Party Panache, Super Star Shortcuts

the Painted Apron

7 years ago

We do a lot of cooking and entertaining, but I must confess, to make this happen, I have learned the art of the short cut…

Today I’m sharing some recipes we had during our Friends & Family Weekend that made things very effortless

Pesto Parmesan Biscuit Bites

Canned biscuits, cut into pieces, and tossed with pesto and Parmesan cheese

Couldn’t be easier and takes under 5 minutes to prepare

Bake for 20 minutes and serve with a large spoon

Diners can have just a small piece or a big hunk!

Pesto Parmesan Biscuit Bites

Course Appetizer, Bread, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword baked biscuit bites, biscuit bites, biscuits, Parmesan, pesto, pesto parmensan biscuits

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 18

Servings 8

Cut biscuits into 1/4s or 1/6s. Place in sprayed shallow baking dish.*
Drizzle with pesto and cheese. Toss dough several times with fingers or spoons to evenly distribute ingredients. Add more pesto and cheese to taste.
Spread dough evenly in pan. Bake at 350 degrees until dough is cooked through and golden, 15-20 minutes.

*dish sized to be able to spread dough pieces out into an even layer but still touching

Pineapple Cashew Slaw

My secret to an easy yet fresh tasting salad is combining a few things

For this salad I combined Southwest Salad in a bag and Broccoli Slaw in a bag, and added drained pineapple tidbits, and cashews

I keep the Kale Chopped Salad on hand too, it’s great by itself or to mix with other greens

I tossed the salad with a combo of 2 tasty dressings*, Panera’s creamy Fuji Apple and Cindy’s Kitchen Wild Maine Blueberry Vinaigrette

Using 2 different bottled dressings actually produces a wonderful result

Mixing a vinaigrette like Italian with a creamy Bleu Cheese or Ranch will lighten it up and enhance flavors of any salad

Simply by combining several convenience things, you can create a vibrant summer salad in mere minutes

Using salad in a bag as a base and adding a few elements makes this slaw a breeze to prep and serve!

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Asian

Keyword bagged salad, cashews, easy salad, easy slaw, pineapple cocktails, slaw

Prep Time 5

Adjust amounts of salad to number of servings needed, figure on 1/4 of each bag per person. Place salad in a large bowl, add pineapple and cashews and toss. Add dressing, in desired proportions, I use about half and half, and toss well. Season with salt pepper if desired.

*These salad dressings are widely available, see the locator links below:

Panera Salad Dressing store locator here

Cindy’s Kitchen Salad Dressing store locator here

For other versions of baked biscuit pieces and easy coleslaws see:

Salsa Bread, biscuit pieces with salsa, cheese and onions or green chilies