Thanksgiving appetizers....

Ok, more about upcoming TXSGVNG dinner. What are your traditional appetizers? First on the table, we always had:

1. crystal bowls of celery and olives
2. cheese and crakers

I know you can get fancier than that.....tell us.

Well, I always offered either Ritz crackers with anchovy fillets wrapped around capers, or Ritz crackers topped with anchovy paste. The bad part was hardly anyone would eat them. The good part was, I got all those no one wanted.

A cheese ball, my favorite is made with cream cheese, onion and dried beef. Add a few crackers and I am all set!

Butch

Stuffed Mushrooms were at the top of my list before my GB surgery. Now the list has Triscuits/Scoops and Shrimp Dip and this year, thanks to the roadtrip across the U.P. of Michigan, add Smoked Salmon Dip to the list.
I love the Stuffed Mushrooms, but they really do a job on me and spoil the dinner that follows.

Hello All,
I like Z66 Butch's dish, but would add just a tray of slices of celery,flowerettes (is that the right word) of cauliflower, broccoli and chips with a dip.
For meat eaters, you could have those little weiners and wing dings.
A simple, and probably everyone knows of this, dip of creme cheese and french dressing mixed and deeply stirred together.
I love breaded mushrooms as well.
Z66, I can taste that cheese ball...yuuuuum
Take Care,
Fieldthiste

There is a recipe on the back of the Ritz cracker box that sounds quite tasty, and I'm going to make it as a spread for assorted crackers; softened cream cheese, dried cranberries, chopped pecans and a touch of orange concentrate. Doesn't that sound good?

Donna

I've decided on bringing along a hot crabmeat-cream cheese dip, variations of which show up in two of the Stern's recipe books. Yes, there will be Ritz crackers.

I have to think Oysters!Maybe Oysters Rockerfella.Stuffed mushrooms with crabmeat would be nice too.

No traditional ones that appear every year except my dead aunt's cheeseball. Last year, we had marinated roasted asparagus and we often have a platter of shrimp or fresh fruit cup.

Shrimp and coctail sauce!--those killer water chestnuts with the bacon!--an antipasto with pepperoni-copacola-cheeses-olives--i like the dry cures myself--and anchovie stuffed green ones--and a dipping bowl with evo and balsamic!!

I'm not sure if you are talking about the items that you put out for snacking before dinner, or if you are speaking of the actual appetizer that is part of the dinner. So, I will give you both.

On the island in the kitchen (since the kitchen is where everyone gathers), I will set out my home-made Hummus, Brie with Fig Relish, Wensleydale Cheese with Cranberries (from Costco!), Vermont Cheddar (white, since everyone in my holiday grouping avoids the artificially colored yellow cheddars), Green & Black Olives, Celery Sticks, Carrot Sticks, Mixed Nuts, Carr's Water Crackers, and Triscuits.

At the table, the appetizer will be home-made Wontons (made by a college friend's wife, who is Chinese), in my own Chicken Broth with Shiitake Mushrooms. This will be the first year for a non-traditional dish on the Thanksgiving table, and I think that it will bring a little more interest to the experience.

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen


Stuffed Mushrooms were at the top of my list before my GB surgery. Now the list has Triscuits/Scoops and Shrimp Dip and this year, thanks to the roadtrip across the U.P. of Michigan, add Smoked Salmon Dip to the list.
I love the Stuffed Mushrooms, but they really do a job on me and spoil the dinner that follows.

Gosh, when we were stationed at KI Sawyer AFB, we loved the deep fried mushrooms at the Holiday Inn, in Marquette, Michigan. Is it still there, I wonder? I think it came with a Ranch type dressing.

With a good Merlot, it was to die for.....

While I love battered or breaded Mushrooms, deep-fried, I have found that since the surgery my system doesn't like them much.

The Stuffed Mushrooms I refer to in the first post above were the Caps with a small spoonful of stuffing (Pepperridge Farm Herbal) to which a bunch of minced crisp bacon or tiny shrimp and onion had been added along with a compilation of spices that I never put on paper, so I don't remember exactly what we added. We then baked the Mushrooms for "awhile" in a moderate oven. They made a great pre-dinner snack with the various dips and other goodies.

We have in-laws who are Korean, They used to make wonderful Wontons to bring for the family gathering in SoCal. I miss those family dinners a lot.

