Let's Start at the Very Beginning

Any good meal begins with a good appetizer.  Yesterday I wrote about making easy desserts that are foolproof for entertaining! Today I want to share some of my favorite easy appetizers that are great for any kind of gathering.  These appetizers are made from ingredients that you keep in the pantry just in case someone pops by and you need to throw something together.  All of these are also guaranteed crowd pleasers and folks will rave about your entertaining skills. Think, girl’s night, wine, and apps.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Pimento Cheese Crostinis: My girlfriend Kristi told me about these at our recent girls weekend. Grab some French rounds, pimento cheese, and honey from the store.  Fresh Market has wonderfully premade French rounds but you could also use slices of French bread.  Preheat the oven to 350. Place slices of French bread or crostinis on a baking sheet.  Place a scoop of pimento cheese on each slice and bake for 2-3 minutes.  Drizzle with honey and serve immediately.

Bacon Wrapped Dates: Bacon.  Need I say more?  We are a Wright’s Brand family.  Grab some pitted dates (do not forget to get pitted) and toothpicks.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice each piece of bacon into thirds. [Aside:  Craig said if I have to tell you which direction you shouldn’t be in the kitchen anyway]. Wrap each date with a 1/3 slice of bacon, place a toothpick to tie the bacon tightly around the date.  Place on a greased baking sheet and bake on 375 until the bacon is crispy. Roughly 20 minutes.

Marinara Puffs:  Y’all. I tried serving these once and caused a grease fire.  That’s how bad my guests wanted them.  We took our lives into our own hands.  [Luckily, I had an extinguisher handy and phoned a friend to grab some salsa and guacamole from the local Mexican restaurant as a back-up plan].  To make the marinara puffs pick up some puff pastry from the freezer section.  In addition, shredded Parmesan, olive oil, salt and cracked pepper, and marinara sauce.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Unfold and stack two sheets of puff pastry on a baking sheet and slice into one-inch squares.  Brush olive oil across the pastry sheets and cover with shredded Parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place the pastry squares into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Pour the marinara into a serving dish for dipping.  Serve with toothpicks and enjoy!