Cranberries are a popular fall fruit.
Warm up your guests during the chilly fall season with homemade appetizers. Find inspiration in the flavors associated with autumn, such as sweet potato, pumpkin, apple, turkey, cranberries and pecans. Using fall foods not only enforces a fall theme, it ensures you're using in-season ingredients. In-season means the ingredients taste better and cost less than something imported or grown in a greenhouse.
Stuffed Mushrooms
Stuffed mushroom caps are button mushroom caps stuffed with anything and baked until golden. You can stick with one recipe for a small party or create assorted stuffed caps for a large party. Cut the stem from each clean cap, scoop the spores from under the cap and stuff with your filling. Try chives, bacon and cream cheese stuffed mushrooms or spicy turkey sausage and cranberry stuffed mushrooms. Bake the mushrooms at 350 degrees until golden and serve immediately.
Pumpkin Dip
Serve a dip that tastes like pumpkin pie, minus the crust, for a sweet autumn appetizer. Open a can of pumpkin pie filling, pour it into a bowl and warm it in the oven. Place the bowl in the middle of a platter. Arrange pretzel sticks, apple slices, pear slices and graham crackers around the bowl. Eaten plain; the fruit slices also provide a light snack for guests watching their diet.
Nut Mix
Home roasted nuts thrown into a fall-flavored mix provides a filling appetizer for guests who like to "graze" at parties. Toss shelled pumpkin seeds, pecans, walnuts and peanuts with a little sugar, salt, cinnamon and oil. Roast the mix at 350 degrees until golden and pour into a bowl. Toss dried cranberries and raisins into the bowl and serve with napkins so guests can walk around while snacking.
Sweet Potato Chips
Give the basic "chips and dip" appetizer an autumn twist by replacing the potato chips with sweet potato chips. Scrub and thinly slice your sweet potatoes. Deep fry the slices until crisp, working in small batches. Place chips on a paper towel to cool and sprinkle with seasoning. Serve the chips with warm apple pie filling, French onion dip, ranch dip or plain sour cream.
Mini Turkey Quiches
Mini turkey quiches offer guests an elegant appetizer with a hint of Thanksgiving flavors. Use homemade dough or prepared biscuit/pie dough for the quiche shells. Bake the shells as directed in mini muffin tins and let cool. Whip together a basic quiche filling, eggs and cream, and add your special ingredients, such as shredded cooked turkey, dried cranberries and grated Swiss cheese. Pour the filling into each shell, bake at 350 degrees until set, let cool and serve.
Cut Caramel Apples
These sweet snacks are part-appetizer and part-dessert, so you can serve them before or after a meal. Slice red or green apples in half and cut out the core to create a small bowl shape. Drizzle caramel syrup in the middle of each slice and sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Place each appetizer on a napkin to catch any drips before placing it on the tray.
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