Easy Summer Appetizers

I love to entertain, I love to cook, and I love easy! I firmly believe that entertaining is meant to be time spent with friends and family – not time spent prepping and working. And to that end….Here are some of my favorite tasty and easy summer appetizers.

Best Ever Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs really are a simple appetizer, and most everyone seems to enjoy them. Just watch how quickly a plate of deviled eggs disappears at your next gathering. You can easily make them up ahead of time and store them lightly covered in the refrigerator. When I serve these at home I simply plate a few at a time so that the egg and mayonnaise mixture never sits out too long. I certainly do not want to make anyone sick! The recipe that I most often use can be found on the blog post Three Excellent Ways to Use Your Hard-Boiled Eggs!

Blue Cheese Crumbles

This is one of my all-time favorite appetizers! Seven simple ingredients mixed together ahead of time – Yes, this one has to be made ahead of time to allow the flavors to blend and meld. Scrumptious bites of tangy blue cheese on a cracker or slice of green apple. So good! The recipe can be found on the post Blue Cheese Crumbles. Not much more to say about this one, but if you love blue cheese the way I do, it is a must try!

Prosciutto Wrapped Melon Bites

Summertime melon is the best! Simply take a bite size of melon and wrap it into the best prosciutto that your deli offers, poke a cocktail stick into it, and you have a tasty bite size appetizer that is sweet, salty and juicy. What is not to love about that!

Red Potato Bites

These tasty potato bites come warm out of the oven, but they are enjoyable warm or sitting at room temperature. The can also be fully prepped the night before and popped into the oven straight from the fridge. Easy-peasy entertaining!

Red Potato Bites Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

24 Small Red Potatoes, scrubbed clean
Sour Cream
Bacon Pieces (I used the bagged bacon pieces that you buy in the salad dressing aisle.
You can always fry up 3-4 strips of bacon if you prefer. I didn’t want the mess)
Finely Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place red potatoes into a stock pan, add enough water to cover.
2. Bring water to boil and boil for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender, but still firm.
3. Drain and dry potatoes – allow to cool slightly.
4. Cut 20 potatoes in half and using small melon scooper scoop out center of each half leaving a rim of potato still in the skin. Reserve potato meat.
5. Chop up four remaining potatoes (skin included) and add to reserved potato.
6. Add sour cream (a tablespoon at a time) to potatoes until you get the creamy consistency that you like. I used about four tablespoons.
7. Add in 3 tablespoons (or there about – depending on your taste) of bacon pieces.
8. Add 2 tablespoons of finely shredded cheddar cheese.
9. When ingredients are fully mixed in, add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Using a spoon, scoop mixture into each potato half and place onto baking sheet.
11. Sprinkle with more shredded cheddar cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
12. Platter and serve. I readied the potatoes completely the night before (to the point that they were then ready to be baked) and covered tightly with saran warp and placed in the fridge.