County cooks share recipes for Christmas appetizers

With holiday gatherings in full swing, we asked some of our former cooks to share some Christmas appetizer reicpes with us.
We got cheeseballs recipes, dips and hot chocolate. We will be sharing more in the next few weeks.
Cassie Ferguson said the Pizza Dip recipe is her favorite holiday appetizer because she can make them ahead of time and freeze them.
“It’s a great dish to carry after a long day at work,” she said.

Lisa McNeece said one of her quick go-to holiday appetizers is Goat Cheese Log.
She said she chops dried cranberries and shelled pistachios and mixes them together. Then she rolls the goat cheese log in the mixture.
“It’s really easy and I love the festive Christmas colors,” she said.
She typically serves them with Wheat Thins.

Barbara Winter of Bruce said the “The cranberry orange cheese ball is great, it combines two of my favorite flavors.”
Bruce native Raven Tillman, who now lives in Oxford, is used to cooking for small and large groups. She sent a recipe for sliders and crockpot hot cocoa.
Kimberly Ruth said her family always attends Christmas Eve communion at Lewis Memorial, then comes home and has appetizers before opening presents.
“My family likes appetizers because we usually have the traditional Christmas meals at all the other family gatherings,” she said. “These are all recipes that I have been making for years,”

She said she uses the Stuffed Ham & Sausage Bread and Bourbon Meat balls recipes the most often.
“They are quick and easy to make with very few ingredients which is perfect for the busy holiday season,” she said. “They are also good to serve in chilly weather.”

Pizza Dip
Cassie Ferguson
2 T Italian seasoning
1 jar pizza sauce
16 ounces sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Pepperonis chopped into smaller pieces
Mix together seasoning, cream cheese, and sour cream. Spread half of the mixture on the bottom of a shallow round oven safe dish. Pie plates and quiche dishes work well. Spread a half of a jar of pizza sauce on top of the mixture. Top with 1 cup of cheese and your desired amount of pepperonis.
Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve with your choice of chips or crackers. Recipe makes two dips.

Cranberry Orange Cheese Ball
Barbara Winter
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup Craisins
2 tsp. orange zest
1 Tbsp. orange juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Coating:
1 cup chopped candied pecans
1/2 cup Craisins
1 Tbsp. orange zest
Stir softened cream cheese until smooth. Stir in Craisins, orange zest, orange juice and powdered sugar until well combined. Set bowl in fridge and allow to firm up for about 10 minutes or just long enough to be able to form a ball. Roll cream cheese mixture into a ball and place on a plate or tray and place in freezer to soft set for 10 minutes. While cheese ball is soft setting, combine coating ingredients onto a large tray or plate. Roll cheese ball into topping ingredients to coat on the outside completely. Cover with saran wrap and store in fridge until ready to serve. Serve with crackers.

Yankee Dip (Taco Dip)
Illinois Family Favorite
Haley Mitchell Gross
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
1 large tomato, chopped
1 bunch chopped green onions
1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
In a medium bowl, blend the taco seasoning mix and refried beans, Spread the mixture onto a large serving platter.

Mix the sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Spread over the refried beans.
Top the layers with salsa. Place a layer of tomato and lettuce over the salsa, top with cheddar cheese. Garnish with chopped green onions.
Enjoy with any of your favorite chips.

Stuffed Ham & Sausage Bread
Kimberly Watkins Ruth
1 lb. sausage (mild or hot)
1 T. Creole seasoning
1/2 onion, diced
2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican mix)
1 pkg. deli-sliced ham
1 loaf French bread or BBQ bread
Brown the sausage, along with seasoning and diced onion. Drain grease. Mix in shredded cheese until melted. Slice loaf in half and hollow out. Layer bottom of bread with half o the ham. Next, add the sausage mixture followed by the remaining ham. Place the top half of the bread and wrap in foil. Cook 30-45 minutes on 350 degrees.

Bourbon Meatballs
Kimberly Watkins Ruth
2 cups BBQ sauce
1/2 c bourbon
1 c. honey
1 c. prepared mustard
1/8 tsp./ Worsetershire sauce
1 (32 Oz.) package frozen cooked meatballs, thawed.

Cook first 5 ingredients in a Dutch oven medium heat for 5 minutes. Add meatballs; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

Sleigh Sliders
Raven Jackson Tillman
12 Hawaiian style rolls, or dinner rolls
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1-1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard
8 slices honey ham
8 slices smoked turkey
6 slices provolone cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Use a serrated knife to cut the rolls in half, separating the top from the bottom. Set the bottom half of the rolls on the prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and mustard. Spread half of the mayo mixture over the cut side of the roll bottoms. Lay the ham slices and then the turkey slices over the roll bottoms so all of the bread is covered. (I’m usually able to put 4 slices per layer). Lay the cheese over the meats, letting the slices overlap until all the meat is covered. Spread the rest of at mayo mixture over the cut side of the roll tops. Carefully turn the roll tops over the cheese, cut side down. Melt the butter in a small bowl. Stir in the parsley and garlic powder until combined. Use a pastry or basting brush to spread the butter mixture all over the tops of the sliders. (You may have some extra butter.) Bake the sliders for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the rolls are golden and slightly crispy. Remove from the oven and use a spatula or sharp knife to cut the sliders apart. Serve immediately.

Crockpot Hot Cocoa
Raven Jackson Tillman
1-1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. heavy cream
6 c. whole milk
Mini marshmallows for garnish (Add 1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk and Red & Green Christmas Sprinkles for garnish)
Combine all ingredients except marshmallows in a slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook, covered, until everything is melted, stirring occasionally, 2 hours on LOW. Ten minutes before serving, add marshmallows and let them get melty. Garnish with more mini marshmallows, if desired.