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Introduction
To have a good, satisfying, and enjoyable meal, you must be off to a good start. Thats what appetizers are all about. They are the meal course openers, which could make or break the entire dining experience. If you are to fail with your dishes, you must never fail with your appetizers because then, it will be bad all around. If you were able to please diners with your meal starters, even if the main course is a bit salty or dry, it would hardly matter. You can always go back to the appetizer buffet and fill your tummy with the tasty tiny morsels at different parts of the meal course.
Although the main goal of serving appetizers is to make the diners hunger for more and drive up the appetite for the main course, they could be so tempting that it would be pretty difficult to move forward at all. Thats exactly what these appetizer dishes are all about. They are light and tempting, easy-to-eat and definitely easy-to-please. Check out our listing:
Party Food Trays
The Ultimate Cheese Board
Fruit Tray
Relish Tray
Crudits Platter
Greek Antipasto Tray
Hot Dips
French Cream Dip
Herby Goat Cheese Dip
Marshmallow-Cream Cheese Dip
Caramel-Toffee Dip
Bacon and Corn Dip
Tasty Lemon Dip
Eggplant Dip
Chunky Salsa Dip
Honey Yogurt Dip
Greek-Feta Dip
Fruit Party Snacks
Watermelon and Prosciutto Skewers
Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
Berry Cups
Cheesy Fruit Crostini
Bacon-Wrapped Peaches
Veggie-Licious Finger Food
Buffalo Cauliflower Crostini
Brussels Sprout and Ricotta Toast
Asparagus Fries
Stuffed Mushrooms
Parmesan Kale Chips
Meat Picks
Bacon-Wrapped Sausage
Pork Dumplings
Beef Egg Rolls
Pepperoni Bites
Firecracker Shrimp
Baked Italian Meatballs
Grilled Chicken Wings
Bacon-Wrapped Scallops
Thai Chicken Cake
Pulled Pork Nachos
Fried Calamari
Buffalo Chicken Nuggets
Beef and Bacon Skewers
Party Indulgence Surprise
Deviled Eggs Benedict
Lasagna Bites
Baked Cheese Sticks
Tortellini Bites
Ranch Mixed Nuts
Were sure you are all excited to try the different meal starters included in this cookbook. It has everything for everybody, really!
Appetizers 101: Everything That You Need to Know About Meal Starters
Everybody loves appetizers. They simply perk up interest in food, making you crave for the next phase of the meal course. They are usually light, tiny morsels of food, presented in a very appetizing manner to entice your senses for more. They are the foreplay of meals. They cant be there, especially at parties and special dinners.
The meal choices for the first part of a meal course may be light and simple but they could really mean big on the entire dining experience. And although most regular meal preps skip appetizers, some homemakers go the extra mile of making them just to give the family a full course experience. Good thing, most appetizers are ready in a few minutes. They are not too difficult to make, at least some of them. If you, too, decide to make appetizers every mealtime, nothing should stop you.
Appetizers: When and Where They Started
The practice of serving appetizers during mealtime started with the ancient Greeks and Romans who commonly snack on small amounts of different food varieties as they wait for the main meal. However, it was the French that made this part of the meal course well defined in the middle ages.
The word appetizer is an off shoot of the word appetite, which clearly states its role at the dining table. In French culture, it is referred to as hors douvre. The phrase translates to outside the work, which basically means that it is not part of the actual meal. During the early times, appetizers are characterized by small plates containing dishes and they are served in between the other meal course, often accompanied with a dramatic or musical presentation. Afterwards, serving appetizers was placed at the start of every meal to make way for the main dish that was still being finalized. From there, the people of England picked up the idea and then, it slowly came to America. At present, different cuisines from all over the world have their own sets of appetizers to boast.
The Advantages of Serving Appetizers
Driving up the excitement for the next course is not the only reason appetizers are being served. They are also not around just for the sake of tradition or any food culture. Appetizers are served with a handful of practical benefits that are favorable both to the meal planner and the diners.
- They only take a short time to prepare. If you are to impress your diners with an appetizing start to a meal, it would not be too much of a bother. You can do it without problems.
- They will lend time to finalize the main course. If the main dish is elaborate, the appetizer is the opposite. By serving them to your guests, you can buy time to make sure your main dish is as scrumptious as you planned it to be without being bothered that your guests are starting to get hungry.
- Appetizers are much cheaper to prepare. And although they are supposedly to tickle the appetite for more food, they could be really filling, reducing the need for more food, which will save you loads in the process.
- They are perfect for socializing. Guests could bring a plate of an appetizer sampler while they roam around the venue chit-chatting with others. If there are leftovers, you can carry on through the night towards the cocktail hour without having to prepare another set of meals. The appetizers are perfect to pair with cocktails, too.