Appetizer/Side dish recipes

[blueyes157]

Hi everyone! My boss invited my FI and I over for dinner on Saturday. Of course I would like to bring something. Only problem is, I''m not sure what to bring! I wouldn''t say I''m the best cook, so something fairly easy, but I can follow a recipe! Do any of you have signature recipes that are always a crowd pleaser? He said that an appetizer or side dish would be go.

Thanks!

 

[belle]

i posted this one in a thanksgiving thread a couple of years ago. it is still a favorite. it''s very easy, yet it looks festive with the crimson cranberry coloring. perfect for the fall!

brie with cranberry chutney

1c. fresh cranberries (can use dried)
2/3c. sugar
1/3c. apple cider vinegar
2tblsp. water
2tsp. finely chopped gingerroot
1/4tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8tsp. ground cloves


vegetable oil
1 round(8oz) brie cheese


mix cranberries, sugar, vinegar, water, gingerroot, cinnamon and cloves in saucepan. heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. cook about 20 min. stirring frequently till thickened. cool slightly. (can refrigerate up to 2 weeks)


when ready to serve, heat oven to 350. lightly brush plate with vegetable oil. place unpeeled cheese on plate and bake for 8-10 min. or till cheese is soft and partially melted.


spoon chutney over cheese and serve with crackers. ( i like to use the thin water crackers with sesame seeds)

 

[belle]

another (even easier) ''recipe'' is to warm a block of cream cheese (in a fancyschmancy dish of course!) and top it with jalepeno jelly and serve with multigrain crackers. YUM!

 

[Mara]

i love love love baked brie with jam on top and thin sourdough sliced bread to scoop. we do that at holidays.

also on what belle noted re: block of warmed cream cheese, we had a great one recently which was a warmed block and then caramel was poured over the top and chopped peanuts topped and served with triscuits...the combo of sweet and salty from caramel and nuts and triscuits was SO GOOD.

if you want a side dish like a veggie...a huge hit for our dinners are baby carrots steamed then tossed with a bit of butter, sugar, and lemon juice, SO yummy.

 

[TravelingGal]

This is so easy, and good IF you like corn and beans.

Corn and bean salad.

A couple of cans of corn, drained.
A couple of cans of black beans, rinsed and drained.
One bunch cilantro, chopped
Red onion or shallots, chopped fine, add as much to your liking
Juice of a couple of limes (I like extra
Salt, pepper.

I also second the cheese and jalapeno idea. The first time I saw that, I thought, gross! About 30 crackers later, I wasn''t thinking that so much anymore...

 

[belle]

can you tell i am craving cheeeeese!?

mara won't be surprised that i showed up with a cranberry recipe

wow, the caramel topping sounds delish!

tgal, i totally thought the cream cheese/jelly thing was weird when i first saw it! but yeah...don't know it 'till you try it for sure! it's always a hit.

i love that corn and bean salad, especially with extra lime

it's also good with some shredded chicken thrown in. don't forget to let in marinate for awhile!

 

[monarch64]

I''ll ''third'' the corn and bean salad!!! Love that recipe, and I''ve done it a few times and had guests rave about it as well. I was just at a Whole Foods in NJ this past weekend and one of the samples was a brie pastry thing that you can purchase ready-made for $19.99, it was so good I almost bought one but didn''t want to travel with it back home to Chicago, lol!

I''m not a great chef either...an easy thing to do is grab a few different flavors of hummus at TJ''s or WF''s and put them in a pretty sectioned dish and serve with colorful veggie tortilla chips...you can bring a couple containers of different olives along with that.

 

[blueyes157]

Thanks for all the wonderful ideas. I am going to deffinitely try the bean salad on my own (my boss is known for this bean salad he makes, I wonder if it is the same thing... he is making that on Saturday already) Monarch I like your suggestion even better about going to the a prepared foods store and finding something special! The brie sounds pretty easy too, I think I could handle that! haha I have had that cream cheese dip and oooooooh so good! Thanks everyone! I''ll let you know what I decide on.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

MMMMM cream cheese and pepper jelly is soooo good. The salty, creamy, tartness of the cheese goes so well with the sweet peppery taste of the jelly. This is one of my favs. I also love baked brie. I like it with apricot preserves and toasted walnuts. Same process as above but toast the walnuts in the oven as the brie bakes, then top with a layer of apricot preserves and sprinkle with walnuts. Serve with crostini, crackers, or apple slices. Hmm....what else....

For a Fall side dish I like to make baked acorn squash. It's super easy. halve/quarter a few acorn squishes and put cut side down in a microwave safe baking dish with a little water in the bottom. Cover with saran wrap and microwave for 5-10 minutes. Then, drain the water out and flip the squishes over. Top with pats of butter, brown sugar (or maple syrup) and pecans and bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes.

 

[blueyes157]

What kind of apples are the best? I would think a more tart apple would be, but I''m not sure....

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I like Granny Smiths or Macs. Definitely a tart apple to offset the richness of the cheese

 

[Rosebud8506]

I have a couple that I like to make, and they are honestly pretty quick and easy.


Hummus Dip
Spread a layer of hummus into a pie dish or something similiar, then a layer of chopped tomatos (usually 2 medium sized ones work well), next a layer of chopped up green onion, then a layer of feta on top of that, and then sprinkle some dill weed on top. Can use fresh or dried - both work well. Use pita chips or pita halves for dipping. YUM!

If you are lovin' cheese (especially cream cheese!!) this one is always a crowd pleaser:

Spicey Sausage Dip
1 package of spicey sausage, I like Jimmy Dean.
2 packages of lite cream cheese
1 can of Rotel diced tomatoes and chilles

Brown sausage, then drain (i do this for lower calories). Then add cream cheese and canned chilles and then melt all together in the microwave and stir. Serve with your favorite crackers. Also YUM!

 

[blueyes157]

Rosebud, can I ask if there is a reason that you use the light cream cheese. Do you do that for calorie purposes or does the recipe come out better with the light than the full fat. Sounds delicious!

 

[Rosebud8506]

blueyes: I just always use lite vs. regular, but have had the recipe made before with both. It tastes good either way, so it is to your preference!