Christmas Appetizers

Cheesy Meatballs use spicy beef wrapped around cheddar cheese.

Easy Shrimp Scampi wraps pasta around each shrimp and marinates in garlic rich sauce.

Holiday Quiche, brilliant with red bell pepper and fresh spinach - beautiful and outstanding.

These meatballs are positively addicting. The meat is flavored with horseradish and more, then wrapped around cheddar cheese, and fried. Better make a bunch - it’s a huge hit!

Portions/Servings

This recipe will feed 12 people, and will easily double or more. Read about Party Food Quantities and how to plan for the right amounts.

Cheesy Meatball Recipe Shopping List
for 12 People: (figure 4 per person)

___1 pound 90/10 beef burger

___1/4 cup ketchup

___1/4 cup mustard

___1/4 cup prepared horseradish

___1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

___1 egg

___1 small onion, finely chopped

___1 tablespoon powdered garlic

___2 teaspoons salt

___1 teaspoon pepper

___6 ounces of cheddar cheese, cut into 3/8” cubes

___oil for frying

Dipping Sauce:

___1 cup ketchup

___1 tablespoon mustard

___1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

___a couple drops of hot sauce (keep the bottle nearby)

Procedure:

The Day of the Party:

Combine the burger, ketchup, mustard, horseradish, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper together.

Remember that you’re working with raw meat - keep it refrigerated when not in use.

Mix the meat very well - use an electric mixer if you want. It should be almost "pastey", not looking like burger or meatloaf. Mix Well.

Keep the cheese cold - it will be easier to cut up.

Stay to the 3/8” cut side, even if you’re tempted to use more.

You’ll have some leftovers from the cheese - slice them up and use them as a garnish for the dish when serving.

Now begin to form the meatballs.

Start by making a mini-patty, 1.5 inches around.

Place a cheese cube in the middle.

Wrap the meat around the cheese.

Seal it up nice and tight.

Roll it round your palms a few times.

Put the finished balls onto the plate that you’ve sprayed with veggie release spray, then into the freezer for 30-45 minutes.

OR - you can refrigerate them overnight and pop them in the freezer just before frying.

Prep up your cooking oil and bring it to 350°f

Carefully drop the balls, right from the freezer, into the hot oil. Keep the heat up. They shouldn’t take more than 90 seconds if the oil stays up to temperature.

Out they come, ready to plate and serve immediately.

Presentation: Your Eyes Eat First

We serve these in smaller batches because they are much better hot and fresh. Use your dipping sauce, and have a bottle of hot sauce on the table.

Leftovers:

We freeze them and use in meat sauces, tacos, etc. They won’t reheat very well as meatballs.

This is a perfect stand-up appetizer, especially when you need a more filling menu. Or, you can knife and fork it, serving more pasta as a base. Either way, this is unusual and delicious - designed to make ahead.

Portions/Servings

This recipe will feed 12 people, and will easily double or more. Read about Party Food Quantities and how to plan for the right amounts.

Easy Shrimp Scampi Appetizer Shopping List
for 12 People:(figure 2 shrimp per person)

___1 pound U30 raw or cooked Shrimp (very large, 30 to a pound).

___4 - garlic cloves, chopped

___2 large jars of your favorite Tomato Sauce

___2 tablespoons basil

___1 pound fettuccine, dry pasta, wide

___3-4 fresh lemons for garnish

___fresh parsley for garnish

Procedure:

The Day Before the Party:

Start with the shrimp. If you’re cooking them, return them to the fridge to completely cool. If you’ve bought precooked, then only have a few out of the fridge at a time.

Leave the tails on, but peel off the rest - just like Shrimp Cocktail.

You’re going to need a narrow blade, serrated tomato slicing knife, or similar. We’ve used these fruit/tomato knives everyday for years. Truly one of our favorites. See more on our Cooking Tools section. We sell one for under $2.

Cook the pasta a dente, and run in under cold water to completely cool.

