We host a Christmas Day dinner party every year and I like to have a number of easy appetizers out when our guests arrive. Green Chile Roll-ups always go over well and are quick and easy to make: 1 8oz package cream cheese (will NOT work with the whipped or soft versions!) 1 4oz can of chopped green chiles (we prefer Hatch brand) 4 TBS diced red bell pepper garlic powder and salt to taste 4 large flour tortillas Stir together softened cream cheese, green chile and red bell pepper in small bowl. Add garlic powder and salt to taste. Spread mixture over one side of each tortilla and roll up. Wrap rolled tortillas in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour in refrigerator. Slice into 1/2" -1" slices and serve. I made these Ultimate Party Meatballs this year for the first time and they were a huge hit . . . and so darn quick and easy! 1 14-ounce can Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce 1 12-ounce bottle Heinz Chili Sauce 1 2-pound bag frozen, pre-cooked, cocktail-size meatballs (I made my own meatballs ahead of time and froze them until I needed them for this recipe) Directions: Combine sauces in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth. Add meatballs. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally. Makes 30 appetizer servings. Slow cooker Preparation: Place meatballs in a slow cooker. Combine sauces and pour over meatballs. Cover and cook 4 hours on HIGH. Lynn

OK, so kids need to like it? How about those roll us things, with cream cheese and salsa, whatever you like rolled up inside a tortilla and then sliced. My girls loved a spear of steamed asparagus, wrapped in a slice of turkey which had been spread with herbed mayonnaise and I've made these rye puffs, like a little cream puff that's Reuben flavored: Rye Party Puffs Dough 1 cup water 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup rye flour 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 eggs Caraway seeds Corned Beef Filling 16 ounces cream cheese, softened 2 (2 1/2 ounce) packages thinly sliced cooked corned beef, chopped 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons minced chives 2 tablespoons diced onion 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 10 small stuffed olives, chopped In a saucepan over medium heat, bring water and butter to a boil. Add flours, parsley, garlic powder and salt all at once; stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at time. Beat until smooth. Drop batter by rounded teaspoons 2-in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Sprinkle with caraway. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until golden. Remove to wire racks. Immediately cut a slit in each puff to allow steam to escape; cool. In a mixing bowl, combine the first eight filling ingredients; mix well. Stir in olives. Split puffs; add filling. Refrigerate. Yield: 4 1/2 dozen. NOTE:The corned beef filling makes enough to fill two batches of the dough. You could make the 7 layer mexican dip, just get all the ingredients together and take them in plastic bags, then quickly assemble when you arrive, it takes 2 minutes or less, and serve with chips. Kids love it and can pick off the olives. I'd make it pretty mild for the kids... Seven Layer Bean Dip 1 (16 oz) can refried beans Hot sauce (dash or two to taste) Worcestershire sauce (dash or two to taste) 1 1/2 cups sour cream 1-2 tablespoons powdered taco seasoning (blend to taste) 2 fresh green roasted Anaheim or New Mexico green chiles, seeded and chopped 1 1/2 cups guacamole 2 cups Tomatoes, peeled and chopped 1 cup red onion, chopped Salt Pepper 1 cup black olives, pitted and chopped 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 2 cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese Combine the sour cream, taco seasoning and chopped green chiles in a small bowl and set aside. Peel and chop the tomatoes, chop red onions, chop cilantro and stir together. Salt and pepper to taste and set aside. Blend into the refried beans a dash or two of your favorite hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Spread the bean mixture into the bottom of an 11 by 7 inch glass baking dish. Now began to layer the beans with the avocado guacamole, cover with the sour cream mixture. Sprinkle on the chopped black olives. Spoon on the tomato, red onion and cilantro mixture. Top with grated Monterey Jack Cheese and the green onions. Refrigerate for one to four hours. Serve with fresh tortillas, tortilla chips and strips. Buschetta is always good, and it's tomato season right now: Bruschetta 4 Vine Ripe tomatoes (seeded and chopped) 1 clove Garlic crushed 8 Basil leaves chopped 1/8 sp salt 1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper 1 tablespoon Fresh choped Italian Parsley 1/4 cup Olive Oil 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar 1/4 cup of a GOOD Parmesean broken into small chunks Mix all ingredients (except cheese) in a glass bowl, place chunks of cheese on top, cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve mix all ingredients, including cheese. Serve with sliced bread, either toasted rounds or garlic bread. I love hummus and pita chips, and here's a similar bean dip from Lori. You could buy pita chips and use them, and I plead guilty to leaving the lemon juice out of this by accident and I actually liked it that way too. White Bean Dip with Pita Chips (Lori) 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 2 cloves garlic 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons 1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves Salt Freshly ground black pepper 6 pitas 1 teaspoon dried oregano Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the bean puree to a small bowl. (Note: The dip will turn green in a relatively short time due to the fresh parsley.) Cut each pita in half and then into 8 wedges. Arrange the pita wedges on a large baking sheet. Pour the remaining oil over the pitas. Toss and spread out the wedges evenly. Sprinkle with the oregano, salt, and pepper. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until toasted and golden in color. Serve the pita toasts warm or at room temperature alongside the bean puree. Have fun! Annie

