Easy and Elegant Appetizers for Your Christmas Party

Stuffed Mushrooms

Sour Cream and Herb Biscuits

Horseradish Spread

Beef Tenderloin

World's Best Cheese Ball

Serve these together with crackers and vegetables with dip and you will have new family favorites.

WARNING: be careful.....you may be expected to do this every year.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Only four ingredients:

12 medium portabella mushroom caps

1 lb. ground hot sausage (I like Jimmy Dean)

1 pkg. Boursin cheese (garlic one)

1 bottle white wine or champagne

(If you have trouble finding the Boursin cheese (use the garlic one, there is a cracked pepper one too), you may substitute another soft mild garlic flavored cheese)

Preheat your oven to 375.

Prepare the mushroom caps.

Do NOT wash them just brush them off gently for best results. If you couldn't find caps use medium sized mushrooms and carefully pop out the stem.

In a frying pan brown your ground hot sausage and drain VERY well.

To the still warm browned sausage mix in the Boursin cheese until completely melted into sausage.

Fill the mushroom caps carefully, mounding them slightly.

Place filled mushroom caps in a baking dish.

Pour into the baking dish, AROUND not on, the mushrooms, enough white wine or champagne to cover the bottom of the dish only.

You may now drink the rest.

Place baking dish into the preheated oven for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, you are only steaming the mushrooms a little.

Serve on a platter with sprigs of fragrant basil and beautiful Christmas red cranberries scattered about.

Serves 6-12 or

Be careful the first person sampling may try to eat them all....lol.

Now, as for the next three recipes, they go well together. A serving suggestion, serve the tenderloin on a platter with a knife for carving, and a bowl with the horseradish spread and the biscuits beside. People can make beef tenderloin sandwiches from the three.

First things first:

Sour Cream Biscuits

2 sticks of lightly salted BUTTER, frozen (I'll explain in a minute)

1 ½ cup sour cream

2 cups all-purpose flour (I like White Lily unbleached), sifted

½ tsp. each of garlic powder, onion powder, fresh cracked black pepper, dill

¼ tsp. sweet paprika

Okay, now to explain the frozen butter....lol. After solidly frozen you grate it.

Put the frozen, grated butter in the sifted flour and mix it in with a metal spoon so your hands don't melt it.

Put the herbs: garlic, onion, pepper, dill and paprika into the sour cream and mix well. Feel free to taste the sour cream and you can adjust the flavor to taste that way.

Then mix the sour cream and herbs into the flour and butter. Mixing just enough to form a dough that can be rolled out. You may need a little extra flour for your board and cutting device. I like to cut mine with a small glass or a decorative cookie cutter, maybe with ruffled edges. Be as creative as you want.

Place your biscuits after you cut them onto waxed paper and flash freeze them. They bake better if they start frozen. Makes about 2 dozen 2 inch biscuits. You can make them ahead and freeze, just bag and seal them well.

For baking them you want your oven preheated to 400 and you want the biscuits frozen. Bake them approximately 15-20 minutes, they should be just blonde on top for best texture and flavor. Your house will smell SO good the neighbors will be outside trying to locate the aroma.

Horseradish Spread

For my Horseradish Spread I simply use a couple of cups of Dukes Mayonnaise, a couple of tablespoons of sour cream and a couple of teaspoons of bottled prepared horseradish and I grate a clove or two of garlic into it, mixing well. Then cover and chill till needed. Excellent on many sandwiches especially beef ones.

Beef Tenderloin

Preheat oven to 350.

Get a nice trimmed beef tenderloin. Trim any extra fat from it please.

I let mine sit for a little while in Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce then I rub it with coarse sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper and a little fresh rosemary. Roast it in the oven, turning if needed once, about 10-15 minutes per pound.

IMPORTANT: Please allow meat to rest unbothered for 20 minutes after cooked before any slicing is done so juices redistribute through the meat.

The ends will be slightly more well done (medium really) and moving to the center will go from medium toward medium rare.

You can slice a few slices as you plate it on the platter and I like to line the platter with green and red leaf lettuce, it keeps any escaping juice from running and adds color and texture.

When you serve these you can plate the beef tenderloin, a few slices ready, and place a good carving knife with it. Then to the back right corner I place some Horseradish Spread in a decorative bowl with a lovely butter or cheese knife for spreading. To the left I place a plate with the cute little herb biscuits piled high. To give your guests the idea, you can pre-make a small sandwich or two and leave them on the biscuit plate.

World's Best Cheese Ball

2 pkg. cream cheese, room temperature

1 ½ cups grated sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese

1 ½ cups grated mild cheddar cheese

1 large sweet yellow onion chopped finely or minced

¼ cup finely diced pimentos

2-3 cloves of garlic, grated

1-2 TBSP Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

Mix together thoroughly all ingredients (except the nuts), cream cheese, grated cheeses, onion, pimentos, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Form a large ball, two smaller balls, or I like to do logs and roll them in the chopped nuts. Wrap and chill till about 30 minutes before time to serve. Plate it on a plate lined with a doily or lettuce, you can sprinkle brightly colored berries around it too if you want for eye appeal, place a cheese spreading knife in it and surround with your favorite cracker. I like vegetable or Ritz type crackers.

Now all you need to complete your food at the appetizer table is a platter with raw veggies and dip and maybe something small and sweet. Individual little cheese cakes work well for this. Add some candles and flowers, place and display your yummy delights at varying levels, some on taller pedestal plates and some at table level and your table will be as eye satisfying as it is delicious.

I hope you, your family and your friends and guests enjoy these recipes as much as my family does. By the way, until now, these recipes were closely held and not shared so have fun and shhhh...don't give away my secrets.

Could anything be easier?

From Kat's Kitchen to yours and...Merry Christmas to all...and to all a good party.