Build the by adding the fresh garlic and basil to your tomato sauce. Let it marinate in the fridge.

So here’s the idea: You’re going to be wrapping one piece of the cooked pasta around each shrimp. The pasta will stay secured to the shrimp because of two cuts you’ve made into the cooked shrimp. Then, you’ll cover the wrapped shrimp in tomato sauce overnight in the fridge. It will take a couple for you to get the hang of it, but you will!

Start by making a cut at the head of the shrimp, not more than 1/2 inch into the meat.

Then, make a second cut (more like an incision) through the shrimp, just above the the remaining shell.

This cut should not be more then 1/2 inch long.

So each shrimp will have 2 cuts, one for each end of the pasta.

Insert the pasta through each shrimp by keeping the blade of the knife in the incision you made. Lay the pasta on the blade, and carefully push it though the cut.

Careful - you’re handling the blade. This is the hard part - it will get easier after you get the hang of it.

When the pasta is threaded through the cut shrimp, allow 1/2 inch to poke through, and wrap the rest around the shrimp, up to the other cut you made before.

Finish the wrap by tucking the end of the pasta into the head cut on the shrimp. It should stick out about 1/2 inch.

Lay them out in a shallow pan and cover with your tomato sauce, Then into the fridge overnight.

Presentation: Your Eyes Eat First

Want to serve this cold? No problem - plate it up with lemon right from the fridge.

We wipe off the tails with a cloth - makes for easier handling at a stand up gig.

Serving hot? Take your pan from the fridge and into the oven for 15 minutes or so - just enough to heat them up. Or, put into a chafing dish with more pasta underneath.

Garnish with fresh lemon and parsley.

Leftovers:

Careful about what’s been left out too long - but these can be refrigerated and served the next day. It won’t freeze well.

The red and green colors are fit for the season, but the flavor is the real deal. And remember this is a “make the day before” recipe - so you can relax knowing that you’ve got a winner on the way.

Portions/Servings

This recipe will feed 8 people, or more, per quiche. Read about Party Food Quantities and how to plan for the right amounts.

Spinach Pepper Quiche Shopping List
for 8 People:

___1 deep dish pie shell, pre made or home made

___1 large red bell pepper (not spicy)

___1 small onion, chopped

___1 cup of fresh spinach

___2 cups milk

___4 eggs

___8 ounces shredded cheese

___1 drop of hot sauce - just one!

___Salt and pepper, or 1 ounce of Minor’s Vegetable Base

Check out how we use bases, what they are and where to get them.

Procedure:

The Day Before the Party:

Open the bell pepper, clean it and slice into long thin slices.

Pull the stems off the spinach leaves.

Chop up the onion and saute in butter until it’s browned.

Beat the eggs well.

Combine with the milk and veggie base.

Not using base? Go for 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 of pepper.

Bake off the shell at 350°f for 10 minutes. Be sure to prick the sides and bottom so it doesn’t puff out.

Place the raw spinach and pepper into the cooked shell.

Combine all the ingredients and pour over the veggies in the shell. Use your clean hand and stir it around a bit in the shell.

Bake for 75 minutes at 350°f, reducing the heat if the edges start to brown up too quickly. We look for a nice rounded center - see the before and after pics:

Remove from the oven, and into the fridge overnight.

Presentation: Your Eyes Eat First

The Day of the Party

From the fridge, portion cut the cold quiche however you want to serve it. As an “8 cut” you will have a hearty appetizer, knife and fork ready. Or, cut into smaller pieces with frilled toothpicks, or place a small fork underneath each cut.

For a small party, you can reheat for a minute or two in the microwave. Or, use a Food Warmer/Chafing Dish for a larger crowd. If you do, use only the warmer to heat the quiche. It will have it nice and warm in under 30 minutes.

TIP: Want a nice sauce for this quiche? Try equal parts of Russian Dressing and mayonnaise.

Leftovers:

Quiche will refrigerate nicely for a day or two, or it can be frozen.

How about some Desserts?

Check out some Appetizers!

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