Holiday Hosting with Appetizers

Friends and family will be coming together with Christmas right around the corner. Are you ready for all the festivities? Are you hosting a party? It can be stressful preparing for a get-together with a house full of guests, but it doesn’t need to be. Some people have multiple places to stop in one night while others have one stop to make. Whether your guest are coming and going or staying for the evening, you can serve a simple menu of appetizers.

I think this is a great idea because 1) your guests can eat as much or as little as they like, 2) you can have a large variety of options to choose from, and 3) you spend more time socializing with your guests than you do in the kitchen.

Here’s what I plan on serving:

Burrata with Cranberries and Ciabatta
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Gruyere Scalloped Potatoes
Chicken Parmesan Sliders
Turkey Cranberry Meatballs with BBQ Sauce
Christmas Tree Pull Apart Bread
and of course, cookies! Check out my Christmas Confections Blog!

Burrata with Cranberries and Ciabatta

This appetizer is easy and elegant. The creamy burrata pairs nicely with the sweet yet tart cranberry sauce. I serve with warm, toasted ciabatta bread. You can pre-assemble this ahead of time or let your guests create their own! It’s delicious! Just make sure you have enough to go around because your guests won’t stop with one piece!

The recipe can be found here.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Everyone will love this appetizer! The bacon is crisp, and the asparagus is tender. I drizzle olive oil across the asparagus ends and sprinkle with some salt and pepper before baking. The bacon is greasy enough that you can skip the oil if you want. It’s the holidays, calories don’t count 🙂

The recipe can be found here.

Gruyere Scalloped Potatoes

Mmmmm…mouthwatering and delicious! These potatoes are so thin they melt in your mouth. Cheesy and creamy, your guests will be sure to come back for seconds! You could even add some chopped bacon on top for added texture. Hopefully you have leftovers because these potatoes are just as good the next day.

The recipe can be found here.

Chicken Parmesan Sliders

For anyone that loves Chicken Parmesan these sliders are for you! As a host, they are perfect for a crowd 🙂 These are loaded with crispy chicken, lots of mozzarella cheese, marinara, and topped with garlic butter. They are hearty for this cold time of year but small enough to be served as an appetizer. They reheat well so you can make these ahead of time and reheat for guests (or when eaten as leftovers).

The recipe can be found here.

Turkey Cranberry Meatballs with BBQ Sauce

Simple yet flavorful! These can be made with ground chicken or ground turkey, so they are a nice option if you have guests that don’t eat red meat, and if they do eat red meat, they can’t tell a difference 🙂 The cranberries add a slightly tart taste while the BBQ sauce adds a semi-spicy taste. Yum! You can serve these out of a crock pot to keep warm all night.

The recipe can be found here.

Christmas Tree Pull Apart Bread

This pull-apart bread can be formed into any shape, but I think it makes quite the Christmas Tree 🙂 The bread is warm and soft, the cheese is warm and creamy, and the marinara is a great dipping sauce. These bite-sized pieces are delicious with or without the marinara. Cute and festive!