Impress your guests with a hot appetizer tray that will look and taste as if you slaved over a hot oven for hours. Creating hot appetizers can be easy if you have the right ingredients and keep your secret recipe under wraps. Use quality ingredients to make your food shine and warm up any pre-prepared appetizers in the oven before serving.
Casual Party Appetizers
Create easy, hot appetizers when you have the gang over to watch the game or for a casual open house. Make pigs in a blanket for a quick hot appetizer. Purchase mini hot dogs and two packages of pre-made crescent roll dough. If you can't find mini hot dogs, purchase a package of regular hot dogs and cut them in half.
Pop open the crescent dough package and lay dough out on a flat surface. Separate dough along perforated edges then slice the separated pieces again with a sharp knife.
Place one mini hot dog in the middle of one piece of dough and roll. Line an ungreased cookie sheet with the rolled hot dogs and cook according to package directions.
Serve an easy hot cheese dip at your next open house or casual affair. Cook 1 clove of minced garlic and ¼ cup finely chopped onion in 1 tbsp. of margarine. Add 1 tsp. of cornstarch and ¾ cup of beer or milk. Cook until thickened. Add a combination of cheeses such as 2 cups shredded American cheese and one 3 oz. package of cream cheese, diced. Stir the mixture until the cheese melts.
Pour hot cheese dip into a serving bowl and serve with large chunks of cut up brown bread or tortilla chips.
Elegant Party Appetizers
Serve an appetizer platter of bacon-wrapped scallops at your next dinner party. Preheat oven to broil. Cut 10 to 20 uncooked sea scallops in half and wrap with a fresh spinach leaf. Wrap a piece of uncooked bacon over the spinach and secure with a small wooden toothpick. Sprinkle scallops with 1 tsp. sea salt and 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper. Lay scallops on a foil-lined cookie sheet and oven broil 3 or 4 inches away from the heat for six minutes on each side or until the bacon is crispy. Arrange on a large platter then squeeze fresh lemon over the top.
If you are looking for an elegant hot vegetarian appetizer, try tomato mozzarella bruschetta. Preheat oven to broil. Purchase two loaves of fresh French bread and cut into pieces. Brush with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle each slice with ½ tsp. kosher salt and ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper. Place one ½ in. slice of fresh mozzarella on top of each piece of bread. Top mozzarella with one ½ in. slice of vine ripened tomato. Add one more slice of fresh mozzarella on top of the tomato and top each slice with one small basil leaf.
Place bread slices on a foil lined cookie sheet and broil for three or four minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Tags: cookie sheet, oven broil, each piece, each slice, each slice with, fresh mozzarella, freshly ground