Easy appetizers and drinks I served at my holiday swag bag party.
I was in search of some easy appetizers and drinks to make for my holiday swag bag party. I called my go-to foodie friend Christine to discuss options. I knew she’d be a big help, because she knows I don’t have time to spend hours in the kitchen cooking, but still want to wow my guests with a fun snacks and drinks.
The primary goal for my menu was to serve appetizers I could assemble quickly, that would require three or fewer ingredients. I decided to showcase a mix of sweet and savory apps that were served cold and hot.
Here’s what I chose:
Spinach Filo Cups.
- Filo cups
- Your favorite dip (spinach artichoke works great!)
This is my “go-to” appetizer for all my parties, and are a huge hit. They look really fancy, but they’re the easiest tasty bites to assemble. Dierbergs carries already-baked filo cups. While you’re there grab some of their fresh spinach artichoke dip. All you do is spoon the dip into the filo cups, and bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. You can also order them at pre-assembled, and take them home to bake.
Crockpot Meatballs
- 1 package of meatballs
- 1 bottle of BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Rays’ Honey Chipotle is really good).
- 1 jar of apricot jelly
The crockpot can be your best friend when hosting a party. Just throw the ingredients into the crock, and it takes care of the rest. The apricot jelly adds a different twist to this classic appetizer. My guests raved about this one, and requested the recipe.
Red Pepper Stars
- 1 brick of cream cheese
- 1 bottle of red pepper jelly
Divide and cut the cream cheese into a creative shape using a cookie cutter. To prevent the cream cheese from sticking, spray the cookie cutter with Pam. Then just top your shapes with the red pepper jelly, and enjoy with toast bites or crackers. These are a simple way to make the holidays special. For Valentine’s Day do hearts, shamrocks for St Patrick’s Day, and pumpkins for Halloween or Thanksgiving.
Baked goat cheese and marinara
- 1 jar of your favorite marinara
- 1 log of goat cheese
- Fresh basil for garnish
This appetizer was inspired by my favorite tapas restaurant in St. Louis: Barcelona. It’s so simple and looks so festive. All you have to do is pour the marinara sauce into small baking dish. Next slice the goat cheese and bake at 375 for 15 minutes, or until toasted and sauce is bubbling. Serve with toast bites.
Cinnamon chip bread bowl
- Cinnamon Chip bread bowl from @Great Harvest Bread Co
- Cheesecake fruit dip
- Apple slices
I love making this Cinnamon Chip bread bowl into an amazing party treat. This bread tastes like heaven! Just core out the top and put in the smooth and tasty cheesecake fruit dip from Dierbergs’ deli department. I also like to serve it with fresh apple slices. If you’re looking for a show-stopper; this is it!
Chocolate covered clementines
- Clementines
- Dark chocolate or chocolate chips
- Sea Salt
First, peel and divide the clementines. Next, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, and dip half of the clementine into the chocolate. Sprinkle with sea salt before the chocolate hardens. Finally, place them on parchment paper and let cool in the refrigerator.
Veggies and Dip from Dierbergs
I like having veggies as a healthy option for my guests. I ordered a veggie platter from Dierberg’s because they’re always fresh and beautiful. Just throw them onto your own platter and it looks like you did all the preparation.
Bundtinis from “Nothing Bundt Cakes”
These delicious miniature bundt cakes, may be small, but pack a punch for any sweet tooth. Nothing Bundt Cakes has two locations in Chesterfield and Brentwood. They have a compact variety of flavors in six types of products (i.e. bundt cakes and bundt towers). I went with chocolate chocolate chip (yep, that’s twice the chocolate) and red velvet for this party, and they all disappeared quick.
What we drank:
Very Peary Breeze
- 1 part pear vodka
- 1 part cranberry juice
- 1 part apple juice
- Frozen cranberries
- Rosemary
Just like the name indicates, this drink is like a fresh breeze. Once mixing the three drink ingredients, throw in some frozen cranberries. These make for festive ice cubes, a nice pop of color, and keeps your drink cold without watering it down. Finally, garnish with rosemary.
I also had a variety of red and white wines and water on hand. You can jazz it up the water by putting a large ice cube with frozen oranges and cranberries inside the container.
