Top 10 Christmas Party Appetizers

When choosing appetizers to put together for a Christmas party, it's good to use a balance of creamy, crunchy, spicy, sweet,hot, cold, tart and chewy appetizers. You also want to consider the colors and the shapes of your appetizers on the plate. A good party can be made spectacular by the right assortment of appetizers and a dull party can at least be enjoyed if the food is good. Add some Christmas music, pretty decorations and good company for a wonderful holiday time with friends of family. Try the following appetizer ideas and recipes for your holiday open house this year.

Main Course Appetizers

Hot Turkey or Ham Canapes

Slice a loaf of baguette bread into diagonal horizontal slices. Brush one side with butter and bake in the oven for about 5 minutes or till toasted at 400 degrees.

While bread is toasting, mix together 1 c. finely chopped ham or turkey breast or even both with ½ c. cream cheese and ¼ c. heavy whipping cream. Add 1 t. curry powder or if curry isn't a flavor you love, substitute 1 t. of a garlic pepper blend spice.

Remove bread from oven, top with meat and cheese mixture. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and top with ½ t. of a purchased cranberry chutney blend for each bread slice. Bake another 5 minutes until bubbly. You can prepare these up to the last baking ahead of time and then pop in the oven one cookie sheet at a time. These are the perfect main course appetizer, almost like a mini holiday meal in one bite, bread, meat, chutney fruit flavor with spicy smokiness and creamy on top of chewy crunchy bread.

Hacked Chicken Christmas Tree

Don't let the crazy name scare you away from this great main course appetizer. Hacked chicken can be purchased at your favorite Chinese restaurant or you can make it yourself by mixing shredded cooked chicken, sesame paste and peanut sauce. Use about 2 cups of chicken to 1/3 c. each of sauces.

Spread the hacked chicken mixture onto a serving platter in the shape of a Christmas tree. This doesn't take a major artist! You can do it. Then sprinkle the entire "tree" with chopped green onions, diced very small. Decorate with thin slivers of red, yellow and/or orange bell peppers. Surround the chicken dip with your favorite choice of cracker, or rice cracker. Serve cold.

Mozzarella Wreath

To go along with your Christmas Tree Hacked Chicken, put out a Pepperoncini wreath. Chop peperoncini jarred peppers, stems removed into coarse bits, about ¾ c. of them. Reserve 3 T. of the marinade juices from the jar of peppers.

Slice one pound of a good quality fresh mozzarella (essential to use fresh!) into ¼ inch slices.

Arrange the slices in an overlapping wreath circle on a lovely serving platter. Use an opposing color; green works well for Christmas or red. Drizzle with the reserved 3 T. of marinade. Then sprinkle the chopped Pepperoncini's over the wreath. Mound the unchopped peperoncini's in the middle and sprinkle coarsely chopped roasted bell peppers around the cheese wreath for a lovely red, white and green wreath that packs a subtle, spicy flavor with tartness.

Mini Chipotle Nachos

Mexican has become the flavor of choice for many appetizers and this one adds a nice crunchy spicy flavor to your appetizer buffet.

Heat oven to 400. Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly. Spread 4 cups of a mini tortilla chips in a circle on the baking sheet, in a wreath shape. Sprinkle with 1 and 1/c cups of a shredded Mexican cheese blend. Top with 2 more cups of the chips and add another 1 c. of cheese. Sprinkle ½ c. each of red, green and yellow bell peppers, diced small over the wreath of nacho chips. Sprinkle 4 green onions, sliced small over the top. (If you would like to make this a meat appetizer, you can top with a shredded chicken or beef mixture that has been seasoned with southwest spices.

Bake in over for about 6 minutes till cheese melts. While baking, mix together ½ c. good quality salsa and 2 canned chipotle chilies that have been chopped in small pieces. Spoon the salsa mixture over the chips when they come out of the oven. Serve warm and watch your guests get warm too!

Cold side appetizers

Christmas tree bites

Mix together 8 oz of cream cheese, ½ c. chopped roasted red bell peppers, drained, ¼ c. choppped olives, ¼ c. cilantro leaves, ¼ c. Parmesan, and ½ c. finely minced green onion.

