Hostess Duty? Dazzle with These Delicious Hors D'oeuvres

These fresh and delicious party nibbles will make every guest feel right at home

From the LifeMinute Team

November 25, 2015

Delectable dishes are all about the right ingredients. Here are some of the season's best.

Haute Hors d'oeuvres

"For me it's all about the basics," says Kris Schoels, Lifestyle and Nutrition Expert. Having something set out for guests to nibble on as they arrive is a must. "I display something beautiful and simple for them as I'm running around taking care of things in the kitchen."

When you're looking for such a simple and delicious crowd-pleaser, cheese is always a winner. In particular Simply Artisan Reserve from Litehouse, which is the top artisan cheese on the market. It's made with single-source milk and aged one hundred days for premium flavor, then cut from the center of the wheel where the flavor is the most developed.

Serving it is simple, even for a busy hostess.

"What I've done here is topped it with pomegranate seeds, a little bit of honey and rosemary sprigs. Serve it with a bit of fruit and just personalize it and make it your own," says Schoels, who notes that the packaging makes pouring the cheese onto the plate a breeze. "Just tip and serve."

Find Litehouse cheeses in the specialty deli department in your local grocery store.

From Dressing To Dip

Crudit is always a reliable pre-meal snack, but how to jazz it up for the season? "That's why I love Litehouse dressings. They're really versatile for the holidays because they can be used as a dip, like I've done here with sweet potato fries, asparagus, tomatoes, and carrots," points out Schoels, who adds that they're a healthy complement to any dish due to their lack of preservatives, MSGs, and high fructose corn syrup. "They're made fresh, which makes them really flavorful," she adds.

Fresh Herbs. All Year.

Don't assume that just because it's the off-season, the taste of fresh-herbs is just a holiday dream. "Nothing adds flavor like herbs, but I think a lot of people in the off season think that when fresh herbs are hard to come by you have to make do with dried herbs," says Schoels.

Not so! Try Litehouse herbs, which are actually freeze-dried fresh herbs. "Add a little water to them to rehydrate them and bring out the fresh flavor," suggests Schoels, who is a fan of serving her guests a deceptively-simple bruschetta.
"I just got back from Italy and I was really inspired by the fresh tastes and flavors, so what I've done here is garnished the toast with a little bit of diced tomatoes, some of the herbs and a little bit of the cheese."

Look for Litehouse herbs in the spice aisle or produce section of your local grocery store. And for more amazing recipes and ideas for the holidays, check out the Litehouse blog at Litehousefoods.com.

Enter their #holidazzle contest, where three winners will win a thousand dollar grocery store gift card each.

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