Please - share your best make ahead hors d'oevres and party appetizers. Throwing an engagement party

[peacebird]

And it appears that we now have 70 folks coming... Beginning to panic about having enough food. Setting: small local winery.
Live jazz/classical music.
Serving wine, and nonalcoholic punch to drink
Food....
So far: hummus & pita squares; cheese & crackers; skewers of marinated mozarelli balls with fresh basil & grape tomato; chilled spiced shrimp & cocktail sauce....

Help? Please?

Edit to add - no kitchen available, so they must be okay room temp...

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. more fruit

that's what I like to nibble on with wine.

[pokerfan]

2. Seventy is a lot

Ritz Crackers and Cheez Whiz:



People won't care about the appetizers once the strippers show up.

[peacebird]

10. LOL! Thank you! but in this case there won't be any strippers..... I guess i'm throwing a boring

engagement party....
: )

[riderinthestorm]

3. A trio of Mexican dips: guacamole, mango salsa, and a bean dip. Or how about bruschetta?

Or those pinwheels that are tortillas stuffed with different ingredients, then rolled up and sliced?

Can you get chafing dishes and keep some hot? That would open up a lot of possibilities....

[peacebird]

7. Good ideas... I can borrow a chafing dish. What to put in it?

[riderinthestorm]

8. Mini quiches, your favorite pizza cut into small squares, stuffed mushrooms

meatballs in an italian spaghetti type sauce or in a barbeque type sauce, little quesadillas filled with cheese, salsa, avocado, or buffalo wings (ohiosmith assures me they're terrific)...

I forgot to add to my original post that old standbys are almost always a hit: devilled eggs, veggie tray with dip, and bowls of nuts.

(can you tell I throw a LOT of parties??))

[peacebird]

9. Thank you! We throw very few parties and I do so want this one to go well for our dear friends!

[libodem]

4. Something I like

Are the pickled asparagus spears wraped in cream cheese covered ham slices. They make simple delicious roll-ups.

My friend makes something she calls ramockie,(spell?) which is bacon wrapped, whole water chestnut, baked in a ketsup/white sugar sauce, Don't let the simplicity fool you. If you bake them until crispy you won't be disappointed.

[Baitball Blogger]

6. On those asparagus spears,

While it is still rolled, stick toothpicks in at even intervals, and slice it into pieces. You can also trade a green onion for the asparagus.

[Baitball Blogger]

5. Artichoke dip.

Two cans artichoke, drained,
one cup hellman's mayo.
one cup parmesan cheese.
Cut up artichokes
Mix all the ingredients, stick in fridge day before,
Before first guest arrive, stick in oven at 425 for twenty minutes (till peaks are browned)

Also, get one of those big round baked breads (pumpernickel is our favorite) Take the middle out, cut it up in chunks.

Put the artichoke dip inside the hole of the bread,

Serve on a large round platter with the chunks of bread surrounding the round bread.

[beac]

11. Brought to you by the DU way-back machine:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x90307


And you might want to cross-post this in the current Cooking & Baking Group for more ideas (we have even more members now than on DU2!)

[seabeyond]

12. crock pot of meatballs in a delicious sauce with toothpicks

I know it sounds tacky with you other stuff but would go and oddly a huge favorite. People stand there and eat. And easy. Another is chestnut wrapped in bacon with sauce. Another easy and ahead of time and quantity. If you want recipe let me know. Would go well with what you have so far.

[trof]

15. Use pretzel sticks instead of toothpicks.

You can eat the whole thing, 'toothpick' and all, and no used toothpicks lying around.
AND...you're saving a forest!

[cliffordu]

13. Crack. It's cheap, and NO ONE has an appetite after the first toke.

And they all feel a LOT more interesting.

OR,

You could bake bacon wrapped oysters.

Kind of the exact opposite.

Or do both and unleash hell itself.

Big fun, no matter how you slice it.

