Sharon and Tony have been married less than a week but I’m already planning their next wedding celebration a week from today. It reminds me of when Mom used to tell me we celebrated my birthday like the president’s. I was an only child so I got a birthday party with my friends, another with family, and then another with just Mom and Dad.
It’s the same with the wedding couple. Between all of Tony’s family and friends in Ohio, our Pennsylvania friends where we lived when Sharon was growing up, and our current community in Connecticut, Marquand Chapel and the Old Bank Building just weren’t big enough to hold us all. Plus we realized how difficult it would be for so many to trek to New Haven the week before Christmas.
So in the coming weeks Tony’s parents are hosting a reception in Cleveland, and we’re throwing parties in New Hope and Darien.
I was tempted to serve my old favorites at these parties, and then I thought better. Instead I’ve created a few dishes just for them that I’ll be sharing with you over the next week. Since Sharon and Tony are heading to Spain for a couple of months after graduation, I decided to go with that theme.
Today I’m sharing one of the appetizers—Tapas on a Stick. I’ve found that big blocks of cheese, long sticks of charcuterie, and heaping bowls of olives look stunning, but people tend not to eat it. For Sharon and Tony’s party I’m skewering them instead. Plus I like getting all those tastes in one bite. And look how attractive they are—just like that couple we’re celebrating!
- 1 block (a generous 5 ounces) Manchego cheese, cut into 24 small bite-size squares
- 1 stick (a generous 5 ounces) cured sausage such as chorizo or Italian, halved or quartered lengthwise (depending on circumference) and sliced thin
- 24 large pitted Spanish green olives
- 24 large pitted black olives, such as Kalamata
- Working one skewer at a time assemble in the following order: sausage, olive, cheese; repeat with another piece of sausage, a different colored olive, and second piece of cheese. Serve. (Can be covered and set aside at room temperature a couple of hours before serving.)
I also want these on Christmas Eve. Okay, thanks 😉
I’m in charge of hors d’oeuvres at our Christmas Eve Eve party tonight. How ’bout I make them for that!
I don’t know why, but food on a stick always tastes better. Possibly because I don’t have to set down my drink to eat it.
What a great idea, thank you.
Having Paella and Sangria next week for out-of-town guests. Now I know what appetizer to make. Great finger food! You need 48 pieces of cheese to make 24 appetizers since 2 pieces of cheese are needed for each. Do I need more cheese or just cut it into 48 pieces?
This would be a terrific make-ahead for Bloody Mary’s.
You are so right!
I said earlier that I was going to make these along with Paella and Sangria.
I did and they were the biggest hit. They were all gone (except the last one which no one took–so I did). I still have some ingredients left so we are having them again tomorrow night (except with eight guests instead of four) I may have to go out and buy more fixin’s.