Now, For Your Easy Appetizer Recipes.
There are heaps of easy appetizer recipes, but do consider how you will carry them to the picnic and if they are suitable for a hot day out in the sun.
Wonderful to have while you set up your
lunch and wine basket.
If you find you really are pushed for time these
really simple appetizers are quicker than easy appetizer recipes.
Myonnaise...or salad cream
Croutons
Pesto ...basil or rocket
Smoked salmon...on French sticks, wraps or with avocado
Basil, Bocconcini and cherry tomato
Tasy olive dip
Puff pastry squares...with caviar or pastrami
LuLu's bread dip
Avocado dip
Nance's cheese toasties
Picnic recipes and appetizer recipes often have mayonnaise or Salad Cream in them, so here is a recipe for you to start with.
Mayonnaise…or Salad Cream.
This homemade flavor is more delicate than commercial mayonnaise and will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for a week.
This can be made using a blender, or by hand, or with an electric beater but a food processor is the easiest to use.
This recipe will also be useful for
salad recipes.
Ingredients
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar
½ teaspoon creamy French mustard( Dijon )
Pinch salt
1 cup olive oil
Method
Beat together egg yolks, mustard and salt until combined
Add oil …slowly… drop by drop, then in a thin stream… while still beating mixture
When mixture is thickened, blend in lemon juice
If you have a problem with curdling… Beat another fresh yolk and gradually blend that into the sauce.
Croutons
They are often tasty with these easy appetizer recipes …so here is a recipe for you.
If this is too much of a fiddle when cooking the picnic recipes then just buy a packet, as I have when assembling
really simple appetizers.
Ingredients and Method
French bread stick sliced fairly thin….or pita bread cut into triangles
Melt 60gm ( 2oz ) of butter and mixed with 1 table spoon of olive oil
Brush this onto bread
Bake in moderate oven for about 5 min or until golden and crisp
A Platter made from Easy Appetizer Recipes
Pesto…Basil or Rocket
Ingredients
2 cups tightly packed with fresh basil or rocket …or half and half of each
4 cloves garlic
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
5-6 tablespoons olive oil
Method
Place basil or rocket, garlic and nuts in blender.
Pulse blender few times.
Add cheese and continue to blend with olive oil pouring in slowly.
If you like a chunky pesto, don’t pulse as long.
You will have a great tasty pesto which you can use as a dip with croutons.
Other suggestions for Pesto…
Chopped, fresh vegetables sticks are great…and very healthy… in pesto for picnic recipes.
Also a desert spoon mixed into a 1/2 cup of olive oil or French dressing can make a yummy salad dressing for easy appetizer recipes…add more pesto for an even more tastier dressing.
Smoked Salmon
Here are some of the appetizer recipes which our family and friends find most popular.
Perhaps you might share some of your picnic recipes with us too...please
contact us
There are so many things… yummy things…you can do with this as an appetizer or main course.
Please make sure you keep it cool.
Smoked Salmon on French Stick Slices
… an old favorite from our picnic recipes.
Ingredients
A small French stick
250 gm ( 8oz ) spreadable cream cheese
Prepared horseradish..approx 1 tablespoon…or more to taste
Packet sliced smoked salmon
Thinly sliced red onion rings
Caper berries
Finely sliced lemon cut into little triangles
Method
Cut the French stick into rounds
Mix horseradish into cream cheese with a fork
Spread on French stick quite generously
Small slices of smoked salmon are placed on this …just as they come from the packet and with a little upward twist so they look appetizing…or just flat if you prefer.
Top with an onion ring and a caper berry.
Finish with finely sliced lemon cut into little triangles
Cracked pepper is optional
Makes about 10 pieces.
Instead of smoked salmon on French stick rounds, this is also tasty on biscuits or little pastry cases...Note the large caper berries too.
Smoked Salmon Wraps
Recently we took this from our picnic recipes and made smoked salmon wrapped around this filling...really yum appetizer recipes.
See these above in the photo of the platter of easy appetizer recipes.
For one…
A teaspoon of cream cheese( can add horseradish )
A caper berry
Small wedge of finely cut lemon
Tie together with a blanched chive
To blanch chives … Pour boiling water into a bowl or deep jug.
Dip chives into this for a few seconds.
Rinse under cold tap.
This makes them pliable for tying.
This easy picnic food looks soo good and is very popular in the picnic recipes.
If you have access to large capers with stems still on, they have quite a delicate flavor and look very exotic.
Smoked salmon and avocado go together very well too,for appetizer recipes.
Make sure you squeeze lemon over avocado to stop oxidation/browning.
This adds a tang to the flavor too.
Just use avocado chunks instead of cream cheese …or as well as.
Tie it with a blanched chive or use a tooth pick.
Dill and chives also go well with smoked salmon and you can add a little sprig in with the ingredients in picnic recipes…or sprinkle chopped chives, or dill, over them.
Basil, Bocconcini and Cherry Tomato for the Picnic Recipes
This is so easy and looks and tastes great so do try it for one of your appetizer recipes.
