Appetizers are difficult for me. Yes, I can mix sour cream and mayo with some pre-packaged seasonings and I can top cream cheese with my Habanero Pepper Jelly. I can slap some shrimp on a plate with cocktail sauce, mix up a batch of meat balls, but that's about the end of it.

Does anyone have and want to share easy but clever or different ideas for appetizers?

Karen

We also serve freshly cooked and lightly salted edamame, or lightly steamed and cooled asparagus wrapped with prosciutto, or pepadews chopped into feta cheese and spread on crackers.
There's always easy cheese and crackers or nut nibbles or hummus etc on the aisles of Trader Joe's!

Super easy

Holiday Cooking - Hors d'oeurves

Just put out a plate with sliced english cukes...no peeling...and some sliced salami.

Cut up fresh fruit and a dip made of plain yogurt or sour cream mixed with some brown sugar and cinnamon.

A wood board with a couple of cheeses, a selection of crackers and some grapes is a classic.

I also posted the Hors d'oeurves link that denise added above and suggested Ann T's Gougeres.

I'll go and see if I can find it, LOL.

Annie

I am currently enthralled with White Stilton with Cranberries, which can be bought at Trader Joes.
I recently had a hunk left over from a party and I uhmmm, ate all of it.

~ wrap cocktail wieners in strips of crescent roll dough, bake according to dough directions, serve with gourmet flavored mustards and catsup

~ Curried Chutney Spread: combine 8 oz. pkg. of cream cheese, 4 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese, 1/2 t. curry powder, 1/4 t. salt, 3 TB sherry, spread in a shallow serving dish, and top with 1/2 cup chutney (chopped if pieces are large) and finely chopped green onions. Serve with Bremmer Wafers or other plain crackers.

~ small, thick pretzel sticks with an interesting mustard to dip them in

~ two or three imported cheese wedges (sample at the shop if possible), set out to come to room temp, serve with cheese knives for cutting, garnish with some fresh grapes that have been washed well and dried.

Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies

1 lb package little smokies
1 lb bacon
3/4 c brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350F.

Wrap each little smokie in 1/2 strip of bacon and secure with toothpicks.
Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with brown sugar.

Bake until bacon is crisp and sugar is melted, 30-45 minutes.

If you want a couple more quick and easy appetizers.....

BLOODY MARY SHRIMP

Shrimp cocktail meets everyone's favorite Sunday-morning drink. In other words, this is a vodka-infused shrimp cocktail in a spoon.

For shrimp
1 pound medium shrimp in shell, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery (3 to 4 ribs)
1 cup thinly sliced scallions (about 6)

For sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup vodka (preferably Absolut Peppar)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons bottled horseradish (not drained), or to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco

Prepare shrimp:
Bring a large saucepan of salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 2 quarts water) to a boil. Add shrimp, then remove from heat and let stand in water until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Cut shrimp into thirds and transfer to a large bowl with celery and scallions.

Make sauce:
Whisk together all sauce ingredients, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste.
Just before serving, stir sauce into shrimp mixture. Spoon 2 shrimp pieces with vegetables and sauce into individual Chinese soup spoons and arrange spoons on a platter.
Cooks' notes:
� Shrimp can be cooked and tossed with vegetables 4 hours ahead, then chilled in a sealed bag. Bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before tossing with sauce.
� Sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mexican Stack-up Dip

16oz can refried beans
1pkg dry taco seasoning mix
1 avocado, mashed mixed with
2c sour cream
4oz can green chilies
2 tomatoes, diced
shredded cheddar cheese

Layer ingredients in 9inch square pan and chill. Serve with tortilla chips.

Linda

Keep them coming. This is the time of year we all need them. This is a thread I'll keep. Does anyone know if an entire thread can be pinned on Pinterest?

Karen

I find this Rachel Ray dip very easy and very tasty....

Bourbon Sausages
-1 cup to 12 ounces bourbon
-1 12-ounce bottle Heinz Chili Sauce
-1 cup dark brown sugar
-1 3.5 pound package of Little Smokies sausage

In sauce pan, bring bourbon, chili sauce, sugar to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens.
Put smokies on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees until grease is rendered. Drain grease from smokies. Add smokies to bourbon sauce.
Serve in crock pot on low or chafing dish.

