I have several parties over the next two weeks where I need to bring an appetizer and I can't come up with any new ideas. What are your go-to (relatively easy) crowd-pleasing party appetizers?
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Baked Brie! Wheel of Brie with a topping wrapped in puff pastry- takes like 3 minutes to put together and it looks so fancy. I like to put jelly, honey and pistachios, maple and pecans, or pepper jelly but you can really put anything you have around. I serve it with baguette slices or crackers. You can bake it at home and just warm it up or bake it wherever you take it.
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My favorite easy one is feta red pepper dip: one canned drained red peppers, one block/tub of feta. Blend! I try to toast some pita instead of doing pita chips. But that takes more time....
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I like stuff that you can take with one hand and put it right in your mouth. I like to make cheese puffs using choux paste and grated cheese. They are easy to make, transport easily and don't need to be warm or cold. They're also really impressive, people think they're really complicated but they aren't.
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Bacon wrapped dates are my favorite. Some people stuff the dates with additional items - like almonds or blue cheese - but I keep it simple and just stick to dates plus bacon. Super easy.
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Sausage cheese balls are super easy and always a hit.
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@meredithNYC: yes I like those as well...I didn't even know I liked them until recently and they couldn't be easier.
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I make this crab dip. Looks fancy, super quick and easy. http://lovegrowswild.com/2014/12/crab-dip/
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@kiddosc: I have made a version of this with just the cream cheese, cocktail sauce, shrimp (small salad shrimp), and crackers. It's super tasty, works well cold or at room temp, and is a little fancy. Perfect!
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My go-to if I don't feel like trying something new and/or I'm short on time is always spinach-artichoke dip. People inhale it. Super easy. (I do enjoy how it always gets comments about how it's healthy because there are vegetables - I always assume people don't want to know all the fattening dairy products in there.)
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Prosciutto roll ups! A bit of goat cheese, fig jam, and arugula tossed with lemon and olive oil all rolled in a slice of prosciutto. Easy to pop, low carb, gluten free, and has green veggies. They fly off the tray when I take them.
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I have a few festive but easy go to recipes:
-Cheese stuffed dates. I cut dates in half (get the pitted kind or you'll drive yourself nuts!) then stuff the opening with either goat cheese or the aluette herbed cream cheese. I will sometimes stick a walnut in there too. They always go fast!
-Baked brie bites: cut store-bought puff pastry into small-ish rectangles (2"x3" or so) and put a cube of brie and a small dollop of jam in the center, seal it up, brush it with an egg wash and bake. People always think it's super fancy but it's really not hard at all. You could also use a mini-muffin pan to make these if you have one.
Edit: thought of one more that is pretty easy--Crabbies! This recipe is similar to the one I use (though I use tinned crab meat instead): http://www.thismamaloves.com/easy-holiday-appetizer-recipe-crabbies/
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These all sound SO good!!! I want to try them all. Thanks, everyone!
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cheese stuffed dates, i usually blend cream cheese with goat cheese and honey and then stuff the date
red pepper jelly served over a block of cream cheese with crackers
spinach dip, (recipe found on the back of knorr's veggie soup/dip mix) with tortilla chips -
Cowboy Caviar and scoops
black beans
corn
can of diced tomatos
little vinegar
little oil
little hot sauce
cilantro
some sliced green onion/scallion
salt
pepperYUM! Always a crowd pleaser
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Spinach dip. 1 pack frozen chopped spinach, 2 cups sour cream, 1 cup mayo, 1 pack Knorr's vegetable soup mix. Serve it in a hollowed out loaf of pumpernickel and it looks fancy.
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Leek dip/spread. It is SO easy
cut up about 6-7 leeks thinly (light green and white parts only. Make sure you rinse them really well)
Add 1/2 stick butter to a pan. Cook leeks for about 20 min on medium, stirring occasionally, don't let them brown. Add salt and pepper.
Serve with french bread rounds, crackers, pita chips..
I eat that stuff straight up with a spoon.
SO good and so easy. -
Layer dip with tortilla chips: blend a tub of sour cream and block of cream cheese with a bit of taco seasoning to taste, spread in bottom of a pan, top with salsa and shredded cheese, diced red and green peppers if you're feeling fancy. It is so addictive you literally can't stop eating it.
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Antojitos - people always love these. I usually serve with salsa and sour cream on the side
http://www.jocooks.com/main-courses/vegeterian/antojitos/These are also super easy and tasty. I usually do half with cream cheese and half with mozza cheese. I also will do some without the jalapeno's as some people don't like the spice
http://www.highheelsandgrills.com/jalapeno-cream-cheese-poppers/Homemade Hummus is also usually a big hit. I get pitas, chop them into triangles then boil with topped with butter, parmesan, and a light spice, like montreal steak or something to serve on the side. It's best made a day before hand ( the hummus ) so that the flavours have time to blend.
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I'm actually really guilty of ordering crab dip from a local restaurant to take to parties.
I actually just had an annual ornament exchange party last night with a group of girlfriends. Normally we do a dinner where the host cooks the filet tenderloin and everyone else brings apps and sides. This year we had THREE people all bring sausage dip (myself included!!!) It's super easy to make but also probably really common.
Cranberry Brie Bites are also super simple and easy to make
You basically take little puff pastries and fill with a cube of brie and top with a dollop of cranberry sauce and bake. That's it! -
Veggie pizza!
http://www.frugalcouponliving.com/veggie-pizza-with-crescent-rolls/
I sub for whatever veggies sound good at the time.
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homemade pita chips, string cheese (takes a while to unstring, which is annoying), roasted peppers (you can do the jarred kind).
or, stuffed hot pepper shooters (from the italian deli) -
Buffalo chicken dip. I'm sure you could google easily for specifics. Basically it's cream cheese, ranch, blue cheese crumbles, chicken (and actually it's just as good without chicken) hot sauce. Serve with ritz or tortilla chips, celery and carrots.
More complicated (actually quite a pain in the ass) but gets rave reviews are spinach balls. Frozen Spinach, stuffing mix, butter, Parmesan, chopped onions.
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This says it makes 10 servings, but I've been able to use the recipe over 3 or more events before. My family requests these cheeseballs. If you want them to be super easy, don't worry with rolling them in anything. They're delicious uncovered too.
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