14 Days Until Christmas: Ham and Cheese Wreath

Whoops! It looks like I forgot to post a recipe to the countdown yesterday. Sorry about that. We are in the middle of our craziest weekend of the season! So, between jobs, homeschool high school events, performance practices, performances, and parties my head is spinning! I know it sounds crazy, but amid all of the running, I get to hang out with some of the best people, and I wouldn’t trade those moments for anything!

I’m going to continue today with an appetizer recipe to serve at your next party or open house or to take to the next party or open house. I don’t make this one often—I keep forgetting about it—but it’s always a big hit when I do make it.

By the way, I will be making up for my oops with another countdown post today.

Ham and Cheese Wreath

2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

1 ½ cups chopped cooked ham

¼ cup sliced green onion

2 tablespoons honey mustard

2 12-ounce cans layered refrigerator biscuits

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoons sesame seed or poppy seed

2 tablespoons diced red and green bell pepper

1 green onion fan, optional

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet.

In a large bowl, combine cheese, ham, onions, and mustard; mix well.

Separate 1 can of dough into 10 biscuits. Leave second can in refrigerator. Separate each biscuit into 2 layers. Press each biscuit layer to form 3 1/2 –inch round.

Place 1 rounded tablespoon cheese mixture on each dough round. Wrap dough around cheese mixture, pinching edges to seal. Repeat with remaining can of dough and cheese mixture.

Arrange 8 balls, seam side down and sides almost touching, into a ring on the prepared cookie sheet, leaving a 3-inch hole in the center. Arrange 14 balls, sides almost touching, around the outside of the first ring. Arrange remaining 18 balls around the outside of the second ring. Brush wreath with beaten egg. Sprinkle with sesame seed.

Bake at 375°F for 18 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully slide wreath from the cookie sheet onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with bell pepper. Garnish with the onion fan if desired.

Tips:

For all of my friends who read this recipe and thought, “There is no way she uses refrigerator dough!” You’re right! I use my own biscuit dough. To me, there is no sense in adding the refrigerator biscuit dough to the shopping list when all it takes to make biscuit dough are a few staples that I always have on hand.

Feel free to be creative with the filling. Try eliminating the ham and substituting a mixture of vegetable like diced red and green bell peppers, sautéed mushrooms, or diced olives. How about substituting 8 ounces of ground beef mixed with taco seasoning and sharp cheddar cheese for the ham and Swiss cheese? Because the outside dough is a simple biscuit dough, a wide variety of flavors can be used.

To make this appetizer look even more special, garnish with fresh sprigs of rosemary around the outside and a lighted votive candle in a festive glass candle holder in the middle.