Friday 7 September 2012

Easy Breezy Antipasto Kabobs + Mini Kabobs!

As summer comes to an end, we are all trying to squeeze in the last couple get-togethers and BBQ's. Today I am offering a couple of really easy appetizers for your next gathering! Everything to create these little bites can be bought at your local grocery store. I just love these things! The ingredients and assembly are simple and it's also nutritious. I made these twice in the past couple weeks and each time they were gobbled up. My husband and I went to a neighbors for a BBQ and we all ended up talking about ways in which you could make these different by adding other unique ingredients. Love food that is not only yummy but also a great conversation piece, haha. 

FIRST UP....Antipasto Kabobs!




Ingredient List:
Black Olives (pitted)
Salami (packaged and found in the deli section or packed lunch meat/cheese section of grocery)
Tortellini (I used a 3-cheese, but you can choose what you like)
Small Cherry Tomatoes
Basil Leaves
Mozzarella Balls (use the small round "bite-size" variety, found in most groceries. I even found them at Target!)
Pepperoni (packaged)
Kalamata Olives (pitted)
Wooden Kabob Sticks (I found medium sized ones at Whole Foods. They had a really nice variety of sizes) 
Pesto Sauce
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar

 These are all the ingredients you will need

Directions: Cook tortellini according to package instructions, drain and set in a bowl along side your other ingredients. This is a very simple appetizer, you can arrange the ingredients in any order you would like. I started mine with the kalamata olive, pepperoni, mozzarella ball, basil leave, tomato, tortellini, salami and lastly, the black olive. 


You can also add other ingredients if you don't care for the ones listed above. I next time, might add another wedge of some kind of other cheese aside from the mozzarella. If you love garlic, you could add roasted garlic cloves. They sell them at Whole Foods at the antipasto bar! Yum! These are so versatile, you could do practically anything.  

I made these in advance of when I needed them, placed them in the fridge inside gallon zip lock bags and when it was time to serve I spread a generous helping of the pesto sauce onto the serving platter. Next I arranged the kabobs into an attractive assortment on platter and then drizzled a light helping of olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top of them. 

YUUUM!!

NEXT UP...MINI KABOBS!


These are fun to make if you are looking for something light to serve before a dinner gathering or even as a light, refreshing snack with a glass of wine! Note, the cute embroidered towel! Made by our dear friend, Fawn Harmon. You can find all her hand-made items at www.fawnharmon.com 

Ingredients:
Toothpicks
Basil Leaves 
Small Cherry Tomatoes
Cheese Cubes (we used cheese curds found at some specialty grocery stores and pasta markets)

Directions:Take a basil leave and stick one end into a toothpick (let the other half of leave hang off while you place your cheese and tomato onto pick. Once you have placed the cheese and tomato, you will take the other end of the basil leave and stick it onto the toothpick, creating a "boat like" look.

Wa-la...done and ready to enjoy! If you so desire, you can also drizzle these with balsamic and/or olive oil. We enjoyed them without as the cheese curds had been marinated in olive oil and herbs.



Hoping everyone will try this and let us know if you use other ingredients! We would love to hear how to make these differently. Hoping you all have a fun upcoming weekend. My husband, JJ and I are off to the Western Washington Fair this afternoon to enjoy the festivities and also see Willy Nelson perform....yeeehaw!!

~Amy


 

 

3 comments:

  1. Looks really delicious. Love the towel, too!!

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  2. I love my embroidered towels by Fawn, they make me smile!

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  3. These are perfect for our Easter brunch! Thanks! Dee

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