Entertain Like a Pro! Maire Byrne of Thyme Cafe and Local's Effortless Canapes and Cocktails.

We live in a busy world and are all short on time, YET when we entertain we want it to be delicious and look effortless. Thankfully Thyme Cafe's, Maire Byrne, has come to the rescue, so we can all look like Martha Stewart on the fly!

Here are some favorites from the master. Yum!

Gruyere Grilled Cheese with Fig Jam:

Make a grilled cheese with Gruyere and plenty of butter then cut the crust off and top with store bought fig jam and a few thyme leaves or another favorite herb.  They are delish and so easy.  Tip: You can make the grilled cheeses early and toast them back when you need them in the toaster.

Buratta and Crostini:

Instead of doing an entire cheese board:  Pick up a very good buratta cheese, place it in a pretty shallow dish.  Top it with oil packed roasted tomatoes, chopped  Kalamata olives, fresh oregano.  Serve with crostini.  This is so easy and sometimes more interesting than a cheese board.

Hummus Platter: 

Buy hummus at Thyme, spread it out into a ceramic Spanish Tapas dish so that it is about 1-2 inches deep.

Dress it up by garnishing with:

chickpeas

finely diced cucumber

diced radish

chopped parsley

black sesame seeds

chili oil or olive oil

sea salt

This is delicious, beautiful, can be made in a matter of minutes!  Serve with Pita chips or Gluten free crackers.

Serve this all up with a Grapefruit Margarita and you are in for a festive affair!

Pink Grapefruit Margaritas

4 Drinks

1 Lime cut in wedges

1 cup ruby red grapefruit juice

½ cup Lime juice

1 cup Triple Sec

2 cups ice

1 cup white tequila

Combine the grapefruit and lime juice, triple sec and ice in a blender and puree until smooth.  Pour into a large pitcher and stir in the tequila.  Serve in a salted rim glass!  Easy and Delicious!

Thank you, Maire! Cheers.