Finger Food Appetizers

Your party is at full swing and your guests are having a good time. Everyone has a drink in their hands and will be moving towards the dinner table in a short while, but you feel that there is something wrong with this picture. You would be right in feeling that because in the above description there is no mention of appetizers. Appetizers are drinks or food items that are served prior to sitting down for a meal. Finger food appetizers are snacks that are served with the drinks to stimulate the appetite of your guests before you all sit down for a meal. Deciding on the right appetizers is not an easy task since you will need to make sure that not only is there variety in what you serve, but also that it is not so heavy that your guests fail to do justice to the main course. Now that it is time to select what appetizers you plan on serving during the party, let’s take a look at some recipes that will help.

Finger Food Appetizers Recipes 

Baked Cheese Bites

• ½ cup warm Butter or Margarine
• 1cup plain Flour
• 2 cups grated medium or sharp flavor Cheddar Cheese
• ¼ tsp ground Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tsp Paprika or Red Pepper

• Preheat oven to 400^oF
• Mix the butter, pepper and flour together.
• Add the cheese and mix in well.
• Shape into small bite-size balls
• Arrange on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven (400^oF) for about 10 minutes.

Bacon Rollups

• 2 (3 oz) packages Cream Cheese with Chives 
• 1 tbsp Mayonnaise
• 25 slices mixed Grain Bread (crusts removed and cut in half)
• 25 slices Bacon 
• 1 Parsley sprig 

• Combine cream cheese and milk (or mayonnaise) stirring until of spreading consistency.
• Spread 1 teaspoon of cheese mixture on each halved bread slice.
• Roll tightly from the smallest end.
• Wrap with bacon that has been cut in half and pin it with a toothpick.
• Place on broiler pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
• Turn if necessary.
• Garnish with parsley if desired.

Italian Biscuit Cups

• 1 pound ground Beef
• 1 (14 oz) jar Spaghetti Sauce
• 1 (10 oz) can large refrigerated Biscuits
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese or American Cheese Slices

• Cook the beef over a medium flame till it is no longer pink.
• Add the spaghetti sauce, a little at a time and stir well till the mixture looks firm.
• Cook the mixture over a medium flame for about 10 minutes.
• Put the biscuits on the bottom of the small greased muffin cups and make sure that they move up along the sides as well.
• Put some of the meat mixture in the center of each muffin cup and fill it to the very top.
• Put the muffin cups in the oven to bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes. You can take them out once they turn golden brown.
• Sprinkle the cups with some cheese and bake it for 3 more minutes and wait till the cheese melts.
• Once the cheese has melted, take them out and serve hot.

Sweet Corn Cakes With Capsicum Aioli

• 1 cob fresh Corn without the husk 
• 250 gm of peeled and halved Desiree Potatoes
• 2 tbsp of toasted pine nuts
• ½ cup of finely chopped Spanish Onion
• 1 tablespoon of chopped Parsley
• 75 gm of crumbled goat’s Cheese
• 1 lightly beaten Egg
• Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
• 1 lightly beaten Egg with 1 tbsp Milk
• 2 cups of dried Breadcrumbs
• Oil for shallow frying
• 75gm of roasted Red Capsicum fillets with the skin removed
• 1 Garlic clove 
• 2 tsp of Lemon juice
• ½ cup of Mayonnaise
• Fresh herbs for garnishing

• Boil some water in a large saucepan over a high flame.
• Add the corn to it and cook for about 5 minutes. Once the corn is done, remove the corn kernels from the cob.
• Boil the potatoes till they are tender, then drain and mash them in a large bowl. Make sure there are no lumps left in the potatoes.
• Mix through the corn, the mashed potatoes, pine nuts, onions, parsley, goat's cheese and the egg in a bowl. You can also add salt and pepper to taste.
• The some of the batter and shape it into balls and then flatten into patties. Dip patties in egg mixture and press on breadcrumbs.
• Once done put the patties in the fridge to cool and become firm.
• Once firm, shallow fry the patties in a frying pan over a medium flame for about 2 minutes they turn golden brown.
• For the capsicum aioli, put the capsicum, garlic and lemon juice in a blender and blend till the mixture is smooth. Add the mayonnaise to the capsicum mixture and stir well till a thick consistency is achieved.
• Before serving you can garnish it with some fresh herbs.