Enhance your holiday meal with appetizers

 

While the focus on Thanksgiving is on the traditional turkey and side dishes like stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and cranberries, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay attention to the rest of the spread.

For some, that means a sideboard laden with appetizers. This year, take your appetizers to a new level.

Create a beautiful charcuterie board with sausage, crackers, cheeses, bunches of grapes and other fruits.

If you don’t have a large board to create  one, place breadsticks and sausage sticks in attractive glasses while piling the other ingredients on dessert or salad plates.

Or make some hot hors d’oeuvers, anything from stuffed mushrooms to cheese stuffed pastries. Try topping a round of brie with jam and wrapping it in pastry, then heating it until the pastry is baked and the cheese is gooey.

For a touch of what’s to come, incorporate some of your favorite dinner ingredients into your appetizers. Make a potato roll using sweet potatoes or a brie bite with cranberries.

Serve appetizers about an hour before the meal, giving people enough time to enjoy them while watching the big game or chatting with one another.

Whatever you do, remember that you don’t have to go overboard. You want to whet your guests’ appetite, not fill them to the point they don’t have room for the main dishes. The standard rule is to serve four to six pieces of your appetizer for each guest.

Following are some appetizer recipes from www.allrecipes.com.

 

Sweet Potato Rolls

1 .25-ounce package active dry yeast

4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup canned sweet potato puree

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees)

3 tablespoons margarine, softened

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3-1/2 cups flour

Dissolve yeast, warm water and one tablespoon sugar in a mixing bowl. Let stand five minutes.

Add remaining sugar, sweet potato, butter or margarine, salt and slightly beaten eggs. Stir to mix well. Stir in three cups flour. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead two to three minutes, adding just enough of remaining flour to prevent sticking. Do not knead too heavily.

When smooth, shape dough into a ball. Place in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover and let rise one hour or longer.

Punch down and allow dough to rest for two minutes. Divide into 16 to 20 balls and place on a greased cookie sheet or a 9-by-13-inch pan. Allow to rise until doubled.

Bake in a 375-degree oven for 12 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

 

 

Mouth-Watering Stuffed Mushrooms

12 whole fresh mushrooms

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel, then carefully break off stems. Chop stems extremely fine, discarding the tough ends.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems and fry until any moisture has evaporated, taking care not to burn garlic. Set aside to cool.

Stir in cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder and cayenne. The mixture will be very thick.

Use a teaspoon to fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Arrange mushroom caps on a cookie sheet that’s coated with cooking spray.

Bake in a 350-degree oven about 20 minutes, until mushrooms are piping hot.

 

 

 

Blue Cheese and Pear Tartlets

1 ripe pear, peeled, cored and chopped

4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

2 tablespoons light cream

Ground black pepper

1 1.9-ounce package mini phyllo tart shells

Mix pear, blue cheese and cream in a baking dish. Season with pepper. Spoon mixture into phyllo shells.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

 

 

 

King Crab Appetizers

2 12-ounce packages refrigerated biscuit dough

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 6-ounce can crab meat, drained

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 pinch paprika

Divide rolls in half and press into 12 greased tartlet pans. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, crab, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, green onions and Worcestershire sauce. Spoon one teaspoon of mixture into tarts and garnish with paprika.

Bake in a 375-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until light brown.

 

 

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops

6 slices bacon

12 sea scallops, rinsed and drained

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Cut bacon slices in half and wrap each half around a scallop. Use a toothpick to secure in place. Drizzle lemon juice over scallops. Place on a cookie sheet.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until bacon is cooked. Serve warm.

 

 

Creamy Goat Cheese and Honey

4 ounces fresh goat cheese

2 ounces finely chopped pecans

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced

Divide the goat cheese into 12 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball.

Combine crushed pecans and cinnamon in a bowl. Roll each goat cheese ball in the pecan mixture until covered. Gently pat the balls into patties, then transfer to a serving plate.

Drizzle honey over the patties and sprinkle rosemary on top. Serve immediately.

 

 

Cranberry Brie Bites

1 8-ounce round brie cheese

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1/2 cup cranberry sauce

1/2 sea salt to taste

Remove and discard rind from cheese, then place in freezer for 20 minutes. Roll puff pastry sheet out into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle. Cut sheet lengthwise into four even strips, then crosswise into six even strips, making 24 squares. Separate squares and gently press each one into greased cup in a 24-cup mini-muffin tin.

Remove chilled brie from the freezer and cut into 24 pieces, each approximately 3/4-inch in size.

Add one teaspoon cranberry sauce to each pastry-lined muffin cup, then press in a piece of brie and top with one teaspoon chopped walnuts. Season each bite with a pinch of sea salt. Place muffin pan in refrigerator at least 30 minutes or cover and chill for as long as three days.

Bake bites in a 400-degree oven 18 to 20  minutes, until golden brown.

Serve warm.

 

 

Balsamic Roasted Grapes

3 cups red or green grapes

Olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, or to taste

Salt

Ground black pepper

Combine grapes, olive oil, chopped thyme and chopped oregano in a bowl and lightly toss to coat grapes.

Place grapes on baking sheet and bake in a 375-degree oven about 15 minutes, until grapes begin to wrinkle and split. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and season with salt and ground black pepper.

 

 

Savory Pumpkin Hummus

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons tahini

3 cloves garlic

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans, drained

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seed kernels

1 pinch paprika

Pulse lemon juice, tahini, garlic and salt together in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add garbanzo beans and olive oil and pulse until smooth. Add pumpkin, cumin and cayenne pepper and process until well blended.

Transfer hummus to a container with a lid and refrigerate at least two hours.

Fold pumpkin seeds into hummus and garnish with paprika before serving.

 

 

Feta Cheese Foldovers

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

3 tablespoons finely chopped green onions

1 egg, beaten

1 17.5-ounce package frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon water

In a small bowl, blend feta cheese, green onions and egg. Cut pastry into 12 three-inch squares.

Place a mounded tablespoon of feta mixture in the center of each square. Moisten edges with water and fold pastry over filling to form a triangle. Press edges together firmly with a fork to seal. Lightly brush pastries with the egg yolk mixture.

Bake in a 375-degree oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.