Easy recipes for any holiday or any celebration!
You can have a festive get-together just about any time of the day. Inviting friends and family over for cocktails and appetizers is a fabulous way to entertain for a shorter time.
Progressive parties are popular, too. It's so much fun to have appetizers at one house, the salad course at another, the entree somewhere else and then move to another home for the dessert.
These recipes are tried and true. By me! So check them out and let me know what you think. Enjoy.
Photograph courtesy of merelymel13
Easy Appetizers and Snacks
A delicious cheese spread...
ALMOND PINECONESI can't even tell you how old this recipe is but I do remember making it for the first time more than twenty years ago for an office party. I still have the magazine clipping (not dated) and this is the picture that accompanied it.
The Ingredients are:
1-1/4 cup whole almonds
1 Pkg. cream cheese (8 oz.), softened
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
5 bacon slices - crisply cooked and crumbled
1 Tablespoon. chopped green onion
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Spread almonds in a single layer in a shallow pan. Bake at 300 degrees (F.) for 15 minutes, stirring often, until almonds just begin to turn color.
Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise, mixing well. Add the bacon, onion, dill and pepper. Mix well. Cover and chill overnight.
Form mixture into shapes of two pinecones on a serving platter. Beginning at the narrow edge (or point), arrange almonds at a slight angle into the cheese mixture, pressing gently in rows. Continue overlapping the rows until all the cheese is covered.
Garnish with artificial pine sprigs and maybe a bow. Serve with crackers.
Makes 1-1/2 cups.
A Pretty Cheese Tray
...for serving holiday appetizers
Vintage Cheese Tray with Wood Insert and 2 Servers by Towle
Amazon Price: $49.99 (as of 12/18/2009)
Product Features:
* Made of copper-plated stainless steel
* Wood insert for easy cleaning
* Ornate grape design on handles
* Great for casual occasions and fancy soireessize: 12diameter
Easy Seafood Appetizers
Photo courtesy of specialkrb
SHRIMP IN THE SHELL
This recipe is unusual but delicious and very easy to prepare. It's definitely a keeper.
2-1/2 pounds fresh unpeeled shrimp
4 cans beer
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
2 Tablespoons celery seed
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoons lemon juice
6 peppercorns
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
Place all ingredients in a large pot, except for the shrimp. Bring to a boil and add the shrimp. Boil for 4 or 5 minutes until the shrimp is pink. Drain the shrimp and place in a bowl with crushed ice.
Serve with Red Sauce Supreme or bottled cocktail sauce.
RED SAUCE SUPREME
Ingredients
1 bottle of chili sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon horseradish
1 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 drops Tabasco
1 teaspoon salt
Dash cayenne
Method
Mix all ingredients well and chill. Serve with Cold Spiced Shrimp.
Cordon Bleu Appetizer Plates
For yourself or to give as a gift.
"...There's something rather delightful about eating tasty bites off small plates. Tapas, finger sandwiches, a sampling of varied chocolate truffles-all lend themselves to these elegantly spare 4-1/2-inch-square, 1/2-inch-deep plates. Made of durable vitrified porcelain in a glossy, all-white finish, the plates won't discolor or craze even after extensive use, and are safe for warming food in the microwave and cleaning up in the dishwasher.
The set of four plates comes gift-boxed-perfect to give someone who loves to entertain-and nicely complements a wide range of square and rectangular dinnerware and serving pieces by BIA Cordon Bleu. --Ann Bieri..."
BIA Cordon Bleu 4-Piece Square Plate Set in Gift Box, White
Amazon Price: $22.00 (as of 12/18/2009)
Product Features:
* Set of 4 small square plates for appetizers, tapas, and snacks
* Made of smooth, durable porcelain in an all-white glaze
* Each measures 4-1/2 inches square, 1/2 inch deep
* Safe in the microwave and dishwasher
* Matches square dinnerware from Cordon Bleu; gift-boxed
Holiday Appetizers - Pretty as a Picture
These wonderful Flickr photos will tweak your imagination for other delicious holiday canapes & appetizers.
Click on the photo for a closer look.
![appetizer by [puamelia]](http://static.flickr.com/3248/2871787509_7a614f29a2_s.jpg)
Antipasti
Easy, delicious and festive
This Holiday recipe isn't really a recipe, at all...it's excellent because it looks pretty and there's enough variety to suit anybody's palate. You can use as many or as few of the following suggestions as you like. You just can't go wrong. The trick is to make it look as decorative as you can...people will love choosing a few of the offerings. Some suggestions are:Marinated pepperoni slices
Ham, cubed
Prosciutto
Salami
Artichoke hearts
Olives - a variety of stuffed ripe and green olives
Sun-dried tomatoes
Cherry or grape tomatoes
Diced fresh mozzarella or any cheeses you like
Marinated vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, carrot rounds, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, small whole mushrooms, etc.)
Some suggestions that aren't considered traditional antipasti but that would be delicious include:
Tiny sweet or dill pickles
Pickled okra
Pickled baby corn
Smoked oysters
Pickled herring
Vegetable sticks such as carrots, celery, peppers, zucchini, etc.
Fruit such as grapes, melon chunks, strawberries, pineapple
Crostini is the traditional offering with antipasti but you can use any type of cracker or bread sticks, French or Italian bread thinly sliced or cubed.
Have fun with this and your guests will be happy.
Easy Holiday Recipe Books
...for appetizers, that is.
Vote for the book you'd be most likely to purchase. If you already have one of these, vote for it and leave a message in my comments box!
