Easy Cold Appetizers

Whether you are throwing a big party or having a small family get-together, homemade food is always cheaper. For a big party, when you are not aware of individual preferences, it is always good to keep a variety of party food including the appetizers. If you don't have much time for preparing a wide variety, then Italian appetizers are the safest choice. Though main dishes would consume most of your time, it is always a good idea to keep the appetizers ready beforehand. Hence, cold appetizers or finger foods have become the need of the hour. Easy cold appetizers helps you keep the party simple, thereby giving you more time to enjoy with your guests.

Ideas for Cold Appetizers

Served before the main dishes, the main idea is to make easy appetizers that are not too filling. These are some cold appetizer ideas to help you prepare simple, easy and cold appetizers for parties, so that you can enjoy with your guests instead of slogging in the kitchen.

Salad Appetizers
Salads are not only healthy, but also make great appetizers for parties. And the best part is, you can prepare and store it in the refrigerator until serving time. To make it more interesting, you can add a bit of sausages and salamis along with cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, peas, etc.

Fruit Appetizers
People love salad appetizers. They not only taste good, but are also not too filling fill your stomach before the main course. Keeping it easy and simple is the best idea. Cut pineapple in slices or square shape and decorate with watermelon cubes in a large tray. Even strawberries with a bit of Jello and whipped cream makes an interesting cold appetizers for parties.

Meat Appetizers
It is easy to make meat appetizers at home with few ingredients like salami, cheese, sausages, etc. To make a quick appetizer, just roll a slice of salami with cheese and insert a toothpick. Or roll a leaf of lettuce over a one inch long cut sausage and seal it with a toothpick.

Seafood Appetizers
You cannot go wrong with shrimp as appetizers. You can prepare many such easy cold appetizers with shrimp like salads, rolls and dips. The easiest idea is to make a salad with shrimp, pasta, tomatoes, pepper and feta which takes just 30 minutes of preparation time.

Easy Recipes for Cold Appetizers

You might think that throwing a party is taxing and time-consuming. You might be repelled by the idea of spending the whole day in kitchen. But it need not be so with these great, quick appetizers for a crowd. These are my choice of easy appetizers for a party that would hardly take 30 minutes of your preparation time.

Cheesy Bacon Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

• 12 eggs
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp. honey mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 strips bacon, cooked, crumbled
• 2 tbsp. shredded sharp cheddar
• Parsley, for garnish, optional

Preparation: Hard boil the eggs and peel. Cut the eggs into halves lengthwise. Carefully remove the yolks into a bowl with the help of a spoon. Add mayonnaise, honey-mustard and mash it together with the boiled yolks. Add salt and pepper and mix it further. Place small piece of bacon and shredded cheese on the egg white. Then fill the yolk mixture and refrigerate. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve as cold appetizers.

Scallion Salami Roll

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cream cheese, softened
• 2 tbsp. chopped chives
• 24 thin slices hard salami (3" diameter)
• 24 scallions (5" length)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preparation: In a bowl or a processor, whip cream cheese until it turns fluffy and light. Add chives and salt and mix well. Spread this mixture over the slice of each salami. One by one, place the scallion over the salami slice and roll. Secure this with the help of a toothpick. Cover and refrigerate. Serve as cold appetizers.

Olive and Cheese Kabobs

Ingredients:

• 20 cubes (" each) mozzarella cheese
• 10 cherry or grape tomatoes
• 20 small pitted ripe olives
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Basil leaves (optional)

Preparation:In a glass or plastic bowls, mix garlic, vinegar, oil, mustard, sugar and salt. Cut tomatoes into halves and add to the bowl along with cheese cubes and olives. Marinate for two hours in the refrigerator. After two hours, remove tomatoes, olives and cheese with fork or tongs from the marinade. Take 20 bamboo skewers and on each place one tomato, olive, cheese and basil leaf. Refrigerate again and serve as cold appetizers.

Antipasto Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni sausage
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup macaroni
• 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt

Preparation: In a salted boiling water, cook macaroni till softened. Drain water and wash with a cup of plain cold water. Pour it in a large bowl and mix with oil, garlic, pepper, basil, vinegar, Parmesan cheese and salt. Refrigerate. Refrigerate broccoli and tomatoes in a separate bowl until 10 minutes before serving time. Mix pepperoni sausage with broccoli and tomatoes and pour it in the pasta mix and toss well. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese and serve cold.

With time people's options and preferences have changed. Appetizers used to be served earlier before the main dishes, but it has fast gained popularity and preference to be served as the only item in a party. No doubt they are cheaper and consume less time, there are many more advantages of serving these easy, cold appetizers for a crowd. They allow you to be creative and flexible and you can serve a wider variety of food items, than you would in the main dishes. So there would be something of everyone's liking. There are thousands of appetizer recipes available online or in cookbooks, so do a bit of homework and find easy and simple ones to help you save time, as well as money.