They also go well with a bowl of pesto to dip them into...
see photo of the easy appetizer recipes platter.
Ingredients
Pot of Bocconcini…those small mild cheese balls in brine
Cherry tomatoes…similar number and size as Bocconcini
Bunch fresh basil
Olive oil
Method
Cut small Bocconcini in halves
Cut cherry tomatoes of similar size, also in halves
Place a fresh basil leaf…or part of if they are too big
Between the cheese and tomato and hold together with a toothpick
They should be a good bite size with basil leaf showing out between the two
Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over these just as they are served
Tasty Olive Dip.
Ingredients
1/2 red onion
½ cup fresh Italian parsley
2 anchovy fillets
Approximately 2 teaspoons of capers
6 pitted green or black olives
Method
Chop fairly finely these ingredients, separately and then combine in a bowl
Combine ¼ cup of good olive oil and 1tablespoon of lemon juice and pour over chopped ingredients and mix carefully
You can make this the day before with your picnic recipes…cover and store in fridge
This dip goes well with French bread, crackers, pita bread or croutons or vegetable sticks for picnic recipes.
Puff Pastry Squares
Here is another of the easy appetizer recipes to add to the picnic recipes, simple but tasty.
…see photo of easy appetizer recipes.
Ingredients and Method
Purchase a good brand of puff pastry and cut into little 2”-3” rectangles or rounds…easy to handle size
Follow instructions for cooking …but because they are such a small size they will only take a few minutes to cook
Just watch them go a golden color and take one out and taste to see if it is cooked
Split the pastry bits and fill with …
Caviar Filling
Mix ingredients together…
250 gm ( 8oz ) cream cheese
2 tablespoons thick cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons red caviar
Or …
Horseradish and pastrami filling
Mix ingredients together…
250 gm ( 8oz ) cream cheese
1/4 pint thick cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
3 teaspoons Horseradish cream
6 slices Pastrami, chopped
2 small gherkins or dill cucumbers, chopped
When taking these pastry picnic recipes to a picnic, you will find it best to prepare them at home… and put the filling in just before eating.
These easy appetizer recipes you can have hot or cold but obviously easier cold when you are picnicking in hot weather.
Another of the really yum picnic recipes.
LuLu’s Bread Dip
This recipe from my sister is one to add to the easy appetizer recipes …great for hungry picnickers.
I have been known to double the picnic recipes if a crowd of people is expected at the picnic.
Ingredients
1 Large round loaf of bread
250gm Philly cheese (1 packet)
6 Slices of ham… chop into small pieces
garlic crushed
pepper to taste
6 spring onions…chopped finely
3 tab spoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice to taste
Method
Cut “lid” off bread and tear inner soft bread into bite size pieces…put to one side
Leave bread crust/ shell whole...like a bowl
Mix all other ingredients together and put into bread shell
Put “lid” back on bread and wrap bread in foil
Warm in oven 150⁰C (300⁰ F ) for 1hour 10 minutes
For the last 20 min take foil off bread and also put soft bread bits in oven to toast
These crunchy bits are dipped into the bread bowl….Yum!
We like these picnic recipes either warm or cold.
Avocado Dip
Ingredients
2 ripe avocados
A good squeeze of lemon
½ cup sour cream
1 ripe tomato
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
Chilli sauce (optional) to taste
Method
Cut avocado in half lengthwise and remove seed
Crush with a fork into creamy chunky bits
Add lemon juice
Roughly chop tomato and onion…fairly fine
Crush or finely chop garlic
Combine avocado with roughly chopped tomato and onion and garlic
This dip is tasty with just these ingredients, but is also tasty with…
The sour cream added.
...And chilli, if you like a bit of bite.
Serve these appetizer recipes with corn chips or croutons.
Nance’s Cheese Toasties
An old family favourite from my Mother’s easy appetizer recipes...always popular with the picnic recipes.
Ingredients
9 slices of bread
2 eggs
2 cups tasty cheese
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Few drop Tabasco sauce
Pinch pepper and salt
Pinch mustard powder...or ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
4-5 chopped rashers of bacon
Pinch Paprika
Method
Cut crusts off and butter bread ( I usually only butter bottom)
Cut rind and excess fat from bacon and chop into small pieces
Beat eggs
Put bacon and Paprika to one side
Combine all other ingredients into egg mixture
Mix together until thick and creamy
Spread on the bread slices
Sprinkle bacon on top
Sprinkle with a little paprika
Cook in oven 150°-160°C ( 300°-325° F ) until brown approx 10-15 mins
These easy appetizer recipes should help you when planning your picnic recipes… they are easy appetizer recipes you can use any time...hot or cold.
Home Page
General picnic ideas.
Picnic Check List
Wondering How to Plan a Picnic? … use our picnic ideas. Don’t forget these basics…
Easy Picnic Food Ideas
Our favorite picnic food ideas are tried and tested and simple.
Really Simple Appetizers
Take the stress from your picnic food ideas.
Lunch Ideas
Delicious picnic recipes
Salad Recipes
How to make popular salad recipes.
Sandwich Recipes
A great selection of sandwich ideas