With Thanksgiving only a few a weeks away, I think it’s only fair to say that the holidays have arrived, leaving me to reminisce on the subject of favorite childhood appetizers. Most of my early snack foods of choice had a habit of showing up around the holidays, making that time of year even more special in my memories. There’s really only one appetizer that I have absolutely no desire to revisit and that’s my mother’s Port Wine Cheese Ball. As a little girl, I packed away way too much of that particular “delicacy” slathered all up on a Wheat Thin cracker, or if I’m being honest, slathered lightly between about three Wheat Thin crackers because the secret to now throwing it back up was definitely to go heavy on the Wheat Thins. Sorry Mom, apparently, even as a child, I had a thing against anything with wine or processed cheese.
So, what are the lucky appetizers that are still allowed to show up on my holiday garland-festooned doorstep without any need for a special invite? Well, Frostburg Bologna is always a welcome guest. Anyone from the Western Maryland area is more than familiar with what I’m talking about but as for the rest of you, I’m pretty sure you’ve never even heard of what basically amounts to the best bologna beef stick ever. Sliced up on a platter alongside some longhorn cheese, a scattering of Chicken in a Biskit crackers, and a big ol’ heaping helping of black rind cheddar cheese, there is no way in hell anyone could walk away dissatisfied. Now, if you were to add some Hickory Farms Sweet Hot Mustard to that platter, you’d basically have to shoot to me to get me away from it. That’s exactly what a holiday appetizer should be; something you can’t help but say yes to.
Now, raise your hand if you’d ever had red pepper jelly served over top of cream cheese. Is your hand up? Good for you. I came from a household where cream cheese wasn’t allowed in anything because my dad hated it so much. Oh, and before you even suggest sneaking that shit in something and not telling him, you can pretty much forget about that happening. He always knows. That man can tell just by looking at something. Anyway, what I’m really trying to say is that this particular appetizer didn’t arrive in my life until way too late. I think I was probably in my early 20’s when I discovered it at my dear friend Chris’ Mommy’s house. Not too surprising, considering that she is pretty much the perfect picture of a Southern hostess. Needless to say, I was hooked at first bite, or should I say first slather? No need for three crackers here, unless of course they’re all covered in creamy red and white splendor.
So when it came to dreaming up a new holiday appetizer that would have everyone moaning in delight and unable to leave its side, my mind automatically went to deviled eggs. They are pretty much my idea of perfection on a plate. So it’s pretty safe to say that combining deviled eggs with red pepper jelly, cream cheese, and bacon could only end in a delightful way. Thankfully, I was not let down in the least with this new holiday treat. Southern Red Pepper Jelly Deviled Eggs will certainly be my new favorite guest this holiday season. They’ll show up wearing their bacon party hats, all red pepper jelly liquored up, and ready to sing some Christmas carols. Sure, they’ll be left wondering just why it is my dad wants nothing to do with them, however, their feelings won’t be hurt. They’ll realize that even without his love, they are the life of the party and on their way to becoming a holiday appetizer that is always welcome and soon to become a cherished holiday food memory.
Ingredients:
- 12 Hard-Boiled Eggs
- 4 Tablespoons Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
- 4 Tablespoons Red Pepper Jelly (Additional for Garnish)
- Kosher Salt
- Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 5 Slices Cooked Thick-Cut Bacon, Crumbled
Directions:
- Halve each hard-boiled egg lengthwise and place each yolk into a food processor.
- Add the cream cheese and red pepper jelly to the food processor and purée until smooth.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Fill a large plastic bag with the mixture, snip off the corner, and then pipe the filling into the well of each egg.
- Top with crumbled bacon.
- Place a few tablespoons of red pepper jelly into a small plastic bag, snip off a tiny bit of the corner, and then drizzle each egg with the red pepper jelly.
Suggestions:
- The amount of salt and pepper you use in this recipe will depend on how salty your bacon is and how much sodium content is in the brand of red pepper jelly you use.
- These eggs are best served at room temperature due to the cream cheese.
- Here is my go-to method for How To Hard-Boil Eggs.
Improvements:
- Top each egg with finely chopped chives or add them to the cream cheese filling mixture.
- Use Candied Bacon in lieu of regular bacon in this recipe.
- Don’t let your guests get their hands all dirty eating deviled eggs, let them use these
Twig Appetizer Forks instead.
- No holiday table is complete without deviled eggs. Use this Porcelain Egg Platter
to serve them up in style.
Ingredients:
- 12 Hard-Boiled Eggs
- 4 Tablespoons Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
- 4 Tablespoons Red Pepper Jelly (Additional for Garnish)
- Kosher Salt
- Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 5 Slices Cooked Thick-Cut Bacon, Crumbled
Directions:
- Halve each hard-boiled egg lengthwise and place each yolk into a food processor.
- Add the cream cheese and red pepper jelly to the food processor and purée until smooth.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Fill a large plastic bag with the mixture, snip off the corner, and then pipe the filling into the well of each egg.
- Top with crumbled bacon.
- Place a few tablespoons of red pepper jelly into a small plastic bag, snip off a tiny bit of the corner, and then drizzle each egg with the red pepper jelly.
*Some affiliate links can be found in this post.
*Apparently, Eggland’s Best agrees on the subject of deviled eggs being the perfect go-to holiday appetizer, because my mother just informed me that my recipe for Balsamic Deviled Eggs with Pancetta is still being featured in their holiday recipe brochure insert that can be found in many major food magazines this year. Be sure to keep an eye out for it.
*I’ll be joining the Fiesta Friday Link Party today. Head on over HERE to see what everyone else is bringing to the celebration.
