Appetizer recipe collection

New Orleans crab canapes: buttered toast rounds topped with creamy crab and gruyere-parmesan cheese balls, baked until bubbly. A classic French Quarter party appetizer.

Cream cheese and olive dip with sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, and paprika. Rich, savory, and scoopable. A no-cook party appetizer that comes together in 10 minutes.

Orecchiette dell'ortolano: Italian gardener's-style pasta with broiled eggplant, fire-roasted peppers, asparagus, and fresh fava beans tossed with olive oil and garlic.

These are cute little turkeys made out of oreo cookies and candy pieces. They are even easy enough for young children to help make. Gobble! Gobble!

Ranch oyster cracker snack mix tossed in warm oil with ranch dressing mix, dill weed, and garlic powder. An addictive, five-ingredient party snack ready in minutes.

Oysters Thomas bakes fresh oysters on the half shell topped with lump crab meat, bearnaise sauce, and cream sauce under golden bread crumbs. An elegant appetizer.

Crispy phyllo Parmesan straws layered with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and a hint of cayenne, baked golden in 10 minutes. A light, low-fat cocktail snack made with pantry staples.

Italian-style party meatballs with Parmesan and rolled oats simmered in a homemade tomato-oregano-basil sauce. Serve in a chafing dish for easy entertaining and cocktail parties.

Crispy phyllo pastry nests filled with sauteed mushrooms, walnuts, soy sauce, and a hint of nutmeg. Elegant bite-sized appetizers that can be prepped weeks ahead.

Welsh mussel pate with herring roe, brandy, cream, and dill, baked in a bain-marie until set. A rich, briny seafood starter from the Menai Strait served on toast fingers.

Pate Diana, a silky French-style chicken liver pate with sauteed apples, shallots, and apple wine or brandy, sealed in clarified butter. Elegant make-ahead appetizer that keeps a week chilled.

Patout's Cajun hot crab dip with sweated trinity vegetables, fresh crab meat, heavy cream, three peppers, and Tabasco. Bayou-style appetizer for parties and game day.

Pita pizza bites loaded with mushrooms, red onion, bell pepper, and melted mozzarella. Split, top, and bake in 20 minutes for a quick vegetarian appetizer.

Microwave-poached sole fillets bathed in a creamy white-wine shrimp sauce. An elegant fish dinner from the 1980s microwave-cooking era, ready in 40 minutes without dirtying a stovetop pan.

Baked dried beef dip with cream cheese, sour cream, horseradish, and chopped nuts. A creamy, savory hot appetizer with a sharp horseradish kick for crackers and veggies.

Polynesian kabobs with bacon-wrapped pineapple, soy-marinated ham, olives, and cherry tomatoes, broiled until crisp. Sweet-salty tiki appetizer skewers.