5 Party Food Appetizers For Thanksgiving

5 Party food appetizers for Thanksgiving are all about easy, seasonal fun. Often times, while throwing a Thanksgiving dinner, guests are chomping at the bit before the turkey is even out of the oven. Here are 5 recipes that will hold them over until the main course begins.

1. Parmesan Puff Pastry

You Will Need:

• 1 package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease baking sheet.
2. Lightly flour a surface and unfold the pastry sheets. Cut sheets into thirteen individual sheets.
3. In a bowl, mix cheese, garlic, and basil.
4. Brush pastry sticks with melted butter.
5. Roll the pastry sticks in the cheese mixture being sure to coat each side.
6. Twist pastry sticks and put them on the greased baking sheet.
7. Bake for 12 minutes, remove, and let cool.

2. Potato Croquettes

You Will Need:

• 2 tablespoons milk
• salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped green onion
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups mashed potatoes
• 1 egg, beaten
• sifted dried bread crumbs
• peanut oil

1. Add milk, salt, pepper, chopped onion, beaten egg yolks and flour to mashed potatoes. Chill, then shape into balls.
2. Dip in the beaten egg, then roll through the bread crumbs.
3. Fry each croquette in oil until brown all over and then you'll have a delicious Thanksgiving appetizer!

3. Cheese-Stuffed Dates with Prosciutto

You Will Need:

• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/4 cup goat cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 16 Medjool dates, pitted
• 8 thin slices prosciutto, halved lengthwise

1. In a bowl, add the cheeses, chives, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix together.
2. Pull the dates apart and spoon in roughly 1/2 teaspoon of the cheese mixture inside. Close the dates around the filling.
3. Wrap one piece of the prosciutto around each date and put in place with a toothpick. Have this out for your guests before the big Thanksgiving dinner.

4. Warm Brie with Fuji Apple, Pear and Melba Toasts

You Will Need:

• 1 large Fuji apple
• 1 large red or brown skinned pear
• a wedge of lemon
• 1 lb. individual wheel brie cheese
• 24 sesame Melba toast rounds

1. Quarter the apple and pear lengthwise. Be sure to remove the core. Slice apple and pear into 1/4 inch thick slices.
2. Squeeze lemon juice over the fruit.
3. Cut off the top rind of the brie and place in the microwave for sixty seconds to soften.
4. Serve the softened, warm brie on a platter with fruit and Melba toast. This makes for an easy Thanksgiving Appetizer.

5. Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Appetizer

You Will Need:

• 1 orange, sectioned, seeded, and chopped
• 1 hot red chile, stemmed and chopped
• 2 scallion, white and green parts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 3 to 4 slices bacon cut into 2 to 3-inch sections
• 8 leaves bibb or Boston lettuce

1. Preheat Broiler. In a bowl, mix orange, chile, scallions, cilantro, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
2. Wrap each shrimp in a section of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
3. Put shrimp on a baking sheet and broil until the bacon is crisp and the shrimp is cooked through.
4. Lay lettuce leaf on the cutting board. Remove the toothpick from the shrimp. Spoon some of the citrus sauce on top, wrap it all up with the lettuce like a taco. Do this for all of the shrimp.