Thanksgiving--Holiday Appetizers

This is the first of more Thanksgiving-themed blogs to come. Thanksgiving is all about the food. Thanksgiving dinner, of course is the main attraction. Then, there are the pies. But don't overlook the appetizers!

One of our family's holiday traditions is to have a lunch consisting of only appetizers. We don't always do this on Thanksgiving. Some years, we do it on Christmas or New Year's. I love this tradition because how often do you have the time to cook a ton of appetizers? Also, how often do you have the appetite to eat as many appetizers as you want?

Over the years, we have amassed a number of appetizer favorites. This year, we found a number of new favorites to add to the rotation.

The holidays aren't over. Maybe you can have an appetizer lunch on either Christmas or New Year's! You should try it!


Above: Buffalo Chicken Dip

This one came from one of my mom's cookbooks. I'll have to get the recipe and add it to the blog.

However, we tried another buffalo chicken dip a few years ago that was also really yummy. Here's the recipe for that dip.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup blue cheese salad dressing
1/2 cup any flavor Frank's® RedHot® Sauce
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 ounces)
2 cans (9.75 ounces each) Swanson® Premium White Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained
Assorted fresh vegetables and crackers

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350°F.

Stir the cream cheese in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate with a fork or whisk until it's smooth. Stir in the dressing, hot sauce and blue cheese. Stir in the chicken.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the chicken mixture before serving. Serve with the vegetables and crackers for dipping.

To make in the microwave:Use a microwavable 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Prepare the dip as directed above in Step 2. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH for 5 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot, stirring halfway through the cook time.

Serving Tip: This dip can be kept warm in a small crockpot or fondue pot on the buffet table.

To reduce fat: Use 1/3 less fat cream cheese and reduced-fat blue cheese salad dressing.

Serves 4.

Source: Campbell's Kitchen

Notes: Don't forget the celery sticks. It is the perfect vegetable to use for this dip.


Above: Cheddar and Cranberry Cheese Ball


Above: Goat Cheese and Scallions Cheese Ball


Above: Roquefort and Walnut Cheese Ball

Cheese Ball Three Ways

Ingredients:

Base Recipe:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 packages cream cheese (8 ounces each)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
5 dashes hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Cheddar and Cranberry:

8 ounces sharp orange cheddar cheese, finely shredded
2 tablespoons store-bought chutney
3/4 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
Water crackers, for serving

Roquefort and Walnut:

6 ounces Roquefort cheese
1 shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
Vegetable chips, for serving

Goat Cheese and Scallions:

8 ounces goat cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
1/3 cup fresh curly-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 English cucumber, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices, for serving

Directions:

Put butter, cream cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt, and pepper into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until combined. Divide equally among 3 medium bowls.

Stir cheddar cheese and chutney with base mixture in the first bowl. Form into a ball. If not using immediately, refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Roll cheese ball in cranberries to coat before serving. Serve with crackers.

Stir blue cheese and shallot with base mixture in second bowl. Form into a ball. If not using immediately, refrigerate up to 3 days; freeze up to 1 month. Roll in walnuts to coat before serving. Serve with vegetable chips.

Stir goat cheese and scallions with base mixture in remaining bowl. Form into a ball. If not using immediately, refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Roll in parsley to coat before serving. Serve with cucumber slices.

Source: Martha Stewart website. You can find it here.

Notes: For the cheddar and cranberry cheese ball, we used smoked cheddar cheese as opposed to sharp cheddar because that's what we already had on hand. Also, rather than using the chutney, we used apricot jam (again, we had it on hand). Finally, I chopped the cranberries as finely as I could, but those little babies sure stick to the knife and make it hard to cut! I felt that the smoked cheddar nicely complimented the sweetness of the cranberries.

For the Roquefort and walnut cheese ball, I used regular blue cheese (it wasn't technically Roquefort). Plus, I used 4 ounces instead of 6 ounces. The blue cheese was pretty strong, so actually, it turned out better to use less blue cheese than the recipe called for.

