<p>Our favorite appetizer is smoked Alaskan salmon with a super thin black or rye bread, some very good butter on the side. Nice and simple and vanishes every time.</p>
<p>Spinach balls are a popular appetizer at our family gathering. You can make them ahead of time and warm them up to serve. I don’t have my exact recipe with me, but the recipe below sounds pretty similar except that I also add 1/2 to one can of drained and chopped water chestnuts to the mixture - I love the little crunch the chestnuts provide!</p>
<p>[Spinach</a> Balls Recipe - Allrecipes.com](<a href=“http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spinach-balls/detail.aspx]Spinach”>http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spinach-balls/detail.aspx)</p>
<p>Re appetizers that are easy to transport, this is from an old McCormick spice ad; it can be popped into a toaster oven if the regular oven is full. Prep ahead of time and assemble at the destination.</p>
<p>WARMED CRANBERRY BRIE</p>
<p>Ingredients
o 1/3 cup cranberry sauce, crushed
o 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
o 1/4 teaspoon rum or orange extract
o 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
o 8 ounces brie cheese
o 2 tablespoons pecans, chopped </p>
<p>Directions
- Peel off top rind of 1 round (8 oz.) brie cheese, leaving a 1/4-inch rim.
- Combine cranberry sauce, brown sugar, extract and nutmeg.
- Top brie with cranberry mixture and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
- Bake in 500°F oven 4-5 minutes. (or 350 degree oven 10-12 minutes)
- Serve with assorted crackers.</p>
<p>Another outstanding Brie recipe…
Pina Colada Brie</p>
<p>8 oz. can Dole crushed pineapple in juice
1 Alouette Brie Cheese
2 T. sliced almonds
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. flaked coconut
Cocktail bread, french bread, crackers, apple slices</p>
<ol>
<li>Drain pineapple.</li>
<li>Combine pinapple, almonds and brown sugar in small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated. Spoon mixture over cheese.</li>
<li>Heat oven to 400. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is softened. Sprinkle coconut over pineapple topping and continue to bake just until coconut is lightly toasted. Serve with cocktail bread, french bread, crackers and/or apples.</li>
</ol>
<p>This is delicious!</p>
<p>Yummo! Thank you ladies. My standby appetizer recipies are either too boring or too elaborate.
I sent some of the recipes from this thread to my friend, and she replied with excitement that she was looking for something like the spinach balls recipe! She will travel across the country to her BF hometown and will have access to a minimalistic kitchen in her BF’s house (BF cooks but is not a chef by any means, so the hardware and equipment will be pretty limited).</p>
<p>Nice benefit to the cranberry brie - leftovers can be combined with leftover turkey for a great sandwich!</p>
<p>Jalapeno jelly - over cream cheese with crackers.</p>
<p>Cream cheese spread thin over a platter, cocktail sauce, and then small frozen shrimp. Use crackers to scoop up - ritz tastes good.</p>
<p>Crock pot, put in a large velveeta, can of bean dip, can of rotelle, and some browned/drained hamburger. Serve with dorito chips.</p>
<p>My standout cranberry recipe is for cranberry chutney, which I got from a Gourmet Magazine article at least 28 years ago–and I’ve made it every year. It’s a bit of trouble, but it’s truly delicious–and you must make it at least 3 days ahead.</p>
<p>CRANBERRY CHUTNEY</p>
<p>½ cup cider vinegar
2 ¼ cups firmly packed light brown sugar (this is one whole box)
¾ t curry powder
½ t ground ginger
½ t cinnamon
¼ t ground cloves
¼ t ground allspice
2 lemons, rind grated, pith discarded, and cut into sections
2 oranges, rind grated, pith discarded and cut into sections
1 apple, peeled and chopped coarse
6 cups cranberries (2 12 oz. bags)
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup chopped dried apricots
½ cup chopped walnuts</p>
<p>In a large saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, curry powder, ginger, cloves, allspice, cinnamon and 1 ½ cups water and bring the liquid to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon rind, orange rind, lemon sections, orange sections, and apple, and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.</p>
<p>Add 3 cups of the cranberries, raisins and apricots and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, 40 minutes, or until it is thickened. Stir in 2 cups of the remaining cranberries and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.</p>
<p>Stir in the remaining 1 cup cranberries and the walnuts and simmer the mixture, stirring, for 15 minutes.</p>
<p>Transfer the chutney to a bowl, let it cool, and chill it, covered, overnight or for up to 2 weeks.</p>
