Fancy Schmancy!

 

My mom and I co-hosted a Pampered Chef party while I was home last week. My mom LOVES throwing parties, and any one who has been to one of her parties knows you're going to have a good time, or at least some great food to eat.  Needless to say, the pressure was on to make some great PC food, in addition to some other recipes that she had been wanting to try.

Today, I want to share with you an appetizer that didn't take too long to make, but it impressed the socks off of everyone: Honey Apple Brie Bites.  At first, when I read through the recipe, I was a bit worried about the Phyllo cups.  As you may well remember, phyllo and I DO NOT get along!  I think I just don't have the patience, or maybe my hands aren't dainty enough, but either way, I did not want to repeat that ordeal again...especially in a high stress challenging situtation like one of my mother's parties...

Luckily, this recipe calls for pre-made phyllo cups, and I didn't even have to work that hard to hunt them down.  They were waiting for me right in the dessert section of the grocery store.

The recipe is easy to follow, and they were quick to make, although 30 mini phyllo cups don't really hold all the stuffing I made.  I could probably have cut everything in half and still been okay.  There may be bigger cups that weren't at my grocery store, but the mini ones really don't hold a lot.  Luckily, everyone LOVED them, and 10 people when through about 22 cups in the blink of an eye.  On the plus side, everyone wanted the recipe, and they were also super impressed with how easy they were to make.

I'll make these again, and maybe I'll find bigger cups to use.  Regardless, they ROCKED, and deserve a second feeding - maybe I'll even make some for my husband!

Yeah, I can't really do fancy, but I certainly can try!!

As an added bonus, my best friend also hosted a small party while I was in town.  We did a far less challenging menu, and made it more of a playdate for her mommy friends.  Works for me, a show is a show!

However, she made the most amazingly simple munchy that I had to share...

I couldn't believe this - it was so tasty!  All she did was take a Ziploc, Gallon Size, bag and add 1 bag of oyster crackers, drizzled about 2 T of oil, and added one packet of  Kraft Ranch Salad Dressing, and then she shook the whole thing to mix well.  She said you can add about 1/2 cup of oil and let it sit so it melts in your mouth when you eat it, but who needs all those calories?!  It was delicious as is.

See?  The Pampered Jes can take you to either side of the appetizer spectrum...  we've got something for everyone, so tell you friends to stop by - and eat up, because there's more to come!