Definitive word here is “simple.”
Someone started a thread like this years ago, as I recall, but I thought it deserved a renewal in light of the impending holidays…
Do you have any appetizers that you make that are simple but still a decent offering?
I’d love some new ideas. Here are my own contributions:
-
Shrimp dip:
- Campbell’s cream of shrimp soup + whipped cream cheese - serve w/crackers.
-
Hidden Valley Ranch dried salad dressing mix – make it and serve w/crudities.
-
Chicken livers (purchase already pureed, etc.) - serve w/crackers.
Shrimp and Cream Cheese Thing:
Salad Shrimp (the small ones)
Cocktail Sauce
Brick of Cream Cheese.
Mix shrimp with sauce, pour over cream cheese. Serve with crackers.
Unroll a package of Pillsbury crescent rolls, press the seams together, put almost anything inside, re-roll into a loaf, slice, lay slices on a cookie sheet and bake according to package directions. Some suggestions for tasty fillings: ham salad, or thinly sliced ham and swiss, or thinly sliced roast beef and cheddar, or just shredded cheese, or shredded cheese and salsa, or garlic spread, or finely chopped mushrooms, or pepperoni and mozzarella. Offer an appropriate sauce for dipping if you like (marinara for the pizza-ish ones, horseradish sauce for the roast beef, dijon mustard for anything hammy, etc.)
Another Crescent roll idea that’s super easy: unroll, press seams together and bake it flat on a cookie sheet. When it cools, spread cream cheese all over and sprinkle with chopped raw veggies. Cut into squares and serve.
Or do roll-ups with tortillas - cream cheese mixed with a little salsa is nice, or use one of those yummy pre-mixed cream cheeses (garden vegetable or salmon). One that doesn’t SOUND good but that everyone seems to like - dill pickles and cream cheese.
Here’s a Christmas-y looking cheese ball recipe - cream cheese, finely shredded swiss cheese, chopped corned beef and green onions. Mash it all together, roll it into a ball in plastic wrap, chill. Alternately, just scoop it into a bowl and skip the ball part.
You know what’s really good?
Take a big, fat Medjool date, cut it in half lengthwise, removing the stone as you do so.
Fill the space left where the stone was with your favourite cream cheese. Then put a walnut half on top. Each date will yield two appies.
De-lish, and simple (although you will get sticky fingers during the manufacturing process…)