A little soiree

I had some friends over on Friday night. Its rare that I get to entertain so when I do I go all out. (Hint people, visit me more often!)

So yes, I made quite a bit of snacks. I really wanted to use some of the serving trays I got as wedding gifts so I based my snacks around those.

First was the 3 bowl serving tier:

On top, some homemade hummus, in the middle garlic & tyhme dip, and on the bottom a ratatouille dip. I served these with some garlic pita toasts.

Hummus
Courtesy of Jill(who couldn't be present but was represented)
One 15oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
2 teaspoons bottle lemon juice
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
Bottle of wine

Pour a glass of wine. Puree the beans. They don’t have to be completely smooth: in fact a little
texture is a good thing. Drink some wine, so it doesn’t matter. In a bowl, mix the pureed beans
with the remaining ingredients. (If it’s too thick for you, add a little extra oil or some water.) Or
drink some more and you won’t care.
Garlic & Thyme Dip
Found on http://definitelynotmartha.blogspot.com, orginally from Epicurious **
1 tablespoon (packed) fresh thyme leaves
1/2 garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 71/2-ounce package farmer cheese or one 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream

Blend first 4 ingredients in processor until garlic is finely chopped, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Add cheese and sour cream; blend well. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer to serving bowl; chill 30 minutes. (Dip can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

Ratatouille Dip
I'll have to get back to you on this one. I can't remember where I found it.

Garlic Pita Toasts
Courtesy of Jill(who couldn't be present but was represented)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Three 6 inch rounds pita bread

Heat Oven to 350 Degrees. Drink more of the aforementioned wine. Pour the oil into a small
bowl, sprinkle with garlic powder, and stir. Brush the oil lightly all over the pita round. If you
don’t have a brush, just drizzle a little and rub with your fingers. You might be drunk at this point, so it may not matter in neatness.
Bake on baking sheet for about 10 minutes, or until the wedges have gotten crisp on top.
Finish off the bottle of wine.

Next a little anti-pasta platter
In the middle are some marinated olives, courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis, Everyday Italian
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cup Sicilian cracked green olives or other green olives
1 1/2 cup kalamata olives
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

In a medium size heavy skillet, stir the oil, lemon zest and red pepper flakes over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat & stir in the olives. Add the lemon juice and basil, toss to coat. Transfer the olive mixture to a container. Cover and refrigerate to allow the flavors to blend, stirring occasionally, about 12 hours.
Bring the olive mixture to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Transfer the olive mixture to a small bowl & serve.

I also did a tier of bruschetta/crostini.

This was a basic tomato bruschetta: tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, balsamic viniagrette. This was a roasted red pepper topping, I need to locate that recipe as well...

This was a sun-dried tomato & chickpea topping, From Giada, Everyday Italian
1 large garlic clove
1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained & rinses
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained & coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil
1.4 cup fresh Italian parsley
Lemon zest for garnish

To Make Crostini: preheat oven to 375F. Place baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, and lightly brush with oil. Toast in the oven until golden, about 8 minutes.

To Make Dip: Mince garlic in a food processor. Add the chickpeas, lemon juice, 2 Tbsp water, salt & pepper. Process until mixture is almost smooth. While the machine is running, gradually blend in the oil. Process mixture until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add sun-dried tomatoes and the herbs. Blend until the tomatoes and herbs are finely chopped.

So this all looks like a lot right? Well the best part is all of it could be made the night before. All I had to do on Friday was put it on the serving trays and voila!
Thanks for the night of fun ladies!!