POST 4TH OF JULY BALCONY PARTY/CHICKEN SLIDERS APPETIZER

 Chicken Sliders from the 4th of July Bash 2012

 

Sliders/Other Variations

 Sliders other Variations

I know!!! Sliders have been kind of played out over the last couple years but I think they are still loved by most. And of course everyone that makes them say theirs are the best.  I do three variations: Beef, Salmon and Chicken and pretty sure the way I prepare them hasn't been done.

Here is the recipes for the Grilled Chicken Sliders Appetizer I made for the 4th of July Balcony Party. If you don't  have a grill they can be cooked in a frying pan or in the oven.

GRILLED CHICKEN SLIDERS    

Makes 30

 8 Large Boneless Chicken Breast (Lightly pound with mallet and slice into two by two inch squares) 

8 Ounces Asiago Cheese  (Thin two by two inch slices)

30  Small Bread Rolls or Regular or Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns (Use cookie cutter to make tiny slider buns)

2 Inch Round Cookie Cutter

CHICKEN MARINATE

1 Cup Fresh Basil (Finely chopped)

1 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

1 Cup Virgin Olive Oil

¼  Cup Honey

1 Cup Water

5 Tbsp.   Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix (GSIDM)

Add all ingredients to food processor and blend.  Save 1 cup to be added to relish.  In plastic container with lid place chicken breast and cover all pieces with marinate and refrigerate for at least two hours.

APRICOT-SUNDRIED TOMATO & BASIL RELISH

2 Cup Dried Apricots

2 Cup Sundried Tomatoes

1 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves

1 Cup Chopped Scallions

½ Cup Dijon Mustard

1 Cup Chicken Marinate  

Put all ingredients into food processor and blend into small chunks. 

CHICKEN SLIDER SKEWERS

30 Black Grapes

30 Red Pepper Squares

30  3 Inch Decorative Skewer

On skewers place grape first, followed by red pepper square.

Put in plastic container and refrigerate till sliders are ready.

MAKING THE SLIDER BUN

This is where you Cheat Like Crazy.  Buy regular whole wheat buns and use 2inch round cookie cutters to cut out small slider buns.  Keep in airtight plastic container so they don’t dry out.

Preheat BBQ Grill

Grill chicken breast pieces 4 minutes on both sides, add relish to the top of each and cover with cheese and let melt.  Place on makeshift slider buns and warm for two minutes. Remove from grill, add skewers and serve.

 

POST 4TH OF JULY PARTY/ GRILLED TANDOORI SHRIMP SKEWERS

Macy's Firework Display - Boats Positioning Themselves

Macy's Firework Display from Balcony 2012

Indoor Food Display

4^th of July Balcony Party on the Hudson

For 25 Guests

THE MENU

Patriotic Fruit & Cheese Sprays

Fresh Mozzarella, Cherry & Black Grape

*Grilled Tandoori Shrimp Skewers with Mango & Pepper

Grill Chicken Breast Sliders

 Marinate in olive oil, basil, honey and balsamic top with sauteed apricot, sun dried tomatoes & basil chutney topped with Asiago cheese

SKEWER (Red Pepper & Black Grape )

Chips & Dip

SALAD/SIDES

Sweet & Red Potato Salad

Grilled Corn on the Cob

ENTREES

St. Louis Style Spare Ribs

Grilled Steelhead Trout with Maple/Dijon Glaze

Grilled Guinness Marinated London Broil with Portabella Mushroom Sauce

DESSERT

Miniature Assorted Desserts

BEVERAGE

Beer, Wine, Soda & Water 

This party came together very quickly.    It was on Sunday the 1st of July I realized the 4th was only 3 days away.  In fact because the Macy's Firework Display was going to be on the Hudson River again this year there was all the reason in the world to have a party.  It didn't take long to get the ball rolling. Sending out a few emails and making some calls... I had enough interested souls to make the event worth while... aprox. 25 confirmations.  

Follow the 6 Steps I listed on the prior blog to get your party started.  Here is what we have so far: The type of party:  4th of July Balcony Party.  The Date, Time & Location: 4th of July, 7:00-10:00pm @ My Apartment.  Now the menu.  You always want to to get a balance of food and I naturally go over the top.     Make sure you get some vegetarian items in the mix. Now I going to break it down starting with Grilled Tandoori Shrimp Skewers.

GRILLED TANDOORI SHRIMP SKEWERS

With Mango and Pepper

For 25    

2 Pounds Raw Shrimp Large 16-20  Counts out to about 40 pieces (I used Frozen)

32 Ounce All Natural Vanilla Yogurt (Generic is good)

4 Tablespoon Rajah Tandoori Masala ( You can order this on line)

1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt 

1 Large Red Pepper (Cut into 40 small squares or assorted shapes) 

2 Mango ( Cut into 40 small squares or assorted shapes)

40 Skewers (I used 3" red tulip skewers from a company "Pick on Us") (Order on line)

 

If frozen, thaw shrimp, clean and de-shell.  Place in bowl

In another bowl add Rajah Tandoori Masala and Salt to Yogurt and blend well.

Use half tandoori sauce to marinate shrimp.  Keep other half for dipping sauce.  Completely cover all shrimp and let sit at least 2 hours, the longer the better. 

Cut pepper & mango into tiny shapes big enough to be skewered.  Preheat grill or barbeque. Most apartment buildings do not allow barbeque grills on the balcony some will allow electric.   We have an electric. 

Place aluminum foil over hot grill. Add shrimp and cook about a minute on each side.  Remove from heat.

To make skewer add red pepper color side up, skewer mango shape then add shrimp.  Put tail over the point of the skewer. 

 

 

 

 

      

     

APARTMENT ENTERTAINING

APARTMENT ENTERTAINING

& THE BALCONY

I didn't realize how difficult is was to stay committed to my food blog when life gets in the way.  I promise to be better at posting my recipes, menus and parties. I have a lot of good stuff over the last couple of months so I will be catching you up.   

This post is a summary on Apartment Entertaining and how the challenges are pretty much the same as having a party in a house minus the space.  The key is organization and the fastest way to get started once you have decided to have a party are six easy steps.

1.) THE PARTY & ITS THEME

2.) THE DATE, TIME & LOCATION

3.) THE GUEST LIST

4.) THE MENU

5.) THE ENTERTAINMENT

6.) THE CLEANING & ORGANIZATION OF YOUR SPACE

Once the time, date & location has been decided, start calling, texting or emailing your friends for a head count.  At this point the party is on the calendar and the menu must be created.  The menu is your floor plan. It determines everything.  Once you have it, type it up, make several copies: one for your grocery list, one to be taped up on your kitchen wall, and one to be used to decide the serving pieces.

This year the Macy 4th of July Fireworks display is being held on the Hudson River side of NYC.  This makes it very convenient for those who live on the waterfront of New Jersey.  Our apartment is in West New York, statistically located directly across from midtown Manhattan.  We are fortunate to have a balcony facing the firework barges full frontal and up close and personal.  With all of this working in my favor a party must be had.  So there is it.  My next posts will be a series of recipes and table presentation ideas for My 4th of July Balcony Party. 

   

 

     

 .