500 Appetizers: The Only Appetizer Cookbook You'll Ever Need by Susannah Blake
500 Appetizers is crammed with 500 mouthwatering r more...0 points
Williams-Sonoma: Appetizers (The Best of the Lifestyles Series) by Chuck Williams
Appetizers gives more than just a little taste--it more...0 points
The Big Book of Appetizers: More Than 250 Recipes for Any Occasion by Meredith Deeds, Carla Snyder
Everyone is always looking for new and interesting more...0 points
Fast & Fabulous Party Foods and Appetizers (Best of the Best) by Gwen McKee, Barbara Moseley
Editors Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley have assemb more...0 points
Small Plates: Appetizers as Meals by Marguerite Henderson
Passionate chef, caterer, cooking instructor, and more...0 points
Video - Essential Tips for Holiday Cooking
Wonderful Squidoo Lenses Featuring MORE Holiday Recipes
There are so many awesome lensmasters in Squidoo-land who have great recipes for every holiday you can imagine. Check out these fine lenses.-
Christmas Fruitcake -- A Delicious Recipe for a Holiday Tradition
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Growing up in Northeastern Ohio, we generally received a fruitcake each Christmas. Personally, I don't mind a little bit of fruitcake during the holidays despite the fact that the fruitcake fell out of favor within the past few decades. I...
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Christmas Eggnog -- A Delicious Recipe for a Holiday Tradition
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Eggnog is something that my family looks forward to each Christmas. We like it so much that it's served at other holidays, as well. What's great about this particular traditional drink is that you can "spruce" it up with...
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Recipe: Gifts in A Jar
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Gifts in A Jar can be a fun gift for any occasion. There are so many ready made "recipes" for gifts and you can add just about anything together to make up your own concoction. Read about some of my favorites here in my lens.
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Cheese Balls ~ Holiday Party Appetizers
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A cheese ball is a popular appetizer and there are many variations, something for everyone. One Christmas a friend and I teamed up and made different flavored cheese balls for gift giving. The food processor made the task much easier and they are som...
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Holiday Gingerbread Cake
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Instead of buying individual gifts for your friends and loved ones, why not give a delicious homemade gingerbread cake in a beautifully wrapped package this holiday season! It will be a gift the whole family will enjoy together. There is nothing lik...
Blogs Featuring Holiday Recipes
- Healthy Holiday Cookie Recipes : An Island Life
- The holiday season is upon us and that means delicious and sometimes not so healthy treats. Laurel Hudson, culinary instructor at Wellspring Academies (www.wellspringacademies.com) has created several tasty cookie recipes that the ...
- Holiday Breakfast Ideas & Recipes : TipNut.com
- Holiday Breakfast Ideas & Recipes. Breakfast Frittatas And Casseroles Make Lovely, Simple Meals. In my family Christmas morning breakfast/brunch is looked forward to just as much as the evening dinner?we have lots of bacon, sausage, ...
- Make Indian-Spiced Holiday Cookie Recipes: Unique Cooking Class ...
- Arvinda's Indian Cooking Classes offers a spicy solution to holiday cookie baking stress. Try their Holiday Chai Coconut Ladoos or attend a Toronto-area class.
- Little Birdie Secrets: holiday recipes
- holiday recipes. In my family growing up we had a tradition that I loved. On Christmas Eve my mom would make a bunch of appetizers, snacks, and sweets and we would just munch on them all throughout the day. No particular meals were ...
Great Christmas Cookbooks
Christmas with Paula Deen: Recipes and Stories from My Favorite Holiday
Amazon Price: $16.56 (as of 12/18/2009)
The Pastry Queen Christmas: Big-hearted Holiday Entertaining, Texas Style
Amazon Price: $21.45 (as of 12/18/2009)
Southern Living Christmas Cookbook: All-New Ultimate Holiday Entertaining Guide
Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 12/18/2009)
I'm Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas
Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 12/18/2009)
Please Sign My Guestbook
Will you try any of these easy Holiday recipes?
Do you have a favorite holiday? What are the dishes that you traditionally serve? I'd love to know...
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Reply
- Treasures-By-Brenda Treasures-By-Brenda Dec 14, 2009 @ 5:25 am
- Nicely done; blessed.
Merry Christmas to you!
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Reply
- alteredkat alteredkat Dec 9, 2009 @ 8:53 am
- yum!...everything looks so tasty! those pinecones are too cool! this year is a bit of a right off for me...but I'm going to do it up big next year and will be back here for ideas!Thanks! and thank you for commenting on my breast cancer lens...I appreciate your support! :o)
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Reply
- partybuzz partybuzz Nov 12, 2009 @ 3:36 pm
- Almond pinecones! I've never seen that before...how cool! Great recipes...and I do love this new winter theme! :-)
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Reply
- TheWhistler TheWhistler Nov 10, 2009 @ 4:13 pm
- The easier the better. Thanks for the lens and information
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Reply
- puzzlemaker puzzlemaker Nov 2, 2009 @ 9:09 am
- I have always wanted to be a part of a progressive party you mentioned. Hopefully one day we will do it.
And thank you gobs for sharing the Almond Pinecones. I remember seeing it a long time ago and thinking how nice it was. I had forgotten about it!
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Lensography of CherylK
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I discovered Squidoo in February of 2008 and decided that it would be a good place to practice writing, display my photography and learn a little more about the internet and all it has to offer. I haven't looked back. It's so much fun....
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I love gardening, reading, watching sunsets on our lake, turtles, traveling, art galleries, feng shui, photography, cooking, espre... (more)
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