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It is party season! This year I am dealing with feeling overwhelmed and excited for what the holidays are going to bring. Due to the late Thanksgiving our normal routine for holiday decor, parties, and fun are being thrown up in the air a bit. I’m catching what I can and letting the rest fall aside. Okay, metaphor over… you get the idea though!

So, whether you are hosting a gift-wrapping get-together with friends or an elegant holiday party… you’re going to want something to feed your guests. Explore some of the blog’s most popular holiday appetizers below.

Ginger snap cookies make this appetizer even more delish!

Apricot & Honey Goat Cheese Balls

Goat cheese mixed with honey, apricots, and (optional) almonds is rolled into balls and served on top of ginger snap cookies with a drizzle of honey for this quick Apricot & Honey Goat Cheese Balls appetizer. You can also make this into a log or larger ball and serve on a platter with cookies for an even easier display!

This appetizer is ready to travel! Add in the final touches right before serving.

Caprese Wreath Appetizer

Appetizers for parties often end up being pretty rich and heavy. I always try to serve salad of some sort along with a crudites platter. This Caprese Wreath Appetizer is a good bridge for both and is a fantastic thing to bring to another person’s house!

You don’t have to bring serving utensils (or hope your guests have them) and it travels great! Simply prep everything and wrap in plastic. Add in olive oil and balsamic vinegar after you get to your location and you are done!

A little something for everyone!

Holiday Grazing Table

This picture is from one of my first forays into creating a grazing table rather than just a platter of meat, cheese, crudites, and fruit. I’ve improved since on the display, but I still love this because it was just as impressive in person as I hoped it would be. Our guests LOVED it.

So freaking decadent!

Blinis with Creme Fraiche and Caviar

I have a slight obsession with caviar during the holiday season. I love it so much. It feels so decadent! Often expensive, it is nice to use caviar as almost a garnish for your appetizers rather than the main event. Blinis with Creme Fraiche and Caviar is one way to wow your guests without entirely wiping out your bank. Another way is whipping up a batch of my favorite creme fraiche and chive dip with caviar and serving it with kettle chips!

Scallops and bacon with fig spread make for a festive appetizer or dinner option.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Fig Spread

Figs, bacon, and scallops are rich and wonderful each on there own, but even better together. Use this Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Fig Spread recipe as single bites of heaven or serve on skewers for a more hearty appetizer.

Oysters, ’nuff said.

Oysters with Tabasco Shaved Ice

I obviously like seafood over the holidays. My favorite recipes seem to have all types of delicacies from the sea. I know Oysters are not for everyone, but for those who this does appeal to… take your oysters to the next level with flavored granitas or shaved ices. Whether it is a Tabasco Shaved Ice or Champagne Granita your guests will be in awe.

More great appetizer ideas

If you love a good round-up of recipes then for sure jump on over to a previous post with some more delicious holiday appetizers. These were recipes created by friends of mine that are sure to make your holiday party extra special.

What is your favorite go-to appetizer for a holiday party? Share in the comments below!

Photo creds: Two amazing professional photographers are featured above: Mary Boyden (oysters and the featured image of the holiday party scene) and Macey Snelson (blinis). In addition the bloggers that contributed recipes to the holiday appetizer round up are linked within that post. Go check it out!

October through January 1st marks my very favorite season. What season you, ask? It certainly doesn’t fit in the normal four seasons of Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring. Nope… it’s Party Season! To me, this is truly the most wonderful time of the year as it gives me ample opportunities to enjoy the company of my friends and family. Also, I do love me some party food. When decorating my house a couple of years ago I really wanted to touch on this wonderful season with a cheap and easy holiday decor item— a printable poster! This “Wonderful Time of The Year” Poster printable is super sleek with it’s black and white color scheme. It’ll pop amoung nearly anyone’s holiday decorations.

This is the third day of my 12 Days of Christmas DIYs for 2018. Each day for the next twelve days I share DIY projects, recipes, entertainment, and more, that you can incorporate in your holiday season. Most will be super simple!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year Poster | A Well Crafted Party

To create this super simple DIY you only need to download the free printable Holiday Poster File, save to your computer, and then bring to your favorite Staples store. Order this print as an Engineering Print. Frame your poster with a poster frame or post with tacks!

The holidays are certainly here and though I’ve been celebrating nearly two weeks straight… the parties aren’t over yet! We still have New Year’s Eve around the corner. The great thing about New Years is that anything goes when it comes to entertaining. Whether you are hosting a laid-back NYE get-together with pizza or a fancy cocktail party with all the trimmings… it is just about the CELEBRATING!

