Well, after a bunch of xmas gatherings, I’ve had my fill of the typical shrimp cocktail, charcuterie boards, pinwheel roll-ups, layered taco dip, etc. Going to a little gathering at the neighbors place for NYE and everyone is supposed to bring an app, anybody try anything fun and new lately? Would like to switch it up a little…
My wife makes some awesome sourdough and we get a tub of spinach artichoke dip at Costco. Throw the spin dip into a crockpot and chop up the sourdough. Maybe a bag of tortilla chips as well. That’s the extent of our appetizers this year.
One that’s been going over big at my place is to cut chicken breast into bites – 1″ cube or so. Season with a good BBQ rub and let them set while you cut jalepenos into rings and bacon strips in half (shorten). Put a pepper on each chicken, wrap with bacon, pin with toothpick, then into smoker. Sauce em up before taking off. You’ll be lucky you find any toothpicks!
Bourbon BBQ meatballs is my go to
Pickle roll ups…you can’t go wrong.
My MIL made bacon wrapped water chestnuts with BBQ sauce. That was a new one for me but they were really good.
Prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe is really good but I’m not sure if you can get good cantaloupe right now.
My MIL made bacon wrapped water chestnuts with BBQ sauce. That was a new one for me but they were really good.
That is Rumaki and a standard in my family
I’d suggest downloading and looking at the Recteq app. Bunch of good stuff in there.
I like armadillo eggs. Wrap breakfast sausage (like JD) around a piece of jalapeno stuffed with cream cheese. You can mix in cayenne pepper into the sausage to up the heat on some or all if you choose. Throw on smoker and cook at 275F until sausage is 160F. They travel and reheat well if you are going somewhere else.
Standard artichoke dip is easy-peasy and usually a favorite especially with women. It is just artichokes, mayo, and parma cheese. Throw in green or jalapeno peppers for a little kick if you want.
my absolute favorite is buffalo chicken dip. shredded chicken, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, ranch, franks hot buffalo sauce (not the regular franks). I always bring it to football watch parties, super bowl parties, pot lucks, etc and I am always bringing home a crock pot that is scraped clean.
Brown 1 lb of hamburger with half cup of onion. Melt 1 lb. velveeta and .5 lb colby with a can of evaporated milk. Mix in hamburger/onion, jar of pace picante hot sauce, can of chopped green chiles. Voila.
Braunschweiger/Liver Pate or Smoked Salmon, doesn’t get much easier, always a hit or at least a conversation piece.
I like to smoke my salmon myself vs. buying it in the store. Store smoked salmon is heavily brined (too much salt) and cold smoked. I smoke my own letting the salmon reach about 140F-145F in a heavy alder smoke. I usually topcoat the salmon with either garlic power & dill weed or apply a coating of spice mustard on top. Both are great.
We have had great luck with Jalapeno Venison Kielbasa bites. Was a hit at our campsite cook off.
Rumaki
1 ½ cups teriyaki sauce
½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
12 ounces fresh chicken livers, halved
1 (4 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
12 slices bacon, cut in half
Rumaki
1 ½ cups teriyaki sauce
½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
12 ounces fresh chicken livers, halved
1 (4 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
12 slices bacon, cut in half
We skipped the chicken livers. I’m not anti-liver but they were great without it.
An easy one I like to put together are brat bites. Buy your favorite brats and cut each into four pieces. Wrap each one with a half strip of bacon and pick it. Put them on a cooling rack placed on top of a sheet pan so the grease can drain off while cooking. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes until the bacon is cooked to your liking. Remove from the oven and put a good pinch of kraut on each piece, a good squeeze of Dijon or whole grain mustard and top with a chunk of swiss cheese. Turn the oven to broil and toss them back in until the cheese is melted and slightly golden brown.
Had Garlic Butter Steak Bites with Parmesan Cream sauce for the game yesterday – They were YUMMY. This came up on facebook by Tasty Haven
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One that’s been going over big at my place is to cut chicken breast into bites – 1″ cube or so. Season with a good BBQ rub and let them set while you cut jalepenos into rings and bacon strips in half (shorten). Put a pepper on each chicken, wrap with bacon, pin with toothpick, then into smoker. Sauce em up before taking off. You’ll be lucky you find any toothpicks!
Never had this, but I’ll be doing this soon. How long do you smoke them for ?
Since it’s a new years eve thread! 
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Depends on temp/size of bite, I use the thermometer to be sure –
Since it’s a new years eve thread!
I’m with ya on this one Glenn! Was not planning on doing anything and hitting the hay after a nice home-cooked dinner. But it’s a small neighborhood gathering. 5 couples and low key. Drinks, apps an dice. Doesn’t get much better than that.
Anyway – I think I’m going beef queso dip, it’s a popular one in our rotation but we haven’t made it in a while and time is a factor (otherwise I’d smoke something – definitely doing the chicken bites sometime soon). If anyone is interested in my version of beef queso, here it is – It’s a HUGE crowd pleaser and I may be biased, but I think it stands out among many similar ones that I’ve tried.
1 lb. browned hamburger
One whole block of Velveeta cheese (accept no substitute!)
1 regular sized jar of chunky salsa of your choice and heat level
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
Favorite hot sauce to taste
Brown the hamburger in a pan, cube up the Velveeta into smaller chunks for easier melting. Dump the Velveeta and Hamburger in a crockpot with the Cream of Mushroom soup and salsa and turn crockpot on high. You have to come back and stir a couple of times but it should be ready in 1-2 hours. Add your favorite hot sauce to get it to the heat level you want, or throw in some fresh chopped jalepenos or serrano peppers if that’s your thing.
It’s awesome and really comes down to about 10-15 minutes of work. Some day I’m going to make this in the smoker, I’m sure that would be a hit.
I’ll be up at midnight night but that’s because we will be landing at MSP. Otherwise I’m with Glenn! Buffalo chicken dip would be a good choice. It’s only a few ingredients and simple to make in a crockpot or oven. I like getting the pulled rotisserie chicken, franks and cream cheese. You can use various kinds of toast chips or like sourdough bread or whatever to dip in it.
Some day I’m going to make this in the smoker, I’m sure that would be a hit.
Depends on the person. Im not a huge fan of it smoked. Made it for the ladies work pot luck she said everyone loved it. I thought it was to smokey. I throw in a half block of cream cheese and a block of pepperjack never tried the cream of mushroom.
The beef queso dip is great, but we skip a jar of salsa and replace it with hot rotel instead. And we usually do spicy ground sausage instead of beef. But ground beef is good as well, we just like heat.
decisions
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Simple chip dip –
1 pkg cream cheese
12 oz. chili no beans
8 oz. grated cheddar
Spread cream cheese in an 8″x8″ glass baking dish (aka, brownie pan)
Spread chili on top of cream cheese
Spread cheddar on top of chili
Put in 350 degree oven until cheese melts
Serve with Fritos Scoops or tortilla chips
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