If you are like me then you enjoy spending warm summer evenings outside – at least until the mosquitos come out! When I was deciding what to do for my next video I thought why not share some easy appetizers to enjoy sitting by the lake or on your deck on beautiful summer nights? One of my favorite salads is our Mock-Crab Salad that we sell in our Deli Departments at Coborn’s, and I have a few ideas that you can do using this scrumptious salad to add a new flavor and a bit of creativity to your next appetizer.

The first one is so easy all you have to do is use some fresh mushrooms and pull the stems out of the caps and then just stuff them with the Mock-Crab Salad that is made fresh in the Coborn’s Deli. To make these delicious morsels, simply place mushrooms that are filled with crab salad in a glass dish (make sure to spray the bottom with cooking spray) and then sprinkle over the top a little of your favorite cheese. This time I used Colby Jack, but I’m sure a mozzarella, cheddar or pepperjack would be delicious as well. To bake place in the oven at 350 degrees F until the cheese melts and you have your first awesomely cheesy crab appetizer!

The second is a no brainer! It is so easy – just add one 8 oz. block of cream cheese that has been slightly soften for several seconds in the microwave and then mix with 1 Cup of the Mock-Crab Salad. What it does is make your salad a little firmer so that you can form something out of it. I decided to form a star since it is so close to July 4^th, place it on a platter and surround it with some crackers. Don’t forget to sprinkle some dried parsley on the crab salad before serving just to add a little color to this appetizer!

The third appetizer is equally as simple as the star cracker dip recipe. To make these delicious wraps all you need to do is add the Mock-Crab Salad to a tortilla with a few leaves of lettuce. Next, all you do is roll the wraps tight and cut them in half when you are ready to serve them. You can even make these as a bite-sized appetizer by rolling the tortilla extremely tight and cutting the rolled up shell into bite-sized appetizers. This makes them perfect to bring along for a pot luck over the July 4th weekend and they are an incredibly fun way to make your Coborn’s Mock-Crab Salad an even more interesting dish!

The next couple of appetizers are just so cute and so very easy – definitely a Jayne original! All I did was slice some fresh English Cucumbers about a ½ inch thick in width and then I cut out the middle of the cucumber. Once all the slicing and dicing is done, simply stuff the Mock Crab Salad into the little divots that you have made in the cucumber chunks. You can also do the same thing with fresh pea pods. Simply cut open the pod and either pull out the peas or leave them inside the pod if you prefer – I did because I love fresh peas, especially when they are from the garden! Then just stuff the pods with Mock Crab Salad and you have the most adorable appetizers that are definitely a summertime favorite of mine because of the fresh and light summery tastes. To add some color, you can also sprinkle some paprika on either the cucumbers or stuffed pea pods. Before you know it these Mock-Crab poppers will be the hit of your summertime get-togethers!

The last appetizer became one of my favorites when I had my first bite!! They were phenomenal and of course I need to share this recipe with you because I know you won’t be disappointed if you love our Mock-Crab deli salad half as much as I do! These crescent puffs are very simple, and they are a great way to try something new with this deli favorite!

These are absolutely wonderful!

Now since I am sitting on my deck writing this blog I just have to share one last thing with you. I have a recipe for a new summer drink that is so refreshing and goes great with just about anything!

Now that I have made these recipes and made this scrumptious Caribbean Sunset drink I’m just going to have to sit back on my deck and enjoy the rest of the evening indulging in these great appetizers. Hope you enjoy and we will see you in a couple weeks.

Enjoy!

Jayne
Deli & Bakery Merchandising Specialist Team Manager

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