3 Ways To Make The Holidays Yummier

Everyone celebrates the holidays in a different way.  Some have large parties, some more intimate candlelit dinners.  The one thing any basic holiday celebration should have is food.  There are many basic foods served during the holidays, but one thing that a host or hostess can have fun with is the appetizers.  Appetizers should be easy, fun, delicious, and quick, especially when the real focus is on the meat and the side dishes.  I have found three recipes for appetizers that can fit three different types of parties: the traditional party (with a twist, of course), the quirky party where guests are ready to try anything, and the kid-friendly party where kids need to be fed in ways they will enjoy.

Let’s start with the traditional party.  Many large families may be hesitant to break from tradition, so in order to ease them in to something a little different, I found this recipe from Taste of Home for a Zippy Cranberry Appetizer which is delicious and fun without being so different that no one will want to try it.  What you need for this recipes is:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 package (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 to 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• Assorted crackers

Directions:

• In a large saucepan, bring sugars and water to a boil over medium heat. Stir in cranberries; return to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Cool.
• Stir in horseradish and mustard. Transfer to a large bowl; refrigerate until chilled. Just before serving, spread cream cheese over crackers; top with cranberry mixture. Yield: 2-1/2 cups.

This appetizer is incredibly easy to make and packs a punch in each bite.  It looks and initially tastes just like cranberries, but there is a little tiny bit of zing that makes the wow-factor on this appetizer sky high.  They look delicious, so I am sure no guest will be hesitant to try these and they add variety without being too out of the ordinary.  However, I will admit that if a person doesn’t like the combination of sweet with spicy or doesn’t like dijon mustard or horseradish, they will not like these.  You could always leave those two ingredients out and they would be perfect for anyone. This recipe uses more ingredients than the other two to follow, but many of them are common household items that either are in most people’s pantries or would be very easy to reuse.  One of the major bonuses of this recipe is that you can make it ahead of time because it has to be served chilled.  I would definitely recommend these to anyone who usually stays away from too much fruit as an appetizer because they are not too fruity but make a nice addition to most traditionally salty appetizer spreads.

The second type of party I aimed at was the more quirky party where guests love to try new things.  I chose a combination between this recipe from Taste of Home and this recipe from Recipe Zaar for Apricot Wraps.  The first recipe includes almonds and the second recipe does not.  That is basically the only difference.  I went for the recipe without the almonds.  What I used was:

• 12 slices bacon, cut in half
• 24 dried apricot halves
• 1/2 cup apple jam (but you can use plum jam if you’d like)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Wrap 1/2 slice of bacon around an apricot half, secure with a toothpick.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 20-25 minutes or until the bacon is brown & crisp. Turn each wrap once during baking.
• While the bacon is cooking mix the jam & soy sauce in a saucepan and cook over low heat until the jam has melted and mixed with the soy sauce.
• Remove bacon/apriots from oven and place on paper towels to remove excess grease. Serve dipping sauce with the bacon-apricot appetizers.  Yield: 24 wraps
• Note: If you would like to use almonds, simply add an almond in next to the apricot or in the middle of a sliced apricot and then roll up the bacon.

These wraps are delicious and are not overly packed with conflicting tastes.  They will wow your guests who will not be able to stop eating them, so make sure you prepare enough.  Another bonus about this appetizer is that it only requires four ingredients, so you will not break the bank, and you may have most if not all of the ingredients on hand already.  Nothing beats that when it comes to entertaining.  If there are kids helping with the food, they could help wrap the apricots in the bacon and stick the toothpicks through.  It’s a lot of fun for even an adult to do, so kids would love making these!

The last type of party is the kid-friendly party where the adults have to make foods that their picky-eaters will enjoy, but trust me the appetizer I chose for this party will be a hit with all guests, young and old.  I found this recipe from Taste of Home’s Holiday Edition this year for Pepperoni Pinwheels.  These are a lot of fun to make and involve wrapping, much like the Apricot Wraps which is fun for kids to make and eat.  This recipe calls for:

• 1/2 cup diced pepperoni
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 egg, separated
• 1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls

Directions:

• In a small bowl, combine the pepperoni, cheese, oregano and egg yolk. In another small bowl, whisk egg white until foamy; set aside. Separate crescent dough into four rectangles; seal perforations.
• Spread pepperoni mixture over each rectangle to within 1/4 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; pinch seams to seal. Cut each into six slices.
• Place cut side down on greased baking sheets; brush tops with egg white. Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 2 dozen pinwheels.

Like the previous recipe, these are inexpensive and very easy and fun to make.  I don’t know any kid who would turn these down because they are almost like little pop-able pizzas.  They take little time to make and will most likely be requested at every family get-together after they are served because they are that good.  Even if there are not any children at the party, you can still make these for people who like to step away from traditional holiday food and want something more fun

So, there you have it.  Three recipes for three different types of parties.  I must admit, I would attend any party that had any of these on the menu.  If you’re really ambitious and want to please all types of eaters, make all three.  You still won’t break the bank if you made all three of these because each one gets to the point with as few ingredients as possible, without sacrificing a a big bold taste in your mouth.  I encourage you to have fun with your holiday dinner and do something unexpected with your appetizers.  You want people to ask you for the recipe and not let you forget how good the appetizers were until next year, or maybe later.  Happy holidays and happy eating!

This post is a part of Tasty Tuesday over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.