For all of the cheese balls, I used assorted crackers rather than the suggested water crackers, vegetable chips, and cucumber slices.

One of the things I really loved about this recipe is that it made a total of three cheese balls. That either gives you some fun variety, or you can choose one flavor of cheese ball and make three cheese balls and give them as gifts at Christmas!



Above: Grandma Salazar's Crab Dip

Crab Dip

Ingredients:

2 cups coconut
1 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 cups sour cream
2 cups crab (cartilage removed)

Directions:

Mix, chill and serve with crackers.

Source: I think my grandma got this from a newspaper years ago. From what my mom told me, it was supposedly one of President Kennedy's favorites.

Notes: This definitely has a different taste to it, but it is one of my all-time favorite appetizers. I just can't get enough of it! Yum, yum, yummy! Oh, and this picture doesn't do it justice. It is delicious and attractive. We usually serve it in a lovely clear glass bowl, but this time, we were shooting for simplicity...hence the tupperware!




Megan's Salmon Ball

Here's the introduction to Megan's recipe:

"Mia Israelsen--This recipe comes from Mia's grandfather who lives in Alaska. He catches the salmon, cans it, and sends it to Mia's family. This is served as an appetizer every Thanksgiving in their home."

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) can salmon (or 8 oz smoked salmon)
1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. horseradish
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. onion, grated
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. parsley, chopped

Directions:

Drain and flake salmon. Remove bones. Thoroughly combine salmon, cream cheese, lemon juice, grated onion, horseradish, and salt. Shape into a ball. Chill 1 hour. Roll ball in pecans. Refrigerate overnight. Before serving, garnish with parsley.

Yield: 16 servings.

Notes: This was so addicting. Megan said that she usually uses smoked salmon for this recipe.



Kielbasa Made Easy

Ingredients:

2 (16 ounce) packages kielbasa sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 (16 ounce) cans whole cranberry sauce
1 (18 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce

Directions:

Brown the kielbasa in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Place the browned kielbasa, cranberry sauce and barbecue sauce in a slow cooker set on low. Allow the mixture to simmer at least 1 hour before serving warm.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Kimberly

Notes: This one was a crowd pleaser--especially among the men-folk.

Here are some old favorite appetizers:

Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

2 (8oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 (5oz.) jar Roka cheese (see substitute below)
2 (5oz.) jar Olde English cheese
2 T. grated onion
1 tsp. water
½ tsp. accent
Chopped nuts

Directions:

Mix together. Chill 12 hours. Roll in chopped nuts.

Kraft Roka Blue Spread Substitute

1-1/4 cups or 10 servings, 2 Tbsp. each

Ingredients:

1 tub (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spread
1/4 cup Athenos Crumbled Blue Cheese

Directions:

Mix ingredients until well blended.

Add up to 1/3 cup water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, if thinner consistency is desired. For added tang, stir in 1/2 tsp. white vinegar.

Note:

Use half of this recipe as the perfect substitute for the discontinued 5-oz. jar of Kraft Roka Blue Spread.

Refrigerate any leftover spread. Serve with your favorite crackers.

Source: This is a Kraft recipe that my mom found years ago. It's one of my favorites. It's so flavorful! It's a great Christmas gift idea too.

Garlic and Brown Sugar Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

1 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
1 (8 ounce) package reduced fat cream
cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened1/4 cup brown sugar
5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chopped pecans

Directions:

Mix the garlic powder into the softened cream. Form into a ball, and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Place the butter and brown sugar in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook 1 minute on High in the microwave, or until butter and brown sugar are melted. Mix in Worcestershire sauce and pecans. Chill 1 hour in the refrigerator, stirring often so that the butter and sugar do not separate.

Spread butter mixture over the cheese ball, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by KHOLST3

Notes: This one sounds super weird, but I love the mix of flavors.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ c. butter (no substitutes)
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
¾ c. confectioner’s sugar
2 t. brown sugar
¾ c. mini chocolate chips
¾ c. finely chopped pecans
Graham crackers

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add sugars; beat until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Place cream cheese mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap; shape into a ball. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, roll cheese ball in pecans. Serve w/Crackers.

