Easy Apps

Every time we have a holiday or a party, my husband and I always talk about how we love the appetizers more than the meal. I think it is becuase you get to try a little of everything and then keep going back to your favorite!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

So the first is one that I can across on Good Eats N' Sweet Treats which is a great blog. The Sweet and Sour Meatballs were a huge hit and a perfect thing to make ahead and just keep in a crock pot.




I used a meatball recipe from Cuisine at Home which has never let me down. The only change I make to it is to use a mixture of ground beef, ground veal and ground pork.

Basic Meatballs

Stir together:
1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup low sodium beef broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 eggs, beaten
2 T. dried oregano
1 T. garlic, minced
1 T. kosher salt
1 T. ground black pepper
2 t. dried basil--or a bunch of fresh!!!!
1 t. crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch nutmeg

Add; Shape:
2 lb. ground chuck

Cover bottom of pan with:
1 cup low sodium beef broth

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Stir together all ingredients except ground meat in a large bowl.
3. Add the ground chuck and mix together thoroughly.
4. Shape the mixture into balls about 2"in diameter.
5. Coat a baking sheet or shallow roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray. Space the meatballs so that they are not crowded together.
6. Cover the bottom of the pan with beef broth.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until the meatballs are just cooked through. Reserve pan juices for sauce.

Sweet and Sour Sauce:
1 bottle (12 oz) of Heinz chili sauce
1 jar (18 oz) grape jelly

Once meatballs are cooked. Combine chili sauce and jelly and heat to melt and mix together. Pour over meatballs in the crockpot and cook for 4-5 hours until nice and thick.

Water Chestnuts and Bacon

The second one I do not have a picture of because they went too fast at the party. A lot of people like scallops wrapped in bacon, but I swear these are better and a lot cheaper.

My mother has been making water chestnuts wrapped in bacon for as long as I can remember. She would have dinner parties and my sisters and I were allowed to watch tv in her bed and she and my dad would keep bringing up samples to us and I specifically remember these.

Try these and you will not go back to scallops and bacon.

Water Chestnuts and Bacon

* 1 pound of bacon - each slice cut into three
* 2 cans of whole water chestnuts
* 1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 - 3/4 cup soy sauce

Mix together brown sugar and soy sauce. Sorry for not having exact quantities, but it does not matter. You want it to be a thick liquid consistency. Set aside.

Take 1/3 slice of bacon, wrap around one whole water chestnut and secure with a toothpick.

Contine until all water chestnuts are used.

Put in a container and pour soy mixture over, marinate overnight.

Place the water chestnuts on a cooling rack over a baking sheet. This will let the fat drip down onto the pan.

Bake at 350 until the bacon is crispy. While baking, keep basting with leftover marinade.

Cheese Tray




And because no meal is complete without cheese, I always make a cheese platter for parties. This one just consists of various cheese, crackers and baked brie.

The brie is wrapped in phyllo dough with a layer of apricot jam. So good and so easy!