My Favorite Holiday Hor'devours ~ Adding Pizzazz!

Crudites Christmas Tree

1 cone shaped Styrofoam form (Walmart Craft Section)

Syran type plastic wrap

Endive, radish, carrot slices or baby Belgium carrots, cucumber slices, grape tomatoes, broccoli, & cauliflower heads, cheese cubes, baloney slices, what ever you want to add to the tree for crudites.
Tooth picks, the decorative kind look better. Once I found those with curly foil ends...very colorful and glitzy.
Cover cone with plastic wrap, then endive securing with tooth picks. Add cut veggies, cheeses, baloney as though you are decorating a tree securing with tooth picks.

Hollow out pepper, squash, for dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce

One container of sour cream

1pkt. of Good Seasons Zesty Italian Salad Dressing

1/2 teaspoon of sugar (optional)

Mix well. pour into pepper, etc. place on tray next to tree.

I have also stepped up this idea by using a topiary form from the Walmart Craft Dept. This gives a Victorian look to a party. I have used this for weddings.

My Sister Ruth Ann's Stuffed Mushrooms

2 cups Italian Bread Crumbs

16 large mushrooms (about 1 lb.)

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
teasp. crushed garlic

1 green pepper, finely chopped

1 red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 sweet onion

1 stick butter or margarine, melted
Thyme
Turmeric
Soul Seasoning or Seasoned Salt and pepper to taste

PREHEAT broiler.
Remove stems from mushrooms; chop stems. Saute mushroom caps lightly in butter, remove then saute and stir mushroom stems, peppers and onion to skillet; cook and stir until tender. Add bread crumbs, spices, (salt and pepper to taste). Spoon into mushroom caps; drizzle with 2 Tbsp. melted butter.
BROIL 5 to 7 inches from heat 5 min. or until heated through.

Kiffel Dough Hor Devours

I have another hor-devours for those who love liverwurst. I make the kiffel dough using cream cheese, butter, and flour, roll it out cut into squares, diamonds, little circles- bake and cool. Mix cream cheese with a tube of liverwurst and you and add some grated sweet onion if you like. Put liverwurst mixture into a decorator bag or sandwich bag and pipe onto the cooled kiffel dough. Top with fresh parsley sprig or green olive slice, pimento.

Kiffel Dough4 c. flour "You may need more if dough seems too wet."

1 lb. butter

1 lb. cream cheese

Mix well. Divide into about 4 large round balls. Refrigerate overnight; however, if there is not enough time to refrigerate overnight, the dough may be worked immediately after mixing.

Cups of Spinach Dip

I also have taken this dough and made circles like you do for nut cups, press them into the nut cup pans, and bake. Make the cream cheese and spinach dip and fill each cup.

Cream Cheese Dip

2 packages of cream cheese, add 2 tablespoons of milk, beat until smooth, add one very well drained, deforsted package of chopped spinach, 1/2 cup of grated sweet onion. Add a pinch of soul seasoning or seasoned salt, pinch of pepper, pinch of sugar(optional)

The Spinach Dip can also be added to hollow out crusty bread. Cut up more crusty bread for dipping.

Seafood/Cheddar FondueSaute Lobster, Shrimp, Scallops, Clams, Mussels in one stick of butter, add 1 pint of heavy cream on low heat constantly stirring, add one cup cheddar cheese or Velveeta, constantly stirring until cheese is thoroughly melted and blended. You can also add sauteed pimento, peppers, onion,or celery. Remove from heat pour into a toasted, hollowed out loaf of crusty bread, cut up more crusty bread for dipping. Garnish with parsley.