Holiday Appetizers Made Easy with ALDI

This post is sponsored by ALDI.

Holiday festivities are here and in this post, I’m going to share my trick for creating an enticing and beautiful appetizer vignette without spending the entire day in the kitchen before a party.

Mix in homemade appetizers with store-bought snacks and treats. The more the merrier when you are creating an appetizer spread and there is no reason every single item on that spread needs to be homemade.

And I dare you not to fill your cart with the tastiest and most unique finds from ALDI when you are shopping for an upcoming party or get together.

With girls’ night in mind, I wanted to make a crowd-pleasing appetizer spread that only required a little bit of prep and cook time. I made Bacon Wrapped Dates with Cream Cheese and Baked Brie with Cranberry Sauce. I added the Savoritz Assorted Cracker Selection for the Baked Brie and also put out a dish with Specially Selected Baked Cheese Bites.

I like to add a small dish of truffles or chocolate as well in case my guests have an urgent sweet tooth. One of my favorite treats from ALDI is the Specially Selected Dark Chocolate Covered Sea Salt Caramels!

For wine, it’s best to provide at least one white and one red. I selected William Wright Chardonnay, Intermingle Red Blend, Exquisite Collection Malbec, and Grandi Mori Valdobbiadene Prosecco.

If you are unsure about selecting wine, a red blend is a safe option that is easy to drink. A Prosecco or Moscato is also a favorite amongst a crowd as it’s often light and refreshing.

I know I’ve shared this here before, but having a bottle of wine open, and perhaps a glass for yourself already poured, sends a casual and inviting vibe to your guests as they arrive. It’s a great way to avoid someone from feeling uncomfortable by asking to open a bottle.

If you have any holiday parties or events coming up, here are two recipes to try!

Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Cream Cheese

serves approx. 16, prep time: 15 minutes, bake time 25 minutes

16 Medjool dates, pitted

1/4 cup cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

8 slices of Appleton Farms Thick Sliced bacon, cut in half

Preheat oven to 375. Cover a baking pan with foil to make clean up easy! Slice an opening into the date lengthwise but do not cut all the way through. Remove the pit if necessary. In a separate bowl, stir salt into softened cream cheese. Fill date with 1/4-1/3 teaspoon of salted cream cheese, then wrap in bacon slice. Secure with a toothpick.

Bake for 10 minutes, then flip. Bake for another 10 minutes then check to see if the bacon is fully cooked.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Baked Brie doesn’t require much of a recipe but I think the presentation is everything with this appetizer!

Baked Brie with Cranberry Sauce, served with sliced apples and crackers

serves approx 16-20, prep time: 5 minutes, bake time 8 minutes

1 round of Emporium Selection Brie Cheese, rind intact

Sweet Harvest Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

Honeycrisp Apples

Savoritz Six Cracker Assortment

optional: fresh cranberries or fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 375. Place Brie on foil-covered baking sheet and place in oven for approximately 8 minutes. Remove from oven, place in serving dish lined with sliced apples and crackers. Top brie with cranberry sauce and add fresh cranberries if desired.

This post was sponsored by ALDI.