Musical pairing – Where Are You Christmas? by Faith Hill
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I was a single mom of two boys. And as any single parent knows, putting food on the table can be a real challenge but I was very, very fortunate in that I always lived near my parents or family members who made sure we didn’t go hungry. I was also on welfare a few of those years while I went back to school so that I would be able to support myself and my kids longterm – and $75 in food stamps didn’t buy much, even then. But still, we never went hungry . . . ever. And I am forever grateful.
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Given the state of our economy these days . . . the state of our world these days . . . there are many, many families and children who are hungry . . . as many as 17 million children who were hungry this year alone. More than 5 million children are living at or below poverty and almost 6 million children living in single parent homes; but you might be surprised to learn that more than 5 million children live in 2-parent households – this is about our children. In our schools. In our churches. On our neighborhood streets. Our next door neighbors.
I am happy to be participating this week with more than 50 blogging friends in ‘Share Our Holiday Table’ – a virtual progressive dinner party to raise awareness and funds to support Share Our Strength’s, ‘No Kid Hungry Campaign’ that is taking place starting today through December 14th. Please click here for more information as well as to make a contribution if you can – even a small donation will help feed a child. And if you can’t make a contribution, that’s fine too – I’m still happy you’re here!
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And now on to the recipe! A super quick, super easy vegetarian appetizer – two bites, no napkin needed and you have a free hand to enjoy your cocktail or mocktail; sweet, salty, crunchy and perfect for any holiday celebration!
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Be sure to check out the links below for more fabulous appetizers ~
Gourmet Appetizers:Family Friendly Appetizers:Vegetarian Appetizers:Gluten Free Appetizers:
DATES STUFFED W/PARMESAN SLIVERS & WALNUTS
Entertaining with the Seasons, Williams-Sonoma
Serves 8-10
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INGREDIENTS:
24 Large Dates, preferably Medjool
2 ounces (60-g) Parmesan Cheese, preferably Reggiano
24 Walnut Halves
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METHOD:
With a paring knife, make a small lengthwise incision in each date and carefully remove the pits. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the cheese into ribbons. Tuck some cheese and a walnut half into the slit in each date. Arrange on a platter and serve.
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Oh, I’m making these tonight as an app. How great is this recipe? So simple and full of flavor. I’m hoping the clock moves a little faster between now and dinner. Can’t wait.
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These are simply brilliant and beautiful Deb!! I can’t wait to try these.
Kudos to you and everyone else for participating in this event! Even though we are tight on budget this year, we are proud to have already contributed to the Share Our Strength compaign. :o) Lots of hungry kiddos out there; so we’ll help where we can.
In the meantime, you’re right – these are the perfect little bites!
[K]
What a lovely and simple (and vegetarian!!!) recipe! Your pictures are just stunning!
I like this….the sweetness of dates and the tang of the parmesan would be marvelous. And then the crunch of walnuts? Perfect mouthfuls.
Simple, elegant and delicious… what more could we want from an appetizer?
So happy that I am participating in this wonderful event – help is needed now more than ever!!
Love these! My kind of simple, elegant appetizer.
Hey Debra! I’ve had your card sitting here since you gave it to me. I’ve checked in before but didn’t write, so I just wanted to write a quick note and say how scrumptious all your pictures look!! Have a very merry and tasty Christmas!!!
What a beautiful post! I’ve loved seeing what everyone has dreamed up. I’m a huge date fan and love the simplicity of this appetizer!
Debra I just purchased some dates for a cake and I was wondering what I was going to do with the rest until I read your post. These look scrumptious and will be perfect for the holiday party my daughter, Liana, is planning. Thank you!
These dates are a nice change from the usual gooey cheese and bacon wrapped dates we usually see.
What a beautiful appetizer and gorgeous post!
Now these are my idea of an excellent holiday bite: savory, sweet, delicious…and easy. Just lovely and must make!
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I’m loving all of the posts for the Share Our Strength series, this one included. You recipe looks delicious – sweet finger food – and gluten free, to boot. My blog contribution to the SOS event is an Arugula Salad with pomegranate seeds and goat cheese – posted tomorrow (Dec. 7).
