Kielbasa Appetizers

December 15, 2011 by

Here’s a recipe from the Allrecipes.com site (original here) that takes regular kielbasa to the next level. Kielbasa is the fifthteenth of my 25 Appetizers of Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 18 fluid ounces beer
  • 1 (18-ounce) bottle barbecue sauce
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup Dijon mustard
  • 2 pounds kielbasa (Polish) sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions

  1. Combine the beer, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard in a large skillet over medium heat.
  2. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to low and add the kielbasa.
  3. Simmer until kielbasa is browned and glazed, about 1 hour.

Variations

  • Choose the sausage that your family prefers. Little Smokies would work well in this recipe also.
  • You could easily let this continue cooking in a crockpot, rather than on the stove.

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Mini Ham & Cheese Calzones

December 14, 2011 by

These calzones from Kraft (original here) take advantage of refrigerated breadstick dough to make a simple and fast snack. Mini Ham and Cheese Calzones are the fourteenth of my 25 Appetizers of Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 1 can (11 oz.) refrigerated soft breadsticks
  • ½ cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
  • 12 slices OSCAR MAYER Deli Fresh Honey Ham, cut in half
  • 2 Tbsp KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 400°F.
  2. Unroll dough; separate into 12 breadsticks.
  3. Cut each breadstick crosswise in half; flatten dough to 2-inch width.
  4. Spoon 1 tsp cheese onto center of each ham piece.
  5. Fold ham over cheese to create a tight roll.
  6. Place ham roll near the end of each piece of breadstick dough, leaving a border.
  7. Fold dough over ham, pinching edges to seal. Make sure ham and cheese are completely enclosed to prevent cheese from leaking.
  8. Repeat process for all ham pieces.
  9. Place calzones on baking sheet.
  10. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
  11. Bake 12 to 15 min. or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Variations

  • You can substitute any deli meat if desired. Salami, turkey, and roast beef would all work well.

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Meatball Bubble Biscuits

December 13, 2011 by

Another tasty recipe from Pillsbury (original here), this appetizer makes simple meatball sandwiches buffet ready. Meatball Bubble Biscuits are the thirteenth of my 25 Appetizers of Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 1 can (12 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Jr. Golden Layers® refrigerated buttermilk or flaky biscuits
  • 10 frozen cooked Italian-style meatballs (about 5 oz), thawed, each cut in half
  • 2 sticks (1 oz each) string cheese, each cut into 10 pieces
  • 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup marinara sauce, heated

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 375°F.
  2. Separate dough into 10 biscuits.
  3. Separate each biscuit into 2 layers.
  4. Press each biscuit layer into 3-inch round.
  5. Place 1 meatball half, cut side up, and 1 string cheese piece in center of each dough round.
  6. Wrap dough around meatball and cheese, pressing edges to seal.
  7. In ungreased 8- or 9-inch round cake pan, place seam side down in single layer.
  8. Repeat with additional biscuits, cheese, and meatballs.
  9. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder.
  10. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and biscuits are no longer doughy in center.
  11. Serve warm biscuits with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

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Baked Onion Dip

December 12, 2011 by

Sweet onions are one of my favorite treats. This dip from Taste of Home (original here) sounds delightful. Can’t wait to try it. Baked Onion Dip is the twelfth of my 25 Appetizers of Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 cup chopped sweet onion
  • 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
  • Minced fresh parsley, optional
  • Assorted crackers

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 325°F.
  2. In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, onion, Parmesan cheese and garlic salt; stir in Swiss cheese.
  3. Spoon into a 1-qt. baking dish.
  4. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
  5. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.
  6. Serve with crackers.

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Sausage and Cheese Crescent Squares

December 11, 2011 by

These appetizers from Pillsbury (original here) look wonderful in the picture (from the Pillsbury site). Better yet, they seem to be quite easy to make. It’s another recipe I’m eager to try out. Sausage and Cheese Crescent Squares are the eleventh of my 25 Appetizers of Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
  • 1 lb spicy or mild bulk pork sausage
  • 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese
  • 2 cups (8 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 375°F.
  2. Unroll 1 can of dough. Place in ungreased 13×9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish; press over bottom and 1/2 inch up sides to form crust.
  3. In 12-inch skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently, until no longer pink.
  4. Remove sausage from skillet; discard drippings.
  5. To same skillet, add cream cheese.
  6. Cook over low heat until melted.
  7. Add cooked sausage; stir to coat.
  8. Spoon evenly over crust in baking dish.
  9. Sprinkle with cheese.
  10. Unroll second can of dough on work surface, and press to form 13×9-inch rectangle.
  11. Carefully place dough sheet over cheese.
  12. Bake 21 to 26 minutes or until golden brown.
  13. Cool 15 minutes. Cut into small squares.

Variations

  • Substitute 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls for the dough sheets. Simply unroll the dough completely and press together at the seams.
  • You could substitute ground beef for the sausage if desired.

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Sausage Dip

December 10, 2011 by

Here’s a simple dip recipe from the Cooks.com site (original here) that everyone will scoop up. It can be easily modified to change the spiciness. Sausage Dip is the tenth of my 25 Appetizers of Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 1 package sausage
  • 1 can Rotel tomatoes
  • 1 package cream cheese
  • Tortilla chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Brown sausage in skillet, drain.
  3. In a clean skillet, place drained sausage back into pan with tomatoes and cream cheese.
  4. Mix until well blended together.
  5. Place in a baking dish in oven for 20–25 minutes.
  6. Serve with tortilla chips.

