Choosing the Best Appetizers
Posted by Christine Szalay-Kudra on June 28, 2010
Your big event will be here sooner than you think so you need to start planning your appetizers. With so many different recipes to choose from it can be a daunting task. Should you serve something healthy or fun? What about using a specific cuisine? In addition, everyone loves those appetizers that truly are not good for them.
When you are choosing your appetizers, of course the first consideration is your budget. You may have caviar tastes and a hot dog budget. Luckily, there are so many appetizer recipes out there to choose from that you should be able to find several that will please you and your guests. Label each dish so any guests that have food allergies know which ones to avoid and which ones to enjoy.
There are so many types of appetizers. You can focus on a type of ingredient such as poultry, seafood, or cheese as a theme. For poultry, you could find recipes for small chicken quesadillas, chicken dumplings, or small kabobs. Seafood may inspire you to make bacon wrapped scallops or shrimp, crab cakes or seafood dumplings. Perhaps you want to provide several different types of finger sandwiches.
If you prefer to have some without meat, make filo dough stuffed with olives and feta, asparagus rollups or mushroom quiche. If you want it strictly vegetarian or have vegetarian guests to please, try potato puffs, veggie dumplings, or spring rolls. They are delectable!
Puff pastry is a miracle in the kitchen. You can find it in the freezer section at your local grocery store. Use this pastry to make cheese straws, miniature beef Wellingtons or even several types of turnovers. Use puff pastry to cover a wheel of Brie that you have topped off with delightful caramelized onions. Use the pastry to create tiny buns for those itty bitty smoky sausages to make mini hot dogs. You can even make little pastry cups to fill with anything you would like.
If you want to make something, your guests will not expect, try filling tiny dishes with spaghetti, and top it off with a single meatball. Everyone will love this! You could try another cutting edge appetizer such as a chicken tender encrusted with pecans and served on a skewer with mustard sauce. Sliders are another very popular appetizer now. These tiny burgers come with all the fixings.
You can use a cuisine as a theme for your appetizers, like Mexican, Italian, or Asian. Try making a spicy shrimp appetizer for your table. Everyone loves a little heat. You can find recipes for spicy dishes in both Mexican and Asian cuisine. Try making some stuffed jalapenos or some spicy orange chicken on toothpicks. Yum!
In the end, it does not matter what appetizers you choose. Your guests will love whatever you make. Try to make most of them ahead of time so all you need to worry about before the party is reheating. You will be able to enjoy your guests and your party.
Holiday appetizer recipes will fill out your holiday meal perfectly. Many people like to put out appetizers before everyone gathers for the big meal. These can be as simple as a plate of olives and pickles to more elaborate appetizers that look as festive as holiday cookies.
