If you’d like to host a holiday open house but aren’t sure what to serve or don’t fancy yourself a cook, we’ve put together some personal old favorites and pulled some of Holly Clegg’s recipes from The Advocate’s archives to help you plan your holiday party.
The recipes we’ve chosen are simple to prepare (sometimes shockingly simple, in fact). Find some festive holiday platters and greenery and you’re set to have a party!
A word of warning: Watch out for the Saltine Toffee. It’s hard to resist.
Baked Brie
This is the easiest appetizer you can do — and it’s delicious.
Buy the best brie you can afford. Unwrap it. Use the paper on a shallow baking dish. Bake brie in a preheated oven at 350 for 15 minutes. Using the paper to move it (because it will be wobbly), move brie to a pretty platter.
Surround brie with crispy crackers.
Serve with any of the following: honey, walnuts, fig preserves, grapes, pepper jelly.
Angela’s Shrimp Dip
Recipe provided by Angela Crimm
8-ounce block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
¼ cup mayonnaise
½ teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon ketchup
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ garlic powder
3 cans of 4-ounce can tiny shrimp
finely chopped green onions for topping
1. In a medium bowl beat together the cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth.
2. Add the lemon juice, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Beat until smooth.
3. Chop the shrimp and stir into the cream cheese mixture.
4. Chill. Top with finely chopped green onions. Serve with crackers.
Old-school Queso
Buy a block of Velveeta. Buy a can of Rotel. Melt the Velveeta. Drain the Rotel to your liking (the less you drain it, the spicier the queso will be). Mix in the Rotel in the Velveeta. If you’re feeling extra, add three tablespoons milk and stir.
Serve with Mexican-style corn chips.
Holly Clegg’s Spiced Walnuts
Makes 8 (¼ cup) servings. Recipe is by Holly Clegg from her “Eating Well to Fight Arthritis” cookbook.
2 cups walnut halves (or pecan halves, if you prefer)
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1. Preheat oven 375 F.
2. Spread walnuts on baking sheet and bake about 5-7 minutes or until golden.
3. In small bowl, combine sugar, salt, garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne.
4. In nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add nuts and stir to coat with oil. Add seasoning mix, stirring until nuts are coated. Remove to paper towel to cool.
Holly Clegg’s Chocolate Pecan Pie
Makes 8-10 servings. Recipe is by Holly Clegg from her “Gulf Coast Favorites” cookbook.
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon butter, melted
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
⅓ cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, corn syrup, butter, sugar, brown sugar, flour and vanilla. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips.
3. Pour into pie shell. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until set. Cool completely.
Saltine Toffee
Saltine crackers to line a rimmed cookie sheet (about a sleeve of crackers)
1 cup butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Line the rimmed cookie sheet with crackers in single layer.
3. Combine butter and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; boil for 3 minutes. Immediately pour over saltines and spread to cover crackers completely. (Be careful!)
4. Bake for five minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over top. Let sit five minutes.
6. Spread softened chocolate evenly. Sprinkle with pecans. Allow to cool completely, about 25 minutes. (Can cool in refrigerator.)
7. Break toffee into pieces and serve.
