Holiday Appetizers that Will Delight Your Guests!

Thanksgiving Appetizers are sometimes hard to coordinate with the preparation of the big meal. However, there are lots of quick and easy recipes that taste and look great and your guests will definitely enjoy them! The following list of appetizers and desserts are a great add-on to your already traditional Thanksgiving meal.

Quick Appetizers:

Artichoke Crostini: This recipe is a great Italian appetizer that requires 1 sourdough baguette, 2 cups chopped tomatoes, 1 can water packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained, and chopped, 2 T minced fresh basil, 2 T Olive oil, ½ teaspoon seasoned salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

The first step is to slice the baguette into 32 pieces and place it on an ungreased baking sheet. The bread than gets lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. It will then get placed into the oven at 325F for about 7-10 minutes or until lightly toasted and crisp. While the bread is toasting, combine the tomatoes, artichokes, basil, oil, seasoned salt and pepper. The mixture gets spooned onto the toasted bread and the appetizer is complete!

This appetizer is a low fat and low prep recipe that will impress and satisfy your guests.

Grilled Bruschetta: You'll need a pound of plum tomatoes (approximately 6) seeded and chopped, 1 cup celery, ¼ cup fresh basil (minced), 3 T balsamic vinegar, 3 T Olive Oil, 3 T Dijon Mustard, 2 garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon salt and for the mayonnaise spread: ½ cup mayo, ¼ cup Dijon Mustard, 1 T finely chopped green onion, 1 minced garlic clove, 2/4 teaspoon dried oregano, and 1 loaf of French bread, cut into ¾ inch slices.

First, combine the first eight ingredients and cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, onion, garlic and oregano and set aside.

Grill the bread slices over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Spread the mayonnaise mixture over toasted side. Grill for another 1-2 minutes until bottom of bread is toasted. The tomato mixture from the fridge then gets drained and spooned over the mayo spread. This recipe serves 8-10 guests and makes a delightful appetizer.

Another quick and easy appetizer is shrimp kabobs, shrimp is a great introduction to any meal and is very easy to prepare and serve. Simply grill the kabobs by layering pieces of shrimp, green peppers, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and asparagus. You could also marinate the kabob by brushing on a Greek or Italian salad dressing before grilling. These appetizers typically take about 15 minutes from start to finish.

A great holiday drink to serve at your meal is cranberry pineapple juice. This ten minute recipe requires a bottle of chilled cranberry juice, a can of pineapple juice, an 8 oz. can pineapple tidbits, and 1 cup cranberries.

The first step is to combine cranberry juice and pineapple juice, then stir in pineapple tidbits and cranberries and serve with ice. Decorative cocktail glasses and straws make these appetizer drinks extra special.

There are also lots of great desserts that are also easy to make and delicious. To make a "mock molten chocolate cranberry fudge cake" you'll need about ten minutes, ½ C berry cranberry sauce, 1 cup hot fudge topping, 8 chocolate cupcakes w/out frosting, and whipped cream. Just microwave the cranberry and fudge together for about a minute and stir to combine, then spoon about 2 tablespoons of the sauce on the upside down cupcakes. Top with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream. Shredded almonds or chopped walnuts also go great with this recipe.

Another easy dessert recipe is mini Vanilla Crème pies. You'll need 6 mini pie crusts, 2 boxes of instant vanilla pudding, 2 whole bananas, chocolate syrup, and 1 ½ C whipped topping. Prepare the instant pudding as instructed, then add about 1 C of whipped topping. Mix thoroughly and spoon 1 T of the mixture into the pie crusts after adding about three banana slices to the top of each pie crust. Layer another few banana slices onto the pudding mix and then top with an additional tablespoon of mix. Top with a few more banana slices, a dollop of whipped topping, and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. These parfait type desserts are delicious and easy to make! The kids will also love to help out with the layering of these deserts.