Christmas Party Appetizers that Will WOW Your Guests

Whether you are planning a Christmas open house party for all of your friends and family or a small gathering for a few close pals, these appetizers promise to keep your guests satisfied. Who knows? Maybe you'll even gain the reputation of throwing the "Best Christmas Party Ever."

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno appetizers
This is an amazingly delicious, yet simple recipe that everyone at your party is sure to love. The seeds of the pepper will be removed so this brings down the spicy factor to a more tolerable level.

Ingredients

Jalapeno Peppers (each pepper makes two appetizers, decide how many you need)
Bacon (you will need 1/2 a slice of bacon per appetizer. Buy accordingly)
Cream cheese (1 package per 12 peppers.)

rubber gloves
toothpicks

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees

2. Cut your bacon in half. One half a slice of bacon is long enough to wrap around one of these amazingly tasty treats. Set aside

3. Put on some gloves. I promise if you don't do this, you'll regret it. Trust me. I spent an entire dinner with my hands soaking in cups of ice water because I failed to put on some gloves.

4. Cut the stems off your peppers and cut them in half, then scoop out the seeds and throw them away. Be sure to discard each and every seed unless your guests like things spicy. Without the seeds, these are relatively mild, but if you miss one, watch out!

5. Spread about a tablespoon of cream cheese inside each half pepper.

6. Wrap each stuffed pepper in a half a slice of bacon, spear with a toothpick to hold it all in place and bake for 30 minutes.

Pimento Cheese Mini Sandwiches
This is another super simple recipe that will be a definite crowd pleaser. This is especially good for children but works very well at grown up parties too. This recipe make about 20 appetizers, so adjust as needed for your specific occasion.

Ingredients

1 loaf of high quality artisan bread from your local bakery.
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese (or you could use another cup of cheddar if you'd prefer)
1/3 cup of mayonnaise
1 small jar of pimentos, drained and diced

Instructions

Slice your bread into even slices that are about 1/2 inc thick. Cut these slices into smaller shapes using a bread knife or cookie cutters. I usually cut mine into small triangles and remove the crust.

Mix all other ingredients in a medium bowl and spread mixture on your mini sandwiches. Chill slightly (long enough to harden the cheese a bit, not long enough to stale the bread) just before serving.

Amazingly Awesome Stuffed Mushrooms
This recipe is amazingly awesome and will rival anything found in a restaurant.

12 whole fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray cookie sheet with oil.

Clean mushrooms well and cut off stems. Chop stems as finely as possible. Heat oil in a saute pan and add garlic and stems. Saute until both ingredients are soft. Remove from heat.

Once the stems and garlic mixture has cooled down a bit, add all other ingredients and mix well. Spoon this mixture into your mushroom caps and place each one on baking sheet, filling side up.

Bake for 20 minutes.