Wow your guests with these New Year's goodies
Dan Bolyard/courtesy photo - For not too much work, you can make appetizers that put the store-bought stuff to shame.
Got a party on New Year's Eve coming up? Don't want to bring the usual chips and dip? Make some of the goodies below and wow all your friends with how well you cook. It will certainly beat the veggie trays some might pick up from the megamart on their way to the party, filled with dried-out veggies or tasteless meats, cheeses and crackers.
Nothing in the following recipes is too terribly hard, though the stuffed mushrooms will take a bit more time. The bruschetta can quite literally be thrown together in about 20 minutes, but is far tastier than a pan of frozen quiches.
BRUSCHETTA
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 loaf French bread, cut in half lengthwise
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped pitted olives
- 1 cup chopped roma tomatoes
- Fresh basil leaves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix oil and garlic; spread on cut surfaces of bread. Place bread on a baking sheet and put in oven. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until toasted. Remove from oven and allow to cool. In a bowl, blend together cheeses and olives. Spread on cooled bread halves. Top with tomato and basil leaves. Cut into slices before serving.
EASY CHEESE BALL
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Dash ground red pepper
- 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
In a bowl, mix cheeses until well blended. Mix in remaining ingredients except almonds until well blended. Cover and refrigerate overnight . Remove cheese from refrigerator and carefully scoop it out of the bowl. Form into a ball and roll in almond slices. Serve right away.
BEAN DIP
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 (11-ounce) can condensed cheese soup
- 1 (16-ounce) can refried beans
- 1 (16-ounce) jar picante sauce
- 1 (12-ounce) jar sliced jalapeño peppers
- 1/2 pound processed cheese food, cubed
Place ground beef in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain beef well and place in a large, heavy saucepan with remaining ingredients. Cook on high until boiling, then reduce heat to low. Stirring constantly, cook until mixture is melted and bubbly.
HUMMUS
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, half the liquid reserved
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoons salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
In a blender, chop the garlic. Pour garbanzo beans into blender, reserving about a tablespoons for garnish. Place lemon juice, tahini, chopped garlic and salt in blender. Blend until creamy and well mixed. Transfer the mixture to a medium serving bowl. Sprinkle with pepper and pour olive oil over the top. Garnish with reserved garbanzo beans.
PICKLED VEGGIES
- 1/2 pound cauliflower, cut into flowerets
- 1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 4-inch lengths, then quartered
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1/4 pound edible pod peas, strings removed
In a pot of boiling water, place cauliflower, carrots, and pepper. Return to a boil, then drain veggies, rinsing under cold water to stop cooking action. Set aside. In a bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard, and pepper. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in cooked veggies and refrigerate 2 days, stirring occasionally. Two hours before serving, mix in peas. Cover and refrigerate until service. Drain and serve with a dip, such as ranch.
STUFFED MUSHROOMS
- 1/2 pound bulk sausage, spicy
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup instant rice
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- 24 large mushroom caps, save stems
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 cups Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese
Brown sausage, onions, bell pepper and mushroom stems. Add salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Add water and bring to a boil. Add rice and parsley. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, blend mayonnaise and cheese. Combine half of mayonnaise mixture to all of cooked sausage-rice mixture. Stuff mushrooms with this and spoon remaining mayonnaise-cheese mixture on top of mushrooms. Place in 9 x 12-inch baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Mushrooms will appear puffy and golden when done.
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