When you have a party at home and want to be a part of it, preparing and serving cold appetizers is a good idea. These appetizer recipes can be prepared in advance, refrigerated, and simply served when required. The great thing about cold appetizers is that most of them can be made even a day in advance, that gives you time to look into other preparations for the party you are hosting. The deal with any of these appetizers is that the longer you prepare them in advance, the tastier they will be when you serve them. However, don't go any sooner than 1 day to prepare these. Usually, a couple of hours in advance is a good time to prepare these appetizers. Mozzarella and Pepper Skewers - Makes 16 Servings Ingredients

• Mozzarella Cheese (cubed), 16 pieces
• Yellow peppers (roasted; each cut into 8 squares), 2
• Cherry tomatoes, 16
• Fresh basil leaves, 16
• Italian vinaigrette dressing, ⅓ cup

Procedure On 16 small wooden skewers, put the peppers, followed by the cherry tomatoes, a basil leaf, and finally the mozzarella cubes. Place them in a tray, and pour the vinaigrette over them. Allow these skewers to marinade in the dressing for about 20 minutes at room temperature. Keep turning the skewers so that the ingredients are marinated well. When ready to serve, discard the marinade and place the skewers in a fresh, clean dish. Tortilla Ham Wrap - Makes 10 servings Ingredients

• Large flour tortillas, 1 package
• Ham (sliced; cooked), 2 packages
• Mayonnaise, ⅓ cup
• Green onions (chopped), 2 tbsp.
• Black olives (chopped), ¼ cup
• Cream cheese (softened), 16 oz.

Procedure To make the stuffing, in a large bowl, mix the mayonnaise, olives, green onions, and cream cheese. On the top of a tortilla, spread a layer of this mixture. Place the ham slices over the spread, and roll each tortilla tightly. Wrap each roll in a plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours. When ready to serve, cut the wraps into thin slices, diagonally. Turkey Spirals - Makes 12 servings Ingredients

• Turkey (cooked; shredded), ½ cup
• Ripe olives (chopped), 1 tbsp.
• Pimentos (drained; diced), 1 tbsp.
• Cream cheese (softened), 2 oz.
• Ranch Salad Dressing, 2 tsp.
• Green chillies (chopped), 3 tbsp.
• Cilantro (minced), 1 tbsp.
• Tortillas, 2

Procedure Combine together the turkey, olives, pimentos, cream cheese, salad dressing, green chillies, and cilantro in a large bowl. Spread this mixture liberally on a tortilla, roll tightly, and wrap in a plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, and cut into 12 pieces to serve. Crab Stuffed Cucumbers - Makes 12 servings Ingredients

• Cucumber, 1 large
• Mayonnaise, 4 tbsp.
• Onion (finely grated), 1½ tsp.
• Crab meat, 1 can (6½ oz.)
• Tabasco, 5 dashes
• Salt, 1 large pinch
• Sugar, ½ tsp.

Procedure To make the stuffing, combine together the crab, onion, salt, sugar, Tabasco, and mayonnaise. Take the cucumber and cut off the ends. Use a corer to remove the seeds of the cucumber, and cut it into 3 large pieces. Fill the cavity of the cucumber with the crab stuffing, and wrap each piece in a plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours before cutting into ½-inch slices and serving. Sun-Dried Tomato and Garlic Dip - Makes 2 Cups Ingredients

• Cream cheese spread, 1 tub (8 oz.)
• Sun-dried tomatoes, ½ cup
• Garlic clove (minced), 1
• Black pepper (freshly ground), 1 tsp.
• Fresh chives (finely chopped), 2 tbsp.
• Mayonnaise, ½ cup

Procedure Simply combine together all the ingredients in a bowl and chill the mixture. Serve with fresh, raw vegetable sticks or cubes, or with crackers. With these cold appetizers, your guests will surely enjoy thoroughly, and the best part is, you will be able to watch them relish each appetizer! So prepare one or more of these appetizers and have a blast!