Summer Entertaining: Easy Appetizers + Dessert

One of my favorite things about summer is all of the entertaining opportunities. During the winter months, it seems like people need a lot more notice to get together. When the sun is out and the weather is warm, there is a joie de vivre in the air…a carpe diem floating in on waves of humidity. Here are a few summer appetizers you can throw together at a moment’s notice for that last-minute get-together you were just invited to. And if you weren’t invited to any, call up a few friends and have them swing by!

Muffuletta Stacks

This was inspired by a recipe I saw in “O” magazine this month. I picked up all the ingredients at Costco, used some bamboo skewers I had lying around, and had an app assembled in under 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

Cured meat such as salami, proscuitto, or capicola (I bought the “Gourmet 3 Pack”)
Hard or semi-hard cheese such as gouda, gruyere, or BellaVitano (I used this from Costco- has a splash of balsamic in it- LOVE!)
Focaccia (Rosemary Parmesan is delish)
Pitted kalamata olives
Skewers
Optional: Washi tape

Assemble with the olive on the skewer first, followed by the meat, bread then cheese last. I used hard cheese in cubes so I could have the skewers stand up. You can add a strip of washi tape folded in half at the end of the skewer for a decorative touch!

Proscuitto Asparagus Flatbread

I used the Simple Mills Artisan Bread mix, which is made with almond flour so it is gluten-free, to make this recipe easy yet fresh.

Ingredients:
Asparagus
Focaccia bread mix
Shredded cheese, such as gruyere
Proscuitto
Optional: Fresh rosemary, sea salt

Bake bread according to directions (sprinkle with optional rosemary and sea salt) and pull out of the oven with 7-10 minutes left. Place shredded cheese on the bread, followed by slices of proscuitto and topped with asparagus. Pop back in the oven until the asparagus are crisp-tender and the bread is cooked through.

You can buy the Simple Mills mixes on Amazon- here is a link to the 3-pack with PRIME shipping!

Fruit Cookie Bark

I came up with this one when someone in my household cut a huge chunk out of the massive cookie I had planned for fruit pizza. I just broke the rest into chunks, slathered with cream cheese frosting, and decorated with fresh fruit. It actually worked out well because people were able to pick the pieces!

Ingredients:

Sugar cookie dough (grab it in the tube- much easier)
Cream cheese frosting (8 oz. cream cheese- softened, 1 stick softened unsalted butter, 1 cup confectioner’s sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, all blended together)
Assorted fresh cut fruit

Roll cookie dough on cookie sheet and bake according to directions. Mix up frosting while baking. Let cookie cool, then break into manageable chunks. Frost each, add cut fruit.

I hope you enjoy your summer entertaining adventures! If the weather is crap or things don’t turn out perfectly, c’est la vie! Have another cocktail and carry on!