CHRISTMAS EVE APPETIZERS!

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Oswald Poole
5 years ago
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1 CHRISTMAS EVE APPETIZERS! Putting the fun back in the feast! Are you missing out on all the fun and fellowship during the holidays cause you re the one trapped in the kitchen? That s me, the one fretting about the turkey, fussing with the dressing, and fidgeting over the figgy pudding. (What is figgy pudding, anyway?) Years ago, I committed myself to be the family cook for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but at the same time, I declared that on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, I, too, would get to join in the festivities. To that end, I developed my easy hors d oeuvre get-togethers. Bring on the appetizers! I love the idea of a whole meal made out of hors d oeuvretype foods, and it turns out, my family does, too. I set all of my goodies out on my living room coffee table when I m hosting my immediate family. (Okay, yes, I have an 8-foot, glass-topped coffee table that was built for me from a door I got for free.) It s also fun, when you re going to have a whole houseful of folks, to place your yummies strategically in various rooms around the house to encourage your guests to circulate.

2 Try some of my recipes and suggestions for turning your holiday party into an appetizing event:

3 Double-Duty Cheese Ball Just make my cheese ball recipe below, and save half of it for a traditional cheese ball with crackers. Then, use the other half for Roll-Ups. All you do is grab a package of flour tortillas, spread one side of each tortilla with cheese ball mixture, and roll them up. Chill for a bit and slice them into rounds. Cheese Ball 3 large packages of cream cheese, softened 1 small can of chopped black olives, drained 1 jar of dried beef, chopped 3-4 green onions, chopped Mix it all together. Wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to chill. Spinach Dip (This is a Leisure Arts potluck favorite.) 1 box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted & drained 3 green onions, chopped 1 large package of cream cheese, softened ½ jar of real bacon bits

4 ½ cup mayo a handful of parmesan cheese several dashes of garlic salt 2-3 dashes of Tabasco Sauce Mix it all together in a casserole dish. Zap it in the microwave till the cheese melts. I like it served with crackers.

Ranch Dip Kids love this simple cold dip that I took right off the back of the ranch salad dressing packet. It s great with potato chips or with a veggie tray.

5 Ranch Dip Kids love this simple cold dip that I took right off the back of the ranch salad dressing packet. It s great with potato chips or with a veggie tray. I buy the already cut up vegetables to make life easy. Hurrah for easy! Fondue Line-Up I have several fondue pots. I line them all up on the serving table and fill each with a variety of sweet and savory warm dips. (Sometimes I'm lazy, and these dips come out of a jar. Try cheese, caramel, or chocolate sauce.) Then, I surround the pots with fondue skewers and lots of fun things to stick like bread cubes, marshmallows, veggies, fruit, etc. This makes a fabulous centerpiece for any appetizer spread.

6 Miscellaneous I also like to do a lot of really just-open-a-jar, make-it-easy kinds of things to create an eclectic tablescape: Set out bowls of all different types of olives. Or have you seen the cool olive serving dishes in the stores? They re about a foot long and an inch wide. Very fun Put out tiny skewers of pickled vegetables. (Let a kid with clean hands do the skewering for you.) Dump frozen meatballs in a slow cooker with barbeque sauce right out of the bottle. They ll stay warm through the whole party. Those little miniature sausages work great presented this way, too. Serve cold dip in hollowed-out green and red peppers. Love the Christmas colors! Take tiny bakery rolls, slice, and stuff them with ham and cheese. Fill a platter with them and place labeled squirt bottles of mustard and mayo on the side. Fill small canning jars with plastic knives, forks, and spoons. Pack shot glasses (I have a collection of antique ones) with toothpicks and mini skewers. Make small and large paper plates available at several locations along the serving table. If you ve got a bunch of those cool woven or plastic plate holders use them. They make traveling across a room with a plate full of food so much easier.

7 And if you don t actually cook at all or if you really don t have time to make a culinary effort, you can still create a fabulously appetizing feast. Take the effortless way out. Don t stress about it just order deli trays from your favorite store. This is the more expensive route but I love the ease of setting out trays of shrimp, vegetables, fruit, cheese, and cookies. Clean up is a breeze, too. Hope you re all having a fabulous Christmas Eve and a Merry Christmas to you from all of us at Leisure Arts!

Summer SUMMER SPARKLERS TRY THIS:

Summer SUMMER SPARKLERS TRY THIS: My favorite summer easy-fix meal: Crock Pot Pulled Pork Barbeque Anyone who knows me knows I m a slow cooker magician! I love the convenience and ease of making delicious