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The key to any successful holiday side dish is simplicity. This is never more true than when considering hors d'oeuvres before a meal. These toothpick appetizers are an effortless way to bring a little festivity to your holiday snack plates.

Holiday Edition

Get these toothpick hors d'oeuvres a little more into the holiday spirit by getting a white cheese instead of a yellow cheese, then pairing this with the green olive and red cherry on top of the sausage base. The green, red, and white can carry you from the Thanksgiving table, to the office work party, to the Christmas party all with one recipe.

Get the Kids Involved

Toothpick food is an incredibly kid-friendly recipe from start to finish. Little hands will make this job go quickly with help stacking, arranging, and tasting!

Shape makers, or tiny cookie cutters, are the perfect way to dress this snack up and kids love to use them. Select leaf and pumpkin shapes for a more fall-centered holiday presentation, while holly leaves and candy canes would make a cheerful winter-holiday plate. Any leftover cheese you have from punching shapes will surely get gobbled up by your little helpers.

Another great task for the kids is to have them stack and skewer the snacks as you cut the various items. Take a quick second to arrange the plate on the way out the kitchen door, and you have most of the work taken care of by your little holiday helpers.

Variety

As with anything in life, a little variety is good! Mix and match with what cheeses you have on hand or swap out the olive for a cocktail onion for an interesting and crunchy combination.

Another interesting swap out could be for a different type of sausage instead of kielbasa. A sweet or spicy sausage would work just as well in place of this and would offer an interesting flavor combination to the toothpick horderves.

These can easily be made vegetarian friendly by leaving off the sausage and subbing it for an apple or pear slice or a piece of farmhouse bread. Toothpick food is a great way to open up your table to anyone with food avoidances or intolerances.

Convenience

In addition to this being a very simple snack to put together for a party at the last second, but these toothpick appetizers are nearly effortless to shop for, as well, with ingredients available at practically any small grocery or large convenience store. Assembly and presentation is a snap and you can dress this up with a nice plate and fancy toothpicks and really impress a crowd.