Stuffed mushrooms
This bite-sized appetizer is almost always a winner and disappears from platters by the end of the night. It is a versatile dish that can be prepared with a variety of fillings and customized to guests’ tastes, or better yet, make several options. Here is how to make one of the most popular versions, crab-stuffed mushrooms, courtesy of the Food Network.
Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients:
20 Ritz crackers8 oz. lump crab meat4 tablespoons melted butter4 oz. cream cheese2 tablespoons mayonnaise1/2 cup chopped celery1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper1 chopped garlic clove1/2 cup chopped scallions1/4 cup grated parmesan1/4 cup cracker crumbs1/4 cup chopped parsley1 lemon for juice and zest
Directions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and clean the caps with a damp paper towel. Season the mushrooms with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle salt, then put them on a baking sheet. Crush the Ritz crackers until very fine and add 2 tablespoons of melted butter. On a skillet, put 2 tablespoons of butter and add the chopped celery and red bell pepper until the mix is soft, then add the garlic clove. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, scallions, parmesan, parsley, crushed crackers, celery and bell pepper mix and crab meat. Sprinkle lemon juice and zest. Put the mix on top of the mushroom caps. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Bacon-wrapped water chestnuts
Most Meat-eaters love bacon and this recipe has a holiday flavor to it, courtesy of “All Roads Lead to the Kitchen.”
Ingredients:
1 1/2 to 2 pounds regular sliced bacon, non-thick cut3 8 oz. cans of whole water chestnuts2 cups light brown sugar1 14 oz. ketchupToothpicks
Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the bacon stack in half across the center. Drain the water chestnuts. Place each at the end of a bacon slice, roll and put on a baking sheet. The chestnuts can be lined close together, but should not touch. Bake for 40 minutes and rotate the pan several times throughout the process. Drain the bacon grease, then pour a sugar ketchup paste on top of the chestnuts. Put toothpicks on each one and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes until the glaze is thick and bubbling. Transfer to a serving tray.
Pumpkin dip
For a hint of dessert during dinner, pumpkin dip is a perfect choice. It can look like hummus and pleasantly surprise sweet-loving guests. Here is a 2-minute recipe.
Ingredients:
1 cup of 100% pure pumpkin1 8 oz. package of cream cheese1/2 cup powdered sugar1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or more as preferredOptional topping of Cool Whip
Directions: Allow the cream cheese outside of the refrigerator for one hour. Put all four ingredients into a mixing bowl and blend them together with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth. Put cool whip on top and put in fridge until ready to eat. Serve with apple or pear slices or graham crackers.
Sweet potato crescent bites
A twist on a favorite Thanksgiving item, the sweet potato, that is both sweet and savory, plus doughy, courtesy Delish.
Ingredients:
3 medium sweet potatoes, cleaned1 8 oz. Crescent roll24 whole pecans1/4 cup brown sugar2 tablespoons heavy cream1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract1/2 teaspoon kosher salt3/4 cup mini marshmallows1 tablespoon maple syrup optional
Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Apply cooking spray to a mini muffin tin. Make three to four piercings on each sweet potato with a fork and microwave them for 15 minute until tender. Remove potato skins and put the fillings in a large bowl. Mash the potatoes until smooth and add the heavy cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt and mix together. Add flour to a surface and roll out the crescent dough, then cut it into 24 squares and fit them into the muffin tin holes. Add a spoonful of the sweet potato mixture to each square, as well as a marshmallow, and bake for 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Add a pecan to each square and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Brush maple syrup over each square if desired.
And if you’re wondering how much the cost of that Thanksgiving dinner will set you back, Statista has prepared this graph showing the rising price of turkey and trimmings over the years.