Variations

  • Choose the sausage that your family prefers. We go with mild or sage because some family members have acid reflux problems. You could obviously use a hot sausage to spice things up. Chorizo, very well-drained, would work nicely also.
  • I haven’t had a chance to try it yet, but I suspect this recipe could go in the crockpot for an hour in lieu of baking.
  • A cup of Mexican or Cheddar cheese would make a nice addition.

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Ham Meatballs with Pineapple Sauce

December 9, 2011 by

This recipe is listed on the Cooks.com site (original here) as “Ham Balls,” which I found an unusual and not necessarily inviting name. Still I clicked through and found a recipe for ham meatballs that are served with pineapple sauce. Now I’m eager to try them out, though I’ve changed the name so that I’ll be more likely to convince the family to eat them. Ham Meatballs with Pineapple Sauce is the ninth of my 25 Appetizers of Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ham ground (3 c.)
  • 1 cup soft bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 lb lean ground pork
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 8 oz can crushed pineapple
  • ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
  • ⅓ cup ketchup
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • ½ tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • ⅓ cup vinegar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Combine ingredients for ham balls in bowl; mix well.
  3. Shape into 1 inch balls and place in a 9 x 13 x 2 inch dish, and set aside while you make the sauce.
  4. Empty pineapple into bowl.
  5. Mix brown sugar and cornstarch; add to pineapple.
  6. Stir in remaining ingredients.
  7. Pour over meatballs and bake for 50 minutes.

Variations

  • The sauce is similar to a sweet-and-sour sauce. You could easily add some rice and veggies for a full meal.

Filed under Appetizer, Meat Tagged with , ,

Slow Cooker Reuben Dip

December 8, 2011 by

There are versions of this recipe all over the Internet. This one came from the AllRecipes site (original here). Slow Cooker Reuben Dip is the eighth of my 25 Appetizers of Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 1 (16 ounce) jar sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
  • 2 cups shredded cooked corned beef
  • ¼ cup thousand island dressing
  • Crackers (ideally Rye Triscuit) or cocktail rye

Directions

  1. In a slow cooker, combine the sauerkraut, cream cheese, Swiss cheese, corned beef and thousand island dressing.
  2. Cover, and cook on high for 45 minutes if you’re in a hurry, low for longer if you’re not, or just until hot and cheese is melted.
  3. Stir occasionally while cooking.
  4. Serve with cocktail rye or crackers.

Variations

  • You can also bake this mixture in a 350° oven for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Or microwave until heated through.
  • You can leave out the sauerkraut, but the mixture will be a bit looser.
  • You can substitute cream cheese for the mayonnaise if desired.

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Pita Tree Appetizers

December 7, 2011 by

From the Pillsbury site (original here), this appetizer is all about clever assembly. There’s no cooking involved! As the note with the recipe explains, “Plant a forest of pita bread trees on your table in less than 30 minutes by topping wedges with store-bought guacamole.” Pita Tree Appetizers are the seventh of my 25 Appetizers of Christmas.

Ingredients

  • Pita Tree Appetizers4 flavored or plain pita folds or pita (pocket) breads (about 6 inches in diameter)
  • 16 thin pretzel sticks, halved
  • ½ cup fat-free sour cream
  • ½ cup guacamole
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic-pepper blend
  • ¼ cup very finely chopped red bell pepper

Directions

  1. Cut each pita fold into 8 wedges.
  2. Insert pretzel stick half into center of bottom of each wedge to form “tree trunk.”
  3. In small bowl, mix sour cream, guacamole, parsley and garlic-pepper blend.
  4. Spread about 1 teaspoon sour cream mixture on each pita wedge.
  5. Blot bell pepper with paper towel to remove excess moisture.
  6. Sprinkle about ¼ teaspoon bell pepper on each wedge or arrange to form a garland.
  7. If desired, cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours before serving.

Variations

  • For variety, use cilantro in place of the parsley.
  • If you have time, make your own guacamole. Simply mash a ripe avocado and throw in a dash of salt, lime juice and chopped garlic.

Time Required: 25 minutes

Servings: 32 appetizers

Filed under Appetizer, Mexican Tagged with , ,

Pizza Pinwheels

December 6, 2011 by

A Pillsbury recipe that Mom has included in her recipe files, this appetizer is simple and can be adapted to include your favorite pizza topping. Pizza Pinwheels are the sixth of my 25 Appetizers of Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 1 Can (8oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
  • 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
  • ⅓ cup finely chopped pepperoni (about 1½ oz)
  • 2 Tbsp finely chopped green bell pepper
  • ½ cup shredded Italian cheese blend
  • ½ cup pizza sauce

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.
  3. Unroll dough and separate into 4 rectangles; firmly press perforations to seal.
  4. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese, pepperoni, bell pepper and Italian cheese blend over each rectangle.
  5. Starting with one short side, roll up each rectangle; press edge to seal.
  6. With serrated knife, cut each roll into 6 slices; place cut side down on cookie sheet.
  7. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
  8. Meanwhile, heat pizza sauce.
  9. Immediately remove pinwheels from cookie sheet.
  10. Serve warm with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Variations

  • Any finely chopped, fully cooked pizza topping could be used as a substitute for the pepperoni—bacon bits, chopped onion, ham, black olives, mushrooms, and so forth.

Time Required: 35 minutes

Servings: 24

Filed under Appetizer, Italian Tagged with , , ,

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