Finger Foods for the Oscars

The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, will air Feb. 22. It will be a celebration and awards ceremony for the great films, actors and actresses of the movies in 2014.

While you and your friends are hanging out and watching the show go down, nibble on some yummy bites that are quick and delicious to make. First, try some chocolate-dipped sea salt peanut butter pretzels. These are so easy to make, and so good it just doesn’t seem right. Then indulge in some cinnamon sugar honey dough bites. Other hors d'oeuvres include sliced cucumbers with herbed goat cheese and honey baked bacon wrapped dogs.

Chocolate-Dipped Sea Salt Peanut Butter Pretzels

Pretzel Crisps

Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Peanut butter

Sea salt

Spread a ¼-inch layer of peanut butter onto one crisp and lay another crisp on top of it to make a sandwich. Make as many as you want, set aside. Melt the chocolate chips in a bowl (1-2 cups, depending on how many pretzel sandwiches you make), dip the pretzels halfway into the chocolate and lay on aluminum foil. Sprinkle sea salt on the chocolate while it’s still melty and wet so that it sticks. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.

Cinnamon Sugar Honey Dough Bites

1 Pillsbury pie crust

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons sugar

Set oven to 375 degrees. Cut the pie crust with a pizza cutter into long strips, and then cut across three times. Roll the strips of dough into a ball. In a medium bowl, mix together honey, cinnamon and sugar. Dip the pie dough balls into the honey mixture, and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until puffed up and golden brown. Let cool and serve.

Sliced Cucumbers with Herbed Goat Cheese

1 cucumber

Goat cheese, softened

Dried basil leaves

Salt

Pepper

Lemon juice

Slice the cucumbers. In a medium bowl, mix the goat cheese together with the spices and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Mix until well blended. Spread a thin layer of the cheese mixture onto the cucumber slices. Serve chilled.

Honey Baked Bacon Wrapped Dogs

4 hot dog wieners (Hebrew National or Oscar Mayer)

12 strips of bacon

½ cup honey

Pepper

Set oven to 400 degrees. Cut the hot dogs into thirds. Wrap a strip of bacon around each one. Dip into combined honey and pepper. Place on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet. Bake for 24 minutes or until a deep golden brown. Turn at 12 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes then serve warm.