posted
I'm responsible for Christmas Eve dinner, this is a slightly scary idea, but I think it will be good for my mom. We're ordering Pizzas (one from each of our two favorite local pizza places, one alfredo sauce with veggies, one marinara on thin crust with meat).
I also want to do a few appetizers. One I found recently is like Crab Rangoon but with jalepenos instead of crab in the cream cheese.
What appetizers do you like making? I'm really close to the mother in Mermaid who only makes appetizers as dinner. Fun
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
I have a good cheese fondue recipe that I always make at Christmas time. The recipe calls for it to be served in a bread pot, which I always make myself. For many years, our Christmas 'dinner' consisted of an all-day fingerfood buffet, including my fondue, spinach dip and/or artichoke dip (also in homemade bread pot), with bread chunks and assorted veggies for dipping, buffalo wings, sausage rolls, lil smokies, and other things that aren't coming to mind right now. I always tried to make one or two new things each year.
Edit: of course as soon as I hit reply I remember other items we've made over the years. We like wontons and eggrolls, both deep fried and steamed. I have a couple of dipping sauces that are to die for.
Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
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posted
Oh Maui Babe, that sounds like an amazing meal. That's how we do our Christmas Eve, but this year instead of lots, i decided on pizza, after being put in charge (I'm 19 and the only kid that will be there, 5 or 6 adults)
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posted
One of my favorites is really easy to make. Just mix salsa (I prefer Pace) with cream cheese, spread it on a flour tortilla, roll it up, and refrigerate. When it's chilled, cut the roll into slices that are about one inch long.
Spinach dip is another good one. I always use the recipe off of the soup packet; I think it's the Liptons french onion soup. If you have the time and inclination to make a bread bowl, that can be a nice way to serve the dip and then you have all the bread innards to scoop it up with.
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Spanakopita (although I like onion in mine, and a mix of cheeses) Veggies with dip Hummus and pita Cheese/cheeseball and crackers Scotch Eggs Spinach dip and home-made bread/breadsticks
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Last night I had the munchies and was tired of all the sweets we've been eating lately (I've been doing my Christmas baking and I've had WAY too many cookies).
I more or less invented a "pizza dip" using mozzerella, cheddar and parmesean cheeses, a little bit of pepperoni, some diced tomatoes and a few tablespoons of fat-free sour cream to hold it all together. I'd originally thought of using cream cheese, but I was saving what I had for another recipe later.
I heated it all together in the microwave and served it with plain tortilla chips. It was very tasty, and a nice savory respite from all the sweets.
Oops, I knew I should have specified Elizabeth's buffalo chicken dip when I started this post. It took me a little longer than I thought it would.
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posted
When we've made bread bowls, we bought the bread, from the local bakery, which makes it pretty easy.
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I used to buy bread bowls, but in certain places I've lived over the years I have had trouble finding them (I've been making my fondue for over 20 years )
My family is pretty finicky about bread, since they've all grown up on my homemade stuff, and I can make it in my sleep now, so I just do it.
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Bread bowls really aren't any harder to make than loaves. The key is to make sure there is plenty of surface tension by stretching the dough and tucking it up underneath. Then, when it rises it will go up instead of out.
The first time I tried to make a bread bowl I didn't know this important technique and ended up with a bread plate instead.
posted
I've never seen Mermaid, but I've always loved savory little finger foods. I like to go to a nice restaurant with a group of friends just for appetizers and dessert. I love New Years Parties for the same reason...
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Crowswife, uhhh they aren't hard if you can make bread that tastes good at all. I can't. We won't go into my last attempt at bread with yeast (I'm great at quick breads).
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posted
For appetizers, you can make highly seasoned little meatballs. Spicy chicken wings. And everyone's favorite, little cocktail franks wrapped in dough.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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Buy a tube of crescent roll dough (the pillsbury kind that's perforated). Make sure it's nice and cold - you might even want it in the freezer for a bit.
Seperate into two sheets (4 triangles each sheet): lay one out on pan. Top with shredded cheese (or, if you're feeling exotic, load it up with brie), chopped mushrooms/onions/bell peppers, etc. Tomatoes also work. Coat that with marinara, alfredo, or whatever. Place second sheet on top of first and pinch sides closed. Basically, you want the thing to look like an enormous Hot Pocket on crack.
Bake until the dough is done, slice, serve.
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
oh the idea of crescent dough for those works, I've done "pizza bombs" but using grands biscuits, and it never quite does it.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
Pizza-like appetizers when the main course is pizza might not be the best idea, although in general I like them very much. You can do it with Ritz crackers, too.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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quote:Pizza-like appetizers when the main course is pizza might not be the best idea
Good point, although you can do pretty much anything with them: one of my favorite variants is to chop and marinate chicken in teriyaki sauce, sautee it, and put that in there with some broccoli & onion.
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posted
oh "Puttin On the Ritz" I don't know all the lyrics. I just knew dag is known for Cohen talk...
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-1 pound medium mushrooms -1 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup) -1/2 small green pepper, chopped (about 1/4 cup) -3 tablespoons butter -1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs -1/2 teaspoon salt -1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves -1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric -1/4 teaspoon pepper -1 tablespoon butter
1. Remove stems from mushrooms. Finely chops stems (1/3 cup).
2. Cook and stir stems, onion, and green pepper in 3 tablespoons butter until tender (5 minutes). Remove from heat.
3. Stir in bread crumbs, salt, thyme, turmeric and pepper.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in shallow baking dish until melted.
5. Fill mushroom caps with stuffing mix; place mushrooms filled sides up, in dish.
6. Bake uncovered 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
7. Set oven to broil (or 550 degrees) and broil mushrooms with tops 3-4 inches from heat for 2 minutes.
8. Serve hot.
You can make the stuffing a day ahead of time and just refrigerate. This recipe usually makes a lot of stuffing. Kids love to help stuff the mushrooms.
Posts: 2064 | Registered: Dec 2003
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