Avocado Mango Salsa and Other Summer Party Appetizers in 15 Minutes or Less

My latest post is up at Snackpicks.com. I'm highlighting some delicious but quick and easy recipes that are great for spontaneous summertime entertaining.

Once school lets out for the summer, I like to keep things loose and unscheduled as much as possible, just like the long, lazy summer days that I remember having as a kid. We live across the street from our pool club and kids tend to drift over to our house at the end of the day, often eventually joined by their parents. Having a roster of quick appetizers to feed everyone is invaluable.

My favorites are:

• Mango Avocado Salsa
• Chicken Almond Canape Spread
• Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Spread
• Steakhouse Bites

All of these recipes are quick to throw together and fun to pick at which keeps me outside longer with everyone, enjoying summer.

Roasted Vegetable Soup with Blue Cheese Spread Crackers: My Latest Snackpicks Post

I create a new recipe for the Kellogg's Snackpicks website every month or so. They give me a theme and then let me run with it, testing the recipe, taking pictures, and writing the post. We work a few months ahead, similar to some magazine editorial calendars, and it's painful for me to keep the recipes under wraps until they are published. I almost feel like I'm cheating by keeping such hard work a secret from you!

When the post finally goes live, I want to scream it from the rooftops.

Today my "winter family recipe" launched on Snackpicks. And it's just perfect for the this snowy weather most of the country has been plagued with. My roasted vegetable soup will warm you deep inside, but your mouth will be pleasantly tingled by the easy blue cheese spread topping the crackers served alongside. The soup is easy to make and a great, filling, diet-friendly dish.

Such a relief to finally have shared it with you. Now all you need to do to is to head on over to Snackpics now to get the full recipe.

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Dip

Do you have any big plans for the Superbowl? Well, regardless of whether you'll be watching it at a party or just on the couch with your family, I have a recipe you'll definitely want to try: Creamy Buffalo Chicken Dip. It's the latest recipe that I created for the Kellogg's Snackpicks website and it went live yesterday.

Go check it out... it's definitely one you'll want to add to your roster. You can whip it off in 10 minutes total and everyone will go crazy over it. The heat of the buffalo sauce is nicely balanced by the creamy blue cheese... It's like eating wings with none of the mess.

As this recipe has now gotten taken off the Snackpicks site, I'm reproducing it here:

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Dip
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
Meat from one supermarket roasted chicken
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup of blue cheese (crumbled)
1 cup Ranch dressing
3/4 cup hot pepper sauce
1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces
1 box of Townhouse Crackers

1. Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. 
2. Stir in cream cheese and continue cooking until cream cheese is fully absorbed. 
3. Add ranch dressing and crumble blue cheese. 
4. Cook, stirring, until hot and bubbly. Serve immediately.
5. Alternatively, mixture can now be placed in a crock-pot and left on low heat to serve. 
6. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.

Caramelized Onion Apple Spread and Other Snacks to Blow Them Away

For the past year, I've been contributing recipes and posts to the Kellogg's Snackpicks site. For my latest post, holiday Townhouse crackers recipes, they flattered me by requesting my pictures in addition to my post. The post just went live last week. I'd love it if you took a look. I had a lot of fun playing with crackers to create the recipes.

Although the kids loved the Sloppy Joe bites, I just couldn't get enough of the caramelized onion and apple spread. It was easy to make, but was so delicious that I'll be serving it a lot this holiday season. I even stood in my kitchen after everyone else went to bed, finishing the leftover onion and apple mixture with a spoon!

My friend Jane Maynard also contributed two Townhouse crackers recipes for the post. Her cranberry chutney is so festive and fun that I'm planning on making it for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

If you dig around the Snackpicks site, you'll find some of my other posts about after school snacks and family quality time. And stay tuned for more fun holiday ideas from me and other real moms at Snackpicks before the end of the year.