Another favourite on mine is super simple...sliced smoked salmon, red onion rings and capers served on a cream cheese covered slice of rye or thin bagel slice.

Dates with Blue Cheese Wrapped in Bacon
1 pound pitted dates
4 ounces blue cheese (or goat cheese)
1 pound bacon, cut in thirds

Preheat oven to 375.
Open dates and stuff with cheese. Wrap each date with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.

Place each wrapped date on a rack over a foil lined baking sheet with sides (to catch the bacon fat).

Bake until bacon is crisp - about 20 minutes.

Also, I made some crepes, adding some green onion to the batter, then spread a layer of cream cheese, layer on some smoked salmon, roll, chill, cut into rounds and top with caviar and a sprig of dill.

I've found that things that can be rolled and cut makes for fast and easy appetizer prep!

Stuffed Mushrooms

20 large white mushrooms
1/3 Cup butter (maybe a bit more)
4 or 5 green onions, chopped fine
2 - 2 1/2 cups grated cheddar
1/3 Cup bread crumbs
salt

Clean mushrooms and carefully remove stems. Chop stems finely (I use the food processor). Melt butter in a saute pan. Saute mushroom stems and onions over medium heat until soft but not browned and the stems have given up their juices. Mixture should be quite moist. Add the bread crumbs, only enough to absorb the liquid. Add the grated cheese and stir just until it has melted. Don't worry if the oil separates from the cheese.
Stuff the mixture into the caps and sprinkle with a bit of salt (or you can salt after they come out of the oven...which is what I usually do). Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes or until the caps are nice and soft.

Here is another one that everyone loves. It can be made a few hours ahead. Ignore the name! This is always gone in a flash! Penzey's even featured this recipe of mine in their magazine a few years back...my 15 moinutes1 LOL

Stacked Pizza

7 sheets phyllo pastry
1/2 Cup butter melted
7 Tbl freshly grated parmesan
1 1/2 Cup grated mozarella
1 sweet onion sliced thinly, And Separated Into Rings
5 -6 roma tomatoes, sliced
1 Tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste ( I don't use
-any I find the parm salty enough and I
forget about the pepper!!!)
fresh herbs sprigs thyme, oregano or rosemary

Preheat oven to 375. Follow package instructions to thaw phyllo. Place 1 sheet of phyllo on baking sheet, brush with butter and sprinkle with 1 TBSP of the parmesan cheese. Repeat until all layers are used. Press down firmly so layers stick together. Sprinkle top sheet with mozerella. Place onions on top then place tomatoes on top. Season with oregano. Bake for 20-25 minutes until edges are golden, and the bottom is cooked. Decorate with fresh herbs and cut into squares (squares can be cut in half to make two bite trinagles)

Notes: I slice the onions and then cut the circles in half to arrange on top. I also try and line the tomatoes up in a diagonal pattern, I don't place them randomly, and then when I cut it I cut the squares so each piece has 1 roma slice. I also don't measure anything anymore I just sprinkle the cheese. I use rosemary but I cut the leaves off the stems. I've often cooked it with the rosemary on it. I also line my baking sheet with parchment paper.

Chase, that stocked pizza looks great! When you said that it can be made ahead, can it be baked and then reheated or just assembled and cook later? Thank you.

Silvia

For Saturday night I made, Linda's (doucanoe's) bacon wrapped little smokies (except I used turkey dogs because I had them on hand) turned out great. I would have added the whisky that Mustang's suggested but I didn't have any. I also made the cheese truffles that Olychick posted on another thread that Denise attached. They turned out great. I had some meatballs in the freezer and I made those with Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet Vadalia Onion Bar-B-Q sauce mixed with a little honey. Everything went fast. Especially the turkey dogs and meatballs. We had people stop by all day so I didn't have a chance to get to the store so I had to use what I had on hand.

Thanks to everyone. I love appetizers. I don't even need a meal! Happy Holidays!!!

Karen