If you have a crockpot, grape jelly meatballs are another hard-to-beat appetizer for a meat and potatoes crowd

Ingredients:

1 32oz bag frozen fully cooked meatballs (about 50)
1 18oz jar grape jelly
1 18oz BBQ sauce

Directions:

Combine sauces in your crock-pot and stir until combined. Add meatballs and stir until they are coated with the sauce. Cook on high for 3 hours.
Enjoy as an appetizer or serve over rice for a main dish.

A dip I make is also an absolute must at any of my family gatherings....bear with me now it sounds really weird but it is divine and everyone loves it.

2-8oz packages cream cheese

1-4 oz can chopped black olives

2 tablespoon grated onion and juice (grate it on the smallest grater you have right over the bowl you can add more if you're onion lovers

3 or 4 tablespoons juice from jarred green olives( guesstimate sorry I don't measure anything ditto on the onion)

Mix it all together in a mixer and serve with potato chips or pretzels for dipping. You can make this ahead and keep it in the fridge and probably by the time you get to the party it will have come to a good dipping consistensy.

Trust me we are a meat and potatoes family too and are NOT the fancy froo froo foodie type. This dip is frequently seen being spread on sandwiches,eaten with a spoon and the beater off the mixer is a coveted prize. Snitching a finger full is not unheard of either. I have 5 siblings and they are all married and between them they have 14 children. I make a quadruple recipe and have no leftovers ever. The kiddos love it too which I always thought was a little strange until I remembered that I grew up eating it too.

Some other ideas:

Blt bites- this is not my recipe I found it online and if you.search for it you could probably find exact measurements. It's small cocktail tomatoes stuffed with cooked bacon,mayo green onion and parm cheese. Sooo good. I always use romas cut in half since they are easier to stuff and frankly,bigger to hold more bacon.

I second the deviled egg idear. I make my filling with the yolks, cooked crumbled bacon,mayo,salt and cayenne pepper.

My family loves shrimp even though I don't and I make roasted shrimp (thank you barefoot contessa) and an easy cocktail sauce with ketchup, prepared horseradish,frest lemon zest and juice and worcheshire sauce. All that is to taste. It can be served chilled or room temp so you can make it at home and won't need the oven. To roast it you take peeled and deveined raw shrimp toss it with oil (I use canola because I don't like to cook with olive oil) salt and pepper. Put it on a cookie sheet and cook it at 425 for 5 to 8 minutes but watch it so it won't overcook. Then take them off the pan.

Great...now I have to go make dip and deviled eggs to quell the cravings.

Veggie Pizza

eASY AND SUPER EASY TO TRANSPORT

INGREDIENTS

• • 2 (8 ounce) cans Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 (1 ounce) packet hidden valley ranch dressing mix
• 2 tablespoons Miracle Whip
• 1 (12 ounce) package cheddar cheese
• vegetable (any that you desire such as green peppers, tomatos, carrots, celery, and green onions)

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spread the cresent rolls out on cookie sheets to make large rectangles.
3. cook for 10 minutes or until golden brown and then cool.
4. Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, dressing mix, and Miricle Whip together.
5. Spread on top of the cooled cresent rolls.
6. Chop your veggies (I like to use the food proccesor).
7. Spread your veggies on top of the mixture on the cresent rolls.
8. Sprinkle the Cheddar Cheese on the top.
9. With sharp knife cut in half and enjoy.

Asparagus wrapped in prosciutto.

Another vote for proscuitto-wrapped asparagus.

This is always a hit and has been in my family for probably 20 years.... not too spinachy (I hate spinach and love this)

Knorr spinach dip

Some people cut up bread, I get PaRty bread and just unwrap and put it on a platter... some people use crackers etc. You can make ahead the day before and super yummy.

Cheese straws

Love the spinach dip~pkg. frozen spinach, thawed/squeezed, pkg Knorr veg soup mix, chopped onion, sour cream and mayonnaise(amounts on soup pkg). For bread, a round 'loaf' of Shepherds bread. Cut the top off the bread, and scoop out the insides. Fill the inside of the bread with dip and cut up the bread taken from the inside into cubes.. Place the 'dip bowl' on a large enough plate(I use a platter)so the bread pieces can be placed around it. I usually buy an extra of loaf bread to cube since there's usually more than enough dio.

This goes really fast at my house

Hawaiian Cheese Ball

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, well drained
• ¼ cup finely chopped green and red bell pepper
• 3 Tablespoons finely chopped green onion
• 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
• 2 cups chopped pecans, divided

Instructions

1. In
   a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients (only 1 cup of the pecans)
   together until well combined. Shape into a ball. Place the remaining 1
   cup of pecans on a plate and roll the ball in the pecans covering well.
2. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with crackers:

I don't eat this (because it has mayo in it) but people love it. It's a cheese ring, serve with crackers.

1 lb/4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup pecans

3/4 cup mayo

1 medium onion, grated

1 pressed garlic clove

1/2 tsp Tabasco

1 cup strawberry preserves

Combine all ingredients, except preserves, and mix well. Chill. Mold into a ring. Fill with strawberry preserves.

Thanks everyone! Lots to choose from. Caminnc.....I've made that Hawaiian cheese ball.....it's delish!

caminnc - That Hawaiian Cheese ball sounds really good. It sounds like it would be pretty for the Christmas season with a little bit of "wish I was there" mixed in with it. :)

I just printed it off to try. Some of my favourite recipes have come from GW!

The one that hhireno posted sounds good as well except that I don't have a ring mold and I don't like strawberry anything. I could put the cheese into any shape but any suggestions has to what else you could serve with it?

I don't use a mold, I just form a circle with the stuff after its chilled. Try another fruit preserve or maybe even a fig butter. I think the key is the mix of sweet and savory. I haven't made it in years, maybe I'll make it this week.

Oh a fig butter sounds good.

small sandwich sliders; ham & cheese; roast beef, red pepper & cream cheese

hhireno, It's nice to meet another mayonnaise avoider. :)

I knew I liked you terriks! I can barely type the word without gagging. If it needs to be mentioned, my family all refers to it as the 'm' word. I think the above recipe is the only one I make that includes it. If I even have any in the fridge right now, it's probably expired, I haven't made the cheese ring in years.

Literally 1/2 my family is m-averse. They won't eat anything with even the tiniest amount. I am not in that camp.. but I can't eat anything with the tiniest amount of sour cream (other than baked goods).

I love that Hawaiian cheese ball! Haven't made it in years, but it was always a party favorite a long time ago. That Knorr spinach dip too. Old faves.

I love pork tenderloin sliders with caramelized onions. Truly easy peasy. I marinate a tenderloin overnight. When I'm ready to cook, I put on the grill to brown, then bake covered until done. Meanwhile, caramelize about 2-3 medium onions in an iron skillet. I use the buttery Hawaiian rolls but you can use any small roll. Slice rolls in half & put a tsp or so of mustard on each (I love the champagne Dijon but any good Dijon-type will do), a slice of tenderloin and a spoon of caramelized onions on each. Wrap in foil and warm just before serving. They are fine if they cool off for a tailgate or party.

Really easy and colorful are the tomato, mozzarella, basil skewers. There are many variations online. For Thanksgiving I use the red, orange and yellow cherry tomatoes. For Christmas I stick with red tomatoes. Coupled with the green basil and white mozzarella, they look festive.