Oops. I meant Dec. 8th. That’s when my Arugula Salad will be posted at my blog (as part of this SOS event).
I’m such a sucker for the salty-sweet combo. Good thing this is a virtual dinner party because I may have emptied that entire tray myself otherwise!
Yummy. Stuffed dates are wonderful. Great cause Debra, well done.
Love the combo of sweet date and salty parm. Great appetizer to share for this event. I’m excited to be participating with you. I hope we can inspire others to donate.
Oh Debra, this is such a beautiful post! And you paired it with the perfect song.
I love this appetizer recipe you posted. I can’t wait to try it. YUM!
Wonderful post – and a simple yet sophisticated appetizer!
Your pictures are amazing too!
I love a stuffed date and these are so pretty. Good job, great post, and wonderful cause!
Share Our Holiday Table looks like a great project–good for you, Debra. And it’s good for all of us to keep in mind that the needy are not necessarily far away or all that different from us.
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Two bites and no napkin needed? Sounds good to me! 🙂 Thank you for sharing not just your recipe, but also part of your own story. It’s great to work with you for Share Our Strength!
Gotta love such a simple recipe for the busy holiday season. These look delicious!
What an extraordinarily worth cause! I so wish I had known about it so that I could participate as well. I will, however, make a donation in support!
And this little appetizer – double yum. I love a contrast in tastes such as this, the sharp, salty tang of the Parm with the subtle sweetness of the date. Then add the crunch from the walnuts. Sounds pretty much like perfection to me.
What a lovely presentation for this appetizer! I especially like the way the cheese slivers stick out just a bit. Very appealing, and such a great combination of ingredients, too. 🙂
I’m happy to be one of the bloggers participating in this worthy cause. Those statistics are eye opening for sure. It’s hard to imagine being hungry … I hope our event will raise a lot of money for this effort.
Shirley
Thanks for sharing bit about your former life, it’s always interesting to get a glimpse…And congratulations to the Professor for getting such a lovely lady and taking such great photos!
What a wonderful cause. There are so many people and children in our community that go hungry each and every day. Thank you for introducing me to a way to help. These stuffed dates look wonderful. What a great holiday appetizer. Thank you so much for sharing. I hope your week is full of joy!
I’m adding this to my holiday appetizer line-up for Christmas Eve dinner- LOVE it!
What a great appetizer. So easy to put together, and it makes a wow statement in both flavor and appearance. Perfect addition for the holidays!
Wonderful cause, Debra, and it’s wonderful when people never forget how life was hard back in the days and how lucky we are now. Wonderful, tasty appetizer.
What a beautiful and simple appetizer, not to mention a heartfelt post.
These look just gorgeous–and yummy!! What a wonderful cause to support!! I admire your honesty about your own hard times. I have had MANY of my own, but I wouldn’t change it for a thing!! It makes us that much more grateful, doesn’t it?
Happy Monday!!
I just bought some dates and can’t wait to throw some of these together! Yum!
SOS is such a worthwhile cause and I’m so happy to see another one of my friends involved. I’ll be doing a vegetarian side dish next Monday! I encourage everyone to sign the Pledge to End Childhood Hunger and do whatever they can – even if it’s buying a cupcake at a bake sale.
xox
Beautiful appetizers! & touching story. This is why we find it more important than ever to give our charitable donations to places that keep people fed.
Those look little sweet dollops of heaven! And for the record…for me, it would probably only be *one* bite. 🙂 Yum.
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This organization reaches out to the community in so many ways. Thank you for sharing your personal experience as well as promoting Share Our Strength this holiday season.
Thanks so much for sharing your story & this beautiful appetizer with us. I hope that we can all help to expose the wonderful mission this charity supports. XO
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What a wonderfully simple and tasty idea. I’m sure the combo is delightful! Salty/sweet is always a winner in my book!
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Love dates!! Our favorite is Majdool date. This post now made me crave the ones directly from the date/palm tree the golden yellow honey color but they are not appropriate for stuffing. This appetizer is perefect for the upcoming holidays! Really beautiful puctures too Debra!
This has it all… Sweet, salty, crunchy, smooth! I would eat every last one of these tasty treats!