Creative Finger Foods

Are you having some people over and you need some great ideas for those pre-dinner finger foods? Even with a hectic schedule, there are some quick and easy recipes to make any dinner party a success.

Some cheesy bites are a sure hit. Just grate up some of your favorite cheese or buy the pre-packaged cheeses. Add half cup butter, a cup of flour and a teaspoon of paprika or even cayenne for a little punch. Mix the flour, butter and pepper together, add the cheese and place on cookie sheet in little balls. Bake for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. You can even add some sausage, bacon, onion or anything that goes with cheese. This recipe can be found at http://www.finger-food-recipes.com/cheese-bites.html.

You can also make herbed goat cheese bites. Mix eight ounces of goat cheese with fresh mint, tarragon, parsley and thyme. Next, roll this mixture up in some plastic wrap and chill up to 24 hours. Just as your guests are arriving, drizzle some olive oil onto baguette slices and press into a muffin pan. Bake at 350 Fahrenheit for about nine minutes. Cool for a few minutes and spread with the herbed cheese and garnish with some chopped sun dried tomatoes. Find this recipe and more at http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1867519.

Creating platters of similar foods is a quick and simple crowd favorite. Use whatever you have around and pile them up with fruits, veggies, deviled eggs or different cheeses. For a really quick clean up, make your own platters by covering cardboard with foil and arranging your food on this platter so you can toss it when the party is over for a quick lean up.