Home Design with Kevin Sharkey

1 Oysters Casino: Serve these irresistible oysters filled with bacon, red pepper, and celery.

2 Stuffed Mushrooms: The stuffing for these bite-size mushrooms can be made up to a day ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

3 Figs and Prosciutto: Sweet figs make the perfect pairing for a thin slice of savory Prosciutto di Parma.

4 Tuna Carpaccio on Orange Slices: Top thin squares of fresh, raw tuna with a creamy sauce made from rice-wine vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, soy sauce, and mayonnaise. Serve on thick orange slices.

5 Twice-Cooked Potatoes with Caviar: This dish is an elegant, creative, and flavorful way to serve caviar.

6 Steamed Ricotta Dumplings: These dumplings make elegant hors d'oeuvres when served in individual Chinese soup spoons. Fill them with broccoli rabe or stuff them with ricotta, Parmesan, prosciutto, and parsley.

7 Endive Spears with Lobster, Avocado, and Grapefruit: Endive leaves serve as little cups to hold lobster, avocado, and grapefruit in this noteworthy appetizer. You could also use crab or shrimp as a substitute for the lobster.

8 Marinated Olives: Jazz up purchased olives with citrus slices and fresh herbs for an easy New Year's appetizer.

9 Shrimp Cocktail: Arrange shrimp along the rim of an ice-filled bowl (or on a platter) accompanied by lemon slices and cocktail sauce or lemon aioli.

10 Ham and Gruyere Thumbprints: Based on a classic French recipe, these warm hors d'oeuvres are filled with Black Forest Ham and melted Gruyere.

11 Asian Crab Cakes: Perfect for a New Year's cocktail party, these showstopping crab cakes can be made and frozen up to six weeks before your event.

12 Endive Spears with Herbed Goat Cheese: This vegetarian finger food can be made in no time. We served the goat cheese on endive spears, but you can also use hearts of celery or crackers.