milk
- 3 Eggs
- 1 T Cinnamon
- ¾ C – Sugar
- 1 Yellow cake mix with pudding (Pillsbury or other brand)
- 1 C Pecans, chopped
- 2 Sticks butter
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Spray 9×13 pan with non-stick spray.
- Mix first 5 ingredients and pour into pan.
- Spread yellow cake mix over top of mixture in pan
- Spread pecans over cake mix and lightly pat in
- Melt butter and spoon over batter evenly
- Bake 50 minutes or until nuts are golden brown.
Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 pkg. Cream cheese
- ¾ C Powdered sugar
- ¾ C Cool whip
Use mixer to blend ingredients. After cake cools, frost! (*If desired, cake can be baked the night before.)
Brigadeiros:
Many years ago I was a Rotary Exchange Student in Brazil when I took a gap year between high school and college. It was an amazing experience and the people were so kind and welcoming. I came away with so many great memories…and THIS amazing recipe! This delicious sweet is traditionally served at the dessert table, especially at birthday parties.
While it’s a bit more time consuming than my normal criteria would allow, it’s well worth it. A treat my kids LOVE and always reminds me of my time in Mogi Mirim. Que bom! (The directions were from my Brazilian “mom” in Portuguese and then I translated them into English so I hope they make sense.)
Ingredients:
- 2 Cans Condensed Milk
- 1 Can full of Milk (using emptied condensed milk can)
- 4 T Chocolate Powder (I use Nestle)
- Chocolate Sprinkles
- Small paper cups for candy (Amazon)
Mix well all ingredients in pan. On medium-high, stir ingredients 20-30 minutes. When you can easily see the bottom of the pan when stirring with your spoon, take a small amount of the taffy and drop into a cup of water. When you take the taffy out of the water with your hands and it sticks into a ball, it’s ready.
When ready, butter a shallow bowl or pie pan and put taffy in bowl to cool. On a separate plate, pour a layer of the chocolate sprinkles. After taffy has cooled, butter hands and roll into small balls. Roll balls into plate of chocolate sprinkles and place in small paper cups.
Store in tupperware container with lid until ready to serve.
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream:
This recipe was a staple growing up for every 4th of July party I can remember. As a kiddo, Dad always made it a huge production and let us share in pouring the rock salt on the ice as it was churning. Great memories. That, and always ended up having a tummy ache from eating too much…but then doing it again the very next time without fail.
Ingredients:
- 6 Eggs
- 2 ½ C Sugar
- ½ tsp. Salt
- 1 qt. Half & Half
- 1 pint Whipping Cream
- 5 T Vanilla
- 2 T Fresh Lemon Juice
- ½ Gal. Whole Milk
In large bowl, mix first seven ingredients with hand mixer. With the dasher inside the cylinder of the ice cream maker, pour in the mixer. Fill the remainder of the cylinder with whole milk. (My dad’s recipe says to fill it within an inch of the top. However the mixture will expand when frozen. I would allow for more room, closer to 3” from the top would work.)
Pack the sides of the ice cream maker with ice a third of the way up the canister, and sprinkle with about ¼ C of rock salt. Add another layer and repeat until you reach the lid and turn on. Continue to add ice and rock salt as needed. When the engine starts to sound as though it’s straining, you’re done. (The time varies from ice maker to ice maker, but approximately 25-30 minutes.)
*Fun fact: The rock salt is used to lower the freezing point of the water making the ice cream freeze more quickly. And while I’ve never tried it, apparently any salt will work.
Turn off the machine. Remove the dasher from the cylinder. (I suggest having a large bowl ready as it will melt quickly and God forbid you waste any of the deliciousness! Growing up, spooning the ice cream off the dasher was a reserved treat for us kidlets 🙂
Cover the cylinder with a piece of waxed paper and place the lid on the cylinder. The wax paper helps provide a nice seal for the lid. Plug lid with cork (or scrunched up tin foil in a pinch). Pack in ice for several hours and…Enjoy. Let the tummy aches commence!
Hope one of these recipes got you motivated to give one of them a try! Would love to hear how you liked it or modified it to make it even more tasty, so share in the comments. Be sure and check back as I keep adding to the list!
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*Having issues or want to contact me directly? Feel free to reach out at: Shelley@funwithfunsize.com