4 Must-Have Recipes For Your Winter Holiday Party

4 Must-Have Recipes for Your Winter Holiday Party

Whether you're throwing a winter holiday party during Christmas, New Year's or to brighten up a winter break, you'll want some equally cheery recipes to serve guests. Here are our favorite festive recipes to wow a crowd – everything from hot, cold and finger foods to warm everyone's appetite.

1. Mini-Meatball Hot Appetizers: You can't have a party without an assortment of meatball appetizers. Use easy packages of frozen meatballs. Keep toothpicks on hand. Here are two favorite recipes:

1. Coat frozen meatballs with grape jelly and BBQ sauce, cook in crockpot on high 2 to 3 hours.
2. Make mini-meatball subs with dinner rolls. Just combine quality marinara sauce with frozen meatballs, cook through, place one on a dinner roll and top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Before serving, melt cheese by putting tray in hot oven for a few minutes.

2. Candy Cane Cold Appetizers: The trick to this adult-and-kid-friendly appetizer is bendable straws. For fruit candy canes, alternate slices of bananas and strawberries. For a savory appetizer, alternate rounds of pepperoni or grape tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. If straws are a bother, simply place food on plates in the shape of candy canes.

3. Garlic Roast Beef Pinwheels: Feed a crowd quick (about 36 pinwheels) with this recipe:

Ingredients:

• 6 soft 8-inch taco-size flour tortillas
• 1 package of garlic and herb spreadable soft cheese
• ½ pound deli roast beef sliced thin
• toothpicks

Instructions:

1. Spread cheese over an open tortilla wrap.
2. Cover cheese with roast beef slices and sprinkle pinch of salt over top.
3. Roll up the tortilla tightly.
4. Wrap each tortilla (uncut) in plastic wrap and regrigerate overnight to help keep its shape.
5. Next day before the party, slice each log into equal pieces (as large or small as you'd like).
6. Insert a toothpick, arrange on a tray and refrigerate until serving time.

4. Hot Cocoa Popcorn: Move over, Autumn s'mores, make room for winter's crunchy chocolate popcorn.

Ingredients:

• 8 cups plain popped popcorn
• 1 ¾ cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 packet hot cocoa mix
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup milk chocolate chips
• ¼ cup light corn syrup

Instructions:

1. Combine popcorn and 1 cup marshmallows in a bowl.
2. Combine cocoa mix (minus 2 teaspoons set aside), ½ cup marshmallows, sugar, butter and corn syrup in a nonstick saucepan. Cook up to 6 minutes over medium heat constantly stirring until mixture is melted and smooth.
3. Pour melted mixture over popcorn and marshmallows, stir to coat.
4. Pour popcorn mixture onto large piece of waxed paper and divide mixture into small clumps.
5. Sprinkle clumps with rest of cocoa mix and remaining marshmallows.
6. Microwave milk chocolate chips in bowl for up to 2 minutes while stirring every few seconds and drizzle melted chocolate over popcorn clumps.
7. Let popcorn set and store in airtight containers until your party.

For more melt-in-your-mouth winter holiday party recipes and ideas, visit Foodlion.com.