Appetizer Recipes that feed alot cheap!

[dmagardner]

I normally have an open house on Christmas Eve consisting of 40 or so people coming in thru out the evening. I am looking for appetizer ideas that feed a bunch with out breaking the bank. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[AlInAz]

Bean dip and tortilla chips
Flavored cream cheese rolled up in tortillas and cut into slices
Hot apple cider (apple juice + cinnamon sticks and orange slices)
Crescent rolls rolled out and patted together onto a cookie sheet, baked and cooled, spread with cream cheese, top with favorite chopped vegetables (can't remember what it's called)
Refrigerated biscuits pressed into muffin tins and filled with ???favorite fillings (pizza sauce and pepperoni, quiche mixture, etc.) and baked
Finger sandwiches (Ham, bologna, even pb&j) cut into holiday shapes with cookie cutters
Miniature meatballs in cranberry sauce
Halloween candy (fun sized bars) bought on clearance, upwrapped and piled on a crystal platter
Frozen pizza cut into small squares

Will post more as I think of them. And welcome!
Allison

[jamielynne]

Originally Posted by AlInAz

Crescent rolls rolled out and patted together onto a cookie sheet, baked and cooled, spread with cream cheese, top with favorite chopped vegetables (can't remember what it's called)

I called these just veggie bars growing up. broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots with shredded cheddar and we used ranch dressing packet made instead of cream cheese.

[mnm'z]

Originally Posted by AlInAz

Crescent rolls rolled out and patted together onto a cookie sheet, baked and cooled, spread with cream cheese, top with favorite chopped vegetables (can't remember what it's called)

It's called Veggie Pizza around here.

[Leanna]

You could make a hummus dip from canned chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice and spices.

Bite sized brownies from a mix bought w/ Qs. Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top when they come out of the oven - delicious!

[jamielynne]

What about rotel and velveeta with tortilla chips?

I also have made a cream cheese dip for pineapple - I guess other fruits will work ok with it too? Just google fruit dip and it should come up. It has confectioners sugar and lemon juice in it.

[granviewgran]

Our favorites are

Pigs in a Blanket.....Cocktail weinies wrapped in strips of cresent roll and baked. Serve with small dishes of catsup and mustard

Shrimp dip with crackers....only requires about 6 ounces of shredded shrimp, combine with two 8 oz pkg of room temp cream cheese and a Tablespoon of worsteshire sauce. Chill in a small bowl, turn out onto a plate after chilled and cover with cocktail sauce (I make my own with catsup and horseradish, much cheaper than ready made sauce). Serve with crackers. Everyone loves this.

Cheese Balls are only $2.50 each at Walmart and are also great with crackers.

Fruit plate with grapes, banana pieces, fresh pineapple, apple pieces etc

Red Hawaiian punch with a frozen ring of green Hawaiian punch floating in it.

Bake mini loaves of banana and zuchhinni bread and serve small slices

[r2short]

Tortilla rollups (crm cheese, jalapinos, green onion and cheddar cheese) this makes quite a bit.

Lil smokies in the croc pot

Cut small circles from tortillas, and put the circles down in a small muffin pan and bake a few minutes...then add various fillings...such as refried beans, salsa, guacamole, or filling used in tortilla rollups, taco meat...you can get pretty creative with these. (Even chicken salad or sloppy joe meat mixture could be used too)

Small bite sized cheese cakes. Using small liners to put in small muffin pan...put grahm crust in the bottom and then add filling and you can top with a bit of cherry pie filling or blueberry pie filling (my fav).

Sausage balls

Mini meatballs with sauce

...hmmmm, I'm starting to get hungry

[LovinMyCoupons]

You can add or eliminate what you want. I always just use this as a base and get creative after that.

Touchdown Taco Dip
Sure to please, this warm, layered
dip will spice up any party.

Ingredients

1 can (16 oz) refried beans

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

2 tbsp Southwestern Seasoning Mix

2 garlic cloves, pressed

½ cup (2 oz) grated cheddar cheese

Optional toppings such as diced tomatoes, thinly sliced green onions, sliced pitted ripe olives,
snipped fresh cilantro or additional sour cream

Baked Tortilla Chips (optional, see Cook’s Tips)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Using Large Spreader, spread refried beans over bottom of Deep Dish Baker.
In Classic Batter Bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, seasoning mix and garlic pressed with
Garlic Press; mix well.

Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over beans. Grate cheddar cheese over top using Rotary Grater.
Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

If desired, dice tomatoes and thinly slice green onions using Chef’s Knife. Slice olives using Egg Slicer
Plus®. Snip cilantro using Kitchen Shears. Sprinkle tomato, onions, olives and cilantro over dip. Garnish
with additional sour cream, if desired. Remove from oven; serve with Baked Tortilla Chips, if desired.

Yield: 16 servings

Nutrients per serving (¼ cup dip, excluding optional ingredients): Calories 110, Total Fat 8 g, Saturated Fat 5 g,
Cholesterol 30 mg, Carbohydrate 6 g, Protein 4 g, Sodium 180 mg, Fiber 2 g

Cook’s Tips: Taco seasoning mix can be substituted for the Southwestern Seasoning Mix, if desired.

To make Baked Tortilla Chips, preheat oven to 400°F. Cut eight (7-in.) flour tortillas into wedges using
Pizza Cutter; arrange half of the wedges in a single layer on Large Round Stone. Bake 8-10 minutes or until
edges are lightly browned and crisp. Remove from baking stone; cool completely. Repeat with remaining
tortilla wedges.

Yield: 64 chips (16 servings)