Appetizers have been around for years now, where hosts would keep guests munching on delightful morsels of mini hors d'oeuvre, while they engaged in light banter and intelligent conversation, over cocktails and drinks. Serving appetizers before main course rolls in, is a great way to keep people satiated and not hungry all afternoon / night until lunch / dinner is served. They're usually made in small bite size portions, that are over and done within seconds. That way you keep your appetite at ease and leave plenty of room for lunch/dinner. So if you've decided to throw a soirée or have a mini gathering of guests over for lunch or dinner, then these appetizer recipes should do the trick. Best Cold Appetizers for a Party or a Social Gathering Whether you intend on going the whole nine yards for a big bash, or choose to cater to a small select group of people, these appetizers will have your guests reaching out for seconds. Give these cold appetizer recipes a try that I carefully handpicked to prepare for you. Blue Cream Cheese Crackers with Tangerines and Shrimp What You'll Require

• 10 pieces of medium-sized shrimp (depending on how many guests you're expecting)
• 10 crackers (big enough to hold a single shrimp)
• 10 single sections of tangerines (de-seed these)
• 1 container of blue cream cheese
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons of chili flakes
• 2 tbsp. of butter (unsalted)

Method of Preparation Take a nonstick pan, and on medium flame quickly drop in your butter and crushed garlic continuously sautéing it until the butter melts. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to avoid burning the butter, and then drop into this your chili flakes and shrimp (deveined properly). Once the shrimp start to curl inwardly, flip them over to the other side and wait for them to cook for another minute. Mix up the contents of your pan nicely and wait for it to cool at room temperature. Place atop your cracker a thin sliver of blue cheese, then a single section of tangerine and then your shrimp. Place these on your tray, and lightly garnish each cracker with two cilantro leaves. Pour the contents of your pan into a small bowl and include on one corner of the tray with a mini spoon, to let guests shower the cracker with it like a sauce. Feel free to make more sauce as an accompaniment for your appetizer ensemble. (Tip: to make it a non-messy situation, place each cracker in a wide soup spoon with a little sauce drizzled on each one, so that it is easier for one to eat this without getting their fingers all soggy) Guacamole Dip with a Twist and Nachos What You'll Require

• 1 packet of plain nacho chips
• 3 avocados
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 medium-sized ginger piece
• 1 tablespoon of salted butter
• Juice from 2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons worth of cilantro
• 1 teaspoon of pepper corns
• 2 green chilies (with seeds)

Method of Preparation Take your avocados and gently slice through the skin of each one, until your knife comes into contact with the seed, making your way all around it before twisting it and splitting it at its center. Scoop out the contents of the hollow parts of the fruit, and keep these to one side in a big bowl. Take a pan and dry roast your ingredients without using oil or butter. Drop in your garlic, ginger, pepper corns and chilies without their stems. Keep tossing this about until you smell the aromas of your ingredients and then take these off the gas in 2 minutes. Drop these into an electric grinder, coupled with butter and 2 tablespoons of water. Grind these up into a paste and then add this to your bowl of avocados before using a masher to turn your ingredients into mush. Taste to see if it needs salt, and then add in your chopped cilantro and lemon juice before mixing it up again. Serve with nachos placed in a bowl to one side of your guacamole preparation. You can always change things up by replacing the nachos with thick bread sticks. Mini Deep-Fried Pineapple Balls with Ice Cream What You'll Require

• A tub of plain vanilla ice cream
• 1 tin of pineapple
• 1 large red chili
• 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
• 4 eggs (gently whisked)
• 1 cup of flour
• 2 cups of panko

Method of Preparation In a pan, pour in a tablespoon of olive oil, your pineapple pieces, sliced chili and sesame seeds. Sauté these gently for about 2 minutes before turning the gas off. Keep to one side a dish on the boil with oil in to then later deep-fry your pineapple balls. Take a bowl, dunk into this two scoops of ice cream in its rock solid form and then mix it gently but swiftly with your pan's contents. Take a scooper and form two balls of this and plop these into the flour and then egg mix, moving them around briefly before dumping these into a heap of panko. Coat these generously before immersing them back into the flour and then egg mix before tossing these back again in the panko; dunk these immediately in hot oil. Using a ladle, let the balls deep-fry for about 15 seconds and then place them on a sheet of kitchen towel to get rid of excess oil. Briefly place these in the freezer for 3 minutes before serving them to your guests. Garnish with mint leaves if you'd like. These appetizer choices should be served with a side of sauce or topped with garnish to bring out strong tones in flavor. It really is up to you as to exactly how you want to plate these creations, as long as you get looks of bliss while guests dig into them.