Okay, Readers, I promised you a few simple recipes for entertaining and enjoying the holidays, even when your purse is almost empty. So here we go…everyone knows how to get a turkey and bake it, so I will not bother with that, and I’ve already given you some recipes for leftover turkey. For a really easy to throw together appetizer, get two large packages of Philadelphia cream cheese, a small bag of precooked popcorn shrimp (frozen) and a bottle of cocktail sauce.
I personally use the cream cheese with 1/3 the fat. It is a bit softer, making it easier to spread, and I can pretend that it is less fattening. Put your shrimp in a strainer and run cold water on it until it is thawed. If you want to save a few pennies, make your own cocktail sauce…it is easily done with ketchup, a bit of lemon, and horseradish to taste.
To assemble, place a lettuce leaf on your serving piece and stack the two cream cheese blocks on top of each other in the center of it. Shake any excess water off of the shrimp, blot it on a paper towel, and press it firmly around the sides and on top of the cream cheese. Frost it with a rubber spatula and your cocktail sauce. Serve it with any crackers you like. This takes about five minutes to make from start to finish, and is not expensive.
Liptauer is a wonderful creem cheese spread that takes a bit more time to make, but is well worth it. For this recipe, I bite the bullet and use regular Philadelphia cream cheese. ..two blocks, softened to room temperature, and then add the following:
I can of anchovies w/capers (well drained and mashed beyond recognition…or buy a tube of anchovy paste and squeeze about 85 % of it into the cream cheese bowl). Stop gagging…I hate anchovies…when mixed correctly you won’t even know they are there!
One heaping teaspoon each of yellow mustard, ground carraway seed (this can easily be done in your coffee grinder), and paprika. Two teaspoons of finely chopped onion.
Mix it all together and taste. It should be the color of pale apricots, and none of the ingredients should stand out. It is delicious on cocktail rye, wheat crackers, and any crusty breads. Trust me…it really is good.
Bowls of flavored popcorn are always a big hit. Be creative…and make your own…it is much cheaper. Put out several choices, like, plain buttered and salted, sprinkled with taco seasoning, or buttered with cinnamon sugar (use Splenda as a substitute for your friends who will not eat refined sugars.
All three of these suggestions together can be made for $15 or $20, depending on how carefully you shop. And they will feed a houseful of guests!