Make a Splash at Holiday Parties Without Breaking the Bank

With the holidays approaching, you might find yourself with several invites. However, holiday parties often mean that you have to bring a dish with you. Instead of panicking over the expense, choose a recipe that is inexpensive to make but will wow your guests. Dress up simple and inexpensive dishes to make them look like you spent major bucks on them. Make popular holiday appetizers stand out by adding holiday decorations. Here's a list to try

Deviled Eggs
Make your favorite deviled eggs recipe. If you don’t have a favorite recipe, mix the yolks with enough mayo to create a consistency of egg salad and add 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard, 1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, and ½ teaspoon each of cayenne pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.

This makes a spicy, but not too hot mixture for six eggs (12 halves). Adjust the spices to taste. Garnish them with bacon bits and paprika. If you can find fresh parsley, add that to the garnish for a red and green splash. Cut holiday decorations out of construction paper and tape them to a toothpick. Stick a toothpick in each egg half.

Cream Cheese Roll-Ups
Whip cream cheese until it’s soft enough to spread. Fold shredded cheddar, chopped green onions and chopped tomatoes into the cream cheese. Spread a 1/4-inch-thick layer of cream cheese onto a 6-inch tortilla. Top with a slice or two of deli ham.

Roll the tortilla up. You can leave them whole or cut them into thirds or quarters. Hold them together with a toothpick with a holiday decoration taped to the top of the toothpick. Make the same recipe, but substitute chopped dill pickles for the tomatoes and green onions.

Sausage Balls
This easy recipe can be cut in half to make it even more budget-friendly. Mix 2 pounds of ground sausage, 2 cups Bisquick, 4 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, ½ cup finely diced onion and 2 teaspoons celery seed until well mixed.

Form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until sausage balls are cooked through, about 25 minutes. Serve hot or cold. Add toothpicks with holiday decorations to spruce them up a tad. You could also garnish with parsley sprigs or chopped fresh parsley if you can find it during the fall and winter months.

Jellied Meatballs and Hot Dogs
You’ll need about a pound of each type of meat—small meatballs and mini hot dogs. If you have a double-pan slow cooker, you can use that, or just make them on the stove top and serve in microwave-safe bowls so that you can easily reheat the meatballs and hot dogs just before you serve them.

For each type of meat, you’ll need a jar of chili sauce and one large jar of grape jelly. Mix the one jar of each of the jelly and chili sauce until smooth. Add cooked meatballs to one side of the slow cooker or in a pan and pour the sauce over the meat. Stir in and heat until hot. Do the same for the mini hot dogs (in a separate pan if you don’t have a double pan slow cooker). Place a pile of toothpicks with hand-made holiday decorations taped to the top of them so that people can decorate their plate.