[peacebird]

16. Bacon wrapped oysters sound good, but sounds like they need to be served right away....

[cliffordu]

24. yeah, kinda - you bake them and serve them hot from the oven on the half shell...

magnifico.....

[Petrushka]

14. Easy-peasy toothpick appetizers: green grapes & cheddar cheese cubes and/or

red grapes & jack cheese cubes

Example:




More elaborate fruit skewers:
http://indulgy.com/post/D7CSR1cmB1/fruit-and-cheese-skewers

[peacebird]

17. Great idea! Cheese and fruit go with wine AND i can make ahead!

Thanks!

[GoCubsGo]

18. I would include some veggies to dip in the hummus and other dips

Baby carrots, sliced pepper, celery sticks, broccoli... Some, if not all can be bought pre-washed and sliced.

Prosciutto ham slices wrapped around cantaloupe or honeydew melon pieces is easy and very tasty.

If you are ambitious, you could make California rolls or some other sort of sushi roll. Some of the grocery store sushi makers sell party trays, although those have the potential to get expensive.

You can make "pinwheels" using tortillas/wraps and your favorite filling...maybe a chicken or tuna salad, or some kind of spreadable cheese or cream cheese filling, such as one with smoked salmon. Just spread the filling on the tortillas, roll them up, and chill them for a while. Then slice them. You can can use a variety of fillings, as well as the different flavored tortillas. There are tons of recipes on the 'net.

You can also make the pinwheels using crescent rolls dough. Pillsbury's web page directions and filling suggestions.

Here are a bunch of yummy sounding appetizers from Martha Stewart:
http://www.marthastewart.com/274748/cocktail-party-hors-doeuvres/@center/276959/cocktail-hour#/262059

I'm betting she has lots more where those came from.

[fizzgig]

19. i love prosciutto and melon

really good if you pepper the melon first

[Major Nikon]

20. Whiskey

[annabanana]

21. Ask Blaze in Cooking & baking forum for her penguin recipe

really really cute, made with olives & cream cheese..

Wait I found it!
http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/appetizers-and-snacks/black-olive-penguins/

[peacebird]

26. I absolutely will make some of these to have on various trays of snacks! Too cute!

[haele]

22. Sausage cheese balls - a classic dish from Laz' country family that can be

1 lb of breakfast-type sausage that isn't in a casing and isn't already cooked - family uses the big roll of Jimmy Dean hot breakfast sausage, but you can use a better uncooked and spiced to taste version - like buffalo or venison, if you want to be fancy - so long as it has a lot of grease or oil in it. (we spiced up some pork sausage from a local rancher) The spice mixture you add to the sausage should give it some heat and spice - I suggest more flavor than heat, but that's me.
1 lb of extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded - either white cheddar or tillimook, or a nice sharp irish cheddar.
2 3/4 cups of flour, 2 tablespoons of baking powder, 1 tsp of salt. (The relatives use bisquick, but I prefer to use my own flour mixture, similar to a biscuit mix.)


Mix all the dry ingredients, then slowly mix in the shredded cheese until the cheese is evenly coated with flour and doesn't clump.
Then knead in the sausage so that the mixture becomes a complete ball. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes or so, then pinch off thumb-sized pieces and roll into little balls on un-greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes until golden brown.

This should make about 100 little bite-sized balls Quick and easy. They are especially nice with a good ricotta or cream cheese that has been mixed into a dip with spicy sweet chili sauce

.add finely shredded sage leaves that have soaked in olive oil and been drained to the mix before baking; that makes a good taste balance.

Haele

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

23. Get some large, sweet cherry tomatoes.

Cut them in half and scoop out the insides with a small melon baller.
Stuff the halves with black olive tapenade.

Interesting and tasty; should go well with the things you have already planned.

Should keep OK for a day without refrigeration, just cover with plastic wrap.

[peacebird]

25. Love it! Thank you! May have to add some of the olive penguins listed above standing guard!