Appetizer and Dessert Recipes For the Holidays

The end of another year is quickly coming to a close and I don't know about you but I am EXHAUSTED! My dear friend Mary from A Classroom Full of Smiles said it best with this meme...

I'm at the point where I don't want to think about lesson plans, assessments, RTI papers, or conferences. So I'm not even going to go there. Instead, I've decided to focus on the festivities that we have in store the next few weeks.

Many of us will either host or attend various holiday or New Year's parties, so I've decided to gather a few QUICK and EASY appetizer and dessert recipes just in case you need to bring something to a get together or simply haven't had time to go searching around Pinterest.

First up...

• Grape Jelly Meatballs from Buns in My Oven. I know what you're thinking... grape jelly and meatballs... WHAT???? Trust me, these are sooooo easy to make and sure to be a crowd pleaser. I can never make enough of these. Give it a try and you won't regret it!

• Baked Brie from She Wears Many Hats. Melted oozy cheesy goodness with apricot preserves... need I say more. This recipe is delish with any kind of fruit spread so feel free to use whatever you have on hand. No stress!!!

• Caprese Skewers from Iowa Girl Eats. These appetizers will look darling on any tablescape during the holidays and are just sooooo easy to make. I think even your kids or hubby can help you out on this one :0)

Next up...

Ever since I was a little girl, I've always loved making desserts! Unfortunately though, I did NOT inherit my grandmother's dessert making genes and through the years I have had some major catastrophes... the worst being the time I accidentally added cups of SALT (instead of cups of sugar) to a banana creme pie I was making. Now a days, I leave the dessert making to my 12 year old daughter.

Here are a few simple and easy desserts ideas...

• Cherry Cheescake Trifle Dessert from Freebie Finding Mom. This dessert is as beautiful as it is tasty and I love the idea of serving it up in individual wine glasses vs. the usual trifle bowl.

• Caramel Apple Dump Cake by The Novice Chef. There's nothing like warm apple pie filling and caramel drizzled on top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It just makes my mouth water! What I love about this recipe is that it's a dump cake... meaning no heavy duty mixing. Simply dump ingredients into a pan spread, sprinkle, and cook.  YUMMO!

• For the chocolate lover like my husband, there's Chocolate Lasagna by My Litter. Once again, this recipe is easy enough to enlist the help of your kiddos. Let's put the little goobers to work I say!

Honestly, all 6 of these recipes are pretty fuss free and simple enough for even the utmost of Tired Teachers to follow.  Let me know if you have any easy recipes of your own.

Have a restful, peaceful, and wonderful winter break... recharge your batteries and spend some much needed down time with family and friends! Many blessings to all...