Shoot me your best appetizer recipe!

[Ellen]

We''re staying in for NYE, and I''m just making a bunch of appetizers to nosh on. I''m tired of the same old stuff, so I thought I''d ask for some tried and true recipes. I thought it might benefit some others as well.

In the spirit of sharing, I will also include one of mine.


Chicken Liver Pate


1 lb. fresh chicken livers

small amount of butter or margerine

3 Tbst. real mayo

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. soft butter

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

dash pepper

1 Tbsp. finely minced onion

Cook livers, covered, in small amount of butter. Put through meat grinder (on a finer setting). Blend with rest of ingredients. Chill in 2 c. mold. If you want to remove it to serve, place saran wrap in mold first. Serve with crackers.

TIA!

 

[Gayletmom]

Good morning, Ellen. Here is my favorite in the "fancy but easy" category:

Brie Bites

12 small puff pastry shells
Fancy preserves, such as fig
Brie cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 325. Assemble by putting a dollop (approx. 1/2 tsp) of preserves in each shell. Put a small slice of brie in the top of the shell. Warm the pastries in the oven for about 5 minutes until the brie starts to soften but doesn''t melt (it will get runny, quickly).

You can get the same effect, with almost no assembly, by warming the preserves a little and then pouring that over a wedge of brie. I serve this one with plain crackers.

 

[autumngems]

Just got this from my neice at Christmas, they were sooooooo good.

1 package little smokies (beef sausages)
bacon
brown sugar

wrap bacon around smokies pierce with toothpick to hold and cover with brown sugar. Cook on 375 for 30-45 minutes until bacon is done. They are to die for.

 

[Skippy123]

Ellen and others not sure if you have a Trader Joe's or Costco near you but they have this wonderful appetizer!

It is prosciutto, basil wrapped in mozzarella log and you slice it and serve it on crackers, deeeeeeelicious

Or the old standard cinch to make brie with cranberries and nuts wrapped in crescent roll and baked, yum

 

[pixie1216]

i know the same old same old can be boring but, i think everyone appreciates good ''ol pigs in a blanket! another favorite is the tiny meatballs in the jelly and chili sauce mixture. it sounds gross, but is very tasty and always popular! super easy too! make meatballs, cocktail size, bake them in oven until cooked. in sauce pan melt one cup of grape jelly and one cup of chili sauce, stir until melted together. then pour sauce over meatballs. done. you can probably use pre made meatballs too. sorry, nothing fancy~!

 

[Ellen]

Gayle, the cheese in the puffs sound fun! I have made a regular brie round with jalapeno preserves , warmed, but the kids might get a kick out of the fancier presentation. Thanks!


autumn, I have made those!

In fact, I asked hubby if he wanted those, or just the weiners in bbq sauce, and he picked the latter. Less work for me, bit I like those better!


Skippers, I don''t have either of those near me. Wish we had a Traders....

What kind of cranberries do you use, raw??

Thanks all!

 

[zoebartlett]

I love brie with walnuts and a little bit of brown sugar (or craisins) -- bake until heated through. Serve with french bread. This is one of my favorites!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 12/30/2008 10:32:26 AM
Author: pixie1216
i know the same old same old can be boring but, i think everyone appreciates good ''ol pigs in a blanket! another favorite is the tiny meatballs in the jelly and chili sauce mixture. it sounds gross, but is very tasty and always popular! super easy too! make meatballs, cocktail size, bake them in oven until cooked. in sauce pan melt one cup of grape jelly and one cup of chili sauce, stir until melted together. then pour sauce over meatballs. done. you can probably use pre made meatballs too. sorry, nothing fancy~!

pixie, I have a recipe for these too, though I haven''t made them in awhile. But yanno, I have never made pigs in a blanket....

Thanks!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 12/30/2008 10:36:09 AM
Author: ZoeBartlett
I love brie with walnuts and a little bit of brown sugar (or craisins) -- bake until heated through. Serve with french bread. This is one of my favorites!

Oh yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum, with fresh French bread

Ellen, I wish you had a trader joe's too!!! bummer. Yes, the craisins, (sorry); I call them cranberry's.

What goodies do you have planned to make NYE?? What beverages?

 

[indypitty]

If you like mushrooms, these are to die for!!! I made them on Christmas Eve and everybody loved them. I added some bacon to the filling, they wew sooooo good!

 

[cbs102]

this is the most amazing onion dip ever...

