As promised, we’re sharing the Greek dip recipe that was included in our last 1 Cup Awesome Weekend post. We recently saw some similar dips on Pinterest and decided to give it whirl. This is so, so quick and easy! It’s like the lightened up Greek version of the layered taco dip that everyone loves. These ingredients are so fresh and healthy, which is exactly the kind of thing we want at a gathering this time of year. That way we can fill up on something that is good for us and then just get a taste of all the other “not-so-good” for you treats! Tricky. But the thing is, this dip is just as tasty and satisfying as all the other stuff!

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Flip through any food magazine around the holidays and chances are you will find a little book that contains recipes for a new kind of Chex Mix. Don’t get us wrong, we are all for trying new things. We made a Southwest Chili Chex Mix a few years ago and it was great. But let’s be honest…nothing beats traditional Chex Mix.

Dave’s dad has always been “the Chex Mix guy.” You know, the guy that brings homemade Chex Mix to family gatherings. His Chex Mix is always perfectly salty and flavorful. There is a perfect balance between cereal, nuts and pretzels. When our first Christmas as a married couple rolled around, we knew the first recipe we would make…Traditional Chex Mix.

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[This post is part of the Wedding Reception Open House series.]

So, we’ve shared our three delicious appetizers with you. Now we’ll move on to the drinks, cause you need something just as delicious to wash it all down with!

Our friend, Rob, was kind enough to share some of the wine that he makes with his father-in-law at the open house. It was a 2009 Zinfandel that they let age for one year in oak barrels they purchased from Templeton Rye. This wine is fantastic! You can taste the care that they put into each batch!

We also wanted to have something apple-y since fall is here. (Yay!) Our first thought was to make apple cider, but we wanted it to be cold so we decided on Apple Ice Tea. It’s sweet and slightly fizzy. So refreshing! Here is how we put it together…

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[This post is part of the Wedding Reception Open House series.]

Goat Cheese.

Arugula.

Two ingredients we never would have considered trying a few years ago. Actually, I’m not even sure we had ever heard of arugula! Now, we almost always have these two ingredients on hand in our house. If you have never had goat cheese, it is a lot like cream cheese. It has a smooth and creamy texture to it.

Arugula is a leafy green that has a rich, peppery taste. If you have never had it before, it can catch you off guard a bit when you take your first bite. Most of us aren’t used to eating leafy green vegetables that a have a spicy kick to them. Some people even call arugula “rocket lettuce”!  When paired with the right food (like citrus, pizza, pasta, or goat cheese), it is one of our favorite ingredients to use! It adds tons of flavor without adding many calories.

For our third appetizer at the open house, we served Crostini with Goat Cheese and Arugula. Crostini literally means “little toasts” in Italian. They are simply small slices of toasted bread, which are topped with a variety of ingredients like olive tapenade, meats, cheeses, and vegetables.

We decided to top our crostini with goat cheese and arugula. The crunchy, salty crostini paired with the creamy goat cheese and peppery arugula was out of this world!!! Even though there were only five ingredients in the recipe, these bad boys were packed with flavor! We even overheard one person at the Wedding Reception Open House say, “I didn’t even know that I liked goat cheese until today!” Win!

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[This post is part of the Wedding Reception Open House series.]

We can still remember the first time we both had prosciutto. Sarah first had it when she worked at a restaurant in college called The Brown Bottle. Dave’s first time was about six years ago when we were invited to a friend’s house for dinner and ate an amazing pasta dish topped with prosciutto. For both of us, it was love at first bite.

Prosciutto is a thinly sliced, dry-cured ham. It is often served uncooked, but we like it best when it’s cooked and it becomes nice and crispy!

*TIP: Prosciutto can be pretty expensive at most grocery stores. The price per pound is much better if purchased in bulk at a place like Costco or Sam’s Club. We always buy it in bulk and freeze half of it to use later. If you are eating the prosciutto uncooked, freezing it may change the texture slightly. But if you are cooking it, you won’t be able to tell the difference in the texture at all.

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[This is the first post in our Wedding Reception Open House series. To see the rest of the dishes served at the open house, scroll to the bottom of this post.]

Looking back on our wedding seven years ago, there are a few things we wish we would have done differently. One of the things we wish we could change is the reception menu. We served an appetizer of spinach and artichoke dip with tortilla chips followed by a full-blown pasta meal. Yeah…those things don’t really go together. We’re fairly certain everyone who ate our food was farty and bloated by the end of night…

Just look at these ladies dumping a large vat of who knows what onto the chicken. The lady on the right is clearly confused by what she is looking at. And we are slightly confused by the ponytail on the left…

We are so thankful for our families, who paid for all the catering for our reception. At the time we thought it was great. But if we could do it over again, it would be a little less like that, and a little more like this…

Simple. Light. Easy to eat. Delicious.

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