How To Plan Your Next Appetizer Party.

I have found over the past few years most people are moving away from a full-blown meal, and turning towards appetizer buffets instead. Most of these parties tend to start later in the evening, or after the dinner hour.

When you plan a party, not only do you want to have a good time. But I think some of you secretly want to impress your guests with maybe some of your favorite recipes. Sometimes one of your impressive appetizers can even create a talking point among strangers, as a way to get acquainted.

Here are a few tips you may want to think about when planning your party:

• Have guests bring an appetizer or dessert to share to take some of the load off you.
• Buy three or four quality store-bought appetizers that are easy to prepare.
• Pick a few of your own recipes

Here are a few menu ideas for you that may help cut your preparation time in half:

• Buy simple blocks of cheese, olives, and nuts to arrange on your table.
• Cooked shrimp arranged on a silver platter makes for a beautiful display for your table.
• Store-bought deli meats displayed with some marinated vegetables always seem to be a crowd pleaser.
• Place pre-made meatballs in a crock pot and add your favorite sauce.
• Buy store-bought vegetable trays. It may be more expensive but it will save you time in the end.

Here are also a few more things to consider while in the planning stages of your party:

• Do menu and shopping list a few weeks in advance.
• I try to get most of my prep work done the day before my party. It takes some of the stress away the day of the party
• I also make a list of things I need to do the day of my party. Sometimes I enlist help from my family or friends, who come over earlier to help before the party begins.
• You also can hire a local agency that provides servers who can completely move you away from the kitchen. These people will help arrange your food, pickup, and cleanup everything before they leave. I don't think enlisting this type of help is unreasonable if you can enjoy yourself for a change.

Do you have any time saving tips or recipes you would like to share?

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