Appetizers for a small party?!
Appetizers for a small party?
I am throwing myself a party in a week or so and i want to only serve appetizers so i can mingle. I have a variety of ppl coming, some eat pork products and some don't and a couple of ppl are vegetarians. I need something that will satisfy all!
Answers:
There are many appetizers you could serve:
Cheese & crackers
Veggie tray with dip
Nachos with some tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, any type of meat and nacho cheese
Deviled eggs
Cocktail weiners
Small sandwiches
Cookie or brownie tray
Bread tray with dip
Mozzarella sticks
Some type of pasta salad
Good Luck!
Spinach dip w/crackers or bread, mini quiches, fruit plate w/a dip and deviled eggs.
small sandwiches and a vegetable tray are best at parties.
A small tray of assorted mests, cheeses & breads. Condiments,
pickles, onion and tomato slices.
some assorted crackers with some cheese in suitable sizes to fit the cracker size.
A small fruit tray and a small veggie tray.
I also like to put out pickles assorted, olives and some pickeled veggies like cauliflower.
All can be done ahead. When choosing meats for your tray keep in mind that turkey, chicken and breads dry out the quickest so put out small amounts and replentish as needed.
And check out the frozen section in your grocery store, you'd be suprised the appetizers they have on hand especially this time of year.
potato skins
hard boiled eggs
fiesta dip and tostitos
rice crispy treats cut in to mini bite sized squares
That's easy! Finger Food! Cheese sticks, chips and dip, chicken tenders, and have mini corndogs too. For vegetarians, have a mini salad bar, varieties of vegetable, and fruit for fruit salads.
And/Or You can have a make-your-own sandwhich bar. Serve toasted bread, regular bread, grain, white, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, mayonnaise, mustard, peanut butter, jelly, chicken, ham, turkey, 2 or 3 types of cheeses, whatever you can think of! I think that's a great idea, who doesn't like sandwhiches?
Get a loaf of cheap white sandwhich bread. Stir a can of pink salmon (tuna of the sea is good) into 2 bricks softened cream cheese. Add the juice of one lemon and 1 Tbs dried dill weed. Mix all the ingredients and spread onto bread making sandwhiches. Trim the crusts off the bread and slice in half diagnally. Salmon finger sandwhiches. Filling and tasty!
go to epicurious.com, they have the MOST amazing appetizers I throw a party for 20 people each month with gourmet food...the key is to mix up the basics (mini weiners) and the unusual (quesadillas made with candied walnuts, brie and cilantro -- my biggest hit)
Taquitos
Mini Quiche
Cocktail Meatballs
Hummous and baked pita wedges painted with garlic oil before baking
The traditional cheese and cracker platter
Fresh fruit with a cream cheese or chocolate dip
Hey you could buy a few party wings that are buffalo style or hot or whatever they like...for the vegetarians give them cucumber sandwiches...and for those who don't eat pork give them lunch meat on crackers! This should work, but after a few of them that are vegetarian or non-pork eaters smell those delicious wings they'll convert! Ha ha!
Ooof! I don't want to sound like a food snob, but a lot of these ideas sound like frat-party snacks, not appetizers. Here are a few things that have worked really well for me.
Warm French Onion-Gruyere Dip with Croutons (for dipping)
This is nice because you can make it ahead and put it in the oven when you're ready, and people snap it up.
To make the dip: In large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Add 2 medium yellow onions (sliced) and saute about 10 minutes or until caramelized. Adjust burner heat if needed--don't burn 'em! Add 1/2 cup dry sherry and stir briskly to deglaze. Remove from heat and let cool (you an stick the whole pan in the fridge if you want).
Using a mixer, beat 8 oz. softened cream cheese until smooth. Add 2 cups mayonnaise (actually I don't usually use quite so much), 2 large cloves garlic (minced or pressed), 1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix, 1 cup shredded Gruyere (the authentic Swiss stuff is preferable but not absolutely necessary), 2 cups shredded Parmesan, and 1/2 cup sliced green onions. Mix until well blended, then stir in the cooked onion mixture. Transfer the mixture into an ovenproof 9 X 13 baking dish and smooth it out evenly. You can do all this up to a day ahead: cover and chill.
Take a baguette and cut off the very ends. Cut it lengthwise into 4 equal pieces. Split each piece in half lengthwise, then cut each half lengthwise into thirds, to make 24 pieces.
In a very large bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup good olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme, and 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley. (I usually reserve the parsley and sprinke it over the toasts when they come out of the oven--your call.) Put the bread pieces into the bowl and toss to coat them all evenly.
When you're ready to go, preheat the oven to 375. If the dip has been chilled, take it out before you preheat: it shouldn't go in really cold. When the oven is hot, put in both the dip (uncovered) and the toasts. Bake until the toasts are golden and the bip is bubbly around the edges. If they don't get done at exactly the same time, that doesn't matter--just remove them as they're done.
There may be a slight oil separation from the cheese in the dip--you can blot that up with a paper towel--but a lot of separation means the dip got too hot.
Bleu Cheese Crumble
Combine 8 ounces of your favorite blue cheese (I've used both Gorgonzola and a Danish Blue and it worked great both ways), 1/3 cup good olive oil, 2 cloves garlic (pressed), 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and freshly ground pepper to taste. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight. Serve with crackers.
Sesame Chicken Bites
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400.
Combine 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut into 2" pieces--I usually use a mixture of breast and boeless, skinless thigh meat), 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger, and 2 minced garlic cloves in a bowl. Cover and chill at least 15 minutes.
Thread chicken onto wooden skewers, and brush the skewers with a little hoisin sauce. Roll them in a shallow plate of sesame seeds. Place on a baking sheet and cover the exposed skewer ends with foil (to keep them from burning). Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with some finely chopped green onion (or cilantro) and serve, with more hoisin sauce on the side for dipping if you like.
Have a great party.