Appetizer Night

I am probably the world's worst about collecting recipes that sound good, but never trying them.  I currently have all of my recipes stored in Excel, but I recently purchased a new software (Living Cookbook 2011) and I'm working on getting them all transferred over.  This has inspired me to introduce many of these new recipes to my family. 

I wasn't quite sure how I was going to tackle the Appetizers/Snacks section of my recipes, so when I was planning our menu for this week I decided to have Appetizer Night for one of our dinners.  And I also planned it for just me and the kids since Ed's not usually into "light" eating.  So what did we have?

#1) Everyone's favorite...Meatball Appetizer
I guess I should ask people to help me rename this with something fancier, but meatball appetizer sounds better than meatballs and grape jelly, because that's all it is!  Don't knock it...they were awesome!

32 ounce package frozen homestyle meatballs
18 ounce jar grape jelly
1. Add meatballs and grape jelly to large pot.
2. Mix well to coat meatballs with jelly.
3. Cook on medium heat until jelly has melted down and meatballs are done.  If you have time, cook them in the crockpot on low for a couple of hours or until they're done.

Print Meatball Appetizer Recipe

#2) Puff Pastry with Cranberry Chicken Salad

1 sheet frozen ready-to-bake puff pastry, thawed (from 17 1/4 ounce package)
1 heaping cup chopped cooked chicken breasts
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons jellied cranberry sauce
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
Garnish: jellied cranberry sauce
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Place pastry sheet on lightly floured surface. 
3. Cut 12 (2-inch) rounds from pastry (I didn't have a round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, so I used the rim of a glass, but it was larger than 2" in diameter, so I ended up using both pastry sheets.); place on ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake for 15 minutes or until puffed and golden brown; remove from baking sheet; place on wire cooling rack.
5. While still warm, split each round into 2 layers to form 24 rounds; cool completely.
6. In small bowl, combine chicken, onions, mayonnaise, cranberry sauce, ginger, and dry mustard.
7. Mix all ingredients well and refrigerate until serving time.
8. To serve, spoon 1 teaspoon chicken salad on split side of each round puff pastry.
9. Garnish each with a small dot of cranberry sauce.
Yield: 24 appetizers

Print Puff Pastry with Cranberry Chicken Salad Recipe

#3) Veggie Bars

2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls
1/4 cup milk, room temperature (this prevents the cream cheese from seizing up when combining the two)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 package buttermilk ranch dressing mix
1 teaspoon dill weed
3 stalks broccoli, chopped
4 cauliflower florets, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
6 green onions, chopped
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Unroll crescent dough and place flat on cookie sheet (I used a large baking sheet and had some crescent dough left over).
3. Bake dough for 15 minutes; let cool.
4. Combine milk, cream cheese, mayonnaise, dressing mix, and dill; blend until creamy.
5. Spread dressing mix on cooled bread.
6. Top with vegetables and grated cheese (I used a little more than 1 cup of cheese...I rarely measure cheese).
7. Chill 2 hours before serving.

Print Veggie Bars Recipe

The kids and I really enjoyed all of these.  I was surprised that the boys liked everything, but they gobbled it up and went back for seconds!  So if you try them, I hope you like them, too!