It wouldn't be a party without...

[Char Finamore]

My husband got a great promotion and we are having a party to celebrate! I need some new ideas on what to serve. It is going to be all appetizer/finger foods. What are some favorite things you have served that always seem to get a "wow" reaction? They don't necessarily have to be "light", but things you can do ahead would be great. Thanks!

[Linda in MO]

I have 3 words for you...Lindrusso's Spinach Balls! Here is a link to the recipe...
http://www.cookinglight.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16155&highlight=spinach+balls

I've made these a few times and they're always a hit...

* Exported from MasterCook *

Savory Rye Snacks

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Appetizer/Snack

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/2 cup sliced green onions -- (1/2 to 1 cup)
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups colby/jack cheese or Monterey jack and cheddar
1 can sliced mushrooms -- (4 oz.) drained and chopped
1 small can sliced black olives -- drained and coarsely chopped
1 loaf cocktail rye or sourdough bread -- (1 lb.)

Mix 1st five ingredients together. (This can be done ahead and refrigerated).

Spread on bread slices and place on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until bubbly.

Yield:
"4 dozen"

Serving Ideas : Maybe try adding chopped ham or deli roast beef?

CL's Toffee Dip with Apples is also awesome.

I also have a recipe for Mini Mexican Quiche. Let me know if you need it. It's also not light. :o

[Jen]

The endive with goat cheese and walnuts from a couple of months ago (September?) was excellent! If you do a search you should come up with several reviews, and probably the recipe too! This was very easy to make, and it can be done ahead of time - just takes 5 minutes or less to assemble it just before serving.

[BethH]

Also posted by Alysha!!! :p Do a search for these--and make them! They are fantastic.

I made five batches about a month ago and froze them unbaked. Then when I was ready to serve, I just popped them in the oven still frozen and they turned out great. I did flip them to brown the undersides a little bit as they were a little soft, but other than that...perfect. Everyone devoured them all night--and they are just as good room temp as they are warm. I found them worth the effort! :cool:

p.s. I also made the spinach balls for the same party--very yummy with some Maile dijon mustard for dipping. Even those skeptical of veggies liked them. Yum.

p.p.s. You know, I still have two bags of these two appetizers in my freezer. I think it might be time to throw a cocktail party!

[greysangel]

Asiago Dip with crostini or crudite...very yummy!

JeAnne

[KelLeg]

I just put a recipe for a tapanade that I love on the Tapas thread. This is a favorite of ours. Plus, it is easy.

[beckms]

Hummus and pita bread is always popular, also served with veggies...

Have you tried the Spice-Crusted Shrimp with remoulade Sauce from the Supper Club issue (september or august?) That is sooooooo good...and easy! I would recommend upping the spices a bit, though.

have fun!

[Shirley Panek]

Do you have November's issue? Those Mini Peppermint and Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes look fabulous! I can't wait to try them. The article is about finger food desserts.

[HARRYET]

Shirley,

The mini chocolate chip mint cheesecakes are delicous. I didn't make them, but had them at a friends on Saturday evening. The only problem she had was getting them out of the mini muffin pan. She said she would line the pan next time she makes them.

Ann :)


As far as appetizers are concerned, how about a brushetta, brie wrapped in phyllo, or mini quiches.

Here is another one I've have been wanting to try:

Originally posted by Lindrusso

I'll post the phyllo triangle recipe below. I think that they would survive a
month in the freezer with no problem if they are in airtight containers. I
made my triangles using leftover Thanksgiving turkey and they kept very
nicely until Christmas.

PHYLLO TRIANGLES WITH CURRIED WALNUT CHICKEN

2 1/2 pounds whole chicken breasts
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1 pound phyllo pastry
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter (I used far less butter and they still
came out tender and flaky)

1. Heat the oven to 375º. Arrange the chicken breasts in a roasting pan
and cook and cook until the juices run clear when pierced with a knife,
about 45 minutes. Let cool. Remove the skin and bones, and discard. Cut
the meat into small pieces. Set aside.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a small pan. Add the flour and curry
powder and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes.
Whisk in the milk, and whisk until the mixture thickens. Add salt. Stir in
the walnuts and the chicken. Set aside to cool completely.

3. To prepare the triangles, trim the edges of the pile of phyllo dough so
that it is easier to work with. To assemble, place 1 sheet of phyllo on a
flat surface and brush with melted butter. Top with 2 more sheets,
buttering EACH sheet. Cut the combined sheets in half crosswise. Then
cut each half lengthwise into 2 1/2-inch-wide strips (with Pepperidge
Farm dough, you will get about 12 8 or 9-inch long strips). Using about 2
teaspoons of filling, spoon the filling onto the center of the END of each
strip, and form a triangle by folding the lower right-hand corner to the
opposite side, as you would a flag. Continue folding to the end of the
strip. Repeat with the remaining phyllo and filling.

4. Preheat the oven to 375º with 2 racks. Line 2 baking sheets with
parchment paper. Working in batches, place the phyllo triangles on the
baking sheets. Brush them with melted butter and bake until golden
brown, 7 to 10 minutes.

5. Storing the triangles: If you want to prepare the filled triangles ahead
of time, unbaked filled triangles can be refrigerated for up to 2 days, or
frozen immediately; do not thaw the frozen triangles before baking.

Mmmmm...time to fill the freezer with more yummy stuff...

Good Luck w/your party, and congratulations to your DH.

[Leanne]

Bacon wrapped dates. Wrap a pitted date in bacon & secure with toothpick. Heat them on 350 until the bacon is cooked. Serve warm. They are always the fist thing to go. They are truly fabulous!

