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Appetizers for Every Letter

Posted on October 22, 2014October 22, 2014 by Loni Townsend

2014 Foodie Blog Tour & Blog Hop Holly Sinclair gave me a free copy of her amazing cook book, The ABCs of Appetizers, in exchange for an honest review. I enjoy cooking, when I have time. It seems like I don’t have much of that lately. The wonderful part of this cookbook is the ease of making the recipes. I got to throw things in my mixer and let it do the heavy lifting.

Here are some of the recipes I tried:

Kalamata Olive SpreadKalamata Olive Spread This was my favorite. The blend of salty and creamy made my tastebuds tingle. I had to go look up kalamata olives, and was surprised I already had a jar of them in my refrigerator! Go figure. My husband likes to buy random snacks he thinks I’ll like, and the olives made the impulse shopping list. With the parsley from our garden, garlic from my mother-in-law’s garden, and groceries we always keep on hand, this one recipe was easy and low budget. All I had to buy was a pack of cream cheese and the baguette.

Easy Chicken Cheese BallEasy Chicken Cheese Ball Like the name says, it is easy. It’s also fun. I got to mash it in my hands and roll it around. Who says not to play with your food?

I did have to buy more of the supplies for this one, since we don’t keep cream cheese, pecans, and canned chicken on hand. My best friend gave her thumb’s up of approval, and then took half of the remaining cheese ball home to her husband.

Topped TatersTopped Taters This one is great if your attention is divided between entertaining a 4 year old and feeding a 1 year old. I set the potatoes to boil, and came back 20 minutes later. Slice, gouge, and top! We ended up having a surprise guest that night, and this made an excellent treat for him to snack on. Now if only cleaning my house was as easy…

If you want in on this delicious goodness, you’re in luck! One commenter on this post will win a free digital copy of this cookbook. To enter, just leave a comment. If you want to leave a comment but don’t want to enter, add “I hate food” to your comment. The winner will be announced on October 31st on Holly’s blog.

But if you can’t wait…

The ABC’s of Appetizers

ABCs of Appetizers
This book contains 50 of the best appetizer recipes. Included are classics (like Caramelized Pear over Brie), favorites (like Wonton Wrappers), and her own creations (like Jambalaya Spirals).
Cost: $2.00 ebook

Where to get it:
Kindle | Smashwords | ibooks | Barnes & Nobles

Holly Sinclair, who goes by Southpaw on the Interwebs, finds cooking cathartic. The recipes she’s created and collected grew into cookbooks. Holly’s trying her hand at fiction and food seems to creep into most of her books.
Holly Sinclair Cookbooks, the website
HR Sinclair, the blog

Join Holly on the rest of her Blog Tour, each stop features a different cookbook and a chance for a free ebook!

You can join in the fun by signing up for the End of Tour Foodie Blog Hop!
Talk about a fond food memory, describe your disasters in the kitchen, post your favorite recipe or pictures of food, or do anything food related. Sign up here.

What are your favorite appetizers? Which one sounds the best?Are you hopping on board with the End of Tour Foodie Blog Hop?

41 thoughts on “Appetizers for Every Letter”

  1. Alex J. Cavanaugh says:
    October 22, 2014 at 5:51 AM

    I like easy chickens. Wait, that sounds bad.
    The olive spread sounds really tasty!

    Reply
    1. Southpaw says:
      October 22, 2014 at 5:56 AM

      I know, it should at least have you buy it dinner first.

      Reply
  2. Southpaw says:
    October 22, 2014 at 5:55 AM

    I love the kalamata olive story! I love wonton’s stuffed with anything! Thanks so much for the review and hosting my book today.

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      October 22, 2014 at 7:51 AM

      It was a tasty treat to take part in this tour!

      Reply
  3. DEZMOND says:
    October 22, 2014 at 6:38 AM

    those potatoes look nom nom!

    Reply
  4. Hilary says:
    October 22, 2014 at 6:41 AM

    Hi Loni and Holly – I love, love, love Kalamati olives – so delicious .. not so easy to come by here … I had them all the time in South Africa – tin at hand. The idea of Kalamati Olive Spread seems an excellent idea – but I do enjoy all appetisers …

    Cheers and great thoughts here … Easy Chicken Balls and Tasty Topped Taters … Hilary

    Reply
  5. Crystal Collier says:
    October 22, 2014 at 7:55 AM

    What!?! You don’t normally have cream cheese on hand? Okay, fine. Not everyone keeps 5 to 10 types of cheese in their fridge, but they should. πŸ˜‰

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      October 22, 2014 at 7:57 AM

      Only three types, my dear. Only three. πŸ˜€

      Reply
      1. The Happy Whisk says:
        October 22, 2014 at 6:25 PM

        What three do you keep on hand?

        Reply
        1. Loni Townsend says:
          October 23, 2014 at 12:37 PM

          Parmesan, individually wrapped American slices, and Easy Cheese! (The first is for me, the other two are for the kids. :))

          Reply
          1. The Happy Whisk says:
            October 23, 2014 at 1:18 PM

            Miss Holly told me that my comments were in Spam. Thanks for setting them free. What is Easy Cheese? It sounds scary.

          2. Loni Townsend says:
            October 23, 2014 at 1:24 PM

            Hehehe, I think Easy Cheese scares to most people. It’s cheese that comes in a pressurized can, kind of like whipped cream.

