Here are five delicious appetizers to serve at your next dinner party that will delight your guests and spice up your palate. 

1. Cranberry Meatballs

Chances are that if you aren’t of Native American heritage, then your consumption of cranberries is likely limited to the autumnal and winter holidays, when families traditionally gather around the table for some form of poultry and jellied cranberry sauce. Cranberry breads are popular around the holidays, too. But cranberry meatballs? You might be surprised at the integration of such a seemingly odd ingredient into a beloved meat dish, but the results are spectacular. 

2. Brie Tartlets

There are as many types of tarts as there are names in the English language, and those you have probably tried are the fruity varieties. Cheese tarts are also delicious. Brie  is a soft cow’s-milk cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated. It is pale in color with a slight grayish tinge under a rind of white mold. Using brie as a filling in a tartlet is spectacularly delicious, and a unique way to renew an old favorite appetizer. 

3. Blue Cheese Biscuits

Biscuits are a must-have at any Thanksgiving dinner, and a popular addition to Sunday suppers in both the north and south. But how can one mix up the ingredients to bring new zest into them? Consider the integration of blue cheese as either a filling or topping, as well as the inclusion of chive for additional taste. 

4. AfterBurners

This extremely easy-to-make dish is just a jalapeno pepper stuffed with shrimp and wrapped in bacon. Their popularity ranges from occasion to occasion, including cocktail parties and summer blow-outs. If you’re looking for a simple recipe that packs a powerful punch, AfterBurners are the way to go. 

5. Pepper Jelly Chicken Wings

Pepper Jam and pepper jelly are unique sweet and spicy gourmet spreads, dips, and glazes that comes in 8 delicious flavors – Grandma Jones’ Originals Traditional, Southwestern Chipotle, Habanero, Jalapeño, Cranberry, Caribbean Mango, Pomegranate, and Cranberry Habanero. What better way to spice up your life than by taking one of these miraculous glazes and using it on the classic chicken wing?

Appetizer recipes are abundant online and in books, and it can be tempting to stick with the tried-and-true recipes in the face of so many options. Having said that, when you are ready to take the plunge and try something new, there is truly no end to the experiences you and your palate can have. Cranberry meatballs, brie tartlets, blue cheese biscuits, afterburners, and pepper jelly chicken wings are merely five in an endless array of appetizer recipes that can launch you into a new phase of foodie delight.