- Hey guys. So we all have those
moments during the holidays when we get so overwhelmed
planning the meal, that we forget about the hors d'oeuvres. I've been there myself, I totally get it. So this time I wanted to share with you three quick and easy party
appetizers that are as simple as it gets and always
make a big impression. And if you're not already a subscriber, be sure to subscribe, hit
that notification bell and that way you won't miss
any of my holiday recipes. Okay, first up, let's
tackle the baked brie. So there's really two ways
to make this appetizer. You can make it in a puff
pastry, which is really delicious and in fact I have a recipe
on this channel for that and I'll leave you a
link in the description if you wanna go that route. But if you're running out of
time and you want something even easier, you can actually bake it without the puff pastry and serve it with little baguette toasts and it's really fantastic that way too and 10 times easier. To begin, we're gonna toast our baguette. So just go ahead and slice it
into maybe half inch slices, place it on a baking sheet and
then pop it under the broiler for just a few minutes until
it's nice and golden brown and toasted on both sides. Then you can pull it
out and set those aside. The brie is gonna be so warm and hot that the toasts actually
don't need to be hot. They're fine at room temperature. So I'm working with an
eight ounce wheel of brie, which fits perfectly into
one of those little six inch Lodge cast iron skillets. So if you have one of those,
that's a good way to go, or you can also just put
it in any oven-safe dish. Now on top of the brie
you're going to spread two tablespoons of fig jam and
on top of that you wanna add a tablespoon of minced rosemary. Then on top of that I also
like to add some dried figs in addition to the jam, because it'll add a nice texture as well. And then you also wanna add a
tablespoon of chopped pecans. You really could use any nut, I just like the pecans with figs, but you could also use almonds,
walnuts, whatever you have. Then you're going to place this in a 375 degree Fahrenheit
oven for just 15 minutes, is all it takes. Then when your brie is ready,
you can go ahead and place it on a wooden charger or a cutting board, just because that little
skillet is gonna be hot. Then I like to decorate the outside of it with some fresh grapes, which is a really great flavor combination with the warm brie and it
looks really pretty too. Then you can place your
toast on the charger as well. Stick a little cheese knife in the brie and let everybody serve themselves. And you will see how delicious it is between that warm, gooey
brie, fig jam, the nuts, the rosemary and of course one
or two of those fresh grapes. Now, if you're roasting your
holiday meal in your oven and you can't use your
oven for an appetizer, you could also go the
route of a party dip. And a sour cream and
onion dip is a classic, and watch how easy it
is to make from scratch. You don't need to go buy any
of those little spice packets that you see at the grocery store. You'll be much happier with
this instead, I promise. And the only thing you have to really cook are the onions. So in a large skillet you're
going to add a tablespoon of olive oil. To that you're gonna add a cup and a half of diced, yellow onion. And you just wanna cook the onions down until they're translucent and fragrant. And then you can season them
with a little salt and pepper. And at this stage I also like
to add a teaspoon and a half of balsamic vinegar. It'll sweeten those onions up and also give them a nice color. Then you can transfer them to
a bowl and set aside to cool. Then in a medium-size bowl, you're going to add 16
ounces of sour cream. Then for a little creaminess
I also like to add two tablespoons of mayonnaise
and then for a little kick I like to add two teaspoons
of prepared horseradish. But if you couldn't find that you could also use Dijon mustard. Then for a little freshness
we're going to add a quarter cup of freshly snipped chives
and then you can season to taste with a little salt and pepper. Then you can whisk that all
together until it's nice and smooth and then go ahead
and add those onions in, and that's all you have to do. You can cover and refrigerate
this until it's time to serve, and then when
it is time to serve, you can transfer your
dip into a serving bowl. Now I think that dips look extra fancy when you can put them in
something that's stemmed and high. It just takes a simple
dip from ordinary to, ooh that's fancy. Then to keep this dip super
simple you just can serve this with some potato chips. But go for the kettle chips because I think they're
a little bit fancier for the holidays and
they look so pretty too. Now if you're looking at
these two appetizer ideas and thinking, well that looks great but I don't even have
time for those two things, this is even simpler. This is the ultimate set
it and forget it idea. Just take out a large cutting board and on top of it you wanna
place the biggest wheel of blue cheese you can find, or you could use some different wedges. I like the big entire wheel because I think there's something
that looks really festive, especially for the holidays
and it feeds a crowd. Then I like to add a collection of honeys. I think there's something really delicious about the combination of
honey and blue cheese. And I recently discovered
this company online, it's called Bee Seasonal. And I love honey, but I have to admit, this is the best honey I've ever tried. It is fantastic and the
packaging is so beautiful, all you have to open the jar
and leave it right out there. It looks so pretty and
then I also like to add these little honey dippers
that are the perfect size for the jar, which makes the honey
super simple to serve. And I'll leave you a
link in the description of where you can find both online. Then you can round out this
board with some sliced pears. I like to get the mini pears
because I think it's easier to place on a cracker. Then you can also add a
few handfuls of walnuts. Then fill a small bowl with
an assortment of crackers. It's such a fun, interactive
appetizer for your guests, that took hardly any effort. Now if you want another
easy appetizer idea that makes a big impression, then you should click on this annotation and I'll show you how to
make a tarte au soleil, another winner that
always gets rave reviews. I'll see you over there.
