11 Easy Appetizer Recipes

At last, the weekend is here. And chances are that for many, the weekend means dinner parties with friends and family. Sure, the main course is probably already planned out — perhaps you have your heart set on pot roast, roast chicken, barbecue ribs, grilled fish, or a wonderful stew, should the weather stay cool. And sides are usually a snap. But what about appetizers? The first course sets the tone for the meal, so it's important to get it right. Here are 11 great, easy appetizer recipes for you to try.

Click here to see the 11 Easy Appetizer Recipes Slideshow

A couple of highlights:

Celebrate the last of the season's good tomatoes with Lori Rice's Honey-Pecan Tomato Tarts with Blue Cheese. Rice, a member of our Culinary Content Network and the author of the blog Fake Food Free, says the blue cheese perfectly balances out the sweetness of the honey and tomatoes.

And if you're not throwing a dinner party at all, but instead need something to pass around in front of the TV (football season has started, after all), look no further than the Pepper Lynn's Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms. There's nothing complicated about them — the ingredients speak for themselves.

This week's turnout among Culinary Content Network members is a record high — six bloggers submitted 15 recipes this week, so it was hard just to pick the mighty few.

We'd like to give a shout out to our new participants this week.

Mellissa Sevigny, author of I Breathe, I'm Hungry (a name which aptly sums up the state of most TDM editors) is currently working on an e-cookbook. She shares with us one of her favorite recipes for easy sushi hand rolls.

And Emily Pahl is the author of She Makes and Bakes. Pahl is based out of Denver, Colo., the Mile-High City, but don't worry — most of her recipes work here down on planet Earth as well.

Click here to see Recipe SWAT Teams from the past

Will Budiaman is the Recipe Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow him on Twitter @WillBudiaman.