Bunco Night - Picnic Style {Recipes}

This month it was my turn to host our bunco night. I went with a picnic them (not that you need a theme) for food and prizes. I made Chicken Salad Sliders, Mini Hotdogs in Puff Pastry, Artichoke Squares, Fruit Salsa & Cinnamon Chips, and Bunco Cupcakes. The recipes for all of these are at the bottom of this post, following the photos. Had a great time having everyone over. We looked out and had a great weather so we were able to play bunco outside on the deck as well is inside in the air conditioned house.

Bunco Cupcakes ...

I've been into cupcake decorating lately. You will see more posts soon since I've been asked to teach a class or two in the fall at a local community center. I will be testing out techniques and recipes later in the summer (after we get back from our vacation in Florida).


Chicken Salad Slider Sandwiches ...

I made these using Paula Deen's recipe... what's not to like when it comes to Paula's recipes. These were absolutely delicious served on potato rolls from a local bakery.



Fruit Salsa & Cinnamon Chips ...

Always a favorite item to make in the summer when the fruit is so fresh and tasty.

Pigs in A Blanket ...
These are super easy to make and everyone enjoys.

Recipes from Bunco Night
Picnic Style ...

Bunco Cupcakes

1 Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
Buttercream frosting, colored with pink gel food coloring

Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening, softened
3/4 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted (may need more depending on the consistency you want)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp - 2 tsp of light corn syrup (I add this to make a smoother texture)

Directions
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and vanilla. Blend in the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk, and continue mixing until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 to 2 teaspoons of corn syrup until desired consitency. Keep icing covered until ready to decorate.

Chicken Salad Sliders
Recipe from Paula Deen

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 3 1/2 cups finely diced cooked chicken
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds
• 12 mini slider rolls

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, mayonnaise and salt. Toss with the chicken, celery, and almonds in a medium bowl. Serve on mini slider rolls.(I served on potato rolls from a local bakery. Yum!)
   

Note: For the chicken, I poached chicken breasts in water, bay leaf, celery, onion, salt & pepper.


Fruit Salsa & Cinnamon Chips
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 2 kiwis, peeled and diced
• 2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
• 3 peaches
• 1 pint of blueberries
• 8 ounces raspberries
• 1 pound strawberries
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 3 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
• 
  
• 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• butter flavored cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

Pigs in a Blanket
I found this recipe over at Make and Bake. This is actually a Martha Stewart recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs (about 60) mini hots dogs (I used two packs of Hebrew National cocktail wieners)
• Cheddar cheese, cut into small pieces, optional
• 1 large egg
• Flour, for working with pastry dough
• 1 box of puff pastry, or two sheets of homemade puff pastry (2/3 of the recipe here), thawed
• poppy seeds or sesame seeds, optional

Directions:

1. Slice all hot dogs about 3/4 of the way length-wise and put a small piece of cheese inside the hot dog. If you're not using the cheese, just poke the hot dogs a couple time with a fork.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll one sheet of puff pastry at a time into a 11x14 inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise into 7 1 1/2 strips, then cut each strip into 4 rectangles, each about 3 inches long.

3. In a small bowl, beat together the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mat (I am out of parchment so I just sprayed my sheets with some baking spray). Wrap each hot dog with a piece of the puff pastry. Using a pastry brush, brush the top with the egg wash and then sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds. Chill the baking sheet of hot dogs in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden.

Artichoke Squares
Photo coming soon...

Ingredients:

• 2 small jars marinated artichoke hearts (or 1 large jar),
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
• 4 eggs well beaten
• 1/4 c dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• a couple of grinds of black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. dried basil
• 2-3 drops hot sauce to taste
• 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (or cheddar, gruyere, swiss, etc.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray the inside of a small lasagne sized pan (8x 11) with with non-stick spray. Drain marinated artichokes, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid. Chop artichokes into small pieces. Add reserved artichoke liquid to a heated skillet. Add onions (and garlic if using) and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs well, stir in onion/garlic mix, breadcrumbs, salt, oregano, hot sauce and pepper. Add in half of cheese and all the chopped artichokes. Pour mix into pan and spread out evenly. Top with remaining cheese. Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes. Cool slightly and cut into squares. Serve either hot or at room temperature. Makes 24 squares.