Party Food Means We Need More Reasons To Party

Last night I threw Steve a surprise party in honor of his big 3-0 milestone and I must say I was thrilled to have an excuse to make good party food! For some reason, there are foods that only come out at party time - its just not fair! These foods should have more time to shine, right? ;) At any rate, several people requested recipes for the various delectables so I thought it might be easiest to compile them in one place rather than creating several facebook notes. A couple of these are recipes others have passed on to me and some I have adapted for the sake of my need to make things easier/spicier/etc… Enjoy!

BLT Stuffed Tomatoes 
What a better way to enjoy a tomato than stuffed with bacon?! And wow, this would make a great spread on a pita with a big slice of tomato too! YUM!! You will totally eat a few while making these, so make extra.

50 Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
2lbs bacon, Chopped and cooked (or crumbled - its your preference, I leave mine in small chunks)
1/2+c chopped green onion (I lean toward a whole cup, use less for less kick)
1/2c MAYO (You may need to add more than 1/2c if you add the extra onions if your mix gets too thick, just add another heaping spoon or 1/4c, no need to be exact!)

Halve all of the tomatoes and scoop out the insides - set aside. In a medium bowl, mix the bacon, mayo and onions. Spoon the mixture into the tomatoes and refrigerate until ready to serve.

*NOTES* When picking the tomatoes in the store, pay attention to how skinny they are. Fat ones are way easier to stuff. Also, this recipe just doesn't taste the same with Miracle Whip. This is one time I actually break down and buy mayo, trust me on this!

Cheese Tortellini and Pesto Dip - Courtesy of Kelly Hyer ;)
Pretty sure I called/emailed my dear friend Kelly half a dozen times for this recipe before I finally remembered to write it down. Its so simple but SO good. Thank you for sharing!


1 large container of refrigerated tortellini (like Bertolli)
1 large container whipped cream cheese
1 container pesto sauce (from that refrigerated pasta section in your grocery store)
Juice from 1/2 lemon

Boil noodles according to directions, rinse and drain well and let them cool. Be sure to separate the noodles - I spread them out on a paper towel or wax paper lined sheet pan (so I don't dirty the pan!) then put them in the fridge in a ziploc or lovely container. In the midst of all of this, mix the cream cheese with the pesto and then start adding the lemon juice. Add a little, mix and taste. Add more if you wish - some like more/less lemon, so its your call on that (see how we give you options here?!) Thats how we roll.

Bruschetta
So fresh and so garlicky - fabulous on toasted baguette slices, pita chips, regular chips, pretty much anything. I LOVE bruschetta. The best part about this is that the garlic gets stronger as it sits and gets to work out its awesomeness. So it just keeps getting better and better (if it lasts that long).

3 Roma tomatoes, deseeded and diced (super important to get the soupy guts out)
2T Fresh Basil
1T Fresh Parsley
4 cloves GARLIC
1t Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese (optional, I add enough to make it look like an equal ingredient)

*Notes* The rough thing about this recipe is that these ingredients are all "to taste". I always add way more than the recipe calls for, and WAY more garlic! Also, after the munching on this last night I realized that it needed more olive oil - when you start with a giant bag of tomatoes and there isn't just a "3 cups of diced tomatoes" type of recipe, its a learning thing I suppose. But you'll notice this tastes a bit dry - just add a little more EVOO.

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade With Strawberry Lime Ice Cubes
I'm pretty sure we've always tripled this recipe - if you are going to go through the effort to make real lemonade, you may as well go all out. This is our favorite summer drink - definitely not just a party treat at our house!


2qts Water
1 1/3c sugar (more/less to taste)
1 1/3c fresh lemon juice (yep, squeeze it!)
1 container strawberries, chopped/diced
1 11.5oz can strawberry margarita or plain margarita frozen concentrate mix

Put the chopped strawberries into ice cube trays filling 1/3 to 1/2 full. Mix the concentrate and 1 can of water in a pitcher and pour to fill the ice cube trays - freeze. Combine the 2qts of water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to combine. Reduce to a simmer and stir until sugar is dissolved - takes just a minute or two. Take off the heat and let it cool a little before you put it in a pitcher to chill it. Makes 8 cups.



Knock You Naked Brownies - Adapted from Pioneer Woman
These brownies were amazing - and the name was a riot and provided great conversation starters and jokes all evening long. I adapted the recipe slightly to make it easier as I am not a double broiler kind of girl, nor am I about to sit and unwrap 120 caramels. If you are up for that type of thing, check out her version on her website.


2 pkg German Chocolate Cake Mix (I know, I know, just buy this flavor. Its lonely anyway)
1c margarine, melted (she uses butter, you can too if you so fancy)
1 12oz can evaporated milk
3 bags Kraft Caramel Bits
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c finely chopped pecans (I left these out as we are no-nuts-in-brownie people)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees In medium bowl, mix cake mixes, melted margarine and 2/3c of the evaporated milk.  Add the nuts if you are nutty. The mixture is going to be super thick - no worries! Divide it in half - spread one half in the bottom of a well greased13x9 baking dish. Bake for 8-10 minutes. In medium saucepan, melt caramels and the remainder of the can of milk (just over 2/3 cup if you feel the need to measure) on medium low heat for about 3-4 minutes. After a minute or two, get a quick whisk in to break up the remaining clumps. Pour the caramel over the first layer of brownie that you just pulled out (I saved out about 1/2 -2/3c because it looked full). Then dump the bag of chocolate chips on top. Then, you take the remaining dough and it needs to go on top. My first attempt on Friday was not quite as pretty as I would have liked - however, since I got a second attempt today for Steve's birthday Round Two, I tried a new trick, so this is what I would recommend: WAX PAPER! I baked this in my pyrex pan and in the first go, I just formed the dough in the lid and tried to flip it over on top. Not so hot. This time I lined the lid with wax paper and it came off perfectly, impressing even me ;)  After you have the top layer on, this pan of delicious goo goes into the oven for 20-25 minutes. When it comes out, let it cool and THEN, you have to let it sit in the fridge for several hours so the caramel can gel the two layers together so it doesn't all fall apart when you cut into them, etc. After you've let them sit for several hours - like 3 or 4, seriously - take them out and dust the whole thing with a good coating of powdered sugar. I was going to drizzle the remaining caramel on top but I totally forgot! Then cut into them and scoop them out onto the platter or into a tin to give them away. You do not want these sitting in your house ;)

DQ Cake and Knock You Naked Brownies ;)

*NOTE* Make this in an 8x8 with one pkg cake mix, 1/2c margarine and 1/3c evap milk. Then for the caramel sauce I would use 1 bag of the chips, 1/3 cup milk and only use half bag of chocolate chips for that goo layer...