<p>This makes 6 cups and is PLENTY for up to 15 people. </p>
<p>DO NOT SKIMP ON SUGAR—I’ve tried, and it will taste terrible.</p>
<p>About the spinach balls- just love it when a recipe has a ton of reviews and nearly every one is a rave. Adding this to my menu. May add it to my life, since it can be made “lite.” And, frozen. One review suggested marinara with it.</p>
<p>My family is also nuts for bruschetta, as an appetizer- so easy to do whatever you want with this.</p>
<p>We always do 4-5 appetizers. Here’s one I will make again this year that is easy to transport and doesn’t require heating: [Pesto</a> Cheesecake](<a href=“http://www.wearenotmartha.com/2010/04/pesto-cheesecake/]Pesto”>http://www.wearenotmartha.com/2010/04/pesto-cheesecake/). I’ll be serving with crackers, but also will have a veg platter and some of the veggies might go well with the cheesecake.</p>
<p>Not a good travel recipe, but with all the above talk of cranberries, I thought I’d post one of my favorite appetizers:</p>
<p>Cranberry Brie Pizza</p>
<p>Olive Oil
1 10 oz. can of Pillsbury pizza dough
1 8 oz plain brie
1 can of whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped pecans</p>
<p>Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Lightly (olive) oil a 13 X 9 pan.</p>
<p>Unroll a 10oz. can of refrigerated pizza crust and press into the pan (use the Pillsbury dough; it’s sweeter than a normal pizza dough and also rises higher). Bake for 5-8 minutes.</p>
<p>Sprinkle with 1/2 inch cubes/slices of brie (8 oz or so, sometimes more).
Break up a can of whole-berry cranberry sauce and drop spoonfuls over the cheese.
Sprinkle with chopped pecans.</p>
<p>Bake an additional 6-10 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is brown. Cut into squares. Yummy.</p>
<p>Variation: Substitute a jar of fig preserves for the cranberry sauce and walnuts for the pecans…even better.</p>
<p>I’m looking for a unique, delicious fall muffin recipe. I of course can do a pumpkin-ish muffin but thought I’d see if anyone has a knock-out muffin recipe to share that would be good with the typical Thanksgiving meal. </p>
<p>Maybe something cranberry, or squash…</p>
<p>^ me too – would love a nice Thanksgiving muffin recipe . . . maybe corn bread-y ?</p>
<p>Abasket: why not corn cakes of some kind? I made some for dinner last night, to go with soup. Thin corn bread batter with a little extra milk, then make a thick pancake of whatever size you want.</p>
<p>I have a cornbread recipe that I love, but my kids not so much - they are scared away by the olives i think (I have substituted jalapenos before too…) I think it’s really good, but guess the rest are not cornbread fans. </p>
<p>In case anyone is interested…</p>
<p>[Scallion</a> and Mozzarella Cornbread Recipe : Giada De Laurentiis : Food Network](<a href=“http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/scallion-and-mozzarella-cornbread-recipe/index.html]Scallion”>http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/scallion-and-mozzarella-cornbread-recipe/index.html)</p>
<p>SUPER EASY, really tasty - can’t believe a Jiffy mix can taste so good!</p>
<p>Abasket:
I bought fennel & wild rice yesterday & I’m going to make your sil’s recipe tonight! If it turns out good, I’ll probably make it again next week for Thanksgiving!</p>
<p>Since you gave me a great recipe, I’ll return the favor: Here’s a recipe for fall muffins, hope you like them:</p>
<p>Harvest Muffins</p>
<p>2 Eggs
1/3 c. oil
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. applesauce
1 apple, peeled & chooped into small pieces
1 large carrot, grated
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. raisins
1/4 c. mini choc. chips</p>
<p>Preheat oven to 350 and grease muffin cups. Beat eggs together, then stir in oil, sugar & vanilla. Mix in applesauce, apple & carrot. Add flour, baking soda and cinnamon & stir briefly. Gently stir in raisins & choc. chips.</p>
<p>Spoon into muffin cups, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Bakr for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. This recipe makes 12 muffins. They are delicious when served warm.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
<p>Refrigerator cleaned out. yeah. The muffins sound good for the morning after Thanksgiving. We will have 12 for friday morning brunch.</p>
<p>Those muffins sound wonderful! Printing it out for Thanksgiving or anytime! (suppose I could make some without raisins for my picky family, but I WANT raisins in mine!)</p>
<p>abasket- I was thinking the same thing about the raisins.
Does anyone have a good pumpkin muffin recipe?</p>
<p>^^^ Our family likes small doses of raisins, so I tend to put in less than it calls for. You may want to try craisins (cranberry raisins) instead…maybe a small handful instead 1/4 cup…</p>