39 replies to this topic

[BoulderChick]

Some of My favorites are

Brie and Fig Jam on toasted Baquette.!!!!!!! You can melt the Brie or eat it at room temp.
Dalmatia Dried Fig Spread
http://www.igourmet....ch.aspx?qry=fig

Gorgonzola and Cipolline Onions in Balsamic Vinegar on Toasted Baquette
I like to chop up the onions in the food processor or slice them thinly . Then I spread the Gorgonzola on the Baquette and then top with the onions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.igourmet.....aspx?qry=onion
I can also find the Balsamic Cipolline Onions in the salad bar at Whole Foods.

Family Favorites (especially my DH)

Hanky Panks
1 roll of Breakfast Sausage
1 small or medium size block of Velvetta (This is the only time I use Velvetta so I don't use a lot, but it is up to you. DH likes a lot of it, I like just a little)
1 loaf of sliced Cocktail size Rye bread.
1 pan and 1 cookie sheet

Preheat oven to 350. Cook the sausage until done and drain the grease. Melt the Velveeta with the cooked sausage and stir until sausage is covered. Scoop sausage on to each slice of Rye bread and put the Rye bread slices on to the cookie sheet. Cook the Rye bread with the Sausage and Velveeta mixture for about 10 minutes, checking to see when the bread has toasted.
My GodMother makes these, and when I first helped her make them(when I was 14) I thought they looked so yucky:D But they taste good and are one of our families favorite.

Stuffed Jalapenos
We typically grill these, but they can be placed in the oven too.
10 Fresh Jalapenos (we prefer the smaller ones)
8oz to 1lb of White Cheddar Cheese (depends on how cheesy you want them to be)
1 lb Bacon
1/2 cup of Teriyaki Sauce
1 Ziploc bag
Toothpicks

First unwrap the bacon and put in the Ziploc bag, then pour the Teriyaki sauce in the bag and let marinate. You can marinate in the fridge over night of for just a few hours. Whichever you prefer.
Then wash and slice in half lengthwise the Jalapenos and then de-vein and de-seed them.
Cut the White Cheddar in to 10 slices.
Pull the Bacon out of the fridge and drain. Put on a plate.
Put on slice of cheese on the inside of one half of Jalapeno, then put the other half of Jalapeno on top. Wrap the Cheese filled Jalapeno with a slice of Bacon and hold together with the toothpicks.
Cook on the grill or in the oven until the Bacon is done.

[alimfp]

I use: • 3 cups tomato-based chili sauce • 2-1/2 cups grape jelly (that's for two lbs of ground beef) when I make my meatballs.

[Momto32003]

Thanks again everyone. DH isn't to thrilled on some of my ideas. We are going to hit the grocery store together so he can pick some out too. So far I have... meat tray with bread shrimp with sauce cookies meatballs 7 layer dip fruit dip with fruit (found a GREAT recipe with fluff and strawberry cream cheese) deviled eggs

[littlesdcen]

I think you are very lucky that you get to spend all day with your family all by yourself. What I would give. We have to ban people from our house until noon just to be able to enjoy our kids for the first part of Christmas morning. I always use Christmas Eve to cook with the boys . We make ritz crackers with peanut butter dipped in chocolate. Pigs in the blankets. Sausage balls. Homemade Fudge. Pretzels dipped in chocolate. Then we head out to Outback to get Santas blooming onion.

[AndreaInNC]

Here's a tip for those of you who make the 7 layer dip. Add a package of taco seasoning to the sour cream. Yummy! My kids beg every year for my cheese dip. It's super easy and I do it in the crock pot. I take a pound of sausage, cook and crumble it. Add a big log of Velveeta and a can of Rotelle tomotoes. Cook it in the crock pot until the cheese melts. Serve with chips. We take the leftovers and add to scrambled eggs the next morning and make breakfast burritos. You didn't say how old your kids are, but mine are 13 and 16 and love it when we have "party food"! They love potato skins. I'd give you a recipe, but I always just pick them up at the grocery store from the frozen food aisle! They also like li'l smokies in bbq sauce.

