Gourmet Finger Foods

For your next party, you might want to consider serving gourmet appetizers for parties. They are easy to prepare, many of which can be made ahead of time.

We've all attended a party at one point in our life when the host or hostess seems to be running ragged trying to serve all the food. What a disaster that can be! They might have planned on serving some fantastic food, but they didn't work on the timing, and that can ruin the entire party. It's difficult to keep track of what needs to go in the oven and when, and what needs to be brought out of the fridge or freezer. If you don't have the rare gift of cooking coordination, you will set yourself up for failure. Let's take a look at a few gourmet finger foods that would be a hit at your party:

  

* Gourmet Sandwiches: You'd be surprised at the plain and average sandwiches that would be a hit at your party, if you just dress them up a little bit. By using a cookie cutter, you can cut your sandwiches into fun shapes, and you will be the belle of the ball. It doesn't matter what the filling is either, it can be turkey or ham, or grilled cheese sandwiches. It could even be peanut butter and jelly - it's all gourmet with cookie cutters.

* Appetizer Dip: Hot dips served with crackers or chips will make any party a special occasion. Anyone can make dip, even if you're not a gourmet cook. Just carefully follow the recipe, and then offer some crackers alongside it and voila - you have just become a hit with your gourmet finger foods.

* Shrimp: This is the most gourmet you can get. Any seafood, especially shrimp, tells your guests "You're special." But look out for Uncle Roy, he's the guy at the party who fills up his entire plate with the shrimp, and leaves nothing behind. In the event someone tries to horde the shrimp, simply leave the plate empty for a while, indicating you're not going to quickly run and get more just for Uncle Roy to indulge on.

So, as you can see, you don't have to be a gourmet cook to embellish your party with gourmet finger foods. If you know how to read, all it takes is finding the right recipe and making the plate attractive. You will be the talk of the town for years! In fact, you may do so well that people will start asking if you will host their next special event, because food talks, and it will tell the tale of a gourmet party host or hostess. You might even have to screen your calls for a while, because your phone will be ringing off the hook for a long time.

Carrot Pate Is An Easy Party Appetizers

Do you love entertaining your family, friends, and office associates with tempting and delightful tidbits of wonderful food like appetizers for parties? Do you often find yourself as a hostess with a need to find recipes you can use to create a delicious concoction that will impress anyone who attends one of your parties? Then again, maybe you are searching for just the right appetizer recipe to serve for the holidays or even during some half-time game?

   

Appetizer Recipes Alternatives

Most often when people consider different appetizer recipes the first things to come to mind are those made of meat or seafood ingredients. However, there are appetizer alternatives you can consider making. If you have tried all the meat and seafood appetizers and you would like to try making appetizers that feature vegetables you should try this recipe to see how well it goes over at your next social gathering.

This is also a great recipe idea for those who do not eat meat. Therefore, if you need a vegetarian party appetizer that is easy to make and easy to please anyone who enjoys eating carrots this is one of the best types of pates you can make and serve to them. It is delicious, filling and provides you and your guests with some good vitamins and minerals.

Since, the holidays involve preparing and eating different types of fruits and vegetables, this carrot appetizer will fit right in with all the festivities. You may even consider making some for your holiday feasting whether you are at home with loved ones or serving it at the office party buffet.
Recipe for Carrot Pate
What You Need

• 2 pounds peeled, sliced carrots
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 small diced onion
• 4 large diced garlic cloves
• ¾ teaspoon cumin
• 1 ½ teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon cilantro
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 Tablespoon grated orange rind
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make It

Peel and slice carrots, rinse and then add to a large pot of salted boiling water, and allow cooking for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until firm but tender. Drain and then set aside until needed.
Using a medium size saucepan or skillet on medium heat add the oil tablespoon of oil to cook the onion and garlic for about 5 to 7 minutes or until tender.

Using a blender add the cumin, oregano, cilantro, orange juice, orange rind, salt and pepper as well as the onion and clove mixture and the cooked carrots. You may choose to chop and blend or puree depending on what is most suitable for your purposes and taste.

Pour into a mold or loaf pan and then place in the refrigerator to chill for 4 to 6 hours before serving.

Various Benefits of a Vegetarian Lifestyle

  

For people across the globe, becoming vegetarian is largely a matter of money: Meat costs a lot more than, say, beans or rice, so meat becomes a special-occasion dish.

In developed countries where meat is considerable cheap, though, people choose to be vegetarians for reasons other than cost. Family preferences, spiritual beliefs, and health concerns are among the top reasons for choosing to be a vegetarian. Many people opt for a vegetarian diet out of concern over animal rights or the environment too.

If we take an ethical view towards becoming vegetarian, most animals slaughtered for meat are highly developed being with rich and profound emotional lives. To kill such vastly developed beings just to consume the meat and to shape their whole existence only for that purpose conflicts with every standard of ethics. Furthermore, the simple fact that most people feel nothing but revulsion while seeing an animal being slaughtered which shows that eating meat is against human nature.
 
Ecologically it is even more shocking, but the livestock sector is one of the worst environmental hazards of our time accounting for approximately 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, which is a lot more than emitted from transportation. Livestock Farming is the main reason for deforestation of the Amazon, as forest is cleared for pastures and the cultivation of animal feed. Acidification due to high levels of ammonia is mainly caused by the Meat Industry. Also being the major contributing factor in water pollution due to nitrogen and phosphorus. To conclude, there is also the intense problem of overfishing which may be the largest single threat to the marine ecosystems.

Health wise the various health hazards linked to meat consumption are extreme cholesterol levels, obesity and illnesses such as bone loss, cancer, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis with the major one being heart disease. Then there is the risk of food poisoning due to consumption of rotten meat along with the problem of antibiotic deposits and growth hormones found in meat products.

There are excellent vegetarian sources of protein such as legumes, nuts and pulses and high-value vegetable oils are a much better option of fat compared to meat or meat products. Consuming meat is not essential and too much of it is absolutely harmful.

Vegetarianism is ethical and moral and given the devastating results of meat consumption on an individual, social and ecological level, as thinking, caring beings we should select vegetarianism. Many great philosophers such as Socrates, Leo Tolstoy, Plato and George Bernard Shaw have imparted the ethics of vegetarianism.

Make it to the point that even your appetite will considered vegetables to even make a vegetarian appetizers for parties.