I am having christmas at my house and was wondering if anyone had some fast and easy recipies you would like to share to serve as appetizers main dishes or sides anything I need some ideas not the best cook I am having 21 peoople.

Make things easy on yourself. Visit SAM's and pick up some appetizers. You can buy so much prepared food now that is good. Here are some quick things though:

Precious Picante

Take 2 packages of Philadelphia cream cheese and mix. Add Pace THICK picante sauce in whatever heat you like. Serve with chips. I find PACE works the best.

pineapple Dip or Ball

Cream cream cheese and add chopped green pepper (fine), a little chopped onion (fine) and 1 can of drained crushed pineapple. You might want to add a little salt. Add crushed pecans. Roll in nuts to form ball or serve as a loose dip. This gets rave reviews from all. It is better if made the night before and left to sit in the refrigerator to get full flavor.

Buy a spiral ham and heat in over right before dinner. Serve with potato salad, macaroni salad, etc. Make some deviled eggs. You could also make a sweet potato casserole.

Have fun

Layered Pea salad

Shred 1 head of lettuce into a large serving bowl. (I use bag lettuce)

Chop up 1 bunch of green onions and sprinkle on top of lettuce.

Pour 1 bag of frozen Petite Green Peas over the onions.

Pour Ranch dressing over the top of the peas, enough so you don't even see the peas.

Pour a layer of your favorite shredded cheese over the dressing.

Then pour a layer of bacon bits over the cheese.

VERY simple and VERY delicious. People that don't even like peas love this salad. It is my FAVORITE dish to take somewhere.

cheese Ball

2 packages cream cheese softened so it is easy to work with

1 bunch green onions

2 pkgs of the cheap thinly sliced deli meats from HEB

Chopped Green Olives (optional)

Add all of the ingredients together and you may roll them into a ball and cover with chopped pecans if you like. Or, just serve out of a bowl without rolling into a ball.

We have ALWAYS made this cheese ball in my family, but recently my grandma added the green olives and it makes it even better.

Shrimp with cocktail sauce; low cal onion dip (mix 16 oz yogurt with a packet of Lipton's Onion Soup Mix) and serve with celery and carrot sticks for those wanting healthy and chips for others; cheese and crackers. All are no cook and easy appetizers.

Main courses for all those people should be cassarole type. Boil a pound of macaroni and mix it with a jar of tomato sauce. Brown up a pound of chop meat. Put half the macaroni in a large pan (get the toss away aluminum ones), layer the macaroni with 16 oz ricotta cheese, sprinkle sauce over it, layer on the chop meat and top that with sauce, layer on 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese and add sauce on top of that. Put the other half of the macaroni on top and top with 8 oz mozzarella cheese. It's 2 jars of sauce, one pound of chop meat, one pound of mozzarella cheese, 16 oz ricotta cheese and one pound of macaroni... tastes like lasagna and it gets raves.

Hi Flower:

My husband is a chef and he taught my weight loss group last week how to put a low calorie twist on some of his favourite hor d'oeurves. If you have to feed all these people there might as well be stuff that you can eat.

Cucumber rounds make a great base ...cut an english cucumber in 1/2 in rounds.....using the tip of a teaspoon scoup out the centre making a little bowl (don't go all the way through). Mix canned crab with low fat mayo, finely chopped onion,raddish, celery and place a spoon full in each hole topped with a parsley leaf.

Mix low fat cream cheese with tabasco or chipotle puree, place a teaspoon on a rice cracker and top with a baby shrimp (can by a small bag frozen) top with anything that will add colour like a sliver of red pepper, parsley, coriander,etc.

dips....mix curry with low fat yogourt and sour cream

........mix hot salsa...half and half....with low fat sour cream

........make your own salsa....chopped tomato, red onion, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper....best served the next day.

I have an entire Christmas dinner of recipes that my husband put together for my weight loss group, couldn't possible retype them but it you would like to try and scan and email them to you just pm me your email address.

Carol

I take a softened pack of cream cheese, and spread it over a plate, add a can of drained crab meat then top with coctail sauce, it's a hit. I serve it with veggie ritz crackers.

1 jar of chili sauce, and equal amount of grape jelly, in the crock pot. Blend and melt until smooth, add meatballs. Taste like a sweet and sour bbq sauce, also good with coctail sausages.

