left: Cranberry Meatballs, Mushroom Turnovers, and Creamy Olive Spread add up to a fine first course. right: Thread fresh cranberries onto short wooden skewers for festive serving picks.

Featured Recipes:

Do-ahead ease meets hard-working flavor head-on with these sensational starters. Fix them on a leisurely Sunday, and freeze for later use. Tackling the prep work in advance gives you breathing room for all the other fun cooking when company's coming.

"Make-Ahead Appetizers" is from the December 2005 issue of Southern Living.