Big Recipe Ideas for Small Bites While You Wait For The Turkey

Filling up on the standard fare is a given on Thanksgiving but what about the snacks to keep us satisfied but not too full for the full course ahead? Whether you have Thanksgiving as an early supper or a late dinner, there is always that limbo time of snacking that can be tricky. If you are having guests over you might want to try some of these pre-Thanksgiving snacks and appetizers to keep everyone happy but still hungry for more:

Spinach Dip

It’s low fat and not too filling but filled with flavor. And it’s healthy, but those veggie-haters in your family will never know.

1 pkg. frozen spinach
1 onion soup package (keep it easy…)
4 oz. low fat cream cheese
½ cup skim milk
¼ cup low fat sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
**Onion soup has a lot of salt in it so you may not need more…

½ cup of grated parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients except the cheese topping.
Let sit if spinach is still frozen so ingredients can all mix well together.
Add more sour cream depending on the consistency you think your family will like. Transfer mixture to a baking dish and top with Parmesan.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees or until bubbling.

Let cool 5 minutes. Serve with crackers or pita chips.


Flavored Roasted Nuts

Take any of your favorite mixed nuts and add some extra flavor and crunch! Spray a baking sheet with non-stick oil and scatter any nuts, raw or already roasted on the pan.

Flavor with:

-Soy sauce and ginger powder for an Asian flavor
-Lime, salt and cilantro for a Mexican flavor
-Curry and red pepper for an Indian Flavor

**Watch the additional salt of you are doing this with pre-roasted and salted nuts.

Bake for 10 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Check often to make sure you are not burning the nuts, especially if you started with roasted nuts. Let cool 5 minutes.

Serve in dishes in any room.


Easy Baked Brie with Almonds

All you’ll need is a handful of slivered almonds and a nice chunk of brie cheese.

Place cheese on a microwave safe casserole dish and cover with almond slices. Cover the brie and heat in microwave about 4 minutes or until center of cheese is melted and the rind is softened.

Serve with crackers or slices of French bread and grapes. Reheat if the cheese starts to harden.

Deviled Eggs

It’s so obvious we sometimes overlook it when we’re trying to make fancy appetizers to impress our friends and family but the deviled egg is so delicious when done right, there’s even a serving dishe just for them! You can do them a number of ways but here’s our favorite:

6 hard-cooked eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
pimento olives sliced in half.

Slice eggs in half lengthwise; remove yolks and set whites aside. In a small bowl, mash yolks. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, spices and salt. Spoon into egg whites or if you have an icing tip you can squeeze them in for extra party presentation. Garnish with a pretty olive slice.