Bloody Marys on a Stick
Easy cherry tomato appetizers
Cherry tomatoes are one of my favorite snacks fresh from the garden. I love them so much, I plant 2 or 3 each spring, knowing I will be happily running over with tomatoes in August and September. This year I planted one yellow cherry tomato plant and two red cherry tomatoes. Needless to say I have hundreds of these tasty buggers on hand at the moment that I need to eat. Both the yellow and the red have a great flavor, but I would say the red has a stronger, sweeter taste than the yellow. I prefer the reds myself. Mixed together in a salad the yellow and red make a beautiful presentation. Alas, salad recipes are for another hub. This hub concentrates on appetizers using cherry tomatoes.
I love bloody Mary's and the first appetizer I am including in this hub is the bloody Mary on a stick. It is an absolute burst of flavor. Almost everyone who tries this appetizer loves it. It is so simple. All you have to do is wash the tomatoes, then pour vodka over them. Mix your four seasonings together and roll the tomato in the seasoning and bam! Awesome taste with a bloody Mary spin. This leaves an amazing aftertaste.
Cherry tomatoes are also incredible when paired with cheese and sausage. The combination seems to bring out the best of all the flavors combined. The tomatoes should be cut in half and then can be layered on sliced cheese and a Ritz (or other variety) cracker. I personally like Ritz the best, or perhaps a club cracker. Add some sausage to give your appetizer plate some variety and you really have a nice party tray. I happened to have hummus around last week and tried a Ritz with hummus topped with a tomato. This was also a winner. I really love my cherry tomatoes, I even eat them right while picking them in the garden. I hope you have some fresh ones available to enjoy and hope you really love these appetizers!
Cook Time
Ingredients
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp lemon pepper, freshly ground
- 1/2 Tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 shots vodka, to soak tomatoes in
Easy instructions to fast, flavorful appetizers!
- Wash cherry tomatoes, put into a dish and pour vodka over them. You can randomly poke some with a toothpick if you want the tomatoes to soak up some vodka. However, they will get mushy after a couple of days if you do this. If you need them to keep for more than a day or two, do not poke holes in them. The vodka helps the tomato grab the bloody mary salt mixture when you dip it. If you want, you can just soak them in water for no added alcohol.
- Mix up seasonings in separate dish. Use toothpicks to pick up each tomato and dip it into the seasoning mixture. This is pretty spicy, so start with just a little seasoning salt on the tomato the first time you try. I like it really spicy so I load my tomatoes up as much as I can!
- There are many other tasty ways to use cherry tomatoes as appetizers. I usually have Ritz crackers and cheddar cheese in the house and will cut the tomatoes in half to use them with the crackers. I just put them on top of a slice of cheddar on top of a Ritz. This is just an awesome burst of flavor and my husband loves them this way. He does not usually eat fresh tomatoes but really enjoys them like this.
- Another favorite topping of mine on a Ritz cracker involves hummus. Just spread a bit of hummus on a Ritz, then top with half of a cherry tomato and enjoy another easy little snack using cherry tomatoes.
Do you grow tomatoes at home?
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