Holiday Appetizers
Alright, folks, who’s getting geared up for the holidays? I know I am, urged on by Mom, who is nailing down her shopping already. When she’s doing that, it’s impossible not to get swept along with her. I mean, if I’m making these decisions now - for her-, why not just go ahead and do my shopping also?
If I finish up my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving, as I hope to, then I will have an entire month to bake cookies, attend gatherings, and plan my holiday menu. Yippee!
I particularly love the appetizers at Christmastime. During no other time of the year are appetizers so popular. They just don’t fit in well with your Easter ham dinner, summertime barbecues, special birthday dinners. Yummies like baked brie, cheese dip, caramel fruit dip, and bacon-wrapped seafood fit in best when the weather is cold and the Christmas tree has been lit.
I’ve got some experimenting to do, and when it’s over (if it goes well), I will be back to offer some new appetizers to try. For today, I am posting links to some of my seen-before goodies. Let’s call them classics. I’ll get back with you soon…
Taken from a Taste of Home magazine years ago, this recipe is one of many great ways to use pecans:
Cattleman’s Spread
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 packages (2-1/2 ounces each) dried beef, chopped
4 teaspoons diced onion
Toast the pecans in butter in a hot skillet. Careful - they burn easily and I have done that several times! Set the nuts aside.
Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, and onion together with a mixer. Add the chopped beef and mix that in, too.
Spread the cheese mixture into a greased 8 inch square pan. Top with the toasted pecans. Bake for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Serve this warm with your favorite crackers or breadsticks. This makes a great appetizer for a football party, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve.
Some other great classics:
November 9th, 2007