Appetizers From The DIY Forum

Compiled by Alden Smith

What's a party without appetizers? Here, from the DIY forum, are appetizer recipes for your next get together.

Crab and Cream Cheese Hors d'oeuvre

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  
• 8 ounces crab
  
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 tablespoons onions, chopped
  
• 1/2 teaspoon horseradish
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  
• 2 ounces slivered almonds

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, blend together softened cream cheese, shredded crab, milk, chopped onion, horseradish, salt, and pepper. Pour into a greased, 1-1/2 quart shallow baking dish and sprinkle slivered almonds over the top.

Bake in the oven until slightly browned on top, about 10 minutes. Serve warm like crab cakes.

Serving Size: 4

Asparagus Blue Cheese Rollups

• 12 thin slices of bread
  
• 16 ounces (2 to 3 packages) softened cream cheese.
  
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  
• 12 cooked asparagus spears
  
• Melted butter

Trim slices of bread and flatten with rolling pin. Mix bacon and cream cheese, and spread mixture on to the flattened bread slices. Lay an asparagus spear on each slice and roll up. Cut each roll-up in half and place on a baking sheet, seam side down. Cover and refrigerate, or freeze, until ready to serve.

Then brush with melted butter and toast in broiler or bake in a hot oven (325-350 F) till lightly browned (15 min.). Serve warm.

Swedish Meatballs

• 1 egg
  
• 1/4 cup milk
  
• 1 pound ground beef
  
• 1/4 cup dry cream of wheat cereal (much better than bread crumbs or oatmeal fillers)
  
• 1/4 cup minced onion
  
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
  
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup (OR cream of celery!!!)
  
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and the milk. Add the beef, cream of wheat and onion and mix well. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place balls on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 20 minutes.

Drain meatballs on paper towels, if needed. Then place meatballs in a lightly greased 2 quart casserole dish. In a separate medium bowl, combine the soups with the evaporated milk, stirring until smooth. Pour over the meatballs.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for another 40 minutes.

Sometimes just before serving, a lil shredded cheese or sour cream on the top, as you dish it up.

Makes 4 servings

Clam Dip

Take 16 ounces of cream cheese, one medium onion chopped fine and 3 small cans of clams, minced or whole, mix with a mixer, put in refrigerator overnight. Get a big bag of potato chips or Ritz crackers and enjoy yourself with your clam dip.

Spicy Citrus-Garlic Shrimp

• 1-2 pounds shrimp - tails and shells still on
  
• 1/4 olive oil
  
• 5 cloves garlic - minced
  
• 2 limes - 1 if you use a pound of shrimp
  
• 2 lemons - same as above
  
• Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning
  
• fresh ground black pepper

Sprinkle pepper and as much Creole seasoning as you can stand on the shrimp...i put about 3 tablespoons - I like it spicy

Let the shrimp sit like that for about half an hour - the longer you let it sit, the hotter it gets! Fry the garlic in the olive oil - don't brown it Add the shrimp and cook until they become pink over medium-high heat and squeeze the lemon and lime in about 5 minutes before done.

Peel and eat - don't forget to lick your fingers!

Alden Smith is an award winning author and regular contributor to DoItYourself.com. He writes on a variety of subjects, and excels in research.