Tis The Season For Some Good Eatin'

With Christmas and Holiday parties springing up every weekend, I'm in dire need of new recipes to bring to these parties. If you're tired of bringing the same thing over and over and want to surprise your host or guests with something new, try these recipes to dazzle and appetize the crowd just right!

Holiday Brie en Croute

Servings: 12
This is a perfect and elegant appetizer. Serve with crackers :) 
Ingredients

• 1/2 package Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 cup apricot preserves or raspberry jam
• 1/3 cup dried cranberry, softened
• 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
• 1 (13.2 ounce)  round Brie cheese
• 1 (26 ounce) package Pepperidge Farm Entertaining Cracker Quartet Collection

Preparation

1. Thaw pastry sheet at room temperature 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix egg and water.
2. Unfold pastry sheet on lightly floured surface. Roll into 14 inch square. Cut off corners to make a circle. Spread preserves to within 1 inch of pastry edge. Sprinkle cranberries and almonds over preserves. Top with cheese. Brush edge of circle with egg mixture. Fold two opposite sides over cheese. Trim remaining two sides to 2 inch from edge of cheese. Fold these two sides onto the round. Press edges to seal. Place seam-side down on baking sheet. Decorate top with pastry scraps if desired. Brush with egg mixture.
3. Bake 20 minutes or until golden. Let stand 1 hour. Serve with crackers.

Cream Cheese Penguins

Servings: 18 penguins
These things are such cute little critters it's sure to earn smiles on your guests faces and penguins in their tummies! The nutritional value for these include 57 calories, 14mg cholesterol, 0.2g fiber, 105mg sodium, 1.2g carbohydrates, 5.5g fat, and 1g protein.
Ingredients

• 18 jumbo black olives, pitted
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 18 small black olives
• 1 carrot

Preparation

1. Cut a slit from top to bottom, lengthwise, into the side of each jumbo olive. Carefully insert about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese into each olive. Slice the carrot into eighteen 1/4 inch thick rounds; cut a small notch out of each carrot slice to form feet. Save the cut out piece and press into center of small olive to form the beak. If necessary cut a small slit into each olive before inserting the beak.
2. Set a big olive, large hole side down, onto a carrot slice. Then, set a small olive onto the large olive, adjusting so that the beak, cream cheese chest and notch in the carrot slice line up. Secure with a toothpick.

 

Bavarian Style Meatballs

Servings 6-8
Meatballs are always a hit at a party and these always go quickly. The nutritional value for these are 494 calories, 50mg cholesterol, 6g fiber, 1953mg sodium, 76.7g carbohydrates, 17.1g fat, 11.5g protein.
Ingredients

• 12 fluied ounces tomato-based chili sauce
• 1 (16 ounce) can whole cranberry sauce
• 27 ounces Bavarian-style sauerkraut, undrained
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen meatballs

Preparation

1. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine chili sauce, cranberry sauce, sauerkraut, water, and brown sugar. Mix well. Pour sauce and meatballs in a slow cooker, stir.
2. Cook, covered, at a medium temperature for 4 hours. Stir occasionally to coat meatballs.