S/O "Old school" appetizers you remember?

Someone mentioned "pickle dogs" on the thread about food you haven't had in a long time ("Then and Now"), and they reminded me of this appetizer I used to make in the 1980s:


That must have been the inspiration for an appetizer recipe I cut out of the newspaper in the 1980s. Trim the crust off of slices of white bread and roll them flat with a rolling pin. Then spread each one with cream cheese and top with a couple of slices of deli ham. Place sweet gherkins in a line along one edge, and roll up, then slice into smaller pieces, secured with a toothpick. They were actually pretty tasty and were my "go to" to take to potluck parties in my late 20s.


That made me wonder about other appetizers you remember your parents making for get-togethers. (My parents never did cocktail parties, but we had plenty of "card parties" with family members or neighbors, especially on New Year's Eve.) I can remember several that I used to LOVE and always looked forward to Mom making. 

First up--baked cheese balls with olives in the center. IIRC, Mom's recipe involved a jar of Cheese Whiz and Bisquick to make the dough, which we wrapped around a green olive and baked. They were actually quite yummy. This modern version uses shredded cheese instead of Cheese Whiz. I don't think I have had these since the early 1990s when I made them for a Christmas party at my house.

Bisquick sausage and cheese balls--again, really yummy! This recipe  is pretty much what I remember making to go with the olive cheese balls for the Christmas party referenced above.

Water chestnut "rumaki"--super simple and always a crowd pleaser: Wrap whole water chestnuts in bacon, secure with a toothpick, and place in a baking pan (can be touching each other). Pour bottled barbeque sauce over the water chestnuts and bake uncovered until bacon is browned. I made these for a Super Bowl party about 4 years ago, and they disappeared so fast! I think only one or two of our 30 guests had ever had them before.

So what did your family make for parties that you haven't thought about recently. I would have made the olive or sausage balls for Super Bowl this year if we had more than just the four of us in attendance. I was already committed to making one appetizer chosen by each of my DDs, and we really did not need any more than that.

Next year, when we can (hopefully) gather with friends, I think I want to do a "retro" party with card games ala 1970-1980, and the food will include these retro appetizers. Of course, we will have to keep the chili sauce and grape jelly meatballs as well--Mom was making those along with the sausage balls and olive balls, but we just never stopped making those.