Christmas this year, is just going to be us (myself, the husband, 3 kids)... but I still want it to be nice. I have a ham and a few other simple things I'm making, but I still want it to be special, just because :)
I need ONE really good appetizer (I'm already doing hot pepper jelly/cream cheese and triscuits)...
...and ONE really good dessert (I'm making cranberry and white chocolate chip cookies)....
What are YOUR no-fail favorites??
Dessert: Chocolate covered strawberries OR truffle stuffed figs
Ap : Tomato/Basil/Mozz either hot or cold
Hot =
Baguette slices
Pesto smear
Tomato slices
Salt and Pepper on tomatoes
Pecorino Romano (or parm) on tomatoes
Bake @ 400 for just a couple minutes until crispy/melted/golden
Cold =
Baguette slices
FRESH mozz slice
Tomato slice
Salt and Pepper on tomato
Basil leaf
Buffalo Chicken Dip-
2-3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
1 8oz package of cream cheese
16oz sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup hot sauce
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, spread in a 13X9 dish and bake on 350 for 30 mins or until edges turn slightly brown. Serve with tortilla chips.
No-fail appetizer:
Spinach artichoke dip:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup mozzerella cheese
box frozen spinach (defrosted and get all the water out)
1 can of artichokes (chopped)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
**Mix all together and sprinkle with 1/4 cup parm cheese in an oven-safe shallow dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 350.
** Serve with tortilla chips and cocktail bread.
No-fail dessert:
Google "Sea Watch Key Lime Pie"
Super easy and DELICIOUS!
I just made pretzel turtles because they were so easy, and they went FAST at a party. Buy a bag of small pretzel knots and lay them on waxed paper on a cookie sheet. Place a rolo candy on each pretzel (I actually used a half rolo on each). Soften in the oven at 250 degrees for about 3 minutes (don't let them melt completely). Then place a pecan half on the top of each one. Done!
For an appetizer, crostini topped with feta and sundried tomatoes. I got the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook years ago. Don't recall exaxtly, but you slice the a baguette and toast the slices with a little of the tomato oil on them. Then you mix a topping of feta, tomatoes, salt, etc. I bet if you google "crostini" you could find lots of yummy options. Easy, but looks fancy :)
Hummos (2 cans chickpeas, 2 or more cloves garlic, 2 tbspns olive oil, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, 4 tbspns tahini (sesame seed paste)).
home made guacomole is good too.
as for dessert- what could be easier than JELLO
other favorite is the philladelphia cream cheese recipe for cheesecake.
good luck to you and yours
App - We love salsa, guacamole, and queso here!
Dessert - since you already have fruity/white choc, I'd probably make a simple chocolate brownie, perhaps with Christmas colored M&Ms on top. Or these are fun and easy and super-tasty: http://www.bigredkitchen.com/2008/10/rpms-rolos-pretzels-...
2 appetizer ideas:
1. Pesto/cream cheese dip: Take a can of pillsbury crescent rolls and spread them out on a cookie sheet. Press lightly on the seams so that it's one big sheet of crescent roll dough, but remove one crescent roll for decoration. Take a square package of cream cheese, and slice the cream cheese in half horizontally so that it is two thin rectangles. Put one half of the cream cheese down on the crescent rolls, and then spread pesto (I buy it pre-made in a jar) on top, and then top with sliced or chopped black olives. Put the other half of the cream cheese on top, forming sort of a "pesto sandwich" with the cream cheese. Then, top with more pesto. Fold up the sides of the dough around the cream cheese/pesto, and seal it like a package. Take the one remaining crescent roll and cut it into the shape of a christmas tree (or whatever you want) and put that on top. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Slice it when it is finished, and serve with crackers and veggies. It is really yummy.
2. Really easy Mini quiches: Spray cooking spray into mini muffin tins. Press wonton wrappers into each tin. Put a pinch of diced canned green chilies and a pinch of shredded sharp cheddar in each one. Beat eggs and few T of sour cream together and season with dry mustard, and salt and pepper. Pour into each won ton. Bake at 375 for around 15-20 minutes, until firm. These are a major hit!
Bacon wrapped lil' smokies. Cut bacon in half, wrap half around a hillshire farms lil' smokies, sprinkle brown sugar over the top and bake. Sprinkle more brown sugar towards the end.
Mini sausages in bbq sauce
Ditto with meatballs
Chili con queso - velveeta melted with rotel or any salsa you like and breakfast sausage or hamburger.
Easy Peesy Chocolate pie.
Hershey Chocolate bar melted
Cool Whip
Ready made pic crust - graham cracker or chocolate
Fold melted chocolate into 1/2 of the tub of cool whip, Fill crust. top with remaining cool whip. Top with chocolate shavings
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
D.
mushrooms stuffed with sausage yummmmmmm
desert
cookies and cream pudding shots- no alcohol
you take the cookies and cream pudding and add crushed oreos minus the cream to it, for extra crunch,
put them in the little mini plastic throwaway shot thingys and then add a scoop of cool whip and then crushed oreos on top. Everyon goes crazy for them. I hate pudding and love them
for bigger servings serve them in fancy cups or wine glasses
Bacon wrapped water chestnuts.
drain the can of whole waterchestnuts
wrap each water chestnut with a strip of bacon cut to size
secure with a toothpick
Put them in a pan (at least 1" deep because the bacon will have drippings collecting in the bottom of the pan)
Bake until bacon is done. I forget what temp I use in the oven. Probably 350-400. Also, be careful when removing them from the oven to avoid any bacon dripping burns.
YUMMY!
Weird - mine are the same as YOURS!!!!
I make pepper jelly every summer just so that I have a quick and easy go to appetizer! And I like walnuts in my cranberry/wh choc chip cookies! I make them at Christmas and for July 4th.
OK, so other than that...........I like a good classic veggie tray or meat/cheese (and maybe pickle/olives) tray.
Dessert - if you already have cookies, I would make a pie (I don't like cake ). Maybe buy some frozen berries and make a Triple Berry pie - strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Or I also really like a peach blueberry pie - I just use a peach pie recipe and reduce the amount of peaches and throw in that amount of blueberries. And if you are making everything else, it's ok to cheat and buy the pre made refridgerated crust ;)
get 2 or 3 cans of whole water chestnuts. wrap them w/ 1/3 strip of bacon place in cake pan sprinkle with brown sugar bake at 400 degrees till bacon is done. they are yummy. I always line the pan with foil for an easier cleanup
Neither of these are very Christmas type things but both are awesome!
Appetizer:
Pepperoni Bread: http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/pampered-chef-recipes/...
Dessert:
Creamy Banana Pudding:
http://www.eaglebrand.com/recipes/details/?RecipeId=3980
