A few more appetizers to add to our three part series about the Wedding Shower and then we’ll move on to other things.  Not to say that these last two “bites” are to be dismissed.  I definitely think you should try them.  Once is so simple that you will wish you would have thought of it sooner.

If you’ve been following along with this three part series, you will notice that we did not serve the traditional “wedding shower” food…finger sandwiches, tea, salads and cake or assorted pastries.  My daughter is not a real girly girl, although she is very feminine.  She never really played with dolls as she was growing up.  In fact, she had three dolls and she named them, Big Baby (because that doll was the biggest), Jelly Baby and Free Willy.  Mind you, these are all dolls, not stuffed animals.  I stopped buying her dolls after the naming episode.  She was not the slightest bit interested in Barbies or tea parties or playing house or any of that as a little girl.  She liked to read. She liked to collect all my junk mail in a brown cardboard box, take them up to her room and play Post Office.  She liked to sit in trees.  She liked to Roller Blade and swim. She was (and is) a pistol.  (See photo below.)

As an adult, she runs marathons, hikes very rugged trails in Tahoe and her favorite alcoholic beverage is IPA Beers.  And her favorite color is not pink.

So, consequently her menu included her dad’s famous pizza, Jalapeno pepper poppers, teriyaki meatballs, Sangria, brownies and Mexican Wedding Cookies (her favorite) and the other recipes that I have outlined here and in the last two parts. Bold and playful:  her style.

The one thing that was consistent with most other wedding showers was the flowers.  We made sure there were plenty of flowers, both inside and out.

The Thank-you gifts were also pots of herbs and flowers.

And, we had handmade paper flowers around the house and hanging from trees outdoors.

And, of course there were pictures (I am a photographer by trade, after all.)

Enough of all this shower, flower, photos stuff.  On to the recipes…

The first recipe is the easiest and you can make this any old time you want because it is that easy.  We got this recipe from Southern Living.

Marinated Mozzarella

Ingredients

• 3 (8-oz.) blocks mozzarella cheese
• 1 (8.5-oz.) jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained and halved
• 1/2 cup olive oil $
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• Garnish: flat-leaf parsley sprigs or fresh rosemary stems

Preparation

1. Cut blocks of cheese into 1-inch cubes. Arrange cheese cubes and tomato halves in an 8-inch square baking dish.

2. Whisk together 1/2 cup olive oil, chopped parsley, and next 6 ingredients; pour evenly over cheese cubes. Cover and chill at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Transfer mixture to a serving plate. Garnish with fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs, or spear tomato halves and cheese cubes with short rosemary stems, if desired. Drizzle with marinade, if desired.

I like these little bites for a couple of reasons:  they are easy, they look pretty (always the photographer) and they are tasty.  You can keep them on a little plate and when you bring them out, your guests and/or family will be wowed.  They will wonder why they never thought of this.

The Rosemary is used as a little toothpick while it imparts a pungent aroma and flavor to the cheese.

The next recipe takes a little more work, but they disappeared quickly.  Yes!Chef! ground his own meat for this so they were very, very tender.  But, you can just as easily use already ground pork or chicken.\

This recipe is from Delish.com.  Please visit their site for more details and nutritional information

Teriyaki Meatballs

Yields: 30 meatballs

Total Time: 35 min

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Oven Temp: 425

Ingredients

• White from 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup(s) minced scallions
• 2 tablespoon(s) soy sauce
• 2 1/2 teaspoon(s) grated peeled fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoon(s) toasted sesame oil
• 1 clove(s) garlic, crushed through a press
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 pound(s) ground pork or chicken
• 1/2 cup(s) thick teriyaki sauce and marinade
• Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

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Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk egg white, scallions, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, garlic, and pepper until blended. Add pork and mix in with your hands until combined. Shape into 30 (1 1/2-inch) balls.
2. Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add half the meatballs and sauté 5 minutes, or until lightly browned on all sides and meatballs firm up. Brown remaining meatballs.
3. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Place meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with teriyaki sauce. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, brushing once with remaining sauce, until cooked through and glazed.
4. Insert toothpicks into meatballs and transfer to a platter. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Enjoy!