I think ham and/or BBQ sandwiches and sides would be great.
Shredded BBQ pork sandwiches
Potato Salad
Cole Slaw
Baked Beans
Corn on the Cob
Deviled eggs
Pasta Salad
Pink Fluffy Stuff
Potato Chips and Dip
Most hams come with a honey/brown sugar glaze. Just bake at 325 degrees until heated through. Slice and serve on platter. Can be used for sandwiches, too.
Season a boston butt or pork roast with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Place in crockpot with 1/2 cup water and cook on low 6-10 hours. Drain off liquid, shred meat and add BBQ sauce.
Broccoli Pasta Salad
Dressing:
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise
Whisk sugar and vinegar in small bowl until sugar is disolved. Add mayonnaise and blend well. (Taste after mixing. If too tart, add a little sugar. If too sweet, add a little vinegar)
Salad:
2 cups cooked Rotini pasta, cold
1 cup broccoli florets, diced small
1 cup carrots, diced small
1/3 cup onion, diced small
1/2 cup raisins
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup mixed nuts or chopped pecans
Combine salad ingredients. Add dressing and stir until coated. Refrigerate.
Pink Fluffy Stuff
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
1 can (15 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 tub (12 oz) Cool Whip, thawed
Combine pie filling, pineapple, sweetened condensed milk and pecans. Fold in the Cool Whip. Refrigerate until cold.
Here are some ideas for appetizers.
These are always a hit!
Jalapeno Poppers
10 jalapenos
8 oz. cream cheese
10 strips bacon
Slice peppers in half lengthwise. Wearing gloves, remove seeds and membranes. Stuff cream cheese inside each pepper half. Spiral wrap each half with a half slice of bacon. Place on a broiler pan and bake in 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until the bacon is done. These can be frozen before baking.
Nothing is easier than buying a bag of frozen meatballs, packages of cocktail wieners or a couple of lbs of smoked sausage and throwing them in a crock pot with sauce. Here are some sauce ideas. Just combine sauce ingredients and pour over meat. Cook on low heat. Plain old BBQ sauce is good, too.
Meatball Sauce
16 oz jar grape jelly
12 oz jar chili sauce
Meatball Sauce
1 12 oz. bottle Heinz Chili Sauce
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
Meatball Sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 Cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1 tsp prepared mustard
Meatball Sauce
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. apricot preserves
1 c. honey barbecue sauce
1 small jar of chunky applesauce
Meatball Sauce
1 cup applesauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 small onion, finely chopped
Meatball Sauce
1 16 Oz Canned Cranberry Sauce
1 12 Oz. Bottle Chili Sauce
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Mexican Quickies
Tostito Scoops
Refried Beans
Shredded Velveeta Cheese
Sour Cream
Sliced Pickled Jalapenos
Put scoops on a cookie sheet. Fill with a tsp of refried beans, a tsp of cheese, a tsp of sour cream then top with a jalapeno. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.
Honey-Pecan Stuffed Celery
12 celery stalks, peeled
1/2 cup pecans
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon melted butter
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch salt
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
Cut celery into 4-inch long pieces. Toss pecans with honey, butter, cayenne pepper and salt. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees until nuts are toasted, about 8-10 minutes. Cool completely then chop pecans coarsely, add the cream cheese and stir until smooth. Fill celery.
Open Face Tomato Sandwiches
Cut circles from center of bread using round cookie cutter. Spread with a very thin layer of softened butter. Top with a slice of Roma tomato. Mix a dash of garlic salt with mayonnaise. Add a dollop on top of tomato slice. Top with crumbled cooked bacon. Garnish with chopped green onions.
These are great stuffed with tuna salad or chicken salad, too.
Stuffed Tomatoes
16 - 18 cherry tomatoes
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Cut a thin slice off of each tomato top. Scoop out pulp. Invert the tomatoes on a paper towel to drain. Combine remaining ingredients. Thin with a little mayo if needed. Spoon into tomatoes.
A cheese/pickle/olive tray, a sliced veggie tray with ranch dressing dip and a fresh sliced fruit tray is always a hit. Here's a great fruit dip.
Fruit Dip
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 small jar marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon almond extract
8 oz Cool Whip
Combine cheese, creme and extract. Fold in Cool Whip.
This is a favorite.
Farrar's Texas Caviar
2 cans black-eye peas (drained)
2 cans Rotel w/ green chilies
2 cans shoe peg corn (drained)
3 tomatoes chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp garlic salt
chopped parsley
black pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 large bottle Italian dressing
Mix all above and refrigerate 8-12 hours. Serve with Tostito Scoops.
Chicken Bites
Just 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts will make a ton of bite sized chicken pieces. I cube them, put them in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper then drizzle with oil and toss until coated. Roll them, a few at a time in panko bread crumbs. Fry in hot oil just a few minutes until golden.
