What to Serve at Your Holiday Party

With the holidays right around the corner the likelihood of you having to throw a party or attend a party is probably pretty high. Here are three great party foods that are easy to prepare, relatively cheap to make and will be enjoyed by everyone.

Sausage Balls

Sausage balls are my all time favorite party food. They are relatively fattening and I can't stop myself from eating them once I have started so I only make these during Thanksgiving and Christmas! What you will need is: 1 pound of Jimmy Dean Sausage, 4 cups of your favorite cheese (I use Kraft's Crackle Barrel Extra Sharp Cheddar) and 3 cups of Bisquick flour.

You will need to preheat your oven to 400 degrees and either grease your cookie sheet or line it with foil because this particular party food will stick to the cookie sheet! In a large bowl mix the sausage with the cheese until well blended. I usually use my hands to mix and knead the sausage and cheese. Next slowly add the flour. If you add the flour too quickly you won't get the correct consistence. Once all your ingredients have been mixed together you will want to form small balls, about the size of a boiled egg yolk, and place them on your cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. You will want to serve these as warm as possible.

Chili Dip

This is a great dip that my children love to eat. It is so easy to make that my 9 year old daughter makes it by herself and I cook it for her. The ingredients you will need for this party dip are: 1 can of Hormel Chili without beans, 1 package of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, 2 cups of shredded Kraft's Crackle Barrel Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese and a bag of your favorite tortilla chips.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and spread your soften cream cheese into a small casserole dish as evenly as possible. Next spread your Hormel Chili over the cream cheese and sprinkle the 2 cups of cheddar over the chili. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until cheese has started to brown and bubble. Remove your party dip from the oven, stir all your ingredients well and serve with tortilla chips!

Beef Tongue on a Cracker

While this may sound quite gross, if you've never eaten beef tongue before then you have no idea what you are missing. If you are serving this at your party I would suggest not telling your guests what they are eating until they have already tried a bite. You would be surprised how many people will not willingly partake in beef tongue!

The ingredients you will need are: 1 beef tongue, your favorite crackers and your favorite cheeses. As far as cheese is concerned what seems to complement the beef tongue the most is mild cheeses such as Provolone, Baby Swiss, or Mozzarella.

To cook your beef tongue you will want to boil the entire tongue in a large sauce pot. Fill the pot up with water and add a little salt, pepper and a few cloves of garlic, heat until the water is at a rolling boil. Next turn the heat down and add your tongue. You will let the tongue simmer for three full hours. Once your three hours are up you want to drain the water and allow your beef tongue to cool until it is comfortable enough for you to touch. Once the beef tongue is cool enough you will need to peel the skin away. Once you have removed all of the skin cover your tongue and let it cool completely in the refrigerator. Once the tongue has completely cooled you can slice it and lay it on a cracker and top with a piece of cheese and serve. By the way if you are curious beef tongue tastes surprisingly like turkey!