Holiday entertaining can be a juggling act to make sure all the food comes out of the kitchen on time and in the right order.
If you don’t want to tie up your kitchen with fussy hors d’oeuvres that require cooking or heating -- and want to do a little more than cut up some cheese and crackers -- here are some great appetizer recipes that are not only fast and easy to make, but look festive and are delicious.
Each recipe makes about 8 servings. You can also pre-make these recipes the night before your party and refrigerate.
Roasted Peppers with Basil
- One 12-oz. jar of sliced roasted peppers
- 4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese (from your fresh cheese section), cut into slices
- 2 tbsp. fresh basil, coarsely chopped
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
- Pinch of sea salt
Drain the roasted peppers.Combine peppers and remainder of ingredients in a bowl and toss well. Serve on a platter with French or Italian bread, sliced.
Honeydew Melon Slices Wrapped in Paper-Thin Prosciutto
- 1 large honeydew melon
- 1/2 pound thinly sliced (paper thin) prosciutto (ask deli to slice it this way for you)
Slice honeydew melon in half and scoop out seeds and remove skin. Cut melon into ½ inch bite-sized chunks.Wrap prosciutto around each melon piece and secure with a toothpick. Serve on a platter.
Key Lime Farmers Cheese with Cilantro
- ½ pound farmer cheese
- ½ tbsp. fresh key lime juice (if no key limes available, okay to use regular limes)
- 1 tbsp lime zest
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
Mix cheese, lime juice and zest, sugar and cilantro in a bowl. Serve on a platter surrounded by Melba toast or tortilla chips.
Lemon Shrimp on a Bed of Arugula
- 1 pound of peeled, cleaned and cooked medium shrimp
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled, diced
- Juice from one medium lemon
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ pound arugula leaves, washed
- ½ tsp sea salt
In a small bowl mix garlic cloves, lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt to create dressing.Arrange arugula leaves on a large platter and drizzle half the dressing on top.Place the cooked shrimp in a mound on top of the arugula and drizzle remainder of the dressing on top of the shrimp. Grate fresh pepper on top if desired.
Emergency Appetizers
For spur of the moment appetizers, get some high quality pesto or salsa and surround with French or Italian bread (sliced for dipping), a variety of crackers or vegetables. Cheese and crackers, surrounded with grapes will also do in a pinch.
You can also make festive little wraps made from tortillas: Spread a layer of cream cheese in each tortilla, then add two ingredients such as arugula and marinated sun-dried tomatoes, or spinach leaf and roasted red peppers. Roll up the tortilla then cut into 1/2 inch rolls.
For more easy appetizers visit Easy and Elegant Holiday Appetizers.