Instead of coating with oil, you can dip them in frothy egg whites before rolling in crumb mixture.
You can also coat them with crushed buttery crackers, crushed cornflakes, seasoned dry breadcrumbs and pan fry them in oil/butter. If you don't like to fry food, they are good baked at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Sometimes I add minced pecans, sesame seeds or grated Parmesan cheese to the crumbs. Serve with toothpicks and dipping sauce.
Creamy Chili Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Honey Mustard Sauce
1/2 cup mustard
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup mayo
SWEET CHICKEN BACON WRAPS by Paula Deen
1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken
1 pound package sliced bacon
2/3c brown sugar (firmly packed)
2 Tbs chili powder
Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes.
Cut each piece of bacon in half,stir together brown sugar and chili powder.Wrap chicken in the bacon and dredge in brown sugar mixture.Place them on a cookie sheet.(spray with cooking spray) and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Ham Roll-Ups
1 pkg sliced ham
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2-3 green onions, minced
Combine cream cheese and onions. Spread mixture on ham and roll up from the long side. Refrigerate until firm then slice into bite sized pieces.
I wipe the moisture off each slice of ham with a paper towel. It makes it easier to spread the cream cheese.
Bacon or Sausage Wheels
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled or 1/2 lb sausage, cooked and crumbled
6 mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 can crescent rolls
8 oz cream cheese, softened
Combine bacon or sausage, mushrooms, mayonnaise and garlic powder.
Separate crescent dough into 4 rectangles and press seams to seal.
Spread 1/4 of cream cheese over each rectangle. Spread 1/4 of bacon or sausage mixture over cream cheese.
Roll dough, jellyroll stlye, starting with long side. Press seams to seal. Cut rolls into 1/2 inch slices and place cut side down on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 9 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
These are easy and so good. Can be made ahead, cooked and frozen, then reheated.
Bacon Crisps by Paula Deen
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound sliced bacon -- cut in half
1 sleeve Waverly Wafers or other buttery crackers
Preheat the oven to 250F.
Place 1 teaspoon of the cheese on each cracker and wrap tightly with a strip of bacon (no toothpick required!).
Place the wrapped crackers on a broiler rack on a baking sheet and put the baking sheet on the oven rack; bake for 2 hours, or until the bacon is done. Do not turn. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot or at room temperature.
These can be frozen after they're cooked.
Place the frozen crisps on a baking sheet and reheat them for 5 minutes in a 350F oven.
This is divine!
Artichoke Dip
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, mashed or 1 tbsp garlic powder
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Combine cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise and garlic. Stir in artichokes, Mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Spoon into a lightly greased 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.
Bread Bowl Dip
1 round loaf of baked bread
1 lb sausage
8 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz sour cream
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 (4.5-ounce) can green chilies
1 large bag of Frito Scoops
Hollow out bread to make a bowl. Crumble and cook sausage; drain. Combine sausage, cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese and green chilies. Spoon into bread bowl. Wrap bread in foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until bubbly. Serve with Frito Scoops.
Snack Mix Variations
Any combination of Rice/Wheat/Corn Chex, Crispix, Cherrios cereal, Bugles, pretzels, goldfish, etc. to equal about 8 cups. I also add pecans or sometimes a can of mixed salted nuts.
Caramel Coating:
Combine 1 cup brown sugar with 1 1/2 sticks melted butter. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over cereal mixture and stir until well coated. Spread onto baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
Honey Glaze:
Stir 1/2 cup honey into 1 stick melted butter. Pour over cereal mixture and stir until well coated. Spread onto baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cayenne can be added for a sweet/hot flavor.
Garlic Glaze:
Combine 1 crushed garlic clove, 3/4 tsp salt and 1 1/2 sticks melted butter. Coat and bake as above.
Out Of This World Party Mix
From PatriciaRose, TOH
(1) 12 Ounce Box Crispix Cereal (10 Cups)
(1) 13-15 Ounce Box Honey Graham Or Golden Graham Cereal (8-9 Cups)
(2) 12.25 Ounce Bags Bugles (7-8 Cups)
(1) 12.5 Ounce Bag Pepperidge Farm Goldfish (4-5 Cups)
(1) 14-15 ounce Bag Pretzels (9-10 Cups)
(2) 15-17 Ounce Cans Mixed Nuts (5-6 Cups)
(2) 1 Ounce Packages Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
(2) Bottles Orville Redenbacher Popcorn Oil (12 Oz ea)
Dump the first six ingredients into a VERY LARGE roasting pan. Mix the dressing mixes and popping oil in a small bowl. Pour over ingredients. Bake uncovered at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. This makes a huge amount, so you have to have a large roaster to make it in the first place.....or find something large to mix in and use two pans to bake in. (An 18 quart Nesco roaster pan will be full.)