Party Appetizers

[bascar]

It's that time of year!

Originally posted by Lmaris, Silk and I have added comments at the end

Chili Bacon Wrapped Breadsticks

3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
3 tbsp chili powder (I always add a bit more for more spice)
1 package thin-sliced bacon (16 oz size)
1 package thin breadsticks - grissini (3 oz size) (You can find these in the salad making area of the market. Usually by the croutons.)

Preheat oven to 350.
In a pie plate, combine brown sugar and chili powder and set aside.
Cut bacon in half lengthwise. Wrap 1 piece of bacon around each breadstick. Roll each breadstick in brown-sugar mixture.
Place breadsticks in a single layer on a cooling rack. Place rack on a foil-lined 15 x 10 x 1 jelly-roll pan. (I use a silicone cookie sheet as it’s easier to
get the breadsticks off the pan this way.)
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

Silk says:
If you cook them at a higher temp, the ends (not covered by bacon) burn while the middle is nicely crispy, if not even a little underdone. Then the ends are inedible. I had better results turning the temp down slightly and leaving them in for longer (1/2 hour +).
The trick is being able to wrap the entire breadstick in bacon, methinks. Those ones turned out the best for me. The close runners up were the ones with only a small amount of bacon to breadstick - a skinny piece wrapped around but not overlapping, so the breadstick didn’t get soggy in the middle.

Bascar says:
Bearing in mind Silk's comments and a tip from Silverbridge, I thinned the bacon by pressing and smearing it with a knife so it was more like prosciutto

[PaulaO]

Mini pigs in a blanket

Crescent rolls
Mini hot dogs or smoky links

Unwrap crescent rolls, and press 2 triangles together to make a square. Repeat with the remaining rolls. Cut into thin strips and roll around hot dogs/smoky links. Bake at 375 until done (maybe 7-10 minutes?)

We like non-fancy, bad for you appetizers, usually involving some kind of pork.

[Canyon]

I have made something similar to Savory Palmiers. I think I used a grated cheese instead of goat cheese. Anyway, it’s easier than you might think (esp. if you just buy a jar of pesto), and seasonal with the green pesto and the red tomatoes!

Savory Palmiers
Ingredients
• 1 package frozen Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, defrosted
• 1/4 cup prepared pesto, store bought or homemade (recipe follows)
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese, such as Montrachet
• 1/4 cup finely chopped sundried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup pignolis
• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)
• 5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups good olive oil
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
• Lightly flour a board and carefully unfold one sheet of puff pastry. Roll the pastry lightly with a rolling pin until it's 9 1/2 by 11 1/2-inches. Spread the sheet of puff pastry with half the pesto, then sprinkle with half the goat cheese, half the sundried tomatoes, and half the pine nuts. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Working from the short ends, fold each end halfway to the center. Then fold each side again towards the center until the folded edges almost touch. Fold one side over the other and press lightly. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat the entire instructions for the second sheet of puff pastry using the remaining ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut the prepared rolls of puff pastry in 1/4 inch thick slices and place them face up 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 14 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.

Homemade Pesto:
• Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Serve, or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.
• Yield: 4 cups

[scruffy the cat]

"Feta Love"/Feta dip

Equal amounts feta (prefer the Trader Joe's kind in a box if you can't get the Greek stuff) and jarred roasted red peppers (liquid drained). Puree in a blender with a few glugs of good olive oil. Sprinkle, if you can, with Aleppo or Urfa pepper. Serve with pita chips or vegetables.



Tzatziki

1 pint full fat Greek yogurt. Total/Fage is best, though Olympus is very good as well.
1 slim cucumber
scant 1/8 tsp fresh grated or chopped garlic (do not overdo it or your guests will hate you)
squeeze of fresh lemon
dill


Seed the cucumber, grate it coarsely, and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt. Drain and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Mix grated cucumber with yogurt, garlic, a squeeze of lemon juice, salt, pepper, and sprinkle with a little dill. Best if made the day before.

Serve with pita or vegetables.

[Moutaineer]

I like the sound of those palmiers. I might make them for the next potluck...

[carpevita]

I remember those chili bacon wrapped sticks! And wonder, would they work with pretzel sticks ya think?
Also, where is Lmaris these days anyway?

[bascar]

Originally posted by Aylah

Warm Crab Dip

3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup white wine
2 (6 oz) cans crab meat, drained
1 tsp prepared mustard
1 pinch seasoning salt
1 dash garlic powder
1 pinch onion powder
1 dash Worcestershire sauce

In a double boiler, melt cream cheese with mayonnaise.

Stir in white wine. Mix in crab meat, mustard, seasoning salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and Worcestershire sauce.

Heat until entire mixture in warm, stirring occasionally. Thin the mixture with more white wine if you would like your dip’s consistency to be thinner.

[bascar]

Originally posted by C Drake

Artichoke Dip

8 oz cream cheese
12 oz shredded mozzarella
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 small jars (approx 13 oz total) marinated artichoke hearts
(drain well) - tear artichokes apart with your fingers
2 bags of pita bread

Cut up pita bread into chip size triangles, seperate and bake on a cookie sheet until crispy (approx 5 minutes).

Combine all other ingredients and mash (a kitchenaid mixer works great).
Bake in an uncovered casserole dish for approx 30 minutes at 350 or until bubbly.
Serve hot out of the oven and scoop up dip with pita bread.