“Whoever thought of appetizers was literally like, ‘We should pre-game this food with more food,’ and I think that is really beautiful.” I read that on Facebook not too long ago and I agree, appetizers are some pretty amazing little snacks before the big meal.

So, let’s give thanks to whoever invented appetizers, and make a few for the family. All four are easy to make and are oh, so tasty — you just might not have room for turkey. Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy!

Caramel Dipped Grapes

Large bundle of grapes, washed and dried

1 container of caramel dip

1 bag of mixed nut topping

Toothpicks

Pierce grape with a tooth pick, dip into the caramel and then into the nuts. Great activity to keep little hands busy if they want to help in the kitchen. My family loved to just grab a grape, dip into the caramel, then the nuts, and eat. 

Cream Cheese and Sausage Crescents

1 pound ground breakfast sausage

8 ounces cream cheese

2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls 

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage until no longer pink; drain. Reduce heat to medium low and add 8 ounces cream cheese to hot sausage and stir until completely melted. 

Unroll dough on work surface. Press perforations to seal. To make the bundles use a pizza cutter and cut into 24 squares. Add 1-2 teaspoons of sausage to center of each square, bring all four corners together, twist and pinch to seal.

For a regular roll take each crescent and place 1-2 teaspoons of sausage to each, fold in the corners and roll up. For the pinwheels, unroll dough on work surface and press perforations to seal. Spread half of the sausage over the dough and roll dough up. Cut into nine pieces with string or floss. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake 10-14 minutes.

Cinnamon and Sugar Pecans

1 egg white

2 teaspoons water

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

12-16 ounces whole pecans

1 cup sugar

3/4 -1 tablespoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. In a large Ziploc bag, mix together the sugar, cinnamon and salt. 

In medium bowl whisk egg white, water and vanilla until frothy. Add pecans to the egg whites and stir to completely coat each pecan.

Pour coated pecans into the Ziploc bag, seal and shake to fully coat each pecan with mixture. Spread out in a single layer onto prepared baking sheet and back for 60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes.

Baked Spinach, Artichoke

and Shrimp Dip

1/4 cup salted butter

1 medium onion, finely diced

4 cups spinach

12 ounces cream cheese

1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup mayonnaise, no substitutes

1 pound cooked, peeled salad shrimp

1 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt butter and sauté onion for 5 minutes or until tender.

Add in spinach and stir for 1 minute to wilt. Transfer cooked onions and spinach to a cutting board to cool slightly. Chop into small pieces.

Place cream cheese into hot skillet over low heat and begin to stir to melt. After about two minutes, cream cheese should be very soft and smooth. Stir in chopped onions and spinach, artichoke hearts, yogurt, mayonnaise, shrimp, 1 cup parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. 

Stir to combine. Spread evenly in pan and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove from oven and serve immediately with bread or crackers.