My "Go To" Party Recipes

Several of my friends have asked me to give them recipes I make for them often. I call them my “go to” recipes. So, today I’m posting a few of them for you all to enjoy! It also serves as an online recipe book for me – good news incase my cookbooks get lost in the shuffle of moving! Today I’m featuring my “go to” party recipes. More recipes to come in the future.

Fresh Salsa

1 Red pepper

1 Yellow pepper

1 can black beans

1 can corn

Cilantro (to taste)

3 tomatoes

¼ red onion

2 TBS EVOO

Lemon and/or lime juice to taste

Of course, you can vary the ingredients however you like. If you’re not a big fresh tomato fan, try a can of tomatoes. The original recipe actually called for a vinegar and oil combo. I don’t care much for vinegar so I used lemon/lime juice instead. Simply chop all of the veggies up and toss them in a bowl with the oil and lemon and/or lime juice. Serve with your favorite corn chips. This batch makes A LOT – so if you’re not making it for a party, you may want to cut it in half. Thanks to Bev Easterhaus for this recipe!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained, finely chopped

1 pkg. (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained

¾ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (fresh is best)

¾ cup mayonnaise

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

½ tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients until well blended. Bake 20 minutes or until heated through and cheeses are melted. Serve with Tostitos, blue chips, or crackers…your choice. You can double this recipe to fill a 13x9x2 pan. Thanks to Gail Pontius for this winner of an appetizer! *Special note – if you’re looking for easy – choose this recipe!

Homemade Pizza

1 TBS yeast

1 cup warm water

1TBS sugar

2 ½ cups flour

1 tsp salt

2 TBS vegetable oil

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Place yeast, sugar, and warm water in a bowl. Stir to dissolve the yeast. Add the remaining ingredients and stir vigorously for 20 strokes. Knead the dough with your hands (add flour as necessary) and cover with a towel to let the dough rise. When the dough has almost doubled in size, (about 30-45 minutes) punch it down and spread it on your pizza pan/stone. I prefer pizza stones because the dough seems to rise better on them. DO NOT put your pizza toppings on yet. Instead, bake the crust without the toppings for 5-7 minutes. Then add your favorite toppings and bake 15-20 minutes at 450 degrees. Thanks to my cousin, Debbie Sue, for this scrumptious recipe! It’s a unanimous favorite among my small group girls.

Holiday Fruit Punch

2 cups cranberry juice

1 cups pineapple juice

6 oz. can frozen lemonade

6 oz. can frozen orange juice

10 oz. package frozen raspberries

1 large lime, sliced

1 quart ginger ale

30 ice cubes

If you want to make the punch in advance, simply combine all except last two ingredients and place in sealed container in freezer. On the serving day, remove container from freezer and place frozen mixture in punch bowl. Add ginger ale and ice prior to serving. Otherwise, combine all the ingredients and serve immediately. I found this in a recipe book that specialized in making meals in advance. Unfortunately, I forget the title of the book! It’s the best punch recipe I’ve ever found though. And I make it on any special occasion – not just during the holidays.

So what are you waiting for? Go plan a party and eat up!