Appetizers

Tis the season for Holiday Parties. And with that in mind, here are a few of my favorite appetizer recipes. These are good if you're hosting, but also great if you want to bring something to a party you're invited too. One word of advice - check with the host/hostess first. No one likes a "friend" who brings something to a party forcing the host to hide what they made so the guest's dish may be served.

Brie with Nuts and Honey

We're big cheese people in my family. And every dinner party means there'll be cheese and crackers. And one constant is brie. This is way easier than baked brie and takes minutes to throw together.

1/4 cup butter
1 cup coarsly chopped walnuts
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp honey
Round of brie

1) In a nonstick skillet, melt butter. Stir in walnuts, cinnamon, honey, and nutmeg. Cook, stirring constantly, until bubbling.
2) Pour over cheese and microwave 1 minute.

Knorr Spinach Dip

In general I prefer hot spinach dip. Specifically the kind with artichokes. However, hot dip doesn't stay hot for very long, so if I'm going somewhere I'd prefer to bring something cold. This is obviously not my recipe, but can be found on the back of the Knorr Vegetable Recipe Mix. After experimenting with several types of spinach dip, Jon has decided this is his favorite.

1 pkg baby spinach, chopped
1 container sour cream
1 cup reduced fat mayo
1 pkg Knorr Vegetable Recipe Mix
1 can water chestnuts, chopped
3 green onions, chopped

1) Combine all ingredients
2) Chill 2 hours

Pizza biscuit snacks

This is a derivation of my pepperoni snacks, but healthier and vegetarian. Because you never know if people are eating meat or not.
1 pkg refrigerated biscuits
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1) Preheat oven to 375. Press each biscuit into muffin pan, pressing gently to fill cups
2) In 10-inch skillet, heat oil and cook spinach, bell pepper, and onion until tender. Stir in marinara sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes.
3) Spoon marinara mixture into muffin cups.
4) Bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 minutes.

Artichoke Garlic Bread

This is a spin-off/combination of two recipes. The first is my friend's garlic jalepeno bread. It's a great recipe, and very popular among my law school friends, but I'm not a huge jalepeno girl. I do however love my artichoke bruschetta which combines artichoke hearts with tomatoes, basil, oil, and garlic. It seems only natural to adapt the recipe to create a cheesy garlic bread with artichokes!

1 can artichoke hearts
1/2 cup italian dressing
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 cup grated parmesean cheese
1 loaf french bread, halved lengthwise

1) Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients except bread.
2) Spread on bread. Bake 20 minutes

Seven Layer Dip

This is another family favorite. I used to love my mom's seven layer dip, which she didn't make very often. That and her velveeta/salsa didn't make appearances frequently, but when they did they were gone pretty quickly. Jon especially likes the flavors of this one because the meat is so flavorful.

1/2 jar of your favorite salsa
1 cup of pico de gallo (my store was out so I had to use pico de gallo salsa which is not nearly as good)
1 can refried beans
1/2 lb ground beef
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup guacamole
1/2 cup sour cream

1) Cook ground beef with your favorite salsa. Add salt, pepper, and garlic to your liking.
2) Spread layer of beans in glass dish.
3) Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese then layer beef on top.
4) Add leftover cheese followed by guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo.