Snacks And Treats For The Holidays

It's our tradition to have a traditional sit-down meal on Thanksgiving, then have snacks and appetizers on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. I thought I'd share my menus for these three days and provide some of the recipes (or links to the recipes) I'll be trying. My menus don't include drinks -- I haven't decided yet if I'll make any kind of punch or spiced tea on these days. We'll also have plenty of sweet treats, but I'll be making those every day or so throughout the rest of the year.


Christmas Eve (just Shane, Kat and I at home.)

Bacon Cheeseburger Dip (recipe below)
Crunchy Pizza Snacks
Hot Olive Artichoke Dip
Variety of Crackers
Tortilla Chips

Christmas Day (my daughter and son-in-law will be here with the three of us)

Hash Brown Sausage Casserole (recipe below)
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (recipe below)
Chili Con Queso
Li'l Smokies w/Barbecue Sauce
Italian Wedge Bread
Tortilla Chips
Sliders (Faux White Castle Burgers)

New Year's Eve (again, just the three of us here at home)

Meatballs: Buffalo Chicken and Cranberry Beef (recipe below)
Bacon-Onion Cheddar Biscuits
Spinach Stuffing Bites
Bacon-Cheddar Cheese Balls (one with jalapeno, one without)
Variety of Crackers
Tortilla Chips


Bacon-Cheeseburger Dip

(This recipe comes from Tricia Domsch, who is a friend of my friend Janelle, and was published in one of our local grocery ads.)

3/4 pound ground beef
1/2 pound bacon
1 cup onion (chopped
24 ounces Velveeta (cubed)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup dill pickles (chopped)
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup mustard
pinch salt and pepper

Cook bacon until crisp; crumble and set aside. In a large pot, cook the ground beef with onion until soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drain grease. Add remaining ingredients. Heat on low, stirring occasionally until cheese is melted. Serve with tortilla chips, vegetables or crusty bread.

This also makes a great sauce for baked potatoes or potato skins.



Hash Brown Sausage Casserole

2 pounds pork breakfast sausage (hot or mild)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (10 3/4 ounce) cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 (8 ounce) container French Onion dip
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup each of green and red bell pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 (30 ounce) package frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

In a skillet, cook the sausage until browned. Drain well. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cheese, chicken soup, sour cream, French Onion dip, chopped onion, bell peppers, salt and pepper. Fold in thawed hash brown potatoes. Mix well. Spread 1/2 of the hash brown mixture over bottom of 13 x 9-inch greased baking dish. Spread 1/2 of the browned sausage over the hash browns. Repeat layering second 1/2 of hash brown mixture. Top with remaining sausage. Bake at 350°F. for about one hour or until casserole is golden brown.



Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

No real recipe here. Just use your favorite bread recipe (or frozen bread dough, thawed) and after the first rise of the dough, roll dough into a large rectangle. Spread with butter and sprinkle generously with sugar, cinnamon and just a touch of nutmeg. Roll dough, starting on a long side. Cut into desired number of rolls. Place rolls in greased pan or on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let rise again until rolls are double in size. Bake at 350° until golden brown (time will vary depending on size of rolls). If desired, drizzle slightly cooled rolls with a simple glaze of 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup and enough milk or half-and-half to thin to desired consistency.



Cranberry Meatballs

1 (14 ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce
1 (12 ounce) bottle chili sauce
1 (2 pound) bag frozen, pre-cooked meatballs (or make your own from scratch)

Combine sauces in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth. Add meatballs. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally.