Pre-Thanksgiving Hors d'ouevres Party

I went to college back east. If I was lucky enough to fly home to Seattle for Thanksgiving, the night before the big feast was always a memorable evening of reconnecting with old friends.

Even with a hectic Thanksgiving day of preparations, cleaning and decorating, I still love the night before. The perfect evening to kick off the holidays. To connect with friends.

For me, a casual get-together, set around a kitchen counter or relaxed on a sofa, presents the perfect opportunity to reconnect. A few savory appetizers. Whatever excess there may be in your fridge. Some beer. Wine. Done.

As I suggested in my PANTRY ESSENTIALS post, entertaining is less about the food and more about the company that make up the event. Focus on that and the rest should fall into place.

Create some memories with your friends with this quick pre-Thanksgiving hors d'oeuvres party menu:

SALAMI CRISPS (adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

Pre-thinly sliced, dry Genoa salami (or 1/8" sliced)

ONE: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
TWO: Arrange slices in a single layer on the baking sheet.
THREE: Bake until edges of salami are crisp and slices are evenly brown; about 10 minutes. Watch carefully, as slices will go from brown to burnt, very quickly.
FOUR: Transfer salami to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil

Serve these deliciously smoky crisps with a jarred fig jam, cheeses, spreads, etc.

Thumbnail Image//Colin Cowie Celebrations