No-Fuss Simple Holiday Appetizers

Are you stressed from all the hustle and bustle of the holidays?

Tired from all the shopping and the crowds...and you have guests arriving at your house for Christmas Eve?

Don't panic! There is an easy, economical, yet festive solution. Instead of a full meal with all the fixings, why not have some simple holiday appetizers with some punch and wine?

Think about this...most people are busy visiting relatives and friends at several places and probably would be more inclined to really appreciate something light. I remember when I was younger and we had three places to go, and we were stuffed. Appetizers would have been perfect...but, we sat down to a full course meal at each house. With appetizers, you could still set an exquisite dinning area and make it special and meaningful.

Let's look at some appetizer ideas...

Holiday Barbeque Meatballs

Ingredients

2 lbs. ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons garlic salt
3-4 cups barbeque sauce
1/2 cup grape jelly
1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions

Mix ingredients together except barbeque sauce, grape jelly, and brown sugar, and form into small meatballs. Place in a single layer in a baking tray and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Add meatballs to slow cooker, and cover with barbeque sauce, jelly, and brown sugar mixture. Cook for 3 hours before serving.

Cheesy Baked Potato Wedges

Ingredients

4 medium-size baking potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese
2 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
5 slices of bacon, crumbled for toping

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Bake potatoes approximately 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool.

Cut each potato in half. With a spoon, carefully scoop out potato and put in mixing bowl. Cut each half in half again to form quarters. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake potato quarters for 15 minutes. (For crispness and easy handling.)
Stir in the sour cream, Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese, green onions, and parsley to 1 cup potatoes. (save remaining potatoes for later).

Mash potatoes with a potato masher. Mixture will be sticky and hold together. Divide the mixture evenly between the potato wedges, pressing the mixture into the skins. Sprinkle with black pepper and bacon and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve warm.

Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

1 dozen eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 tablespon mustard
1 teaspoon pickle relish
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Boil one dozen eggs. Slice in half, length-wise. With spoon, remove the yolks and place in mixing bowl.

Add mayonnaise or salad dressing, mustard, and pickle resish to egg yolks and mix together.

Spoon the mixture into the egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika if desired.

You can't have a holiday party without chips and dip or crackers with sausage and cheese. Get out your best platters and bowls for these and make a nice display for them.

Festive holiday appetizers can be a fantastic, inexpensive, and less stressful alternative to hosting a full dinner party. Holiday events doesn't have to be expensive to impress your guests. Pull out all the stops...use your best dinnerware, light some candles, set the holiday mood with some soft music, and garnish your table with your favorite appetizer treats. Be creative, use your imagination, and have fun with it!

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Article Written By: Tammy Embrich

Tammy owns and operates two work at home websites, a work at home forum, a recipe site and three blogs.

She offers free work at home job leads for the job seeker, business work at home articles, tips, and more. You can visit Tammy at Work At Home Jobs and Cookin At Home.

Print This Article Comment on Article Email to Friends Ezine Ready

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated