Tag: #Appetizers

Posted in #Recipes

Pigs in a Blanket Wreath

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Pigs in a blanket are a classic party appetizer for a reason. What’s not to love about buttery dough wrapped around a savory, smoky sausage? The dish isn’t exactly memorable, though; your guests have probably had dozens of versions of pigs in a blanket that all taste (and look) the same. Our pigs in a blanket wreath is a cute and festive change-of-pace that no one will forget!

This creative pigs in a blanket idea is delicious and fun to eat. The little crescent dough bundles bake together to create a pull-apart pigs in a blanket ring. Garnished with rosemary sprigs, it looks like a festive Christmas wreath, but the recipe isn’t just for the holidays. Serve it on game day, at family get-togethers or anytime you need crowd-pleasing finger food.

Ingredients for Pigs in a Blanket Wreath

  • Crescent roll dough: Crescent dough is the base of our three-ingredient pigs in a blanket wreath. Its buttery, salty character is so flavorful that it doesn’t need added ingredients to taste great. Use one of our Test Kitchen’s picks for the best crescent dough, or make your own crescent roll dough if you’re feeling ambitious.
  • Miniature smoked sausages: Also known as cocktail weiners or lil smokies, these tiny sausages taste as full-flavored as hot dogs but with an added hint of smokiness. They should be easy to find at the grocery store, but you can substitute sliced hot dogs if you can’t find them.
  • Rosemary: Fresh rosemary sprigs add a festive flair to this pigs in a blanket Christmas wreath.

Taste of Home

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Cranberry Feta Pinwheels

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Cranberry feta pinwheels hit all the right notes: creamy, salty, tangy, sweet. The whipped cream cheese gives the filling its plush texture, while crumbled feta adds a briny sharpness that doesn’t hold back. Dried cranberries bring chewy pops of tart-sweet flavor, and chopped green onions cut through the richness with a clean, peppery edge. The filling is then spread on soft flour tortillas that are rolled into tight spirals. These feta and cranberry pinwheels chill into neat little bites with just enough structure to hold their shape but still feel tender when you sink your teeth in.

These are the kind of snack that disappears fast, whether you’re setting them out for a party or pulling a roll from the fridge for lunch. They look as good as they taste—white and green flecked with ruby red cranberries—and they’re designed to be made ahead. Let them hang out in the fridge for a bit while the flavors deepen and the tortillas soften, and everything will hold together like a dream.

Cranberry Feta Pinwheel Ingredients

  • Whipped cream cheese
  • Crumbled feta cheese
  • Green onions
  • Dried cranberries
  • Flour tortillas

Taste of Home

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Sausage Cheese Puffs

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

If you’ve ever wanted an excuse to eat sausage and cheese in one bite-sized, delicious puff of glory, this is it. These sausage cheese puffs are like the love child of your favorite breakfast sandwich and that cheesy biscuit you can’t resist at restaurants. They’re crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and packed with savory sausage and sharp cheddar. Plus, they’re the perfect finger food, which means less time with a fork and more time savoring every bite.

Sausage Puffs Ingredients

  • Bulk Italian sausage: Sausage adds savory flavor and richness while providing fat that helps bind the mixture together.
  • Biscuit/baking mix: This mix provides structure, allowing the puffs to rise and hold their shape. If you’re out, try this recipe for homemade biscuit baking mix.
  • Shredded cheddar cheese: Cheddar brings a sharp and tangy flavor and contributes to the gooey texture of the puffs.
  • Water: Water hydrates the biscuit mix, making the dough workable and ensuring the ingredients bind together properly.

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75 Easy Thanksgiving Appetizers to Enjoy Before the Feast

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

The kitchen is busier than ever on Thanksgiving, between pies cooling on the counter, sides rotating in and out of the oven and the turkey roasting to golden perfection. Having a spread of easy Thanksgiving appetizers helps slow the pace of the day, giving guests something to nibble before the feast. Rather than adding more stress, these recipes offer simple and quick ideas of what to serve, including many make-ahead dishes, so everyone is satisfied and the kitchen stays calm.

Whether you prefer cold appetizers, like pinwheels and veggie dips, or hot appetizers, like stuffed mushrooms and baked Brie, this collection has a recipe for every need. There are classics, like deviled eggs and bacon-wrapped shrimp, and new ideas if you want to branch out, such as cheese and crab-stuffed puff pastry bites.

If you want to make one large appetizer rather than a few smaller ones, try one of these charcuterie board ideas loaded with nuts, cheese, pickles, sliced meats, crackers or bread. It’s colorful and can be assembled in advance, so all you need to do when guests arrive is set it out, offer them a Thanksgiving cocktail and enjoy the holiday.

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32 Pecan Dessert Recipes That Go Beyond the Pie

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Baking with pecans brings a little bit of everything—crunch, warmth, richness, and just enough texture to hold up against gooey fillings and soft crumbs. Their buttery bite shows up in a wide range of pecan desserts, from chocolate dessert bars and sticky buns to pie crusts and spiced quick breads.

This collection highlights creative ways to use pecans beyond the pie. You’ll find cookies, bars and candies that carry all the coziness of nutty fall desserts, as well as modern takes like honey-pecan cheesecakes and caramel-pecan desserts. Some recipes turn popular pie fillings—like brown sugar, pumpkin and toasted pecans—into easy-to-slice dessert bars. And there’s room for pies too—from mini pecan to apple with toasted nuts and even a cherry-chocolate version that is rich, decadent and satisfying.

We chose some of the best pecan dessert recipes that cover every skill level—easy desserts for beginners and dishes that require a little more time and technique. So whether you’re baking for a festive table or a quick, small-batch treat, pecans bring flavor and texture to every bite.

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Apple Dip with Marshmallow Fluff

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

In a world full of savory, sour cream-heavy dips, I find dessert dips such a refreshing change of pace. Take this apple dip with marshmallow fluff: It’s delicate, light, a little tangy from the cream cheese and just sweet enough without being cloying. I get lost in it, dunking apple slice after apple slice while mingling at a party or watching a Halloween movie. And with just five ingredients and no cooking or baking needed, this apple dip comes together effortlessly.

Keep it simple and arrange apple slices all around the dip, or go the extra mile and build an entire caramel apple bar, with apples, graham crackers, pretzels, vanilla wafers, figs and pears to boot.

Ingredients for Apple Dip with Marshmallow Fluff

cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla extract, apple slices, marshmallow creme and caramel ice cream topping
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  • Cream cheese: It’s important to soften the cream cheese to room temperature so the mixer can knock out all the lumps. It’s very hard to beat cold cream cheese until it’s completely smooth, and doing so will leave unsightly lumps in the dip.
  • Brown sugar: Brown sugar’s caramel-molasses flavor pairs nicely with the caramel ice cream topping. You don’t need too much of the sugar since the caramel also sweetens the dip.
  • Caramel ice cream topping: You can use homemade salted caramel sauce here, but store-bought caramel ice cream topping is so much quicker and easier.
  • Vanilla extract: Delicate, floral vanilla extract harmonizes all the flavors.
  • Marshmallow creme: Feel free to buy any marshmallow creme or marshmallow fluff brand available to you.
  • Apple slices: Unless you’re buying the apples from a farmers’ market or straight from an orchard, take a moment to thoroughly clean the apples to wash off the wax. Then core the apples and cut them into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

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47 Halloween Food Ideas You Have to Try

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

A lot of effort goes into the costumes, decorations and playlist for a Halloween party. Investing time in all the fun Halloween food ideas can really set up the party for success too. We’ll help! These Halloween finger foods, entrees and desserts range from cute and easy to intricate and downright spooky, so there’s something for every level of scary!

Looking for Halloween snacks for guests to graze on? We have a plethora of monster-fied appetizers, like mummies in a blanket, guacamole shaped like Frankenstein’s monster and jack-o’-lantern empanadas. Bonus: A Halloween charcuterie board is easier than it looks! For anyone cooking a full Halloween feast, adorn the table with candleabras, spiderwebs, and one or two of our spooky entrees, like a ghost-shaped pizza, boo-ritos or bewitched chili.

Our Halloween desserts shine (and scare!). From witches’ brooms and fingers to cookies shaped like bones dipped in “blood” (chocolate strawberry sauce) and even eyeball-shaped desserts, there are Halloween treats cute for kids and creepy enough for adults. At adult-only parties, whip up one or two Halloween drinks, and your party is sure to be scary good.

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Halloween Deviled Eggs

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Boo! You may be startled by how much these Halloween deviled eggs raise spirits at your next spooky gathering. Deviled eggs are usually wicked enough, but this time we are turning things on their head and magically transforming the egg whites into skulls. With a filling to die for—a combination of egg yolks, mayonnaise, roasted red peppers, Dijon mustard, cider vinegar and spices—these deviled eggs for Halloween offer a frighteningly delicious bite. Dipping the filled eggs in crushed corn chips gives them a creepy crunch.

For a little extra scare, try some other devilishly good egg ideas, like creating olive eyeballs or forming spider-shaped black olives for the top. These ghoulish details will have your guests howling with delight.

Ingredients for Halloween Deviled Eggs

  • Hard-boiled eggs: In most recipes, you want to use the freshest ingredients, but when it comes to boiled eggs, an older egg is easier to peel. As an egg ages, its shell becomes more porous, letting a tiny bit of air in between the white and the shell, creating more space for quick peeling. A good rule of thumb is one to two weeks past the buy date. Watch the dates on your carton, or use the float test to tell if an egg is bad.
  • Mayonnaise: Whether you make your mayonnaise or choose one of the best mayo brands, you’ll need it for most deviled egg recipes. Mayo gives the yolk mixture in these Halloween food deviled eggs a rich flavor and a smooth texture.
  • Roasted sweet red peppers: You can buy a jar of pre-diced sweet peppers to save time or roast peppers at home. For a little more flavor, try pickled sweet peppers.
  • Dijon mustard: This singular tangy spice combines a touch of vinegar, wine and sugar with the mouthwatering flavor of mustard. Dijon is the perfect addition to many deviled egg recipes. PS: You can make your own Dijon mustard with a few pantry ingredients and a blender.
  • Cider vinegar: Cider vinegar adds acidity to the mix. It also gives this Halloween appetizers deviled eggs recipe its lip-smacking bite of flavor.
  • Seasoning: Salt, pepper and paprika pull all the flavors together.
  • Corn chips: Crushed corn chips supply a delightful crunch and an effective, delicious barrier between the creamy yolk mixture and the serving platter. Corn chips are the ultimate finishing touch for these skull-tastic deviled eggs for Halloween. Serve the eggs with optional extra corn chips.

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20 Crescent Roll Appetizers To Get This Party Started

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Canned crescent roll dough is the building block for some of the best shareable dishes. It’s the fundamental ingredient in turnovers, baked brie, pinwheels, stuffed rolls, and party-pleasing crescent rings. In other words, if you need to make a crowd-pleasing dish that’s easy to share and put together, canned crescent dough is the secret weapon you need to keep stocked. Scroll through the gallery for our best-loved crescent roll appetizers. Once you serve these at a party, your guests will want to eat them again and again.

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15 Lazy Fall Appetizers To Make on Repeat

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Fall just wouldn’t be the same without all the cozy, crowd-pleasing bites we get to enjoy during the season’s gatherings. Whether you’re heading to a tailgate or hosting a dinner party, a spread of easy appetizers is the perfect way to get things started—without stealing the spotlight (or your time) from the main course. That’s why we’ve rounded up 15 lazy fall appetizers that keep it simple with minimal ingredients and quick prep. From warm dips to wings to roasted veggie snacks, these are the starters you’ll turn to again and again.

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