Appetizer Recipes
An easy way to cut down on your party budget? Whip up the appetizers and hors d'oeurves yourself. A great appetizer recipe not only tastes good—it must be easy to scale, since you can expect each of your guests to be downing at least five of them.
Bruschetta
This delicious recipe is always a hit, and you can vary it to be no-bake if you find yourself in a pre-party time crunch. Serves about 12.
- 8 plum tomatoes
- 6 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- 1 baguette
- ½ pound fresh mozzarella
- Chop up your tomatoes and garlic into bits, then combine them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.
- On thin slices of bread, place a tablespoon of the mixture, cover with a basil leaf and a thin slice of mozzarella.
- If you have time, broil the slices on a baking sheet for 5 minutes.
Deviled Eggs
These party staples aren’t too complicated to put together and can easily be scaled just by adding more eggs. Serves 24.
- 12 eggs
- 1/2 stalk celery, chopped
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 dash hot pepper sauce
- Put the eggs in pot, covered with cold water. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Leave them in the hot water for about 10 minutes. Then, place the eggs in a pot of cold water until fully cooled, then peel.
- Cut the eggs in half, and remove yolks. In a separate bowl, mash the yolks with the remaining ingredients.
- Plop the yolk mixture inside the egg halves, and place in the refrigerator until your party.
Hummus
This light, tasty dip goes great with chips, pita, veggies, and crusty bread. Making it from scratch is easy with a food processor, and it will impress your guests.
- 2 15-oz cans garbanzo beans, or 30 oz dried beans soaked overnight
- 10 cloves garlic
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup tahini
- 3 teaspoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Put everything except salt, pepper, and garbanzo beans in a food processor. Blend until the garlic is minced, then add the beans. When this forms a smooth paste, add salt and pepper to taste.