Taste of Home Appetizers & Small Plates: 201 Enticing Ideas For Perfect Parties

394 Pages·2015·43.36 MB·English

by  Taste of Home Taste of Home

A TASTE OF HOME/READER’S DIGEST BOOK
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Impress Your Guests!
Party Planning
Dips & Spreads
Hot Bites
Crowd-Pleasing Sandwiches
Cool & Tasty
Party Drinks
Snacks For the Mancave
Holidays & Celebrations
Indexes
General Index
Alphabetical Index
IMPRESS YOUR GUESTS!
Everyone loves to sample different and delicious foods at
parties and gatherings. Appetizers and small plates are
the tastiest way to introduce your guests to fun, new
flavors. Now you can serve up 201 of the most delectable
dips and spreads, juicy chicken wings, dainty tartlets,
rolled pinwheels, crunchy munchies and other party
starters.
The recipes in this collection come from family cooks like you and
have been tested by the experienced home economists in the
Taste of Home Test Kitchen. So you can rest assured that these
tasty tidbits will be a success every time.
You’ll also find make-ahead preparation tips, practical pointers
for keeping party food hot or cold, helpful hints for serving
appetizers, time-saving tips, clear instructions, full-color photos
and much more.
So turn to Taste of Home 201 Appetizers & Small Plates for an
abundance of appealing “A-list” hors d’oeuvres…and make your
next party a celebration of flavor!
Serving Up Appetizers
Whenever you offer friends and family appetizers or snacks, you
invite them to get comfortable and share time with you and other
guests.
Appetizers can be simple such as dip with chips for a casual
night of TV watching, heartier fare like sandwiches and pizza for
night of TV watching, heartier fare like sandwiches and pizza for
Sunday football, a first course in a festive dinner, snacks for a large
group at an open house, or the main meal for a special occasion.
Party Planning
Whether simple or fancy, savory or sweet, hot or cold, appetizers
offer versatility and variety when entertaining. And as an added
benefit, many appetizers can be made ahead of time—some even
weeks in advance and then frozen—so you can be ready for guests
at a moment’s notice or relaxed when party time arrives.
When planning which appetizers to serve, don’t overdo it. It’s
better to prepare a few good choices than to stress over making a
lot of items. Start with one spectacular appetizer and then
complete your menu with additional easy but delicious foods and
beverages.
Choose from an assortment of hot, cold and room temperature
foods. Select recipes that offer a variety of colors, textures (soft
and crunchy) and flavors (sour, salty, savory, sweet, spicy or
subtle). Mix in one or two lighter options to cater to guests
concerned about calories or fat. Look for appetizers that make a
nice presentation with no last-minute fussing.
Tips to make your guests comfortable
Simple touches can enhance the comfort of your guests.
Here are a few ideas to make your party even more
enjoyable: • Have music in the background to set the
mood and still allow conversation to take place at a
normal tone.
• Have chairs for people to sit and place them in seating
arrangements to encourage conversation.
• If you want your guests to use coasters, have plenty of them
available and place them in noticeable locations.
• Have small tables and open surfaces on other furniture, where
guests may set down their glasses or plates.
• Have an open floor plan so guests can easily walk from one room
to the next. Consider stowing away pieces of furniture that are in
the way.
• Place trash containers strategically around the area to prevent
clutter from building up.
How Much to Serve
The number of appetizers per person varies according to
the length of the party, the number of guests and the
other items on the menu.
FOR A SOCIAL HOUR before dinner, plan on serving three or four
different appetizers and allow four to five pieces per person.
FOR AN OPEN-HOUSE AFFAIR, plan on serving four to five
different appetizers and allow four to six pieces per person per
hour.
FOR AN APPETIZER BUFFET that is offered in place of a meal,
plan on serving six to eight different appetizers and allow 10 to 14
pieces per person.
FOR LARGER GROUPS, offer more types of appetizers. For eight
guests, three types may be sufficient, 16 guests, about four to five
types, and for 25 guests, six to eight types. The more variety you
serve, the fewer servings of each type you’ll need.
PARTY PLANNING
When serving appetizers, no one wants to run out of
food. But the challenge is to know how much will be
enough. Here are some guidelines to estimate how much
you’ll need per person. The greater the variety of
appetizers you serve, the fewer of each type you will
need.
Appetizers
■ 3 tablespoons dip ■ 2 ounces cheese ■ 3 to 4 cocktail wieners
■ 1 to 2 ounces deli meat ■ 3 tablespoons spread ■ 2 to 4 small
egg rolls ■ 3 to 4 meatballs ■ 1 to 2 slices pizza ■ 2 to 4
miniature quiches Beverages (per hour)
■ In warm weather, you may wish to have additional chilled
beverages ■ 1 to 2 cups soda, water or iced tea ■ 6 ounces juice
■ 1 to 2 bottles beer ■ 1/ (750ml) bottle wine ■ 3/ cup hot
2 4
coffee or tea ■ 1/ cup punch Miscellaneous
2
■ 1 to 2 ounces chips ■ 4 crackers ■ 4 fruit or vegetable dippers
■ 1/ ounce mixed nuts ■ 3 to 4 pickle slices or 1 pickle spear ■ 3
2
to 4 olives ■ 1 to 2 small rolls ■ 3 to 4 ounces ice for beverages