Party Food - Balls!

I had a party recently and after a bit of contemplation, rather than order pizza, I decided on this strategy: Finger foods, one nice cocktail and a killer dessert. Everything came out great, and quite easy. Here are the recipes I used:

Cocktail - Whiskey Slush

I found this drink online.  All the recipes I found called for concentrated frozen orange juice and lemonade, but since I couldn't find those here, I adjusted it and came up with this.

2 cups whiskey (I used Jack)
3 cups Orange Juice
2-3 lemons (I would put in more next time, I like it tart)
4 cups sweetened, chilled black tea (I saw some recipes which used green tea)

Blend the ingredients, pour into a tray and slide into your freezer - I have a tiny freezer but I somehow managed it. Chill overnight if possible. Once it's set, scrape and scoop into a glass and top it off with a little ginger ale or other soda, lemon slice and a cherry. This makes plenty of drink to go around for a party of 6-10+ depending on how much of a lush your guests are. It comes out like a fancy, boozy slushy, so yummy!

Cheese Spread
I also had some blue cheese I wanted to use.  Toasted, chopped walnuts, blue cheese and cream cheese, mixed together and severed with sliced baguette and crackers. I should have thrown in some dried cranberries - I had those too!


Meatballs
Inspired by the 'Throwdown with Bobby Flay' episode, I made these Grandma Maroni's Meatballs.  They are divine. I had them in the freezer, already cooked, so just had to throw them in the oven for 20 minutes to heat through.


Broccoli Balls

I had a bunch of broccoli in my fridge and freezer that I wanted to use, so after some research I merged a few recipes and made this.

2 cups chopped steamed broccoli
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup grated cheese (your choice)
1/4 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
1 t oregano
1 t basil
S & P
4-5 eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used panko)

Sauté onions and garlic. Mix with all the other ingredients in a bowl. Roll the mixture into 2-3 inch balls (you can coat them again in some bread crumbs if you like), mine were about golf ball size. Bake on an oiled baking sheet at 175 C (350 F) for 30-40 minutes. Flip over half-way to brown both sides.

This recipe was fantastic. I am definitely going to be making this again, and experimenting with more ingredients because my kid liked it too. I may add some mashed beans in next time...

Dipping Sauces
And of course, you gotta dip those balls! So I made several dipping sauces. One was just a simple marinara, from a jar. Another was greek yogurt seasoned with chopped mint, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper. And finally a spinach-yogurt dip (I always make this - it's just steamed spinach, chilled and mixed with yogurt, salt and pepper), which was also nice with just bread or crackers.

Dessert - Rum Raisin Chocolate Cake:
I had made some rum raisins earlier, thinking to add them to ice cream, but the ice cream we had sucked so I searched for another recipe. I came across this one and couldn't resist. It was so worth it.

And that's it - The balls were a big hit. Gotta try cake balls next time and make a theme out of it!

Lemon Pepper

You can use this marinade/rub  on anything from chicken to veggies or fish.  It's easy and much healthier than using the store bought pre-made lemon pepper seasoning which is full of extra salt and who knows what else.  And it tastes better.  It's amazing how much flavor the lemon zest has, and how little we utilize it.  This recipe is simple but has such a bold taste.

Ingredients:
Zest of one lemon - this is the yellow part of the skin, not the white part which is bitter
Salt
Pepper
2-3 cloves fresh garlic
Olive Oil

Using either a grater or lemon zester (The one I have, in the picture below, is the easiest I have used because you can really get all the zest in just a few swipes), take the zest of one lemon.  Chop in sea salt, freshly ground pepper and garlic until you get a fine, even consistency (doesn't have to be perfect).  You can also drizzle in some nice olive oil for a moister rub.  Add this seasoning to your meat of veggie before cooking, and give it a good rub.  The best methods of cooking are grilling or baking.  Using the lemon zest is also a good alternative to using the juice of the lemon, because it keeps the meat drier, thus allowing for a nicer sear.  Plus the zest has all the flavor!

You can also add a couple spoons of honey to the marinade for a slightly sweeter flavor and crispy glazed crust.