Veggie Tray with ranch dressing dip.
Cheese/Pickle/Olive Tray
Fresh Fruit Tray
Here's a great 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.
Another great make-ahead is to make your favorite Cheeseball, but instead of making one big ball, roll into small bite-sized balls. Cover and refrigerate. Remove from fridge about 20 minutes before serving to soften. You can serve with tongs, toothpicks or for something really cute, after they soften, stick a pretzel stick in each one as a "handle."
I love to make finger sandwiches. These measurements are approximate as I have never really measured. I divide an 8 oz block of cream cheese and make different fillings so I'll have a variety.
Tea Sandwich Fillings
Olive:
2-3 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup olives, minced
1/4 cup pecans, minced
Olive juice, just enough to thin to spread, if needed
Cucumber:
2-3 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, minced
1 tbsp onion, minced
1 pinch salt
Mayonnaise, just enough to thin to spread, if needed
Pineapple:
2-3 oz cream cheese
1 tbsp powdered sugar
1/4 cup pineapple, crushed or chopped
Pineapple juice, just enough to thin to spread, if needed
Spread on sandwich bread. Trim crusts. Halve diagonally or cut into 3 strips.
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.
Nothing is easier than buying a bag of frozen Meatballs, a package 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
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.
These can be made ahead and reheated as needed.
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
The dipping sauces would be great with sausage balls, too.
Sausage Balls
1 lb hot sausage
8 oz sharp shredded cheddar
1 1/2 cups to 2 cups Bisquick
Mix ingredients. Roll into balls and bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 for about 25 min until browned.
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.
These are easy and so good. Can be made ahead, cooked and frozen, then reheated. I cover Club crackers with fresh grated Parmesan and cut the bacon in thirds instead of half.
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.
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.
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. Refrigerate in a bowl of ice water until ready to stuff.
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. Drain and dry celery then fill.