I recently got to share a few holiday appetizer tips on KGW and thought I’d share them here today. See my spot here, and scroll down for more tips.

 

Holiday Party Appetizers

Your holiday party doesn’t have to be extra stressful, use some of the below tips to make whatever you are celebrating a fun time for everyone involved, including YOU the host. Affiliate links are included below and are marked as such. Affiliate links are one way that this blog is able to maintain content. Purchases made from affiliate links may result in small amount of income for this blog at no cost to the purchaser.

Mini Fruitcakes - A Well Crafted Party

Make miniature versions of your favorite holiday foods. 

Do you have a favorite holiday meal that you enjoy each year? Make it mini! Meatballs on toothpicks have never really gone out of style for good reason. Mini foods are fun to serve and easy to eat. This year I did a miniature version of fruit cake to serve at my holiday shindigs. I nixed the dried fruit in favor of a fresh fruit combination of cranberry and orange. The fresh cranberries made the cake much more tart than a traditional fruit cake. In order to balance that pop of tart flavor I glazed the mini fruit cakes with an orange glaze and white chocolate drizzle. You could certainly create little cupcakes to make this recipe, but I favored my mini loaf pan (affiliate link) to mimic the traditional loaf.

Some favorite Cranberry Orange Cake Recipes:

caprese skewers - a well crafted party

Get festive with favorites!

Caprese salad or caprese skewers are always a fan favorite at any of my parties and they are SO easy to make. Make it slightly more festive by putting the skewers in a ring around a dipping sauce to mimic the shape of a wreath or clock.

Caprese Wreath Appetizer

This recipe makes 24 skewers. You can easily increase this recipe to feed a crowd however.

Ingredients:

  • mozzarella balls – marinated in Italian seasonings, garlic, and olive oil. Approximately 24 mozzarella balls.
  • cherry tomatoes – halved – you need 24 halves
  • 24 basil leaves (fresh, not dried)
  • 24 tooth picks
  • 1 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions:

  1. You can buy pre-marinated mozzarella balls and just move on to the next step. However, if you can’t find the mozzarella balls pre-marinated then simply create a marinade of olive oil, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Cover the mozzarella balls in the mixture and let sit in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. If you can’t find mozzarella balls then you can cut up a larger portion of fresh mozzarella into 24 pieces and then marinate.
  2. Skewer 1 half cherry tomato, 1 basil leaf, and one mozzarella ball with a toothpick. I think that it looks more festive to go with red, green and then white, but you can really do it in whichever combination looks right to you. To create the wreath like look it just needs to be uniform with the other skewers. Circle completed skewers around a bowl on a platter.
  3. In the center bowl mix your seasonings and balsamic vinegar. This makes a delicious dipping sauce for your caprese skewers.

caviar chips and dip - A Well Crafted Party

Enjoy an unexpected decadent treat!

If there is any time in the year to splurge a bit and treat your guests it would be the holidays. New Years Eve screams oysters and champagne to me. Bring out the good chocolate or treat your guests to some caviar to really make the evening special. I shared one of my favorite dips that I learned from a team member at Whole Foods a few years ago. I call it my $50 dip. It is quite extravagant, but it can easily feed a crowd and is an extra special treat!

Caviar Dip & Chips

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped chives
  • 16 oz of creme fraiche
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • fresh squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 to 1 oz of caviar – I used Paddlefish Roe (affiliate link). Sturgeon Caviar (affiliate link) would also be a great addition. You could even substitute Salmon Roe for a different flavor profile.
  • Kettle Chips

Directions:

  • Mix chopped chives, garlic powder, and lemon juice with creme fraiche. Chill in fridge for at least 1 hour.
  • Top the dip with caviar – spread out with a spoon so that guests get a little caviar with each chip.
  • Serve with kettle chips.

 

Other decadent appetizer ideas:

Holiday Garnish Ideas - A Well Crafted Party

Don’t forget a festive garnish!

Elevate your holiday appetizers by making sure your platters and plates are garnished. Use fresh fruits and herbs for a truly spectacular (and useable) garnish. I like taking pomegranates, oranges, grapefruit, cranberries, and rosemary for a beautifully festive garnish for holiday treats.

Have a happy holiday season and don’t forget to treat yourself in the midst of all of the holiday entertaining and giving.