Appetizers are small snack bites served before a meal or even as a midday snack. Many hosts invest a lot of their time getting the appetizers ready, even while the party is going on or just a couple of hours before it starts. And boy, do they look hassled. God forbid, if one of the recipes fails to work, it does leave the host in a sour mood. To save you the trouble of ensuring good, tasty, and easy appetizers, try out a few make-ahead appetizer recipes given below. Pork Dumplings Ingredients:

• Lean, boneless pork loin chops, cut into chunks, 1½ pounds
• Pork sausages, 12 ounces
• Wonton skins, 2 packages
• Chicken broth, ½ cup
• Green onions, diced, 4
• Fresh minced ginger, 2 tbsp
• Water chestnuts, finely chopped, 15
• Salt, 1½ tsp
• Fresh chopped parsley, ¼ cup
• Teriyaki sauce, 1 tsp
• Cornstarch, ½ cup
• Light soy sauce, 2 tsp
• Sugar, 4 tbsp
• Sesame oil, 1 tbsp

In a food processor, process pork chops and combine them with the sausages, onions, minced ginger, water chestnuts, salt, parsley, chicken broth, teriyaki sauce, cornstarch, light soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil. Mix well and set aside. Cut corners from wonton skins to form circles, hold them in the palm and shape it like a pouch. Drop 1 teaspoon mixture onto the middle of each pouch and squeeze the top of the skin together, to form dumplings. Steam the dumplings, giving them either a light steam or warm it in the microwave, before serving with Thai chili sauce or ginger dipping sauce. Jalapeño Shrimp Ingredients:

• Large peeled shrimp, 1½ pounds
• Pickled whole jalapeños, 17 ounces
• Pickling liquid, ¼ cup
• Fresh minced cilantro
• Fresh lime juice, ¼ cup
• Salt, 1 tsp

In a large pan, boil water, add salt, and drop the shrimp in it. Bring it to a boil, cover and immediately remove from heat. Drain and rinse shrimp in regular tap water. Set aside in a large salad bowl. Cut the jalapeños in half, lengthwise and add it to the salad bowl. Toss with the lime juice, pickling liquid, cilantro, and salt. The appetizer is ready. Serve this appetizer either chilled or at room temperature. This is one of the make-ahead appetizers that can be made a whole day ahead, and served straight from the refrigerator. Lemon, Pepper, and Goat Cheese-Stuffed Tomatoes Ingredients:

• Cherry tomatoes, 32
• Softened, plain goat cheese, 8 ounces
• Extra-virgin olive oil, 1½ tbsp
• Freshly grated lemon zest
• Fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp
• Black pepper powder, 1 tsp
• Chives or basil for garnishing

Cut off tops and bottoms of tomatoes, but make sure what you cut are very thin slices. Scoop out the soft flesh from the tomatoes and cut the top and bottom enough to make them stand straight. In a small bowl, mix together cheese, olive oil, zest, lemon juice, and pepper powder. Spoon this mix and add cheese on top. This appetizer can be made half a day ahead. The above appetizer recipes will definitely ensure compliments coming your way, not only for the food, but also for being the most non-hassled host ever.