            Sorry about my spam filter. It gets me in trouble from time to time.

          3. Crystal Collier says:
            October 24, 2014 at 6:22 AM

            Ahem! I’m going to have to disagree. Two of those “cheeses” are NOT cheeses. (I’ll let you figure out which ones.) πŸ˜‰

    2. Southpaw says:
      October 22, 2014 at 8:34 AM

      How did I know you would say that?

      Reply
  6. Melissa Maygrove says:
    October 22, 2014 at 7:58 AM

    I love those mini potatoes!
    (I need to drop in at your house. :P)

    Great review. πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      October 22, 2014 at 9:15 AM

      Come on over anytime. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  7. L.G. Smith says:
    October 22, 2014 at 8:54 AM

    I’ve bought a few of Holly’s cookbooks. Like you, I enjoy cooking if I have the time. And with the holidays coming up, it’s always good to have a few fresh ideas for guests. Good stuff. πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Southpaw says:
      October 22, 2014 at 10:30 AM

      Thanks.

      Reply
  8. L. Diane Wolfe says:
    October 22, 2014 at 10:06 AM

    I love anything with potatoes. Those sound good.

    Reply
  9. Chrys Fey says:
    October 22, 2014 at 10:13 AM

    Kalamata Olive Spread is sooo good. Now I’m starving! I need to eat lunch. πŸ˜‰

    Reply
  10. Beth says:
    October 22, 2014 at 10:16 AM

    Crystal, you’re not alone. Cheese is my life. And Loni, this made me SO HUNGRY haha. I miss cooking–used to cook all the time with my dad and brother a few years ago, but cleanup got too overwhelming so we stopped lol.

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      October 22, 2014 at 10:49 AM

      Thankfully, I have family who help with the dishes.

      Reply
  11. Cherie Reich says:
    October 22, 2014 at 10:48 AM

    The topped taters sound really good. πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      October 22, 2014 at 10:48 AM

      They were!

      Reply
  12. Lexa Cain says:
    October 22, 2014 at 11:15 AM

    Holy cow, these pictures have me salivating! There’s no better friend than one who cooks for you — or at least gives you great recipes! Wishing Holy much success! πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Lexa Cain says:
      October 22, 2014 at 11:17 AM

      Yes, of course I meant I was wishing “Holly” much success. “Holy” is the cow! lol

      Reply
      1. Southpaw says:
        October 22, 2014 at 11:39 AM

        Thanks.

        It’s terribly embarrassing when I leave out an “l” when I’m typing.

        Reply
  13. Liz Blocker (@lizblocker) says:
    October 22, 2014 at 11:20 AM

    Ok, now I’m hungry. Man, reviewing a cookbook is dangerous work, huh? All the delicious food… Congrats, Holly! πŸ˜€

    Oh, and welcome to the world of kalamata olives. One of my all-time favorite foods. Really.

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      October 22, 2014 at 11:55 AM

      Quite tasty indeed. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  14. Sherry Ellis says:
    October 22, 2014 at 11:39 AM

    Those look really good – -especially the cheese ball!

    Reply
    1. Loni Townsend says:
      October 22, 2014 at 11:47 AM

      And they tasted even better. πŸ™‚ (Aesthetics aren’t my strong suit)

      Reply
  15. C. M. Keller says:
    October 22, 2014 at 2:45 PM

    Oh, wow! I’m salivating. The appetizers look so yummy. And kalamata olives are my favorites.

    Reply
  16. Carol Kilgore says:
    October 22, 2014 at 2:59 PM

    I’ve made the olive spread before. One of my favorite things πŸ™‚

    Reply
  17. Stephanie Faris says:
    October 22, 2014 at 3:17 PM

    I love easy recipes and that cheese ball looks delicious!

    Reply
  18. Christine Rains says:
    October 22, 2014 at 6:23 PM

    Looks delicious! I don’t get much time in the kitchen either. It’s important to have recipes to do between entertaining small children. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  19. The Happy Whisk says:
    October 22, 2014 at 7:14 PM

    Tried to leave two comments and they didn’t work. Came back to give it a third go πŸ™‚

    What three cheeses do you keep on hand?

    Reply
  20. Pat Hhatt says:
    October 22, 2014 at 7:48 PM

    Wow, never even knew such appetizers existed.

    Reply
  21. J.S.Pitts says:
    October 23, 2014 at 12:19 AM

    Those look yummy! And just in time for the holidays!

    Reply
  22. Miranda Hardy says:
    October 23, 2014 at 7:33 AM

    Those look super yummy!! Maybe I do need to host a party this year.

    Reply
  23. Meradeth says:
    October 23, 2014 at 8:45 AM

    Those all look delicious! I enjoy cooking, just don’t have much of an excuse for one lately. Makes me want to invite some people over though πŸ™‚

    Reply
  24. Mary Pax says:
    October 23, 2014 at 11:56 AM

    Now I’m really hungry. Those sound fabulous! Holly is so clever.

    Reply

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Welcome to my blog. I post here on Wednesdays most of the time, but you can find me on social media any day of the week. My topics include my stories and writing, life at the Town's End, creating and tinkering with graphics, things I learn and think might be helpful to others, and the occasional amateur photo. Thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you around.

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