Spread mixture on 4 spinach flavored flour tortillas. Roll up tightly. Press each roll into a slight triangular shape and refrigerate at least 2 hours, but no longer than overnight!

Remove from frig, and slice into ½ mini Christmas tree slices. Place a live piece at bottom of each triangle for the tree trunk with a toothpick to hold the olive and tree appetizer.

Lemon Basil Tree

Five star rating on this one! Mix 2 packages of cream cheese with 1 c. shredded Havarti cheese. Add 2 T. chopped fresh basil or 2 t. dried., 2 t. grated lemon peel, ¼ t. garlic and blend with cheese until smooth.

Shape the cheese mixture into a cone shape to look like a Christmas tree or you can roll in balls instead. Roll the entire shape in ¼ c. chopped fresh parsley, basil or even cilantro if that is a flavor you like.

Cover with wrap gently and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm. Serve with favorite crackers around the base like packages. You can even sprinkle some fine strips of red bell pepper around the base for additional color and make a star out of yellow pepper for the tree topper.

Warm Side Appetizers

Cheesy Apple Bites
(recipe from my chef son, Nathaniel Malone)

This is the most complicated of these top appetizer recipes but worth it. Line a square baking dish 8x8 with aluminum foil, grease foil. Put 1 c. of yellow cornmeal and 1 c. of cold water in a cooking pot and add 2 and ¾ c. boiling water with 1 t. of salt and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly until mixture boils and thickens. Reduce heat to low, stir in 2 T. of grated onion, 1 T. of fresh sage or 1 t. dried sage and ½ c. of shredded Cheddar cheese. Cook another 5 minutes, stirring several times to prevent sticking. Watch it! Remove from heat.

Spread the polenta in a baking dish and refrigerate overnight till firm.

Heat oven to 400. Grease a jelly roll pan. Remove polenta from dish using the foil to lift it out. Cut the polenta into 6 rows to make 36 squares. Cut each square on the diagonal to make 2 triangle. Bake uncovered for 15 min. or till golden brown.

Cut 1 small tart red and 1 small tart green apple into very think slices and pieces. Top each triangle of polenta with the fresh apple and sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Bake another 5 minutes till cheese melts. Serve warm for a creamy corny apply cheesy bite of heaven!

Cheese Beer Dip

You gotta have dip and pretzels at Christmas parties. This super easy dip is still tasty and warm. Mix 1 16 oz loaf of a good process cheese spread, cut in pieces in slow cooker. Add ½ c. beer and 1 t. hot red pepper sauce. Adjust the heat as you will. That's it.! Serve with an array of fresh chopped vegetables, bread cubes or the ubiquitous pretzel!

Something exotic: Lemon Shrimp California rolls

(recipe from my chef son: Nathaniel Malone)

I make these for the fresh zing of flavor. Make up about 1 c. of a good sushi rice. Add 1 T. of rice vinegar, 1 t. grated lemon peel and ½ t. sugar to the cooked rice. Set aside.

Cut out the center rib from 4 large romaine lettuce leaves. Cut leaves into strips about 5 inches long and ¾ inch wide. Mix together ½ c. mayonnaise, 2 t. lemon juice, and ¼ c. ground ginger. Spread mixture on each lettuce strip. Spoon rice mixture over the lead and roll up to about 1 inch from the end. Insert strips of vegetables (bell pepper, radish, cucumber) Finish rolling up the sushi strip and secure with a decorate toothpick. Top each with 1 small deveined cocktail shrimp. Refrigerate 2 hours before serving.If you like more spice with your sushi, add some hot pepper to the mayonaaise mixture.

Something sweet to munch is Peppermint Crunch

(Recipe from Honey Chex Mix Box)

6 c. of popped popcorn, 4 c. of Honey Nut Chex cereal, 1 jar of 7 oz marshmallow crème, 20 crushed hard peppermint candies. Heat oven to 350. Mix cereal and popcorn in large bowl. Heat marshmallow crème in microwave till melted. Pour over cereal mixture, stir until coated. Sprinkle with chopped mints. Spread on cookie sheet. Bake about five minutes. Stir. Bake again till lightly browned. Remove and cool. Break up into chunks. You can vary this by adding in any combination of Candies. Experiment. We like to add Christmas M'and M's.