1 chopped onion
1 softened bar of cream cheese
8oz sour cream
Mayo
2 cups grated parm cheese

Preheat oven to 350
spray bottom of 2 quart baking dish
in 2 cup measuring cup add the softened cream cheese, sour cream and top it off with the mayo
mix with the cheese and onion
pour mixture in baking dish and bake for 45 minutes
(the top with be brown)

serve with bread or pita chips

 

[Ellen]

Date: 12/30/2008 10:58:00 AM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 12/30/2008 10:36:09 AM
Author: ZoeBartlett
I love brie with walnuts and a little bit of brown sugar (or craisins) -- bake until heated through. Serve with french bread. This is one of my favorites!

Oh yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum, with fresh French bread

Ellen, I wish you had a trader joe's too!!! bummer. Yes, the craisins, (sorry); I call them cranberry's.

What goodies do you have planned to make NYE?? What beverages?

zoe, that does sound yummy!


Skippers, thanks for the verification. I was thinking, raw cranberries don't sound very good?

Well, so far I have:

shrimp, of course, with Cross and Blackwell sauce. THE best.

stuffed mushrooms, though my recipe calls for layering cream cheese, then cooked, crumbled sausage and then mozz. cheese. But indy's recipe sounds really yummy, so I might deviate to that version

and the cocktail weenies in sauce. Not much yet, need to decide as I want to hit the store today before it gets insane!


cbs, how much mayo does it use? Sounds yummy!

And thankies all!

 

[westjenn]

This was a HUGE hit at my holiday party:
Buffalo Chicken dip:

Either 1 large can of Swanson chicken or shredded chicken
1 8 oz bar of cream cheese
1/2 C. Bleu Cheese dressing
1/2 C. Frank''s Red Hot Sauce
1/2 C. crumbled Bleu Cheese

Mix all together, bake in a pan for 20 min at 350 & serve with chips or crackers.

 

[cbs102]

Date: 12/30/2008 11:30:55 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 12/30/2008 10:58:00 AM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 12/30/2008 10:36:09 AM
Author: ZoeBartlett
I love brie with walnuts and a little bit of brown sugar (or craisins) -- bake until heated through. Serve with french bread. This is one of my favorites!

Oh yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum, with fresh French bread

Ellen, I wish you had a trader joe''s too!!! bummer. Yes, the craisins, (sorry); I call them cranberry''s.

What goodies do you have planned to make NYE?? What beverages?

zoe, that does sound yummy!


Skippers, thanks for the verification. I was thinking, raw cranberries don''t sound very good?

Well, so far I have:

shrimp, of course, with Cross and Blackwell sauce. THE best.

stuffed mushrooms, though my recipe calls for layering cream cheese, then cooked, crumbled sausage and then mozz. cheese. But indy''s recipe sounds really yummy, so I might deviate to that version

and the cocktail weenies in sauce. Not much yet, need to decide as I want to hit the store today before it gets insane!


cbs, how much mayo does it use? Sounds yummy!

And thankies all!

you are basically just topping off a 2 cup measuring cup.. i altered the recipe because it was a little greasy. so i add the softened bar of cream cheese and the sour cream and then just keep adding mayo until its 2 cups. seriously, this is so so good. it is a major hit!

 

[Lorelei]

Will you be making your heavenly ham sammiches El???

 

[Ellen]

Date: 12/30/2008 11:34:16 AM
Author: cbs102

Date: 12/30/2008 11:30:55 AM
Author: Ellen


cbs, how much mayo does it use? Sounds yummy!

you are basically just topping off a 2 cup measuring cup.. i altered the recipe because it was a little greasy. so i add the softened bar of cream cheese and the sour cream and then just keep adding mayo until its 2 cups. seriously, this is so so good. it is a major hit!

Ok, great, thank you! It does sound really good.



westjenn, that sounds awesome! I LOVE blue cheese, however, I am the only one in this family that does.

So I won't make it for us, as no one would eat it but me, however I will definitely make it for the next get together! Thank you!


Why Miss Lorelei, what a good memory you have! Hubby mentioned them, but I'm kinda burnt out on them, and so much other stuff I make.

Hence the thread.

Oooh, I forgot, we're getting chicken wings from Ponderosa Restuarent, they are incredibly good, and I don't have to make them!

 

[laurel25]

I posted this once before in another thread, but this was a HUGE success at our family Christmas -

Garlic & Sundried Tomato Cheese Ball

2 8oz. pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 pkg. sundried tomatos, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 1/2 t dried basil
1 1/2 t dried oregano
1 oz. bag shredded cheddar (not fancy shredded, just regular), divided

Place cream cheese, tomatos, garlic, basil, oregano, and 1/2 the bag of cheddar in a metal mixing bowl. Mix or knead together (I find that kneading works best to really get everything mixed well). Shape into a ball. Roll in the remaining cheddar cheese. Refrigerate for 24 hrs. before serving to allow flavors to blend. Serve with toasted bread, crackers, pretzels, veggies.

