Reception Appetizer Ideas...Please!?!
Reception Appetizer Ideas...Please!?
I would like to keep things pretty inexpensive. Though I am vegetarian, I am not totally against serving food with meats to my guests. I recognize that vegetarianism is a personal choice. I would like everything to remain simple, nothing heavy, just light snacky things. I am not big on being fancy, so it is not going to be a formal sit down dinner. I am going to have a stawberry wedding cake, and I haven't chosen a beverage for the fountain yet, but I would prefer something pink if u have any ideas on that as well. I've been considering Shirley Temples (made with 7-Up and maraschino cherry syrup)... (I am a Christian so I will not be serving alcoholic drinks)
Thanks for your help!
Answers:
tortilla wraps filled with cream cheese and chopped veggies of your choice. Roll up and slice to bite-size pieces. fruit trays with melon balls. At Wal-Mart they have a lot of different flavored pretzels. Similar to Combos, but cheaper.
You could try mixing sparkling champagne (non-alcoholic) with the cherry syrup.
Here's one I did with dinner 2 nights ago. Out of the "Joy of Cooking":
Baked Stuffed Zucchihi
Preheat oven to 400 deg F
- Half lengthwise 2 zucchini. (If you need more, double, triple, etc the recipe to match the number of zuccini you've got)
- Use a spoon to scrape out the pulp, chop it up and squeeze out the moisture.
- Steam the zucchini shells for 5 minutes face-down.
- Sweat a chopped scallion in 2 teaspoons olive oil
- Chop up a clove of garlic, mix it in with the zucchini pulp and when the scallions are ready to brown, toss the pulp into the pan and sautee for 2 minutes on medium heat.
- Put it into a bowl when done and temper 1 egg into the mixture. Then add:
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko)
2 tablespoons parsley
2 teaspoons chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (I omitted this, instead using lemon-flavored olive oil in the sautee)
salt and pepper to taste
- Mix well and spoon the mixture into the zucchini shells. Place the shells face-up in a baking dish with just a little water around the base.
- Drizzle with a little olive oil
- Bake for 30 minutes
Hope it goes well! :)
The time of year of this reception makes all the difference in the world. If it is cold weather, then you will want heartier snacks. In warmer weather, you can get away with cheese, cold cut and cracker platters. A lot of people have trouble choosing foods for appetizer buffets because they think they are limited to "finger" foods, when in truth, you are going to put out plates and forks for the guests to use anyway. So you might as well serve up "little dishes" for them to sample and enjoy. Casseroles such as lasagne or pans piled high with baked chicken tenders (which you can buy in bulk bags in the freezer section) are much much easier to prepare and cheaper to buy than 500 matching crudites, stuffed mushrooms or mini-quiches.
I respect that you don't want alcohol because of the beliefs of your particular church group, but don't blame that on Christ. He is a winemaker! I am too. :)
Swedish meatballs using vegan meat...
Wow, you sound just like me! Try www.lightandtasty.com they have all kinds of appitizers. It almost hard to choose from. One app that is easy is shrimp. just place them on a cookie sheet and top them with mozzerella cheese and a small tomato. bake them for 5 minutes at 350. Also the foodnetwork.com click on party ideas/WEDDINGS. They also have one for non-alcoholic drinks. for a vegetarian try paula' phyllo wrapped asparagus and Healthy Appitite w/ Ellie Kriger Enjoy
mini hotdogs on a stick
Mini quiche! Just follow a normal quiche recipe but put them in a tartlet pan instead, and cook them for a shorter period of time. They are yummy and just the right size for snacking.
Ok, just because you're Christian doesn't mean that your menu has to be bland or predictable. How about classing it up???Create mock Cosmopolitans for your fountain. Instead of 7-Up and Fruit Punch, use frozen cranberry juice, frozen margarita mix and sparkling water as additions. Strawberry wedding cake sounds sweet and very pretty and you'll want to have some savory appetizers to compliment the sweetness of the cake and punch. Puff pastry wrapped around a brie and baked is always good. You can also make puff pastry pinwills by rolling out the dough and taking a green or black olive tapenade, topping it with goat cheese, rolling it back up, slicing it and baking it until puffed and golden brown. Egg salad mini quiches are also good. Add curry powder and sweet relish to your egg salad and serve in puff pastry cups or mini quiche cups. Skewers of roasted veges such as red potatoe, green pepper, zuchinni, and so on are also good. Roast veges with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh rosemary until tender. Crackers spread with goat cheese and topped with carmelized onions is also good. Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials and good luck!
Bruschetta, its quick to make and holds up well in the fridge. Can be made way ahead of time.
If not apposed to meets proscitto wrapped asparagus. Again easy to prepare and just pop in the over shorlty before guests arrive.