Also one vegetarian, one vegan, and one needs gluten free...

I ordered a smoked ham and a small smoked turkey. It will not be a sit down dinner, but more like a party.

HELP....
I think finger foods of course. Also it is mid day, so I need to make a lot in advance.
--------------------

I'm checking out our lists of appetizers.

One thing I think I may do is make my own fried sweet potato chips.

Sounds like fun Nancy. (a lot of work, but fun!)
I think I've posted most of the appetizers I usually use here in our recipe section but I don't think I've posted this one before. It's just as easy to double the recipe and make two of these instead of one.

Cranberry Walnut Brie

Brie melts irregularly but no matter how it oozes, it's delicious. Serve with flatbread and/or crackers.

1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup frozen cranberry juice concentrate, thawed
1 tbsp port wine or water
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1 8 oz round brie cheese

In small saucepan, bring cranberries, cranberry concentrate and Port to boil over medium heat.
Reduce heat and simmer until cranberries are plump and almost all of the liquid is absorbed (about 12 minutes). Let cool.
Stir in walnuts.
Slice Brie in half horizontally. Place bottom half, cut side up, on small parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet.
Spoon cranberry mixture over top. Top with remaining half of Brie.
(Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)
Bake in 350°F oven until Brie is softened, about 10 minutes.

That sounds good. In the past I've made brie en croute before with marmalade in the top. Cranberries with port wine sounds yummy.

Savory Spinach Bites

Servings: 18-24 spinach bites, depending on how big you make them
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 1 clove)
2 10-ounces packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 8-ounce bag of herbed seasoned stuffing mix***I use Pepperidge Farm because it’s the only vegetarian stuffing around. Which is sad, because I used to love Stove Top brand but then discovered that their “Cornbread” stuffing actually contained chicken.
6 large eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter.
3. Add onion and cook until the onions are translucent and soft, about 5 minutes or so.
4. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.
5. In the meantime, remove excess water from thawed spinach by pressing it between paper towels. **You do not need to cook the spinach.
6. In a large bowl, combine the stuffing mix, spinach, eggs, Parmesan, salt and pepper, and onion/garlic mixture. Combine well.
7. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
8. One at a time, using your hands, roll the mixture into individual 1-inch balls. Place each one on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
9. Bake the balls for about 15-20 minutes, or until very slightly browned. **Your kitchen will smell fantastic, I promise.
Dipping sauces: You can use marinara, Ranch dressing, sour cream, horseradish, etc. Whatever you like!

Bloomin' Onion Bread
Source: The Changing Table

1 unsliced loaf sourdough bread
12-16 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup finely diced green onion
2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through the bottom crust. This can be a little tricky going the second way but the bread is very forgiving.

Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Insert cheese slices between cuts. Combine butter, onion, and poppy seeds. Drizzle over bread. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Oops, I tried to resize that pic above, but I failed somehow. These are both good recipes, if they would work with your menu.

On a separate note, I am going to try C_J's brie - that sounds terrific!

Oh boy... that is really different. I'm going to try it out... do a test run!!

I am going to a Christmas luncheon on the 19th and I am going to try your onion bread recipe, glued. It looks delicious!

glued, the Savory Spinach Bites look wonderful! I'm definitely going to try them.

We sure have some wonderful cooks in the group. I think I will make that bread too. Looks yummy for a holiday meal.

I'm going to try both of your recipes glued ... they sound delicious and that bloomin' onion bread looks like a real show stopper.

I'm going to Glued's house for Christmas.

Lol, Frances - I'll get your room ready!

Thanks, everyone - have you guys checked out Pinterest.com? I've had a renewed interest in cooking after finding out about it - both of these recipes are ones from there that we've adopted (and the note in the spinach bites about the vegetarian stuffing is from the original recipe, fyi). Besides the Bloomin' Onion Bread, there's a similar one for 'Crack' Bread, too, lol!

I also have a killer mac and cheese recipe we made over Thanksgiving that's from Pinterest, too, and I have a lineup of about 10 things we want to make for Christmas desserts (like Cream Cheese-Filled Snickerdoodles, for one) - not sure how many will get made, but it's always good to have a goal, lol!

