Appetizer recipes to whip up in advance

Cheese and Crackers Appetizer Recipes

• A piece of medium cheddar,about the size of a deck of cards
• A triangle of Camembert
• A piece of blue cheese about the size of a deck of cards
• Little melba toasts and whole wheat thins, about 20 in all
• Seedless green grapes
• Display on a wooden or marble cheese tray.
• Add a couple of knives for cutting the cheese.

Make Ahead: You can set out the cheeses on your presentation platter, but keep them wrapped and in the fridge until about half an hour before guests arrive. Then unwrap and add cheese knives, crackers and fruit to the tray. Now you can leave the tray out of the fridge to let the cheese come to room temperature.

Vegetables and Dip Tray Appetizer Recipe
• 1 head of broccoli,
• 1 head of cauliflower,
• 1 bunch of celery
• Small bag of baby carrots
• Store bought dip of choice

Wash and cut enough broccoli and cauliflower for about 12 bite-sized pieces each
Wash the celery and cut enough for about 12 sticks that are 2 or 3 inches long
Wash the baby carrots and select about 20
Display the vegetables on a pretty serving platter
Put the store bought dip into a nice little bowl*

*Make Ahead:Cover with plastic film and store in the fridge until ready to serve

*Makes plenty for 6 people.If you substitute, try to select an assortment of different colored vegetables. Some choices include red pepper, green pepper, black olives, green olives, and little baby corn cobs.

That’s it. This recipe will be popular with guests who are trying to watch their calorie or fat intake.

Stuffed Snowpeas Appetizer Recipe
• 40 – 60 snow peas
• 8 oz of spreadable herb cheese
• Wash the snow peas and steam them briefly, about half a minute.
• Remove the string from one side
• Open up a pocket on one side, using a small knife if necessary
• Spoon or pipe some cheese into the pocket
• Arrange on a pretty serving platter

Make Ahead: You can make these snow peas in the morning and keep them covered with a clean damp tea towel in the fridge until serving time.

Baguettes and Bruschetta Appetizer Recipe
• Buy a baguette of whole wheat or white bread
• Buy a container of store-made bruschetta
• Slice about 15 thin rounds off the baguette
• Set the rounds on a plate with a little spreading knife
• Put the bruschetta into a little dish to go alongside the baguette slices*
• Put a spoon into the bruschetta dish for guests to scoop bruschetta onto the baguette slices

* Make Ahead: If you slice the baguette more than half an hour before you plan to serve it, just cover the slices with a clean damp tea towel.

Shrimps with Seafood Sauce and Lemon Garnish Appetizer Recipe
• Ring of about 30 or more frozen shrimp
• Jar of seafood sauce
• 2 lemons

*Make Ahead: At this point you can cover the whole thing with plastic wrap and put it into the fridge until the guests arrive.

Tip(If you forget to take the shrimp out of the freezer the night before you can defrost them quickly. Just take the shrimp ring out of the package, removing the plastic film that covers them, but leaving them on the plastic ring. Then run cold water gently over the shrimp for a few minutes. Test after a few minutes, run more water if necessary until they are defrosted.)

Enjoy your Simple, Make Ahead Appetizer Recipes! .

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