Festive Appetizers: Quick, Easy, and Delicious Recipes

I work with a bunch of women. We like to eat...a lot. We celebrate our co-workers' birthdays, our trainees' graduation days, and many holidays. Most celebrations involve each individual contributing something to the occasion, such as an appetizer, entrée, dessert, or plastic utensils. This process can get expensive and it can be time consuming depending on what you offer to bring.

After a few months of celebrations and many compliments on my food, I recognized an opportunity. Everyone loves appetizers, especially fun and festive little goodies that taste fabulous. So, when I receive the email chain asking me what I will bring, instead of making a fancy cake or casserole, I offer to bring a cool appetizer. I do love to cook, so I offer up some kind of food instead of bringing the silverware and napkins. However, if you do not like to cook, that's a great contribution instead.

These fun little appetizers take half the time to make compared to a fancy casserole or dessert. They taste great. They look so cool that everyone raves about them and begs me to bring them again. From salty to sweet, these little gems are fun, festive, delicious, and easy. Another nice thing is that you can add or subtract ingredients in each of these recipes to match your favorite tastes.

Some of my favorite luncheon or anytime appetizer/side dish ideas are listed below.

Cucumber Sandwiches
This one may not seem obvious at first if no one in your office likes vegetables. However, I have learned that people assume they don't like veggie recipes until they try them. After bringing these to the office once, I get constant requests to bring these colorful, tasty, cool sandwiches to every office event in the future. To make it healthier, you can use reduced-fat cream cheese. To make it festive for a Christmas get together, add some pimentos or sliced red pepper for a red and green delight.

Ingredients:

1 loaf of pre-sliced, cocktail rye or pumpernickel bread

1 (8 oz.) container of cream cheese (veggie or chive and onion flavors make it even more delicious)

1 packet Ranch dressing mix or Italian dressing mix

1-2 large cucumbers, thinly sliced

Dried dill weed (to taste)

Preparation:

1. Mix cream cheese and dressing packet.
2. Spread a layer of the cream cheese mixture on each slice of bread.
3. Place 1-2 thin slices of cucumber on each piece of bread.
4. Top with dried dill weed to taste.

Fruit Pizza
This is a great play on the traditional pizza. I usually make it in the summer when I can find fresh fruits, but it can be made any time of the year. To make it festive for a particular holiday, like Independence Day, just use the strawberries and blueberries for red, white, and blue 4^th of July fun.

Ingredients:

1 package (18 oz.) refrigerated sugar cookie dough

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese (flavored cream cheese like strawberry or cinnamon and sugar are yummy)

¼ cup sugar

Fresh sliced fruit (my favorites are strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi)

Canned mandarin oranges

Cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Roll cookie dough out onto a greased cookie/baking sheet (round, square, any shape works) and sprinkle with cinnamon.
2. Bake cookie dough for 9 minutes or as recommended on the package.
3. Allow the dough to cool completely.
4. Mix cream cheese and sugar together until smooth.
5. Spread cream cheese mixture onto the sugar cookie crust.
6. Refrigerate 1 hour or more.
7. Slice into desired shapes and number of slices and enjoy!

Veggie Pizza
A similar idea as the fruit pizza, but salty instead of sweet. This is a great way to get in some extra veggies in, and this is a very colorful and tasty dish.

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz.) packages refrigerated crescent roll dough

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese (veggie or chive and onion flavoring add a little extra flavor)

1 (1 oz.) packet of Ranch dressing mix

Dried dill weed (to taste)

Fresh sliced vegetables (my favorites are radishes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and green onions)

Preparation:

1. On a greased baking sheet, roll out the crescent roll dough.
2. Bake the dough in the oven at the recommended temperature.
3. Let the dough cool off completely.
4. Combine the cream cheese, Ranch dressing mix, and dried dill weed and mix until smooth.
5. Arrange the sliced veggies on the pizza.
6. Allow to chill completely, at least 1 hour.
7. Slice and enjoy!

Cheeseburger Dip
I have been making this for years. Another bright colored, delicious dip. It requires a crock pot or hot pan to keep it warm. You should stir it often to keep it from sticking and drying out.

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef

1 package Velveeta processed cheese

Frank's hot sauce (to taste)

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Tortilla chips (the ones seasoned with lime are terrific)

Preparation:

1. In a pan on medium high heat, brown the ground beef.
2. Add the Velveeta to a crock pot or pot on the stove.
3. Add the browned hamburger to the pot and heat to medium high temperature.
4. Stir and mix the hamburger and Velveeta.
5. Once the mix is smooth, add hot sauce, salt, and pepper to taste.
6. Keep mixture heated and serve with tortilla chips.

Jalapeño Poppers
A twist on the fried, breaded jalapeño popper. Easy and delicious.

Ingredients:

10 fresh jalapeño peppers

1 (8 oz.) package flavored cream cheese (chive and onion is a good choice)

1 package pre-cooked, microwavable bacon slices

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice the jalapeños lengthwise.
3. Removed stems, seeds, and white membrane from the peppers.
4. Scoop the cream cheese into each pepper half (add salt and pepper if you want more flavor).
5. Wrap each pepper half with 1 slice of bacon (put the ends underneath the pepper to hold it together).
6. Place pepper halves on a greased baking dish.
7. Cook in oven for 25-35 minutes until peppers are soft and bacon edges are crispy.