At Thanksgiving and Christmas, we usually eat dinner at 3, which means it wouldn’t be smart to eat lunch. I serve a hearty breakfast, then set out a spread of festive appetizers around 11:30. I like to put out a mix of sweet and savory out to mix it up. My spread usually includes a cheeseball, crackers, marinated olives, summer sausage, spicy bourbon pecans, sugared cranberries, and fudge. Everything is homemade, but the summer sausage. I’m not sure why I don’t make these olives all year long, but they sure make every holiday season special. These are quick to put together, and would even make a lovely hostess gift.
Marinated Olives
2 cups pitted Spanish olives
2 tablespoons fruit or other apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp sherry
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Mix all marinade ingredients together in a bowl or jar.
Stir, and add olives. Let sit a couple of days. Chill until ready to serve.
spicy bourbon pecans, sugared cranberries, and fudge
They ALL sound great.
Can you post the recipes???
Hi Loraine! The sugared cranberries you can find within this article https://preservedhome.com/cranberry-time/
I can’t find a fudge recipe that works for me, and would love if someone had one to recommend. So I serve sub-par fudge but it gets eaten. HAHA! I’m looking for one without marshmallow cream. In regards to the spicy bourbon pecans, I’ll make that my next post just for you! :)