When I was away at university, I was lucky enough to live with four roommates who were just as excited about the holidays as I was. As soon as Halloween was over, we’d get into the Christmas spirit. There would be music playing, cookies baking, stockings hung on the staircase…and of course studying for exams. We once hung up snowflakes from our kitchen ceiling that stayed there until March.
We often had parties (for birthdays, homecoming, Sunday night spaghetti dinners), but my FAVOURITE party we ever held was our “Early New Years Eve” party. We were all going to be back home for December 31st and were going to miss celebrating the holidays together, so we did it a month early on November 30th – complete with a countdown at midnight. We each made different appetizers for the party and these Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts that Colleen made were by far the star of the show. Every time I make them, I think of that party and how much fun we had.
They are a classic appetizer that were really popular in the 1950’s and are great to make for holiday cocktails parties – everyone flocks to them.
They are crispy, salty and slightly smokey. With only three ingredients, they are super easy to make. I keep the ingredients on hand during the holidays for any last minute visitors.
What you’ll need:
- 2 cans of whole water chestnuts
- 1 package of bacon, cut into halves
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Rinse and drain the water chestnuts. In a small bowl, soak them in soy sauce for an hour.
They’ll get a rich dark colour while they’re soaking, and absorb the soy sauce flavour.
Slice the bacon strips in half.
Wrap each water chestnut in a half piece of bacon.
Secure with a toothpick.
Arrange on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes, checking regularly to make sure they don’t burn.
Enjoy these easy holiday appetizers with your friends and family this season. I bet they’ll be gone before you know it.
