Holiday Party Recipes

I love all the gatherings this time of year with good food, friends and family. After ringing in the New Year, the holiday parties are coming to an end, but I wanted to share what recipes I've been using lately to feed a crowd.

Appetizers -
Sugared Cranberries, Chutney and Brie - the sugared cranberries remind me of glistening snow, sooo prettty! I had WAY too many leftover cranberries though.  Next time I would only use half a bag of fresh cranberries. I picked up a jar of cranberry chutney at a Honey Baked Ham store.  This recipe makes the typical pre-party snack of cheese and crackers way more interesting and is so delicious!

Source: yummymummykitchen.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms - there are never any leftovers when I bring these babies to our Secret Santa exchange.

Mini Pepperoni Puffs {or cupcakes as my friend called them}- with basic ingredients and minimal steps (grease pan, mix, pour in pan, bake), this recipe is easy to whip up before you have to head out. Instead of fresh herbs at the end, I added dried herbs to the mixture before baking. I wish I doubled this recipe!

Source: blogs.babble.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Salad - To accompany our Christmas ham dinner, we started with Pioneer Woman's Apple, Pecan and Blue Cheese Salad with Dried Cherries. People seem to either love or hate blue cheese. I am definitely a fan.

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Mindy on Pinterest

What holiday season is complete without cookies? I made these soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies. 

To add a little taste of the holidays, I added one package of chopped up Andes mints. Yummy yummy in my tummy! Unwrapping chocolates is an easy, safe, keep them quietly busy for a long time task for eager toddlers.

We also left a few cookies out for Santa...I He gobbled them up, drank his milk and left a note and some donuts for breakfast!

Later that week, Agatha hosted a small dinner where Sweet Vermouth Chicken was the shining star. The sauce, mushrooms, cranberries, nuts and pearl onions were a delicious compliment to normally boring chicken breasts. I made  Pioneer Woman's Creamy Mashed Potatoes to go along with the other sides of carrots and Brussels sprouts.

Source: myrecipes.com via Mindy on Pinterest

And for football Sunday, I made French Dip Roast Beef Sandwiches to fill big bellies before the end of the Bears underwhelming season. Definitely add two sliced jalapenos to the crock pot for au jous with a kick.

What are your go-to recipes for holiday parties??