I don’t know about you, but when it comes to parties, I’m a sucker for appetizers. If I’m the one throwing the party, however, it gets a little tricky. The dinner course is easy, but figuring out what apps to serve can drive me crazy.
It’s not uncommon for me to spend several hours planning the appetizer menu and several more hours preparing those morsels in the hopes that my guests (who are often equally app crazy) will enjoy devouring them as much as I enjoy making them. Okay, maybe “enjoy making them” isn’t quite the right choice of words.
To be honest, I don’t always enjoy making appetizers. Creating 50 identical versions of four or five different snacks isn’t easy, and my penchant for perfectionism usually means I end up throwing away (okay, eating) a few dozen of each menu item that don’t pass my rigorous visual standards. Having a few extra goodies to snack on isn’t always a bad thing, mind you. Just ask my husband, who’s more than happy to help me “dispose” of the oddballs.
Regardless, making all those appetizers by hand, from scratch, takes a lot of time. And now that I’m a time-starved mom, I’ve definitely reconsidered my stance on “appetizer cheating” by paying a visit to the frozen foods aisle for some pre-made, pop-’em-in-the-oven options. Truth is, frozen foods have come a long way in the past 10 years. Thanks to better ingredients, better packaging and just plain better ways of making food, frozen appetizers have transformed themselves them from last-resort party options into a tasty, restaurant-quality hors d’oeuvres.
One of those restaurant-quality goodies are the new Farm Rich Queso Cheese Bites, which I stumbled across last week in my research for an upcoming Cinco de Mayo gathering (yes, I “research” appetizer options for parties). The bites come in bags or 50 or so, and can be prepared in the oven or in a deep fryer. Crisp and toasty on the outside and ooey-gooey cheesy on the inside. Perfect for kids and adults alike.
Farm Rich is launching Queso Cheese Bites with a “Pesos 4 Quesos” sweepstakes. Between March 19 and May 4, you can play Pesos 4 Quesos for a chance to win a $3,500 “Fiesta Grande” (Spanish for “kick ass party”). All you need to do is visit the Farm Rich Facebook page and click on Pesos 4 Quesos to play and register to win weekly $200 gift cards plus the chance to take home the $3,500 grand prize. By reaching certain game levels, players can also earn coupons to try the new Queso Cheese Bites!
Check out the Farm Rich Facebook page at the link below or follow them on Twitter @farmrichsnacks. And if you happen to try the Queso Cheese Bites, or have any party-planning/appetizer tips of your own, leave a comment!
Those penguins are ADORABLE! And I have had good luck with the Farm Rich app I bought too–thanks for the giveaway 🙂