A few weekends ago we had our pick up party for William Selyem.  We get allotted too much for us to buy each release, so we bring our friends in on the winey goodness.  Incidentally, the winemaker was Winemaker of the Year for 2011.  Good stuff.

Anyways…

I had to make appetizers, and of course, I made too much food.  Like usual.  I had to cover a few food allergies, and there were small children running rampant in the house while us adults were socializing in the basement.

It was like Lord of the Flies upstairs, where the kids had two full floors to run around.  Kai was the oldest, so he was the leader of the gang.  Only occassionally did a parent need to go upstairs to give a collective talking to to all the kids on “settling down!”, “leave the girls alone to play dress up!” and “Brian, hide the spear because it’s too pointy for them to have without parental supervision!”

These were the snacks…

Beef Tips and Mushrooms in Red Wine

Pretty simple, just salt and pepper the tips, sear them up in a pan, pour in some wine and let it boil for a minute, then throw in a crockpot with the mushrooms.  I had to do it in batches.  Let it go on low for a few hours.  I used one roast, a sirloin steak, 2 packages of mushrooms and 1/2 bottle of red wine.

Bagna Cauda with focaccia bread

Baked Brie

Fruit dip with Honey Crisp and Granny Smith apples and strawberries (I used Apple Syrup instead of Maple Syrup in the dip)

Pimento Cheese Sandwiches on dinner rolls (nice small size for the kids)

Dried Apricots topped with Goat Cheese mixed with Fresh Thyme

Veggies and Dip

Artichoke Dip

3 7.5 oz cans marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1.5 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/8 cup green onion, sliced
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1 tsp seasoned salt

Pita chips for serving

Chop artichoke hearts and squeeze any excess water from the spinach.  Combine chopped artichokes, cream cheese, spinach, cheddar, mozzarella, onions, mayo, dijon mustard and salt.  Pour mixture into small crockpot.  Let it go a few hours on low before you need to serve it.  Stir about an hour into it.  Serve with the pita chips.