[jphilg]

....some version of crostini. In the summer, just lightly grilled bread with tomatoes and garlic and basil. Now that the tomatoes are not so good, I top grilled or toasted bread with a think layer of goat cheese (sometimes I add a splash of milk to make it spreadable....depends on the style and age of the cheese) and then with chopped olives, slivers of roasted red pepper, cloves of roasted garlic, anchovies (if that is your bag, and you can get nice salt-packed ones, not the nasties in oil) or whatever floats your boat. I bet KelLeg's sun dried tomato tapanade would be great paired with goat cheese.

Another great fall crostini topping is blue chese and chopped walnuts mixed together, topped with a thin slice of pear.

Or brie, hazelnuts, and a thin slice of apple.

I am a big fan of crostini. They are not a lot of work, easy to keep "light" if you so desire, and look really sharp when you present them.

Jen

[Jewel]

CL's Roasted Red Pepper & Bean Dip is always the first to go with my crowd, followed by the Lemon Buttercrunch Bars. I usually wait until they've closed their eyes in pure spiritual delight at these little treasures before I tell them that the dip is made with tofu and the lemon bars with cottage cheese! :p

[schuh]

I'd like to second the Toffee Dip With Apples as well as Endive with Goat Cheese, etc. I've served Toffee Dip a zillion times and always am asked for the recipe. The endive was recently served at our supper club and it was really good -- I'm not sure I ever would have tried that recipe on my own, though.

My party essential is various mixes. I'll give you my favorite, which requires no cooking. This sounds so simple, but trust me people will love it. OK, mix together:
Your favorite nuts -- I use either cashews or a combination of cashews and walnuts
A huge bar (or two) of dark chocolate, chopped up. I usually use Hershey's special dark -- a gourmet brand would make an expensive mix into a super expensive mix.
Your favorite dried fruit -- I prefer dried cherries but have used dried cranberries. Since people seem to like the nuts and chocolate the best, I use less of this.
From there you can be creative. You can also chop up some white chocolate. Or add some M&Ms. Maybe yogurt-covered raisins. You get the picture.

The other "mix-y" kind of thing that goes over is a little less sophisticated than the previous mix. You mix together little pretzels, Crispix, peanuts, and M&Ms. (Again, you can be creative.) Lay out on a cookie sheet, then pour over it some melted white chocolate/candy melts. Mix it up and let it dry. If you want to be fancy, you can melt some of the colored candy melts and drizzle it over the mix. I've done red for Valentine's Day, Green for St. Pat's, Red & Green for Xmas, etc.

Have a good party!

[Terrytx]

I think every get-together I have been to in the last several years has had 7 layer dip and that Knorr spinach dip served in a hollowed out loaf of bread.

[amcleod]

smoked salmon! any time of day, so delish. IMHO, it is one of those things so many people love and rarely have. All you have to do is put out the salmon on a platter and surround with little bowls/pots/whatever of cream cheese, chopped red onion, capers, maybe minced hard boiled eggs, and crackers or bagette slices.

[Susann]

How about a brie and cranberry pizza recipe?http://www.cookinglight.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6096&highlight=cranberry+brie+pizza

[Wendy w]

I have posted this before but it's always a hit.

Garlic Spread with Sundried tomatoes
(found a couple of years ago on a garlic website)
one cup olive oil, extra virgin (use the best possible)

5 ounces sundried tomatoes-rehydrate in hot water for 15 minutes.

4-5 green onions

10 or more cloves of garlic

handful of fresh basil (about 10-12 leaves)

Pinch of parsley (2-3 large sprigs)

Pinch of sugar

Pinch of salt to taste

Lots of cayenne!

Put all ingredients in a food processor and process until ingredients are chopped and combined, leave a little bit chunky. Refrigerate over night or at least 2-3 hours, making sure that it is brought back to room temperature before serving. Place 4 oz. of chevre (goat cheese) on a platter for serving. Pour sundried tomato mixture over chevre and garnish with fresh basil leaves and or parsley. Serve with a sliced french baguette.

Have fun!

[KellyD]

All of these sound wonderful, but you always need some simple "fillers". One that for some reason seems to "wow" people is a platter of room temperature roasted asparagus, or chilled steamed ones. You can serve them with or without a dip depending on how you season them. I have an asian dip that goes really well with plain steamed ones. For a party this summer I seasoned them with lots of garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and kosher salt and they were just inhaled! Congrats on the promo!!

[SandyM]

PEPPERONI AND ASIAGO PINWHEELS


These hors d’oeuvres are light, flaky and absolutely addictive. They are also simple to prepare and make a big impression — just what you want in party food.

1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed
2 tablespoons honey-Dijon mustard
2 ounces packaged sliced pepperoni (about twenty-four 1 1/2-inch-diameter slices)
1 large egg, beaten to blend

Nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray

Mix first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Cut puff pastry crosswise in half to form 2 rectangles. Spread 1 tablespoon mustard over 1 puff pastry rectangle, leaving 1-inch plain border at 1 long edge. Place half of pepperoni in single layer atop mustard. Top pepperoni with half of cheese mixture. Brush plain border with egg. Starting at side opposite plain border, roll up pastry, sealing at egg-coated edge. Transfer pastry roll, seam side down, to medium baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pastry rectangle, mustard, pepperoni, cheese mixture, and egg. Chill rolls until firm, about 30 minutes, or wrap and chill up to 1 day. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Lightly spray with vegetable oil spray. Cut each pastry roll into about thirty 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Transfer pinwheels to prepared sheets. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to platter; serve.

Makes about 60 pinwheels.


Bon Appétit
October 2001