Strawberry Cheese Ring
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
1 small onion, grated or minced
1 cup pecans, chopped
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Dash red pepper
Strawberry preserves
Mix all ingredients, except preserves. Place a drinking glass on a serving plate or platter and form a cheese ring around the glass. Remove glass and chill several hours. Fill center of ring with preserves. Serve with crackers.
Cocktail Cream Cheese Spread
8 oz block cream cheese
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
6 oz pineapple preserves or orange marmalade
1 teaspoon horseradish, or to taste
Place cheese on serving plate. Combine remaining ingredients. Spoon over cheese. Serve with crackers.
Nothing is easier than buying a package of frozen Italian meatballs or a package of Cocktail Wieners or Smoked Sausage, covering with sauce and cooking on low in a crock pot or on the stove. Here are some sauce ideas. Plain old BBQ sauce is good, too.
Meatball Sauce
1 cup applesauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp onion, minced
Meatball Sauce
16 oz jar grape jelly
12 oz jar chili sauce
Pigs in a Blanket always disappear in a hurry! One package of cocktail wieners usually has 40 to 45. I use 1 can of crescent rolls. I separate the dough into 4 rectangles then press center seam to seal. I use a long knife and cut each rectangle into 10 or 11 long, thin strips. I spiral wrap the dough around each wiener, then bake as directed on can. We like having less breading on each wiener, but if you want more, just use 2 cans of crescent rolls, separate dough into triangles and slice each triangle into 3 pieces.
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 made ahead and frozen before baking.
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; 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.