I hope this week's happy hour spread will serve as a reminder that, with a decently stocked pantry, yummy appetizers can be whipped up in a snap, without any extra trips to the supermarket.



Last week was crazy at the Velveteen Lounge. Trips to the supermarket, which can be fun under the right circumstances, felt like a huge chore, to be avoided whenever possible. Good thing we had some raw ingredients on hand! I'd made a marinara sauce on Wednesday night to go on pizza, so I heated some left over sauce up for dipping these little garlic-parmesan bites, which were based on the most basic Bisquick/Jiffy recipe of biscuit mix and milk. Ten minutes in the oven and you have appetizers! And the further good news is that just about anything (use your best judgment, of course) can be deviled in an egg. These are curry deviled eggs. I more or less took a recipe for curry dip, mixed it with the mashed egg yolks, and added copious amounts of salt, pepper and cayenne pepper, 'cause I'm like that. Easy and yummy! Stock your pantry with the basics and save yourself some time and effort in the future!

Click here to see what the Kitsch-en churned out last week.