Return to the Cookery index page
Background image provided by 
Text ©1992 by Sam Waring. All rights reserved.
Created: Sun, 15 Aug 2004 at 03:17:42 UTC
It it’s Tuuuuuues-daaaaay, this must be Belgium . . . uh . . . that is, if it’s December, it must be time for holiday parties. Now I’m as fond of a party as the next guy and I’m certainly willing to bring a nosh, but I have to admit that spending hours doing fiddly little crustless bridge sandwiches and canapé thingies is something that I’m not about to do. I don’t have the time (and I’m not going to believe that you do, either), and besides, that’s more like work than I want to do. What this means, in everyday terms, is that I’m not going to take a whole wheel of Brie and arrange alternating wedges of orange and black caviar on top (even though it’s not that hard, it’s horribly expensive), and I’m not going to carve radishes, cucumbers, carrots and so on into exotic and artistic flowers. I’d be more likely to carve myself instead. You remember those old warnings: “Kids! Don’t try this at home. Remember—we are professionals”? Well, that applies to party refreshments too. When I want that kind of an effect, I’ll hire someone. After all, what’s money for? . . . besides housing, clothing, food, utilities, transportation, credit card bills . . . aw, forget I asked.
Hence, I’m always looking for party nibbles that either don’t take a lot of work or, even better, will do themselves while I’m doing something more fun. At the real low end of that scale would be things such as blender dip (throw a packet of instant onion-soup mix into a pound of cottage cheese; whirl both in the blender). While it gets you by, everybody knows that one (and everybody’s likely to do it, too, since they are as busy as you are). At the high end is the previously mentioned wheel of Brie with caviar wedges, which is ostentatious and fattening and if you can afford it, please come to my next party and bring one. So what would be my list for the ideal party food? Let’s see . . . gotta be quick and/or easy to make, preferably doesn’t contain a ton of calories and fat, can co-exist with drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Well, at least we’ll try for two of three.
The first of these recipes is one that my wife collected from a friend in a square-dance club many years ago. It actually meets all the criteria pretty well; about the only thing I wouldn’t advise doing is eating it with a very sweet wine.
| 2 pounds fresh mushrooms | 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley |
| ¼ cup lemon juice | ½ teaspoon salt |
| ½ cup cider vinegar | ½ teaspoon sugar |
| ¼ cup water | 1/8 teaspoon dried orégano |
| 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion | 1/8 teaspoon black pepper |
| 2 tablespoons minced garlic |
Cover the mushrooms with water in a large Dutch oven; add the lemon juice, mixing well. Bring to a boil and simmer one minute, then drain. Combine the remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour over the mushrooms and toss them lightly. Place the mushrooms in a shallow container, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
The second one is a party classic, but no one ever claimed it was low-fat. That aside, if you take a batch of them to a party, it’s a good bet that you won’t have any left to take home. They’re a lot like Lay’s potato chips—bet you can’t eat just one.
| 1 pound bulk sausage (hot or mild, to taste) | 2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese |
| 3 cups Bisquick or other biscuit mix |
Combine all ingredients and shape into balls the size of small walnuts. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350 F. for fifteen minutes.
NOTE: These can be made ahead and frozen. Defrost and reheat at 350 F.
first ran: December 1992
Return to the Cookery index page
Background image provided by
Text ©1992 by Sam Waring. All rights reserved.