[aerosmithgirl]

Here's a tip for those of you who make the 7 layer dip. Add a package of taco seasoning to the sour cream. Yummy!

My kids beg every year for my cheese dip. It's super easy and I do it in the crock pot. I take a pound of sausage, cook and crumble it. Add a big log of Velveeta and a can of Rotelle tomotoes. Cook it in the crock pot until the cheese melts. Serve with chips. We take the leftovers and add to scrambled eggs the next morning and make breakfast burritos.

You didn't say how old your kids are, but mine are 13 and 16 and love it when we have "party food"! They love potato skins. I'd give you a recipe, but I always just pick them up at the grocery store from the frozen food aisle!

They also like li'l smokies in bbq sauce.

That dip is my favorite! It's so good and easy! I have to agree about adding taco seasoning to the sour cream for the taco dip. Makes a big difference. For a heartier dip, I cook hamburger meat and add taco seasoning, like I am making it for tacos. It's great! Of course, the hamburger meat needs to completely cool first.

[poofu02]

A cheese ball is always good, I made one for Thanksgiving and it got ate up right away, here is what I used: 8 oz. of sour cream A red Pepper Green Onion Shredded Cheese Chopped Walnuts I added a little bit of the red pepper to the sour cream and a little green onion, I threw in a lot of shredded cheese. (I think this would be good with black olives too!) When I formed my ball I rolled it walnuts and stuck it in aluminum foil and put it in the fridge for a few hours. I think this year I'm going to do pinwheels!

[hopeky94]

Here's a tip for those of you who make the 7 layer dip. Add a package of taco seasoning to the sour cream. Yummy!

My kids beg every year for my cheese dip. It's super easy and I do it in the crock pot. I take a pound of sausage, cook and crumble it. Add a big log of Velveeta and a can of Rotelle tomotoes. Cook it in the crock pot until the cheese melts. Serve with chips. We take the leftovers and add to scrambled eggs the next morning and make breakfast burritos.

A tip for the sausage and cheese dip: try adding 1 can of cream of (whatever) soup to this. It makes it creamier, plus it goes a little further!

But I'd never thought of the breakfast burritos idea... maybe you could make the dip on Christmas Eve then the breakfast burritos on Christmas morning for a quick and different breakfast!

I made the 7 layer dip for a big gathering earlier in the year and made a few minor changes: mixed the taco seasoning into the refried beans instead of the sour cream, made my own pico de gallo to sprinkle on top (just guessed at amounts, using tomato, onion, jalepeno, and cilantro), and chopped 1/2 bell pepper to prinkle on top. The other 1/2 of the bell pepper I used as a bowl to set in the middle of the dip plate, with salsa in it.

A suggestion as an alternative to "shrimp with sauce": thaw a bag of salad shrimp (or larger shrimp and cut them up) and mix them into 2 softened blocks of cream cheese. Form into a "ball" (basically, a rounded mound in the middle of a larger bowl), and pour some Heinz cocktail sauce over it to coat. Serve it with crackers, and leave the cocktail sauce out to add more on top as the cheeseball gets eaten. A coworker brought this for a snack day years ago and we were skeptical, with just those 3 ingredients. But it's delicious and has become a favorite both in my office and with my family!!

And finally, thank you OP, to both your husband AND to you! Our troops play an important role, for sure, but as a former soldier and former wife of a soldier, I know that the love and support of families and friends is vital... they're the whole reason we go in the first place!!

So soak in and enjoy every moment of this Christmas season... and don't worry-- I have a feeling this will be a special Christmas for all of you, that you will cherish forever...

[Grassy]

my mom always made the hilshire farms lil' smokies in BBQ sauce and served them with toothpicks. She also made this: she layed out a piece of lunchmeat ham or turkey, spread it with cream cheese, and rolled up a dill pickle spear in it, and cut each rolled spear into about 4 pieces and stuck a toothpick into each piece and arranged them on a plate. It might sound strange, but they were pretty good, and kids and people usually dig appetizers with toothpicks! They are easy to eat and enjoy.

[Momto32003]

Thanks again everyone. We defintely will not go hungry this year, LOL hopeky94...THANKS!!!