It’s not necessary to have a full meal for  holiday party or get-together; you can serve a number of small bites, dips and spreads that your guests will still enjoy. And most hors d’oeurvres can be made ahead in advance, enabling you to spend more quality time with your guests. You also don’t have to spend a lot of money to make them!

Here’s a few serving tips from food stylist Janice Stahl:

• Keep the hors d’oeuvres simple: They should be not only bite-size, but easy to pick up-and make.
• Think outside the box-Use classic recipes, but change the presentation; for example, circular tea sandwiches, star-shaped fruit or square pizza bites that are sure to be tasty and fun to look at.
• Presentation is everything-To add special interest, serve from vases, champagne glasses or appetizer cups for bite-sized snacks and dip.

From Chef Michelle of the ALDI Test Kitchen, here’s a recipe for:

Pistachio Lemon Truffles

Ingredients

• 1 and one-fourth cups pistachios, shelled
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 4 ounces plain goat cheese
• Three-fourths cup dried mixed berries, chopped
• One-half teaspoon iodized salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 4 teaspoons finely chopped lemon zest
• Pinch of ground black pepper

Roughly chop the pistachios; place them in a bowl. With electric mixer, cream together the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Scoop tablespoon-size balls of the cheese mixture and roll them in the pistachios to coat. To serve, sprinkle a platter with the remaining pistachios and place the truffles on top. Serve with crackers.

Prep time: 30 minutes, plus 1 hour to chill

Cook time: 30 minutes, also 1 hour to chill

Makes servings of: 24 truffles

For more info and entertaining ideas and suggestions, go to http://www.aldi.us