Having a big party in a couple weeks and need some good, quick appetizers. I always make the same things and need something new. One of the favorites everyone always likes is the chicken ball....Large can chunky chicken (by the tuna), One cream cheese and some worchestershire sauce ( I usually use about 1 or 2 tablespoons depending on the taste you like). Mix and chill....Serve with Club crackers (they taste the best)

As an appetizer I take frozen breaded chicken strips (I use the Wal-Mart brand generic strips - they're inexpensive and surprisingly tender & juicy). I then soak them in a mixture of hot sauce (two levels a jalepeno(sp) and a habenero sauce), chili powder, garlic powder, red pepper, and a little barbeque sauce while the oven is preheating. I then follow the oven directions for the strips and merely extend the time a couple minutes. You can serve them as whole strips or cut them up - whatever. It is much easier and meatier than the traditional buffalo wing.

Here's a quick one. Mix one package cream cheese with one mashed avocado, and season to taste (salt, pepper, garlic, green chile, etc.). Serve with veggies, crackers or chips.

This one is ALWAYS a huge hit and everybody requests it...

1 8 oz stick of cream cheese
1/2 cup mayo (the real stuff)
1 pkg. of "Budding" beef - sandwich meat chopped up
and not the dried beef but plain ol beef
1 bunch of green onions chopped (just the tops, not the onion itself)

Use your favorite cracker for dipping, I use Townhouse...

How about the family Bruschetta recipe, it's always light and refreshing in the summer (make-ahead, as well):

Good semolina Italian bread - as much as you need (maybe 2 loaves)
grill the bread with a little olive oil (will keep in a sealed plastic bag for 12hours-1 day, cool completely before putting them in the bag)

For the topping:
2 lb plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
3 TBLS chopped fresh basil
1 TBLS chopped fresh oregano
3 TBLS wine vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the ingredients and chill for several hours or over night, stir periodically. Bring to room temperature before serving.

You can arrange the bruschetta on a platter(for a formal party) by putting about 1 TBLS (drained of excess juice) on each slice of toasted bread. Or you can make it informal, by serving the tomato topping in a pretty glass dish, surrounded by the toasted bread.

(Never had someone say they didn't like it...)

Search allrecipes.com in the appetizer section.

(My favorite Internet recipe site.)

This is going to sound really weird, but stay with me...

Meat: meatballs or lil' smokies (or both).
Dipping sauce: 1 part chili sauce / 1 part seedless grape jelly.

Mix everything in a crockpot or pot or whatever. Heat until hot throughout. The jelly melts down and makes a kind-of sweet and sour sauce.

No, I'm not kidding on this. I threw a party a few years back and asked for ideas. One of the ladies I worked with suggested this. I was sceptical, so I made it before the party. It ended up being the first thing gone! I put the pot on a hot plate next to a bundle of toothpicks.

Enjoy!

Robert, that was the receipe I was going to suggest! When I tell people about the jelly, they all are surprised.

I really like recipesource.com. You have to wade through some repetitious stuff, but you can always find something close to what you're looking for.

OK, you may all laught at this, but I am known for my "Exploding Wienies". (They really aren't supposed to explode, but once I used the kind that plump when you cook them and they looked like they had exploded.)

Cut cheap hot dogs into thirds. Cut bacon slices long enough to wrap around the hot dog piece and secure with a tootpick. Cut and wrap enough to fill a crock pot. Dump a box of brown sugar on top and cook on low ALL day. You won't believe how yummy these are!

though i know i can NEVER top "exploding wienies" my fav app. to make is my queso.
1pkg of hot sausage... cook and drain
1 big box o' velveeta
2 jars of salsa (i love chi-chi medium regular)
throw into crock pot and cook til a gooey cheezy mess...

This is a little off topic, but I thought I'd share. My son turned 16 yesterday and I was going to make him a chocolate creme Oreo cheesecake. He asked me to 'invent' him one with Oreos, white chocolate and peanut butter. We'll try it tonight but I made an Oreo crust, 3/4 of the batter was white chocolate and I mixed peanut butter in the remainder, placed it on top of the white chocolate and swirled it in with a knife. Doesn't sound at all good to me (I don't care for peanut butter), but we'll find out after dinner tonight if it's tasty or not.