Mini Lobster Mac and Cheese Bites Ingredients: 1/2 lb elbow macaroni (mini elbows or penne work best) 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted to brush tin with 1/4 cup Parmesan bread crumbs 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 3/4 cup milk 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1 packed cup) 4 ounces deli-sliced American cheese, chopped 3/4 cup lobster, diced 1 tablespoon onion, finely minced Dash of Worcestershire sauce 1 large egg yolk 1/4 teaspoon paprika Salt and pepper Directions: Preheat oven to 425. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni until al dente. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process and to keep the macaroni from sticking to itself. Brush 2 24-cup, nonstick mini muffin tins with butter. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs; tap out the excess. In a large saucepan, melt the butter, add onion and saute until soft then over medium heat, whisk in the flour. Cook for two minutes until boiling. Whisk in the milk and continue whisking until boiling, about 5 minutes. It should be nice and thick. Stir in the American and cheddar cheeses until melted. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Off the heat, stir in the egg yolk and paprika. Fold in the lobster and macaroni. Spoon evenly into the muffin cups. Bake in the upper part of the oven for about ten minutes. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes so they don't fall apart. Use a plastic spoon to remove them from the non stick muffin tins. Or Scallops Rockefeller (I admit I usually adlib this one.) Use mini muffin tins, line each with pie crust and bake till just starting to brown. Meanwhile poach sea scallops until just turning opaque. Mix up some creamed spinach. Put a tbs. or so of creamed spinach on top of each pie crust. Pat the scallops dry. Slice scallops in half to make them half thickness. Top spinach with a slice of scallop. Bake at 350 until spinach bubbles about 10-15 minutes. Remove from tins and serve. For a variation, I top the scallop with a small piece of cooked bacon. I've added cheese to the creamed spinach and I've made mini pizza crusts used a cookie sheet to bake. It all depends on the ingredients I have on hand and how much time I have. The one thing that is consistent is I use fresh spinach and sea scallops.

These stuffed Mushrooms are always a big hit. This is a pic of the mushrooms in the front and Ann's Gougere in the background. Stuffed Mushrooms 20 large white mushrooms 1/3 Cup butter (maybe a bit more) 4 or 5 green onions, chopped fine 2 - 2 1/2 cups grated cheddar 1/3 Cup bread crumbs salt Clean mushrooms and carefully remove stems. Chop stems finely (I use the food processor). Melt butter in a saute pan. Saute mushroom stems and onions over medium heat until soft but not browned and the stems have given up their juices. Mixture should be quite moist. Add the bread crumbs, only enough to absorb the liquid. Add the grated cheese and stir just until it has melted. Don't worry if the oil separates from the cheese. Stuff the mixture into the caps and sprinkle with a bit of salt (or you can salt after they come out of the oven...which is what I usually do). Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes or until the caps are nice and soft. Here is another one that everyone loves. It can be made a few hours ahead. Ignore the name! This is always gone in a flash! Penzey's even featured this recipe of mine in their magazine a few years back...my 15 moinutes1 LOL Stacked Pizza 7 sheets phyllo pastry 1/2 Cup butter melted 7 Tbl freshly grated parmesan 1 1/2 Cup grated mozarella 1 sweet onion sliced thinly, And Separated Into Rings 5 -6 roma tomatoes, sliced 1 Tsp oregano salt and pepper to taste ( I don't use -any I find the parm salty enough and I forget about the pepper!!!) fresh herbs sprigs thyme, oregano or rosemary Preheat oven to 375. Follow package instructions to thaw phyllo. Place 1 sheet of phyllo on baking sheet, brush with butter and sprinkle with 1 TBSP of the parmesan cheese. Repeat until all layers are used. Press down firmly so layers stick together. Sprinkle top sheet with mozerella. Place onions on top then place tomatoes on top. Season with oregano. Bake for 20-25 minutes until edges are golden, and the bottom is cooked. Decorate with fresh herbs and cut into squares (squares can be cut in half to make two bite trinagles) Notes: I slice the onions and then cut the circles in half to arrange on top. I also try and line the tomatoes up in a diagonal pattern, I don't place them randomly, and then when I cut it I cut the squares so each piece has 1 roma slice. I also don't measure anything anymore I just sprinkle the cheese. I use rosemary but I cut the leaves off the stems. I've often cooked it with the rosemary on it. I also line my baking sheet with parchment paper.