Holiday bites

Published 5:30 pm Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Call them finger food, hors d’oeuvres, appetizers or nibbles, these tiny bites can be fun to eat and add a festive touch to any occasion. Served warm or cold, simple or elegant, they are the perfect go-to-food that is sure to please a holiday crowd and make entertaining easy.

Linda Freyou, owner of Antique Roseville and caterer, said when hosting a party or just enjoying some down time with friends during the holiday season, bite-sized snacks can add a festive touch and keep entertaining stress-free.

“Holidays can be busy with Christmas shopping and decorating, so it is important to keep holiday food simple when hosting a party. Remember it is all about getting together and enjoying time with family and friends,” said Freyou.

A few simple appetizers served before the meal often sets the tone for the night and provides the hostess and guests time to mingle before sitting down to the main course.

Appetizers can be as simple as a cheese or vegetable tray, she said. Many baked appetizers can be prepared the night before and popped into the oven before guests arrive.

As a simple appetizer, Freyou suggested purchasing precut bagged vegetables and marinating with Italian dressing a few hours before the party.

“Another easy to prepare appetizer is to top a block of cream cheese with pepper jelly and serve with assorted crackers,” she said.

A festive holiday touch can be added by using red pepper jelly and decorating the cream cheese block as a Christmas tree. Cut the block of cream cheese diagonally in half and arrange on a serving plate with a shallow rim to form a triangle.

Cut a star out of a bell pepper with a star-shaped cookie cutter and place at the top of the tree. Ladle pepper jelly over the cream cheese tree. Chopped green onions can be placed at the base of the tree for a tree trunk.

A cheese plate prepared with an assortment of cheeses with different flavors, textures and colors provides for an appetizer that does not involve cooking, can be arranged ahead of time and still look festive, she said.

For a crowd of 25, Freyou recommends serving at least two different types of appetizers before the meal.

“Another stress-free way to entertain is to invite family and friends over for cocktails and hors d’ouevers. It can be a way to entertain without a lot of pressure,” she said.

Gina Prince, Donna Kibbe and Celeste Hay agree bite-sized snacks can add to the festivity of any party and also allows plenty of opportunity for creativity in the kitchen.

When Prince, a food and nutrition services supervisor at Dauterive Hospital, found herself with an abundance of mirlitons from her father’s garden, she began looking for various ways to prepare the vegetable and decided a quiche appetizer could be the answer.

“I was looking for a way to cook the mirlitons and I thought why not use them in a quiche and put them in individual mini tart shells for smaller appetizers,” she said.

Kibbe, a seventh and eighth grade math teacher at Iberia Middle School, enjoys experimenting in the kitchen in her spare time.

Kibbe’s “Shrimp Remoulade Deviled Eggs” appetizer puts a new twist on the traditional deviled eggs recipe.

“I ate the ‘Shrimp Remoulade Deviled Eggs’ at a party, but never could find out who made them to get the recipe. Later, I stumbled across a recipe for the eggs and after experimenting with it, the recipe proved to be a good one. Sometimes I stick with old family favorites and other times I like to experiment with new recipes and ideas,” said Kibbe.

Kibbe’s “Jalapeno Corn Bites” have proved to be a favorite among family and friends.

“They stay so moist, so they can be prepared ahead and served as an appetizer or served along with soup or chili,” she said.

Hay, an outpatient dietician and diabetes educator at Dauterive Hospital is always on the look out for healthy recipes. One of Hay’s favorites, “Four-Cheese Stuffed Silly Mushrooms,” which she found featured on the Hungry Girl website, is low in fat and calories.

Prepared with a combination of four fat-free and reduced-fat cheeses, the recipe offers a holiday treat that is bold in flavor and appearance, but guilt free for entertaining .