Holiday Entertaining Guide: Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Appetizers

Happy Holidays! This week I’m kicking off my Holiday Entertaining Guide with some easy appetizers. They’re also elegant appetizers that will be on my Thanksgiving table this year. I have lots of fun Holiday content planned for Four Seasons of Autumn over the next several weeks including some great holiday styling tips. I partnered with my friends at Fairway to Buckingham to create a gorgeous Thanksgiving tablescape (check out their Instagram page). Stay tuned for a closer look later this week. My Kitchen is my happy place – especially during the holidays. So, nothing brings me more joy than to share my favorite holiday recipes with you! Some of the recipes will be sourced from my favorite food bloggers/chefs, some will be my family recipes, and others will be new recipes I hope to incorporate into my family traditions.

Yes, the Holidays can be stressful, especially if you’re hosting. But with a little planning, these make-ahead thanksgiving appetizers will for sure give you the hostess with the mostess title. You can prepare all of these appetizers the day before and easily assemble them right before your guests arrive. Garnish them with some fresh herbs, and they’ll never know you got a full 8 hours of sleep the night before.

Butternut Squash Crostini

I love this fall twist on classic tomato bruschetta. It will add great color and fall flavor to your Thanksgiving table. It’s from one of my favorite cookbooks and Food Blogger – Erin Gleason. You can find the full recipe in ForestFeast Gatherings. It’s simply toasted baguette slices with goat cheese, topped with roasted butternut squash and fresh thyme. The baguette slices were toasted the day before and the butternut squash was also prepared the day before. Simply assemble the baguettes before your guests arrive.

Caramelized Onion Mini Tarts

Equally as pretty and delicious are the caramelized onion mini tarts. They’re perfectly bite-sized and full of fall flavor, too. This recipe came from a food blogger who I LOVE: check out her delicious recipe for this gorgeous appetizer HERE. Again, I made everything for this recipe in advance; the tarts and caramelized onions. I assembled them and baked about 30 minutes before my guests arrived. These are delicious hot or cold. 

Prosciutto Wrapped Dates

I love making appetizers! Often times, they’re effortless yet elegant, which is just what the holidays require. Prosciutto wrapped dates are another simple yet elegant appetizer. I love to add this to charcuterie boards or make as a stand alone appetizer. 

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

These are always on the request list when I’m hosting a party or attending a holiday event and need to bring a dish! They are my dad’s favorite! Everyone loves these and they go quickly – so make a large batch. These are the most time consuming of the four appetizers listed. But worth it! Again, you can make them the day before and just pop them in the oven before guests arrive. These are best when served warm. You can keep them on a warming tray if you’d like to keep them out for awhile. You can also make these weeks in advance and freeze them. Just make sure they’re completely thawed before baking. 

Whether you make one or all of these appetizers you will make some hungry people happy this holiday season! If you’re hosting a cocktail party these are also great! I especially love cocktail parties during the holiday season because they generally don’t involve a big heavy meal – and these appetizers are perfectly light and satisfying. So here is a recap:

• Butternut Squash Crostini
• Caramelized Onion Mini Tarts
• Prosciutto Wrapped Dates
• Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Cheers and happy holidays! I look forward to sharing more of my Thanksgiving Table later this week! Stay tuned!