Whether you are throwing a big party or having a small family get-together, homemade food is always cheaper. For a big party, when you are not aware of individual preferences, it is always good to keep a variety of party food including the appetizers. If you don't have much time for preparing a wide variety, then Italian appetizers are the safest choice. Though main dishes would consume most of your time, it is always a good idea to keep the appetizers ready beforehand. Hence, cold appetizers or finger foods have become the need of the hour. Easy cold appetizers helps you keep the party simple, thereby giving you more time to enjoy with your guests.

Ideas for Cold Appetizers

Served before the main dishes, the main idea is to make easy appetizers that are not too filling. These are some cold appetizer ideas to help you prepare simple, easy and cold appetizers for parties, so that you can enjoy with your guests instead of slogging in the kitchen.

Salad Appetizers
Salads are not only healthy, but also make great appetizers for parties. And the best part is, you can prepare and store it in the refrigerator until serving time. To make it more interesting, you can add a bit of sausages and salamis along with cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, peas, etc.

Fruit Appetizers
People love salad appetizers. They not only taste good, but are also not too filling fill your stomach before the main course. Keeping it easy and simple is the best idea. Cut pineapple in slices or square shape and decorate with watermelon cubes in a large tray. Even strawberries with a bit of Jello and whipped cream makes an interesting cold appetizers for parties.

Meat Appetizers
It is easy to make meat appetizers at home with few ingredients like salami, cheese, sausages, etc. To make a quick appetizer, just roll a slice of salami with cheese and insert a toothpick. Or roll a leaf of lettuce over a one inch long cut sausage and seal it with a toothpick.

Seafood Appetizers
You cannot go wrong with shrimp as appetizers. You can prepare many such easy cold appetizers with shrimp like salads, rolls and dips. The easiest idea is to make a salad with shrimp, pasta, tomatoes, pepper and feta which takes just 30 minutes of preparation time.

Easy Recipes for Cold Appetizers

You might think that throwing a party is taxing and time-consuming. You might be repelled by the idea of spending the whole day in kitchen. But it need not be so with these great, quick appetizers for a crowd. These are my choice of easy appetizers for a party that would hardly take 30 minutes of your preparation time.

Cheesy Bacon Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

• 12 eggs
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp. honey mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 strips bacon, cooked, crumbled
• 2 tbsp. shredded sharp cheddar
• Parsley, for garnish, optional

Preparation: Hard boil the eggs and peel. Cut the eggs into halves lengthwise. Carefully remove the yolks into a bowl with the help of a spoon. Add mayonnaise, honey-mustard and mash it together with the boiled yolks. Add salt and pepper and mix it further. Place small piece of bacon and shredded cheese on the egg white. Then fill the yolk mixture and refrigerate. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve as cold appetizers.

Scallion Salami Roll

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cream cheese, softened
• 2 tbsp. chopped chives
• 24 thin slices hard salami (3" diameter)
• 24 scallions (5" length)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preparation: In a bowl or a processor, whip cream cheese until it turns fluffy and light. Add chives and salt and mix well. Spread this mixture over the slice of each salami. One by one, place the scallion over the salami slice and roll. Secure this with the help of a toothpick. Cover and refrigerate. Serve as cold appetizers.

Olive and Cheese Kabobs

Ingredients:

• 20 cubes (" each) mozzarella cheese
• 10 cherry or grape tomatoes
• 20 small pitted ripe olives
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Basil leaves (optional)

Preparation:In a glass or plastic bowls, mix garlic, vinegar, oil, mustard, sugar and salt. Cut tomatoes into halves and add to the bowl along with cheese cubes and olives. Marinate for two hours in the refrigerator. After two hours, remove tomatoes, olives and cheese with fork or tongs from the marinade. Take 20 bamboo skewers and on each place one tomato, olive, cheese and basil leaf. Refrigerate again and serve as cold appetizers.

Antipasto Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni sausage
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup macaroni
• 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt

Preparation: In a salted boiling water, cook macaroni till softened. Drain water and wash with a cup of plain cold water. Pour it in a large bowl and mix with oil, garlic, pepper, basil, vinegar, Parmesan cheese and salt. Refrigerate. Refrigerate broccoli and tomatoes in a separate bowl until 10 minutes before serving time. Mix pepperoni sausage with broccoli and tomatoes and pour it in the pasta mix and toss well. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese and serve cold.

With time people's options and preferences have changed. Appetizers used to be served earlier before the main dishes, but it has fast gained popularity and preference to be served as the only item in a party. No doubt they are cheaper and consume less time, there are many more advantages of serving these easy, cold appetizers for a crowd. They allow you to be creative and flexible and you can serve a wider variety of food items, than you would in the main dishes. So there would be something of everyone's liking. There are thousands of appetizer recipes available online or in cookbooks, so do a bit of homework and find easy and simple ones to help you save time, as well as money.