People say that New York real estate is measured in square inches instead of square feet.  Apartments that are huge in New York, are tiny by the standards of any other city (except, perhaps, Tokyo).  That being the case, when it came time to break in my new NYC apartment with a small housewarming party, the menu was practically screaming for mini-food.  But what kind of mini-food should I serve?

In the depths of summer, even us urbanites are dying for traditional cookout/BBQ fare.  But what is a girl to do without a backyard?  Without a patio?  Without a charcoal/gas grill?  Bring the cookout inside!  Clearly.  Thus, the menu for my party was born.  Traditional summer cookout food brought indoors for the city dwellers among us.  With the help of a good grill pan, you can bring the taste of traditional cookout food directly into your tiny, backyard-less apartment.  Hooray!

The first thing you think of when I say outdoor cookout:  Burgers.  You got it!  How about a mini version on perfectly sized Mini Whole Wheat Buns?

You can’t have mini burgers without an equally impressive showing by their hotdog counterparts.  Let me introduce you to your new best friend, Baked Mini Corndogs.  No deep fryer need.  Your arteries will thank you.

Few things say cookout side dish like pasta salad.  For a mini-theme party we couldn’t rely on that clunky, old stand-by, Mr. Fusilli.  Nope.  Let’s hear it for the tiniest of all the pastas … come on down Tri-Colore Orzo Pasta Salad!  A pasta salad for people who hate pasta salad (that would be me).

You scream, I scream … yea, yea, we all scream for these tiny little things.  The best part about Two-Bite Ice Cream Sandwiches is that you can eat four of them in only eight bites.  Yes, that’s a good thing.  Trust me.

The end of summer is the end of cherry season.  The only way to pay our proper respect to this tasty fruit is to pick it, smash it with a cherry pitter, puree it into mush and turn it into the sweetest Mini Cherry Cupcakes you’ve ever had.  I think the cherries would be pleased.  I know I was.

No respectable cookout could possibly end with anything less than three separate desserts.  Plus, since these are all mini desserts you can happily eat all of them without garnering judgmental stares.  These Tribute-to-Katharine-Hepburn Brownie Bites are so sinfully intense that you can officially call off your search for a perfectly crisp yet fudgy brownie bite.  This is your recipe.  You’re welcome.

I apologize for flooding your RSS reader or email inbox with all this deliciousness.  There was simply too much to share!  A special thanks to Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 for helping make this mini-meal a full-sized reality.
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