I just realized I have 100 posts!! I had no idea I had posted that much.

Fitting that I would do 100 in a thread about food!!

If it didn't work, pm me and I'll dig out my recipe for a white chocolate cheesecake. It took me some time to come up with the right formula as the white chocolate isn't really chocolate at all and the chips can congeal and cause the cake itself to have some pretty bizarre textures.

A couple of quick appetizers I do when folks show up unannounced are:

Baked Mushrooms: Break the stem off of mushrooms and set the (open side up) on a cookie sheet. Mix up equal amounts of shredded parmesan cheese and a meat of your choice (I like ham but sausage seems to go over well also). I also add some brightly colored veggies chopped very fine (peppers or some other red or green colored veggie) and scoop a small scoop into the mushroom head. Broil until the cheese melts and serve immediately.

You can make these up to a day before a party and just scoop and broil at the last second.

French bread is a standard grocery item for my house. Slice a baguette and spread some fondue cheese (you find it in the little boxes in the specialty cheese section. it’s in a foil pouch in the box) over the bread slice. Broil and you have a perfect appetizer....or in my case, dinner.

The toasted bread is also good with a bit of dried fruit (I prefer apricots) on the toasted piece. Drizzle a good quality Balsamic vinegar over the hot piece and eat. It sounds odd but the combination of flavors is quite delicious...even more delicious with a light white wine such as a White Burgundy or a Sav. Blanc. Again. it can double as dinner for single girls.

Quote:

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Exploding Wienies

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Well, I had to bring something to a picnic this past weekend and I remembered the exploding wienies recipe. I must admit that everyone I told about this was, shall we say, skeptical. But, they were a hit and were gone within minutes! The only improvement I would suggest is to double the recipe! Thanks!

(I had a few that exploded too!)

An alternate for this recipe is a small jar of regular mustard and a jar of currant jelly (or apple). Cut up about 4 pkgs of cheap hot dogs into 1/2" slices and heat in the crock pot.

Always a winner.

I make Tortilla Rollups that are always a hit.
1 tub sour cream
1 package cream cheese
chopped green onion
chopped black olives
shredded cheddar cheese
garlic powder (to taste)
seasoned salt (to taste)
Mix it all up in bowl. Then spread a layer on flour torillas and roll up with plastic wrap (Usually it takes one package of tortillas). Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Then take them out of the plastic wrap and cut width-wise (is that the opposite of length-wise? If it is, that's what I mean) into bite size pieces. Then serve with salsa for dipping. DELICIOUS!

Here's a green chile tip. Look in the freezer case at your grocery store, near the frozen Mexican food. Bueno frozen green chile makes that canned stuff taste like cardboard. You can buy mild, medium or hot chopped green chile, and pureed red chile. There's absolutely no comparison. It's as close as you can get to buying the real thing in New Mexico and roasting it yourself.

8 Layer Nacho Dip
16oz can of refried beans (fat free are fine for this)
1/2 of a small pkg of taco seasoning mix
Mix these two ingredients together. Spread in bottom of a glass baking dish (9 x 13).

On top of this, layer the following:
8 oz. sour cream
4 oz. sliced black olives, drained well
chopped jalapenos - to your taste
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium tomatos, seeded and chopped (drain well)
12 oz. shredded Monterey Jack

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes (cheese should be bubbly).
Let sit for 5 or 10 minutes then serve with sturdy tortilla chips.

Seasoned Crackers

1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch (powder form)
1/2 heaping tablespoon dill
Mix ingredients in a container with a lid. Let stand for at least twenty minutes (shake the container every time you walk by it).

Place 3 Cups Cheeze-Its and 3 Cups Oyster Crackers in a plastic garbage bag (make sure there are no holes in it). Pour the liquid mixture over the crackers then smoosh them around to make sure the crackers are all coated. Close the bag. Every couple of hours, turn the bag and smoosh them around again. Best if made the day (or two) before the party. Just pour in little bowls and eat.

This is almost too easy but it is delicious. Take one brick of cream cheese and pour your favorite salsa or picante sauce over it. Serve with your favorite chips or crackers.

Or skip the Salsa and use a can of chilli. It's nummie But of course hard to pair with wine