Entertaining is one of my favorite things to do! Especially now that the house is done. I love creating simple appetizers that are crowd pleasers.

I’m doing a little Christmas game night with friends and have a little entertaining menu.

Menu

• Grandma’s Cheese Ball
• DIY Charcuterie Board
• Easy Shrimp Cocktail
• Roasted Brussels with Dijon Aioli
• Spiced Rosemary Sangria

Let’s get started!

Grandma’s Cheese Ball

• 2 (8 Ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 5 ounces dried beef chopped, divided
• 5 green onions chopped, divided
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, chipped beef (reserving about 1/4 cup), green onions, cheddar cheese, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and salt. Mix together until incorporated.
2. Roll into a ball and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least an hour or until firm.
3. Unroll the cheese ball from the plastic wrap and roll in reserved chipped beef and green onions. Serve with crackers.

Easy Shrimp Cocktail

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh or thawed shrimp, cleaned and deveined.
• 2 tsp old bay seasoning
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp pepper
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 3 tbsp creamed horseradish sauce
• Half of a lemon squeezed
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Set your oven to 350. Pat the shrimp dry and lay on a lightly greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with old bay and pepper, gently mix so all shrimp is seasoned, then top with butter. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until shrimp is nice and pink.
2. While shrimp is baking, combine your ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice and Worcestershire and mix well in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Take the shrimp out of the oven and place on a serving dish and serve with cocktail sauce.

DIY Charcuterie Board

There is no right or wrong way to making a charcuterie board. Charcuterie boards in my opinion are a form of art and I love to make my boards creative and different each time. I took brown craft paper and used that as a base to set the food on and paired it with my charcuterie set from pottery barn.

I bought various crackers, figs, peppered meats, soft cheeses, hard cheeses, cheeses that paired with jams (such as fig and Gouda). It was perfect and so fun! Plus you get to be creative!

Roasted Parmesan Brussels with Dijon Ailoi

• 1 lb. fresh brussels sprouts, halved. or cut into wedges if they are bigger

• 1–2 tbsp olive oil

• 1/4 tsp garlic powder, optional

• salt and pepper to taste

Dijon Ailoi

• 1/4 cup mayo, I use avocado oil mayo

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 & 1/2 tbsp dijon
• 2 tbsp whole grain mustard

• 1 tsp minced garlic

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

1. Toss your brussels sprouts with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

1. Arrange them on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until they are crispy and golden enough to your liking! Toss them half way. 

1. Combine all the aioli ingredients. Mix together and chill until the brussel sprouts are ready.

1. Dip the brussels sprouts in the dipping sauce and enjoy!