 

[AmberGretchen]

I''ve made these to rave reviews before, and I know the vegetarians always appreciate them at our parties (myself included). Pre-heat the broiler, and mix together:

# 1 (6 1/2 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (can use plain canned artichokes)
# 1 medium tomato, seeds removed and diced (optional)
# 1/2 cup grated romano cheese or parmesan cheese
# 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
# 2 garlic cloves, crushed (can use less if desired)
# 5 tablespoons mayonnaise

slice one long baguette or other french bread, and spread each slice with a generous amount of the mixture. Then broil for a few minutes until browned and bubbling - these are seriously so good, and so easy to make

 

[Ellen]

laurel and Amber, thankies! Everything sounds good, I don''t know how to decide!

 

[Sizzle]

Chicken Satay

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed


DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, curry powder, garlic and hot pepper sauce. Place the chicken breasts in the marinade and refrigerate. Let the chicken marinate at least 2 hours, overnight is best.
Preheat a grill to high heat.
Weave the chicken onto skewers, then grill for 5 minutes per side.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

This is my no-fail-go-to party dip. It''s a nice twist to the typical spinach/artichoke dip and it''s from Cooking Light!
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1031613

Garlicky Spinach Dip with Hearts of Palm

Ingredients

* Chips:
* 22 (6-inch) corn tortillas, each cut into 8 wedges
* Cooking spray
* 1 teaspoon salt

Dip:
* 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
* 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Asiago cheese, divided
* 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
* 1 (14-ounce) can hearts of palm, drained and chopped
* 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
* 1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened
* 1 (6.5-ounce) tub light garlic-and-herbs spreadable cheese (such as Alouette Light)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

To prepare chips, arrange tortilla wedges in a single layer on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat wedges with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with salt. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until wedges are crisp and lightly browned.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°.

To prepare dip, combine mozzarella, 1/4 cup Asiago, sour cream, and remaining ingredients, stirring until well blended. Spoon spinach mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Asiago. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Serve warm with chips.
Nutritional Information

Calories:
128 (30% from fat)
Fat:
4.3g (sat 2.4g,mono 0.6g,poly 0.4g)
Protein:
6.9g
Carbohydrate:
15.7g
Fiber:
2.1g
Cholesterol:
16mg
Iron:
1.2mg
Sodium:
384mg
Calcium:
175mg

 

[shimmer]

For Christmas Eve I made these and they were out of this world! Also, I baked them instead of fried and used Frank''s Hot Sauce. From Allrecipes.com :

Restaurant-Style Buffalo Chicken Wings

SUBMITTED BY: Kelly PHOTO BY: Allrecipes
"This is the similar to the hot wings recipe served at a popular restaurant chain. If you have ever had them, you have to love them."
RECIPE RATING:
The reviewer gave this recipe 1065 stars. This recipe average a 4.8 star rating.
Read Reviews (863)
Review/Rate This Recipe
PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 15 Min
READY IN 2 Hrs
Original recipe yield 10 chicken wings
SERVINGS
(Help)

Servings


US METRIC
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* oil for deep frying
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1/4 cup hot sauce
* 1 dash ground black pepper
* 1 dash garlic powder
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon paprika
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 10 chicken wings

* add to recipe box Add to Recipe Box My Folders
My folders:
* add to shopping list Add to Shopping List
* add a personal note Add a Personal Note

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). The oil should be just enough to cover wings entirely, an inch or so deep. Combine the butter, hot sauce, pepper and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir together and heat until butter is melted and mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and reserve for serving.
2. In a small bowl mix together the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Place chicken wings in a large nonporous glass dish or bowl and sprinkle flour mixture over them until they are evenly coated. Cover dish or bowl and refrigerate for 60 to 90 minutes.
3. Fry coated wings in hot oil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until parts of wings begin to turn brown. Remove from heat, place wings in serving bowl, add hot sauce mixture and stir together. Serve.
Allrecipes.com

 

[cbs102]

Date: 12/30/2008 2:23:28 PM
Author: ChargerGrrl
This is my no-fail-go-to party dip. It''s a nice twist to the typical spinach/artichoke dip and it''s from Cooking Light!
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1031613

Garlicky Spinach Dip with Hearts of Palm

Ingredients

* Chips:
* 22 (6-inch) corn tortillas, each cut into 8 wedges
* Cooking spray
* 1 teaspoon salt

Dip:
* 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
* 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Asiago cheese, divided
* 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
* 1 (14-ounce) can hearts of palm, drained and chopped
* 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
* 1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened
* 1 (6.5-ounce) tub light garlic-and-herbs spreadable cheese (such as Alouette Light)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

To prepare chips, arrange tortilla wedges in a single layer on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat wedges with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with salt. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until wedges are crisp and lightly browned.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°.

