Christmas is almost here and time is running out! BUT… there’s nothing to worry about because we have a couple of last-minute holiday app recipes for you to impress with at your gatherings! These appetizers are easy, quick, and of course… delicious! Oh, and they are super festive as well with the first being arranged as a wreath and the second as a tree. Basically, it’s the perfect combination for a last-minute scenario which we know can easily happen with our busy lives. Both of these last-minute holiday app recipes include meat but that could certainly be left out if you prefer and they would still be tasty. Keep reading to get the lowdown on the full recipes! We want to see how these recipes turned out for you and any feedback you get from your friends and family over the holidays! Be sure to capture some footage and reach out to your favorite Real Estate Nation Team agent with the results!
MEATY CAPRESE SALAD SKEWER WREATH
We recently had an office potluck and contributed with this simple appetizer – a caprese combo never disappoints! It was also Covid-friendly with the ability to make individual skewers for people to grab without germ-ing up the whole dish.
Yield – 20 skewers
Ingredients
- 10 slices of thin/hard salami cut in half
- 20 fresh, cherry-sized mozzarella balls
- 20 red cherry tomatoes (roasted)
- 1 bunch fresh basil
- 1/3 cup balsamic glaze (store bought or you can make your own)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Bruschettini crackers
- 20 small toothpicks
- 9-inch pie pan
Instructions
Roast the tomatoes:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees
- Toss whole to tomatoes with olive oil, salt, & pepper
- Spread onto 1 large baking sheet and bake for 60-90 minutes depending on how roasted you like them
- Remove from the oven and let cool while you prepare the remaining ingredients
Assemble the skewers:
- Cut the 10 salami slices in half
- Cut any larger leaves of basil in half
- Fold a half-sliced piece of salami in half and poke the toothpick through
- Poke the toothpick through a roasted tomato and slide up against the salami
- Next, slide on a mozzarella ball snug against the tomato
- Top off both ends with a folded basil leaf
- Repeat 19 more times
Form the wreath:
- Form the caprese salad skewers in a circle slanted along the perimeter of the pie pan – they will be pretty snug against one another
- Fill in any sparse areas with additional basil leaves to give it a full wreath look
- Place a small bowl in the center and fill it a little less than halfway with balsamic glaze
- Line the perimeter of the pan with the Bruschettoni crackers
- If you would like to avoid the dipping, you can skip the bowl and instead drizzle the glaze over the skewers and place more crackers in the center
SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP PINWHEEL TREE
Even if you don’t like spinach, who doesn’t like some spinach artichoke dip?! That, rolled up inside a soft, yet flaky croissant crust makes for the ideal combo! Adapted from this Watch What You Eat recipe, we added some crispy bacon as well as some cream cheese and it really sealed the deal.
Yield – 11 pinwheels
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of croissant dough (we used Pillsbury Original Crescent Dough Sheet so all you have to do is unravel!)
- 6 crispy strips of bacon chopped into small chunks
- 5 cups of spinach finely chopped
- 2 medium artichoke hearts finely chopped (in oil from jar or can)
- 1/4 cup red pepper finely chopped
- 1/4 cup cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/8 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Cook the bacon until nice and crisp then chop into small chunks
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Make the spinach artichoke dip:
- Mix together the chopped bacon, spinach, artichokes, garlic, and red pepper along with the cream and ricotta cheese, chili flakes, salt, and pepper until well combined
Assemble the pinwheels & bake:
- Roll out the Pillsbury Original Crescent Dough Sheet
- Evenly spread out the spinach artichoke dip mixture on the dough sheet
- Roll up the dough and the mixture covered dough sheet to form one long roll
- Cut the roll into slices a little smaller than 1 inch in width
- Spread out the rolls on a baking sheet so they are not touching one another
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until well done
- Once baked, let cool for a few minutes
- Transfer to a flat serving dish once they have cooled and arrange the pinwheels into a tree shape with each pinwheel snugly pressed up against one another
- Sprinkle the formed tree with the parmesan and serve warm