Layered taco dip

1 16oz container of sour cream blended with taco meat seasoning

1 16oz container of guacamole

lettuce (i buy the bagged preshredded)

cheese

refried Beans ot black beans drained

if you want to add ground beef

layer and serve with chips

1 block of velveeta

1 can of diced rotel tomatos

1 cup of light cream

1 pack of taco sasoning

melt in crock pot

you can add ground beef if you want

I top with cilantro and serve with tortilla chips

Cool Veggie pizza

<O:p</O:p

<O:p</O:p

1 pkg refrigerated crescent rolls<O:p</O:p

1 pkg cream cheese, softened<O:p</O:p

1 1/2 tsp mayonnaise 7mL<O:p</O:p

1 clove garlic, pressed <O:p</O:p

1 tsp Italian Seasoning Mix<O:p</O:p

Salt and ground black pepper to taste<O:p</O:p

2 cups assorted vegetables such as broccoli, cucumber, red pepper, green onions, tomato, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini or yellow squash <O:p></O:p>

1 oz cheddar cheese, grated (1/4 cup) <O:p</O:p

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Unroll crescent roll dough and divide into triangles. Arrange triangles in a circle on Large Round Stone with narrow ends toward centre. Using lightly floured Baker's Roller™, roll out dough to a 12 inch circle; press to seal perforations. Bake 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown; cool completely. <O:p></O:p>
   
2. In Classic Batter Bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic pressed with Garlic Press and seasonings; mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over top of crust. <O:p></O:p>
   
3. To prepare vegetables, chop broccoli, cucumber and red pepper using food Chopper. Coarsely chop green onion and tomato using Utility Knife. Slice mushrooms using Egg Slicer Plus®. Thinly slice carrot, zucchini and yellow squash with Crinkle Cutter. <O:p></O:p>
   
4. Sprinkle vegetables over top of pizza. Grate cheese evenly over pizza using Deluxe Cheese Grater. Cut with Pizza Cutter; serve with Mini-Serving Spatula.<O:p></O:p>

Yield: 8 servings

Per serving: Per serving: 189 calories; 4 g protein; 15 g total fat; 6 g sat fat; 11 g carbohydrate; 0 g fibre; 31 mg cholesterol; 280 mg sodium

Hi Carol,

I am new to this forum. I would love to have your extended Christmas dinner recipes but don't know how to do a PM.

Thanks,

Jude

Hi Flower:

My husband is a chef and he taught my weight loss group last week how to put a low calorie twist on some of his favourite hor d'oeurves. If you have to feed all these people there might as well be stuff that you can eat.

Cucumber rounds make a great base ...cut an english cucumber in 1/2 in rounds.....using the tip of a teaspoon scoup out the centre making a little bowl (don't go all the way through). Mix canned crab with low fat mayo, finely chopped onion,raddish, celery and place a spoon full in each hole topped with a parsley leaf.

Mix low fat cream cheese with tabasco or chipotle puree, place a teaspoon on a rice cracker and top with a baby shrimp (can by a small bag frozen) top with anything that will add colour like a sliver of red pepper, parsley, coriander,etc.

dips....mix curry with low fat yogourt and sour cream

........mix hot salsa...half and half....with low fat sour cream

........make your own salsa....chopped tomato, red onion, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper....best served the next day.

I have an entire Christmas dinner of recipes that my husband put together for my weight loss group, couldn't possible retype them but it you would like to try and scan and email them to you just pm me your email address.

Carol

Corn casserole is quick and easy and always a hit.

1 can of creamed corn

1 can of regular corn (drained)

1 8 oz container of sour cream

1 box of jiffy corn bread mix

1 stick of butter melted

mix all ingredients in a bowl. Pour into a greased 1.5-2 QT casserole dish and back in a preheated over at 350 for 45 min-to an hour. Casserole is done when toothpick can be inserted in center and come out clean.

My standard dish to all holiday events is called "overnight potatoes"

Boil 5 lb bag of baking potatoes

cool and peel

grate 1/2 of potatoes and layer in a 9x13 pan

Pour 1 pint of whipping cream over potatoes

sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese and seasoning salt (go alittle heavier on the seasoning salt)

Grate remaining 1/2 of potates and layer

whipping cream, cheese and salt

cover with foil and put in fridge overnight

bake at 350 for 45 minutes

take foil off and bake 15 minutes more or until a little brown on top.

Everyone will love this.

Thank you for the Corn Casserole recipe! I love corn and so does my hubby!