To prepare dip, combine mozzarella, 1/4 cup Asiago, sour cream, and remaining ingredients, stirring until well blended. Spoon spinach mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Asiago. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Serve warm with chips.
Nutritional Information

Calories:
128 (30% from fat)
Fat:
4.3g (sat 2.4g,mono 0.6g,poly 0.4g)
Protein:
6.9g
Carbohydrate:
15.7g
Fiber:
2.1g
Cholesterol:
16mg
Iron:
1.2mg
Sodium:
384mg
Calcium:
175mg

umm YUM! i am making this tomorrow night!

 

[Elmorton]

Wrap asparagus with a little procuitto - use a thin layer of marscapone as the "glue" (I squeeze lemon and pepper over the entire tray)

Paula Deen''s baked brie - overnight, let 1/4 c macademia nuts, 1 shot brandy, and 1/4 cup brown sugar (I use splenda) marinate together. Bake a small wheel of brie at 500 for 5 mins. Top with the nut/sugar/brandy mix and bake for 3 additional minutes. Serve with crackers and slices of red apple and green pear. This is TDF.

DH''s grandmother''s blue cheese dip (very good, extremely simple) - mix 1/2 of a container blue cheese with 1 package cream cheese and 1/4 c minced onion. Mix together, serve with crackers.

And I love the hold standby of spinach dip served in a hawaiian bread loaf. Yummy.

Taquitos!!

My SIL brought hummus and pita points to Christmas this year - it''s not necessarily unique, but it was something different (and could be put together in minutes - just dust some packaged hummus with paprika and feta, put some olives on the side, and done!)

 

[pixie1216]

my sister is the queen of "dip"! i kid you not, everywhere she goes, her friends and neighbors, and family members, want her black bean dip, spinach dip, and/or reuben dip! oh also pizza dip! all are reaaaallly good, although the spinach and reuben dip are probably very fattening! yum! if you would like to try any of these, let me know, i'll get the recipes!! the reuben dip is a replica of a reuben sandwich, it has shredded corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and thousand island dressing. combine and bake. serve with small party bread or chips. mmmmm reuben dip!

 

[JulieN]

Prosciutto-wrapped, cheese-stuffed dates:

dried dates (the smaller, the better.)
chunk of Parmigiano-Reggianno (18 months) or other cheap Parmigiano substitute such as Grana Padano, though I do not like the stuff from Argentina called "Reggianito" or domestically made commercial "parmesan")
paper-thin slices of prosciutto

For small gatherings (under 10?) make 2/person. For larger, make 1.5/person.

oven at 425

cut Parmigiano into batons that fit inside the dried dates. If using aged Parmigiano, such as 24 months, make the baton to fit about 3/4 of the hole inside the date. For 36 months Parmigiano, batons should fill just over half of the hole.

lay a slice of prosciutto flat. place a stuffed date on one end of the prosciutto, and roll the date up about 1 1/3 of the way, leaving enough so that the date stays wrapped. trim off excess prosciutto.

place them upright onto oven safe tray (not nonstick.) they will stay upright if smooshed down a little. into the oven for about 10 minutes. they are done when prosciutto is crispy and cheese is melted.

these are not as good when cold, so only make enough that will be eaten immediately.

 

[Ellen]

Wow, thanks you guys!! I fianally had to go, so I missed some of these. But I can surely use them for future events, I''m all for using my friends as guinea pigs.

(not that your recipes aren''t good, that''s not what I meant!)

pixie, when you have time, I''d love the black bean dip (for the future, no rush), sounds different! Thankies!


julie, I am totally intrigued! Why does the age of the cheese make a difference in how big a piece you use? These sound SO different, interesting!


Again, thanks to all of you for taking time out to help me, I appreciate it! I decided to use indy''s stuffing for my shrooms. I got some nice big, bootiful ones. And I''m trying Gayle''s brie in the puff pastry. No fig perserves, so I went with Raspberry, I know the kids will eat that, and I thought it sounded good. Also making cbs''s dip and Amber''s veggie bread thingy.

I''ll let you all know how it goes!

 

[JulieN]

An aged cheese will be sharper tasting. I can eat a big chunk of 18 month Parm if I had to, but a big chunk of 36 month Parm would not be very good to eat.

In the stuffed dates, too intense of a cheese will make it taste very salty.

These things are flavor BOMBS, which is why most people eat 2, 3 at the most...

 

[Ellen]

Ahh, I get it now. Thanks!

 

[steph72276]

What a great idea. I was racking my brain as to something fun to make tomorrow night, but I think I will make a few appetizers as well. Great recipes ladies!!!