Party Starters

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Gyoza skins are the Japanese equivalent of wonton wrappers; you'll likely find both in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. If you can't find gyoza skins, substitute round wonton wrappers.

Mini Smoked Salmon Pizzas

Yield
12 servings (serving size: 2 pizzas)

Ingredients

24 gyoza skins
Cooking spray
4 (1-ounce) slices cold-smoked salmon
1/2 cup (4 ounces) Neufchâtel cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon capers
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
48 (1/2-inch) chive pieces
Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange wrappers in a single layer on 2 baking sheets. Lightly coat wrappers with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 6 minutes or until crisp; cool.

Cut each salmon slice into 6 equal portions. Combine cheese and next 4 ingredients (through rind), stirring well. Spread 1 teaspoon cheese mixture on each wrapper; top each with 1 salmon piece. Garnish each with 2 chive pieces.


Baked Italian Oysters

This hot appetizer is served on the half shell for an elegant presentation. The ground red pepper lends a subtle heat to the breadcrumb topping.

Yield
8 servings (serving size: 3 oysters)

Ingredients
1 1/2 (1-ounce) slices white bread
Cooking spray
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
24 oysters on the half shell
8 lemon wedges
Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°.

Place bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form to measure 3/4 cup.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add onions, parsley, and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in fresh breadcrumbs, Italian breadcrumbs, and the next 4 ingredients (Italian breadcrumbs through black pepper). Place oysters on a jelly roll pan. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture evenly over oysters.

Bake the oysters at 450° for 7 minutes or until the edges of the oysters curl. Serve with lemon wedges.


Mini Bacon and Potato Frittatas

The Italian way with omelets, frittatas make tasty appetizers. Prepare them a day ahead, chill, and reheat them just before serving. You can also freeze them for up to a month. Run a sharp knife around the edges of the muffin cups to loosen them from the pans. If you don't have a mini-muffin pan, you can cook the frittata in a 13 x 9-inch pan at 375° for 15 minutes and cut into 36 squares.

Yield
18 servings (serving size: 2 frittatas)

Ingredients
2 cups finely chopped peeled baking potato (about 12 ounces)
5 bacon slices (uncooked)
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives, divided
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
7 large egg whites, lightly beaten
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
6 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Place potato in a medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook 4 minutes or until almost tender. Drain.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside. Add potato, onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and thyme to drippings in pan; cook 8 minutes or until potato is lightly brown over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; cool.

Combine the potato mixture, bacon, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons chives, cheese, pepper, egg whites, and eggs, stirring well with a whisk. Coat 36 mini muffin cups with cooking spray. Spoon about 1 tablespoon egg mixture into each muffin cup. Bake at 375° for 16 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool 5 minutes on a wire rack. Remove frittatas from muffin cups. Top each with 1/2 teaspoon sour cream and 1/2 teaspoon chives.


Country Chicken Pâté
We kept the creamy texture of this lightened classic by using low-fat sour cream and fat-free cream cheese instead of butter and heavy cream. Serve this rich appetizer with a French bread baguette, coarse-grained mustard, and gherkins.

Yield
10 servings

Ingredients
1 teaspoon butter or stick margarine
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 ounces chicken livers
2 tablespoons port or other sweet red wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash of ground cinnamon
Dash of ground allspice
1 tablespoon low-fat sour cream
1 pound boned, skinned chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, cubed and softened
Cooking spray
Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°.

Melt butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and sauté 4 minutes. Add chicken livers; cook 2 minutes or until livers lose their pink color. Add port, and cook 3 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates. Cool.

Place chicken liver mixture, salt, and next 5 ingredients (salt through allspice) in a food processor or blender; process until smooth, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Add the sour cream, chicken breast, and cream cheese; process until smooth, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Spread chicken mixture into an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 325° for 1 hour or until a thermometer registers 170°. Cool; cover and chill 8 hours. Serve at room temperature.


Black Pepper Goat Cheese Log

Wine choice: 1996 Beringer Chardonnay

Yield
6 to 8 appetizer servings

Ingredients
2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
1 (11-ounce) goat cheese log
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Garnish: fresh rosemary sprigs
Preparation

Sprinkle pepper on a square of wax pepper. Roll goat cheese log over pepper to coat. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve with toasted baguette slices. Garnish, if desired.


Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Tartlets

Pierce each sweet potato a few times with a fork, place in a pie plate with two tablespoons water, cover loosely with wax paper, and microwave at high five minutes or until tender.

Yield
15 servings (serving size: 2 tarts)

Ingredients
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon dark corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white
2 (2.1-ounce) packages mini phyllo shells (such as Athens)
Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine sweet potato, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt, stirring well.

Combine pecans, brown sugar, syrup, vanilla, and egg white, stirring well.

Spoon about 1 teaspoon sweet potato mixture into each phyllo shell, spreading to edges. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon pecan mixture over sweet potato mixture. Place filled shells on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.


Apple Martinis

Make this your signature cocktail from Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve. Combine the ingredients for the martini mix before the party so it's ready to go into the shaker as soon as guests arrive.

Yield
10 martinis (serving size: about 1/2 cup)

Ingredients
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup vodka
1 cup apple juice
1 cup apple liqueur (such as Sour Apple Pucker)
Crushed ice
Preparation

Combine water and sugar in a glass measuring cup. Microwave at HIGH 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring once; cool. Combine sugar mixture, vodka, juice, and liqueur in a pitcher; stir to combine.

Place crushed ice in a martini shaker. Add vodka mixture to martini shaker in batches; shake well to chill. Strain about 1/2 cup vodka mixture in shaker into each of 10 glasses; repeat procedure with remaining vodka mixture, refilling ice as necessary. Serve immediately.


Champagne and Cranberries

Prep: 5 min.

Yield
Makes 1 serving

Ingredients
6 dried cranberries
3/4 cup Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled
Preparation

Place cranberries in Champagne flute. Pour Champagne over berries. Serve immediately.


Spicy Rum Punch

You can steep the juice in advance; add the ginger beer and rum just before serving so the punch will be fizzy. Ginger beer, which actually contains no alcohol, tastes like a spicy ginger ale.

Yield
20 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

Ingredients

1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
6 star anise
4 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
2 (64-ounce) bottles cranberry-pineapple juice drink (such as Ocean Spray)
2 cups dark rum
4 (12-ounce) bottles ginger beer (such as Stewart's)
Preparation

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let stand 30 minutes.

Strain cranberry mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Chill thoroughly. Stir in rum and ginger beer just before serving.


Spiked Lemonade

Yield
Makes 3 1/4 cups

Ingredients
2 cups lemon-flavored sparkling water or club soda, chilled
1/2 cup citrus-flavored vodka, chilled
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange liqueur
Crushed ice
Garnish: lemon slices
Preparation

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large pitcher. Serve over crushed ice. Garnish each serving with a lemon slice, if desired.

Source: Cooking Light
Southern Living
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