Source: I'm not sure where my mom found this recipe.

Notes: This is a great way to get your sweet-fix appetizer-wise.

Hot Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

1 (14oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4oz) can chopped green chiles
1 clove garlic, minced
Chopped tomato (optional)
Sliced green onions (optional)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except tomato and green onions. Spoon into 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned. Sprinkle with tomato and green onions. Serve with crackers. Makes 2 cups – 16 servings.

Source: Again, I'm not sure where my mom found this recipe. I think it was served at a Relief Society party that she attended.

Notes: You know you've found a good recipe when you won't ever make another kind of artichoke dip again. This is the ultimate artichoke dip.

Parmesan Puffs with Marinara

Ingredients:

½ c. milk
¼ c. margarine or butter
½ c. Gold Medal all-purpose flour
2 eggs
¾ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 c. marinara sauce, heated

Directions:

Heat oven to 375. Grease cookie sheet. Heat milk and margarine to boiling in 11/2 qt. sauce pan. Stir in flour, reduce heat to low. Stir vigorously about 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat.

Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Stir in cheese. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto cookie sheet.

Bake about 15 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm with marinara sauce for dipping. About 30 appetizers.

Source: Yet again, I have no idea where my mom found this recipe. We usually double or triple this recipe because these little puffs get gobbled up by my family so quickly.

Salmon Spread

Ingredients:

1 (15 ½ oz.) can salmon
2 tsp. each grated onion and prepared horseradish
1 T. lemon juice
¼ tsp. liquid smoke
1/8 tsp. salt
3 drops hot pepper sauce
8 oz. cream cheese, softened

Directions:

Drain and flake salmon. Combine with remaining ingredients. Chill several hours.

Source: I have no idea. My mom is good at keeping secrets!

Notes: This is similar to Megan's recipe, but we don't usually make it into a ball. We simply serve it in a bowl.

So Good Wings

Ingredients:

¾ c. soy sauce
¾ c. white sugar
5 cloves garlic
1 ½ inches of peeled ginger
¾ lbs. chicken wings

Directions:

Place 1st four ingredients in a blender and blend well. Place wings in a zip-loc bag and pour marinade over them. Marinate for 18-24 hours in refrigerator. Pour all the wings and marinade in a well-greased 9x13 pan. Roast in oven @ 375 for about an hour or so until the chicken is cooked. Let cool slightly before serving.

Source: ? Mom, where did it come from?

Notes: This is one of my brothers' favorites.

Rita’s Sweet Red Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

12 – 14 large red bell peppers
2 T. uniodized salt
3 cups sugar
2 c. white vinegar
8 oz. cream cheese
Crackers

Directions:

Chop fine or grind in food processor. Add 2 T. uniodized salt. Let stand 3 hours. Drain well. Add 3 cups sugar and 2 cups vinegar. Simmer about 1 ½ hours, until thick. Yield: Around 1 quart. Store in refrigerator up to 18 months. Pour over block of cream cheese and serve with crackers.

Source: My mom got this recipe from a lady in her ward.

Notes: This is another addicting appetizer, so watch out. If you don't have the time to make the red pepper sauce, you can serve salsa over the cream cheese and serve it with tortilla chips. It's a completely different taste, but it is yummy too!

 

Sweet Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients:

1 (15oz.) can pumpkin
2 (8oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 c. sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
Sliced fruit, bite-size cinnamon graham crackers, mini bagels, English muffins

Directions:

Beat cream cheese and pumpkin in large mixer bowl, until smooth. Add sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve as a dip or spread.

Source: I have no idea!

Notes: This is wonderful on graham crackers (cinnamon or honey).

So, tell me, sisters...did I miss any? I know that Shandie's family has a fantastic cheese ball recipe too. Maybe she'll be good enough to share it with us!

What are your favorite appetizers?