I am not allowed (Husband's rule) to log onto Pinterest, otherwise I don't come up for air. That site is addictive. From architecture to fashion to recipes I'll never use (I can't cook) and tons of other stuff. It is so much fun.

I've had these before...sooooo good! Got the recipe from Pinterest

Sopapilla cheescake



Ingredients:
-3 cans pillsbury butter crescent rolls
-2 (8oz) packages cream cheese (softened)
-1 cup sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1/4 cup butter (melted)
-Cinnamon & sugar

Instructions:
Unrolled and spread 1 & 1/2 can crescent rolls on bottom of un-greased pan. Combine softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Spread mixture over crescent rolls. Unroll and spread remaining crescent rolls over mixture. Spread melted butter over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Sooo easy to do and taste really good! I even topped salads with it

Black Bean and Corn Salsa




1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 jalapeno , finely diced
1/2 red onion , finely diced
2 tablespoons lime juice , about 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 -3 tablespoons cilantro , finely chopped
1/2 cup canned black bean , drained and rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn

Directions:

1
In a medium bowl mix together the tomatoes, onions, jalapeño, onion, lime juice, cumin and cilantro, beans and corn.
2
Refrigerate at least an hour and adjust seasonings to taste.
3
Serve with chips or vegetables or whatever pleases you.

**I leave out the jalapeno and use can corn***

Thanks giggles, I make a version of that pretty often.
We also put in a small amount of green and red bell pepper, Piquante sauce, and grated cheese

Nancy, my daughter was vegetarian for about 6 years, and now is fully vegan. So, I know what kind of challenge that is. I don't know if the vegan is your immediate family (if so, you already have lots of great ideas), but if not...a few suggestions:

If you are going to make a version of salsa, put some aside before you add cheese, that way the vegan can eat it too. Also, check the ingredients on any flatbreads or salsa chips - alot of them don't have any eggs, milk, and then the vegan can enjoy that and know he/she is safe to eat it.

The other dish that is easy and everyone (including the vegan/vegetarian) can enjoy is a simply baked vegetable rice dish. As long as you only use olive oil, soya sauce, etc and don't put in any "meat broth" flavour, they can eat that as well.

Of course, any kind of veggies with dip are great for them too (but go with a non-cream based dip)...or a hummus or roasted red pepper type.

When we go to other people's homes for these types of things, most hosts don't really know how to make true vegan dishes, so my daughter never eats and either brings her own or eats before she goes. It's nice if they can be assured that you have vegan choices.

I went to a holiday party recently and wanted to bring something. I went to costco and got spanakopita. It comes as a big coil and I just cut it into bite size pieces. I served it with tzatziki sauce and it was literally devoured. Everyone loved it!

Inspiring thread. Now I am starving! Maybe I wont have to visit the pinterest site if I keep finding these recipes here! I came by for my usual, Sweet Potato and Chicken Stew recipe, that you would think I would have memorized by now. Maybe I just like to read the ways Jesse describes it. Like a sister... sigh.. feeling melancholy.

Glad to see you girl ... you sure are missed.

Von, this made me crave Sopapilla Cheesecake. I'm going to have to make some this week!

Is it odd that I've never heard of Sopapilla Cheesecake? LOL.

Action in this thread reminded me...

Look what I made for little decorations for my party table.

Oh my gosh, it is the 'crack' of desserts! We have it at most work and church potlucks.

Nancy, those are so cute! I saw them on Pinterest and saved it to make sometime - you did a great job with yours, and I love the little scarf embellishment!

glued is right...Sopapilla Cheesecake is addictive.

Nancy your penguins are so adorable! How did you make them?

That seals the deal, I'm never going to try Sopapilla Cheesecake.

Nancy you are so darn crafty. Those little guys are too cute.

You can make them just by looking at the picture.

carrot for the base, cut out a wedge ( set aside for the nose)

use a gigantic black olive for the body and a medium on for the head.

cut a slit in the big olive and put cream cheese in the hole. I used a push type cake decorator which made it easy.

trim the "nose" if needed and put it in the hole where the pit was removed in the medium olive.

stick a toothpick in to secure it. I made the scarf out of green onion leaves.

Thank you Nancy. I'm going to try to make them. Not only are they adorable but they sound delicious.