Book Club Menu - Appetizers and Wine

This week has been insane... like crazy insane! And of top of my crazy schedule, I am hosting book club this month. I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to host book club with a 5 month old and a house covered in baby clothes, play mats, and toys in every shade of pink?!! I have exactly one day to pull my house together and pull off a delicious menu. I decided to keep it simple and just make two appetizers this time and offer wine and limeade for our beverage options. The two recipes listed below are from my Appetizer Board on Pinterest and seem pretty easy and quick to pull together. In  addition to these appetizers, I am going to serve hummus and pita chips... delicious and easy!

these cucumber feta cheese bites are gonna be perfect for snacking

this garlic feta cheese dip has all of my favorite ingredients and perfect for pita chips

I am only about half way through the current book club selection and I doubt I will finish by tomorrow. It has been a great book so far, so I plan to finish it soon and will post a review when I do. Even though the week is crazy, I am still looking forward to getting together with my girlfriends and have a good time!

Book Club Menu

This month I am hosting book club again and planning a delicious holiday appetizer menu for our gathering. Since it is the holidays and we are all trying to avoid the 'dreaded holiday weight gain', I have planned my entire menu around Hungry Girl recipes from Food Network. Hungry Girl (aka Lisa Lillian) has written several books about how you can enjoy delicious recipes with far fewer calories just by making a few swaps. Here is the menu I will be preparing for the girls:

• BLT Wonton Crunchies - delicious bit size blt wonton cups and only 93 calories for 2 filled wontons
• Four Cheese Stuffed-Silly Mushrooms - these are packed with cheese and only 118 calories for 3 stuffed mushrooms
• Hungry, Hungry Artichoke Hummus - easy to make homemade hummus and only 56 calories per 1/4 cup (the recipe makes 8 servings)

I am looking forward to having the girls over and discussing the book, "Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Heels" by Ree Drummond. This menu will be a perfect compliment to our gathering and will help us all avoid the holiday bulge!

Football Food

College Football Season is one of our favorite times of year in our house and our two favorite teams are always a blast to watch. The Nebraska Huskers have been my favorite college team since I started watching football and the Utah Utes are my next favorite team from my home city of Salt Lake. Watching the games is the perfect way to spend a fall afternoon and of course enjoy delicious (and sometimes sinful) football food. Here are a few recipes we will be enjoying during this year's college football season... hope you try a few and enjoy watching your favorite teams!

• Toasted Ravioli with Marina Sauce - an italian twist to original football finger food

• Loaded Baked Potato Dip -the perfect dip for fries (waffle fries are the best!) or chips

• Mini Tacos - delicious tacos in bite size cups... perfect finger food

Book Club Menu

I am getting ready to host book club next month and I can't wait to put together a delicious menu for the girls. I love hosting our book club meetings because I feel like I have the perfect set-up for our gathering... we have a huge comfy couch that sits about eight people and a great ottoman for the trays of goodies and wine glasses. Here is the delicious menu I will be preparing for our book club gathering:

• Red Sangria - I love the combination of wine and brandy and it is so beautiful

• Seven Layer Greek Dip with Pita Chips - a new twist on the perfect dip for snacking

• Baked Parmesan Tomatoes - a new twist on caprese salad and oozing with parmesan cheese

• Pumpkin Pie Bites - the perfect fall dessert and bite size makes them even more adorable

 

I am really looking forward to discussing this month's book club selection, Those Who Save Us, with all of the girls. This book has been a great read and very thought provoking and I am anxious to see if the other girls enjoyed the book!

Cheesy Artichoke Cups

This afternoon I hosted a lunch and movie afternoon for some of my girlfriends and I made this delicious appetizer recipe called Cheesy Artichoke Cups, from Pampered Chef's website. This recipe was easy to make, delicious, and the presentation was beautiful! I made a few modifications to the recipe (as I often do), and instead of olives I used sliced green onions. I also added a bit of whipped cream cheese in addition to the mayo to give the recipe some extra creaminess. I hope you make this recipe for your next get together with friends and family and I can assure you that it will be a hit!