We always have the usual olives, stuffed celery, crudites w/dip, brie dip that kind of stuff. My faves are the spinach and mushroom quiche, Mexican style shrimp cocktail, guacamole, fried cheese, quesadillas.... bla bla.

Here in Virginia Fried oysters are traditional. We've also had shrimp cocktail done by guests who cam one year. But now-a-days we are just trying to get it all together to get it on the table and eat the main course!

Cathy

shrimp butter with crackers - a spread made from 1/2 stick butter, cream cheese, chopped onion, lemon juice, worchestershire, and Tony's. The taste is very similar to a shrimp mold, but a lot easier.

This year I want to try a brie wrapped in puff pastry and baked.

Snacks........Appetizers....Are Ya Crazy? I am making room for the Dinner and I don't want nothing in the way.

quote:

Originally posted by NYNM

Ok, more about upcoming TXSGVNG dinner. What are your traditional appetizers? First on the table, we always had:

1. crystal bowls of celery and olives
2. cheese and crakers

I know you can get fancier than that.....tell us.

We didn't call them "appetizers", but we always had a "relish tray" in the middle of the table. Everything was in a separate section, but it consisted of whole green olives, whole black olives, small sweet pickles (I think they call them gherkins, now), celery stuffed with cheeze whiz, and canned cranberry sauce.

If my grandmother hadn't put that in the middle of the table, it wouldn't have been right.

We were poor white trash, so we couldn't get fancy. I STILL always serve the celery stuffed with Cheeze Whiz...

stuffed celery/black olives/mixed nuts and deviled eggs.....there was also cheese and crackers.. family always ate EVERYTHING-- not much was passed up in my house growing up...:) aaaaaaaah the good ole days...:)

We usually have some Brie and wheat crackers and grapes, and maybe an artichoke and spinach dip. I usually don't partake because I am awaiting the scalloped oyster dressing my mother makes each year.

Andrea

I like what Al had to give up. I sure do like the mushrooms stuffed with about anything, brushed with olive oil and baked a short while.

The reason I like a appetizer is that we generally have a mid afternoon dinner. Having something to munch on while smelling the dressing, turkey, gravy and mash potatoes cooking sure does help. The early cocktail also helps enhance the taste of the ensuring munchies.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

We have no appetizers but we do have the relish tray, with the addition of cottage cheese.

For the stuffed mushroom fans, here's a quick easy dish that dissapears fast!
Sausage stuffed mushrooms

One pound white mushrooms
one roll (tube) of mild pork sausage, like Bob Evans.
quarter cup minced onion.
eight ounce package of cream cheese.

preheat oven to 400
Take stems off mushrooms and chop fine
put mushrom stems, minced onion and sausage in a hot
skillet, cook, breaking up the sausage until sausage
is cooked through. Put this into a bowl, and stir in
the cream cheese. Stuff this mixture into the mushroom
caps, line them up on your cookie sheet, and bake in
oven for about ten minutes.

Theese are the best, and easiest we've ever had! try it, you'll like it,.

Linus, I use that same recipe, except I use hot sausage and pour a little white wine in the bottom of the pan before I put the mushrooms in. It really is good and easy.

MONKEY BREAD!

Mbrookes, I love wine with mushrooms- thanks for the tip!
I'm going to try that next time.
you can also add wine and mushrooms to a very thick white sauce, spread it on buttered bread and toast in the oven for little sandwiches.

Black olives and stuffed celery.

I made the stuffing for the mushrooms earlier this morning. I will bake them later on this afternoon. I did them about the same as others did except I added some shredded cheddar and some mozarella.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

This is an update on the recipe on the back of the Ritz cracker box, the cranberry/pecan spread. I made it and it is very good. I think it will be a popular spread this afternoon at our Thanksgiving "nibbles" table.

Also, I found at Trader Joe's last week a Brie already encased in pastry with a top layer of fruit, nuts and brandy. Eager to put that in the oven and give it a try. Everything I get at Trader Joe's is always good, so this should be no exception.

This is no advertisement, just plenty of satisfaction from Trader Joe's the same as with Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati. Both great places!

Happy Thanksgiving, all of you here at Roadfood Forums.

Donna

My mother in law introduced me to frosted pickles. She makes the best homemade pickles, but alas, she is with the other side of the family this year. I had to use store bought this year...mixed blessing.

First...dry your pickle. Next spread with a thick layer of cream cheese. Now roll the coated pickle in finely chopped dryed beef. Refrigerate until you are ready to eat. Slice in small rounds to serve.