With holiday entertaining season upon us, I wanted to share some easy recipes to help you spend less time in the kitchen! The holidays can be the busiest time of year, and entertaining friends and family is a big part of it! I’ve tested these recipes myself on guests and they were a huge hit, guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser this season. The best part is they are quick and easy so you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the season.
Dill Snack Mix has been a must every year during the holidays for as long as I can remember! The great thing about this recipe is you can make it ahead of time and store it in air tight containers in the freezer for parties and hand out as gifts during the holidays. Charcuterie is always a hit at every party, make it special for the holidays by adding a Santa centrepiece! Cheeseballs have been around forever but you can easily up your game by turning yours into a snowman. There’s nothing better than a recipe that has limited ingredients and tastes this good! Crispy Salami Cups will become a must serve on your list, guaranteed your guests will love them!
Every year around the holidays, my inbox is full of requests to share this recipe! With Bugles no longer available, I did some recipe testing to make it my own. Sharing the updated 2023 version with new snack items added to the mix this year!
Warning: Once you start snacking on these you probably won’t be able to stop….
1 Box of cheese crackers
5 cups of Shreddies
1/2 bag pretzel sticks
1/2 bag corn chips
1 bag crunchy cheezies
5 cups Crispix
Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl and set aside.
In separate small bowl mix together:
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 packages ranch seasoning (Hidden Valley Ranch or similar)
8 tbsp. dill weed
Pour sauce over mixture, stirring half way through to mix. Spread out on two large baking sheets. Bake at 250 degrees for 40 minutes stirring half way through. Let cool before storing in an air tight container. They freeze well too!
Santa Claus is coming to town……and I have the perfect centrepiece for your holiday charcuterie board! This quick and easy Santa Claus takes less than 20 minutes to make and will be a hit when you entertain this season.
Santa Charcuterie Board:
1 Large Brie
2 Kalamata Olives
1 Cherry Tomato
1 package Pepperoni
Start by carefully cutting the top side off the brie. Make sure it is thick enough to work with! First cut the bottom half off the sliced piece to create Santa’s beard, then cut a straight piece from the middle to create the brim of his hat. With the leftover piece take a small cookie cutter to create the pom pom of his hat at the top and carefully carve out a moustache shape from the remaining piece. Garnish his face with olive eyes and a cherry tomato mouth. Santa’s hat is created by folding a piece of pepperoni in half and then rolling it tightly. Place the rolled pepperoni on the board to create Santa’s hat in any shape you like. Fill the rest of the board with your favourite charcuterie items!
Is there anything cuter than a snowman cheese ball during the holidays? Celebrate the season with this adorable appetizer which is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. It is quick and easy but does require some setting time before serving.
Snowman Cheese Ball:
1 large tub of cream cheese (approx 334 grams)
1 small tub of cream cheese (approx 250 grams)
1 package ranch dressing powder
1/2 cup finely grated parmesean cheese
2 pretzel sticks
2 chocolate chips
1 carrot
2 m & m’s
1 box crackers (we used Carr’s Table Water cracked pepper crackers)
Basil leaves for garnish (optional)
Mix together softened cream cheese (1 large tub + half a small tub) and ranch powder mix. Roll into a large ball and small ball and place in plastic wrap in the fridge to set for 1-2 hours. If you are in the rush you can put the two cheese balls in the freezer for approx 30 minutes as well! Once set, roll the two cheese balls out onto the parmesan cheese to give the snowman the snowy effect. Add two pretzels for arms, chocolate chips for eyes, the tip of a large carrot for the nose and m & m’s for buttons down the front. Place snowman on basil leaves for added garnish and add crackers for nibbling.
Every year we like to try a new recipe or two, this year it was Crispy Salami Bites! We found this recipe from sammymontgoms on Pinterest and was a huge hit, we will definitely be making this for guests again throughout the year. The recipe takes approx. 15 minutes of prep time and can be served right away or chilled in the fridge before serving.
Crispy Salami Bites:
1 package sliced salami
1 package feta
1 clamshell cherry tomatoes
1 small package kalamata olives
1 jar capers
Set oven to 375 and place the salami in a greased muffin tin. Each piece can be pushed down in the individual cups with a shot glass to create a small cup to hold the toppings. Bake for approx. 10 minutes in the oven and cool before removing. In a bowl mix in feta, kalamata olives, chopped cherry tomatoes and stir together. Add a little bit of olive oil and spoon the mixture into the salami cups. Top with capers, and serve to guests. We didn’t have specific measurements for the ingredients, just make enough based on how many you will be serving.
