Holiday Appetizers for Entertaining

Curious as to How you can Create a Festive Elegant Intimate Party at Home?
Are you getting ready to Entertain for the Holidays?
Do you think you can’t Create Delicious Amazing Hors d’oeuvres at home?
Think that you’re too busy to possibly cook Stunning Hors d’oeuvres at home…

Well, we have Solutions for You…

Whether it is an Intimate Dinner Party or a Fun Cocktail Party

Your guest will Love these Holiday Hors d’oeuvres

FOOD IS A GREAT BONDING TOOL

Food is a necessity – a bonding tool in relationships – an art form if done well

and can be a Heavenly Gastronomic Pleasure.

Great moments of entertaining friends and family make for unforgettable evenings!

Our three rules for such an occasion are:

1. Pay attention to your guests.

2. Mix it up so they can mingle.

3. Serve them yummy food and their favorite beverages.

With number 3 in mind, we resolutely headed to a Service Club Educational Event on preparing easy hors d’oeuvres, ready in minutes.
Aproned and gloved, we were guided by Maria & Annalaura TilliVini, chefs, organic winemakers and olive oil producers from Assisi, Umbria.

The three hors d’oeuvres we prepared together were astonishingly easy.

There were several of us cooking – as we all anxiously waited for our masterpieces to come out of the ovens, we nibbled on fare from ***Dom’s Kitchen and Market*** and sipped our favorite beverages. Yes, a party broke out as we cooked together – thereby confirming that food is indeed a wonderful bonding tool!

Keep in mind when you’re making these recipes small little bites are the best for your guest.

UMBRIAN MEATBALLS

Ingredients

- 9 ounces of ground beef
- 2TBS of grated parmesan cheese
- 4TBS of panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 TBS of whole milk
- 1 tsp of salt
- 2 pinches of pepper
- 2 pinches of nutmeg
- Half of a lemon zest

Fresh herbs: lemon thyme or normal thyme, parsley, one minced garlic clove

Preparation

Preheat oven 400 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients and shape with your hands into evenly shaped meatballs approximately 4-41/2 TBS. each.

Roll each of them into the panko.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 400 F

Tips & Tricks for the Meatballs:

The meatballs should really be bite-size. Then either make your own favorite marinara sauce for the dip or purchase your favorite from the store to save time. You can always plan-ahead and online at Whole Foods or your favorite gourmet store. Really good marinara sauce for dipping. And of course, have your toothpicks to put inside the raviolis - you can purchase fancy toothpicks at amazon.com

UMBRIAN PANZEROTTI

Ingredients

- 1 cup of 00 flour
- 6 TBS of cold water
- 3 ½ TBS of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix the salt, 00 flour and olive oil, add the cold water. Once the dough is ready, wrap it with the plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Prepare the ingredients for the stuffing.

- 7 ounce of cooked and squeezed spinach
- 3 ounce of cream cheese
- 4 TBS of smoked grated cheese

Mix the ingredients for the stuffing together.

Knead the dough until smooth, roll out with rolling pin, and then cut the dough into 4-inch squares. Place a spoon of the stuffing mixture in the center of the square and close them.

Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.

Tips & Tricks for the Panzerotti:

When you’re rolling out the dough for the shape, make sure the dough is thin. If you don’t want to make your own dough, you can buy pastry puff. Keep in mind, if you don’t roll out the dough and make it thin - it will be too thick and too heavy of an appetizer.

Also, when you put in the filling, just put in a little spoon full - don’t make big globs or else it will be too heavy as an appetizer.

POTATOES NEST

Ingredients for Nest

· - 11 ounces of boiled potatoes, mash the potatoes

· - 1 TBS of grated pecorino cheese

· - 2 TBS of grated parmesan

· - 1/2 of a mixed egg

· - A pinch of pepper

· - A pinch of nutmeg

· - ½ tsp of salt

· - 3 TBS of panko bread- crumbs

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix all the ingredients together and fill the pastry bag. Place a sheet of parchment paper on the baking sheet and sprinkle with panko breadcrumbs. Make little nests on the baking sheet. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 F.

Ingredients for Filling

· - ½ cup of ricotta cheese

· - 1TBS of Pesto

· - 1TBS of grated parmesan cheese

· - Pinch of salt

· - Pinch of pepper

· - ½ cherry tomato

Mix the ingredients for the filling together, fill another pastry bag with mixture, fill the nest and place ½ cherry tomato on top.

Tips & Tricks for Potatoes Nest:

This appetizer is fun and has the seasonal holiday colors of Christmas - red and green. Don’t make them too small otherwise they will be too delicate. Just make them round like a cookie dough, roll in your hand then stick your finger in the center and put your filling in. Make sure it’s enough filling than just put one cherry tomato on the top. Again make it a two bite delight anything more will be too heavy of an appetizer.