Easy New Year's Appetizers with Phyllo Cups

One of the easiest ways to create quality appetizers for your New Year's celebration is to start with phyllo cups. Phyllo cups are made from thin, flaky phyllo dough commonly used in Greek and Middle Eastern baking. You can either purchase pre-made phyllo cups in your local supermarket (they can be found in the refrigerated section) or make them yourself using sheets of phyllo dough. Making your own cups involves shaping several thin sheets of dough into each cup of a non-stick mini muffin pan. Then, you can bake the cups at 350 degrees until the tops are just golden. Once you have your cups ready, all you need to do is fill them, bake them, and serve them. Here are some great filling choices for your appetizers (each recipe fills 30 small cups):

Caprese (no bake):

Ingredients:

15 cherry tomatoes

½ cup fresh mozzarella cheese

1 bunch fresh basil leaves

¼ cup olive oil

Preparation:

Cut each cherry tomato in half.

Shred basil leaves and place a few in each phyllo cup.

Top basil with one cherry tomato half per cup.

Add a small slice of fresh mozzarella to each tomato.

Drizzle finished phyllo cups with a little olive oil.

Spinach & Cheese:

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped spinach (fresh or frozen and thawed)

¼ cup feta cheese

¼ cup ricotta cheese

2 egg whites

1 garlic clove (minced)

½ tsp. salt

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients until well blended.

Spoon mixture into phyllo cups.

Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes.

Shrimp Cocktail (no bake):

Ingredients:

30 medium-large shrimp (cooked)

¾ cup cocktail sauce

Fresh parsley (to garnish)

Preparation:

Remove tails from cooked shrimp

Fill each phyllo cup with approximately 1 tsp. cocktail sauce

Top cups with fresh parsley garnish

Taco Beef:

Ingredients:

½ pound ground beef

1 clove garlic (minced)

1 small onion (diced)

1 red pepper (diced)

2 tsp. lime juice

1 tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. chili powder

1/8 tsp. black pepper

¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation:

In a large skillet, combine beef, garlic, onion, and pepper.

Cook beef mixture on medium / medium-high until meat is browned.

Stir in lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and black pepper.

Remove meat mixture from stove and spoon some into each phyllo cup.

Top each cup with cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Crab Meat:

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups flaked crab meat

¼ cup diced green onion

2 tbsp. mayonnaise

2 tsp. lemon juice

½ tsp. dried dill

½ tsp. dried parsley

¼ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. salt

Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients until well mixed.

Spoon 1 tbsp. of mixture into each phyllo cup.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.