The party is at your house this year, which means your family and friends are coming and bringing their picky eaters and grumbling stomachs along. Hosting can be a headache, so welcome to Entertaining 101 – a series on the Fair Oaks Farms’ blog for tips and tricks about hosting this holiday season. We’ll give you recipes for appetizers, side dishes, and main dishes, that will blow all of your guests out of the water. Today, we’re tackling appetizers. Below is a small round up of dishes that all include Fair Oaks Farms’ products.

Bacon-Tomato & Cheese Open-Faced Sandwiches

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe tomatoes
  • 8 strips Farmstead Bacon
  • 4 slices thick sandwich bread
  • ¾ grated Farmstead Mild Cheddar
  • ¾ cup granted Farmstead Mozzarella
  • ¾ cup mayonnaise
  • 5 scallions, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • ½ small zucchini, thinly sliced or spiralized
  • salt & pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Core the tomatoes and thinly slice. Place in a colander and sprinkle with salt, then let drain for at least 15 minutes.
  2. While tomatoes are draining, cook the bacon until crisp and transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate for draining. Pour off and reserve the drippings, leaving 1 tablespoon in the skillet.
  3. Grill your bread on one side in the drippings until golden. It helps to do this one or two slices at once, replenishing the dripping as you go. Place the bread, toasted side down, on a baking sheet.
  4. Stir together the cheese, mayonnaise, scallions, and parsley. Spread the mixture on the toasts, saving about 1/3 cup. Crumble the bacon on top of the mixture. Shake off any remaining liquid from the tomatoes, then distribute evenly with the zucchini on the toasts. Dot the open-faced sandwiches with the remaining cheese mixture and season with pepper.
  5. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

 

Bacon-Wrapped Jalapenos Stuffed with Cheese

Ingredients

  • 12 fresh jalapeno peppers
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup shredded Farmstead Havarti Pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 12 slices Farmstead Bacon, cut in half
  • 24 toothpicks

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a baking rack on top of the baking sheet. Set aside.
  2. Cut the jalapeno peppers in half, lengthwise. Remove seeds and center. Set aside.
  3. Mix the cream cheese, Farmstead Havarti Pepper cheese, garlic, and paprika, together until combined. Add salt to taste. Spoon the mixture into the halved jalapenos equally.
  4. Wrap each stuffed jalapeno with half-slice of Farmstead Bacon, then stick a toothpick through the center to keep the bacon in place. Place wrapped peppers on the baking rack, bake for 25-30 minutes or until the bacon is crisp. Serve immediately.

 

Cheesy Garlic Herb Crack Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf Sourdough bread
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
  • ¾ cup shredded Farmstead Mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the melted butter, garlic, salt, parsley, rosemary, and thyme.
  2. Use a serrated bread knife to cut the bread diagonally into 1-inch diamonds, being careful not to slice all the way through. Pry open each crack and stuff bread with butter mixture and shredded cheese.
  3. Wrap the entire loaf in foil. Place on a rimmed baking sheet, bake for 15, or until cheese is melted. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes or until crusty. Serve immediately.

 

Cheesy Caramelized Onion Dip

Ingredients

  • ½ pound Farmstead Bacon
  • 1 tablespoon Farmstead Butter
  • 2 large onions, thinly sliced
  • 8-ounce cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup shredded Farmstead Mild Cheddar Cheese
  • 1 cup shredded Farmstead Mozzarella Cheese
  • chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
  • toasted baguette slices, for serving
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook Farmstead Bacon until crispy, drain, and set aside. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings.
  2. Melt butter in the same pan. Add sliced onions and cook until tender and golden.
  3. Mix cream cheese, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder. Beat until light and fluffy, then season with salt and pepper. Crumble Farmstead Bacon, then fold into cream cheese mixture with Farmstead Cheeses and sliced onions.
  4. Transfer mixture to small baking dish and bake until bubbly.
  5. Garnish with parsley and serve warm with bread for dipping.

 

Olive-Asiago Flatbread

Ingredients

  • ½ cup chopped green olives
  • ½ cup chopped parsley
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 grated garlic clove
  • 2 flatbreads
  • ½ cup shredded Farmstead Asiago
  • pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine green olives, parsley, olive oil, and garlic. Season with pepper.
  2. Spread evenly onto each flatbread, top with Farmstead Asiago.
  3. Bake until crisp, approximately 12 minutes. Cut into pieces and serve.

 

Cheesy Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Italian pork sausage
  • ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 8-ounce cream cheese
  • ¼ cup shredded Farmstead Gouda cheese
  • 1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 3 teaspoons dried basil
  • 1 ½ teaspoons dried parsley flakes
  • 30 large mushrooms, stems removed
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook sausage, onion, and garlic, over medium heat. Break up sausage into crumbles while cooking, until sausage is no longer pink and onion is soft. Drain.
  2. Combine sausage, onion, cream cheese, and Farmstead Asiago. Cook and stir until melted. Stir in bread crumbs, basil, and parsley.
  3. While fillings are cooking, place mushroom caps in the greased baking pan, stem side up. Brush with melted butter. Spoon fillings into mushroom caps.
  4. Bake, uncovered until mushrooms are tender.

 

Cheese & Bacon Micro Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 12 small Yukon gold potatoes
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/3 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/3 cup shredded Farmstead Havarti Veggie
  • 4 slices Farmstead Bacon
  • 1 tablespoon chives, minced

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil potatoes, add salt, continue cooking until tender. Drain and cool.
  2. Slice a small piece from top and bottom of each potato. Transfer to a bowl to toss with oil, salt, and pepper.
  3. Place potatoes on baking sheet, then score each top. Top with equal amounts Farmstead Havarti Veggie and Farmstead Bacon. Bake until cheese melts.
  4. Sprinkles with chives and serve.

 

You can purchase all of our Farmstead Cheeses at our online shop and the Cowfé. Farmstead Bacon is sold at the Dairycatessan. If you cook up a mean appetizer with one of our Farmstead items, comment below!