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Answers: I am looking for some cost effective, but nice appetizers for a party my mom's group is having. It's a girly party, we are only serving appetizers (no courses) & non-alcoholic drinks.
for probably around 40-50 people. Here is the kicker, our budget is $100.
(yup, it's a top chef-y challenge!)
No salsa/chips/dip kind of stuff please. I have come up with a few ideas, just looking for more ideas for our committee to choose from.
TIA!

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Stick with more vegetabley-based hors d'ouvres and it'll be cheaper. I've got a couple of standbys.

Mini tomato tartlets
- Buy 6 cheap Roma tomatoes, halve them, and bake them open side down for half an hour at 350. Take the skins off.
- Fry up a small chopped onion in a pan with 3 cloves of garlic and five or six small basil leaves (or a teaspoon of dried basil).
- Puree the onions and tomatoes together. Spoon this into premade tart shells, and bake until golden. This is usually between 15-20 minutes depending on tart shell size.
- You can also make these with puff pastry shells.

Stuffed mushrooms:
- Clean 10 white mushrooms and remove the stems.
- Fry the stems and a garlic clove in a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Take the stems and garlic, a shake of dry basil, 5 tablespoons ricotta and 5 tablespoons grated parmesan, and puree them in a food processor.
- Stuff the mushroom caps with this puree. Top with a little bit more grated parmesan. Pop in a 350 degree oven until the mushrooms cook - approximately 25 minutes.

Try also buying frozen samosas. If you live in an area where there are substantial Indian populations, you can get a bag of ten mini-samosas for 4 bucks.

A small tub of good kalamata olives are also nice, or, you could buy a couple of good jars of pestos, bruschetta topping or olive tapenade and serve them in bowls with a platter of crackers, rye crisps or toasted, sliced baguette.

If you live near an Asian grocery, go in and look for Japanese or Korean dumplings. They come frozen, about 20 in a bag for $5, and are filled with pork, or mushroom, or kimchi, or mixed vegetables. They take a little time to cook (you must brown them in a pan before deglazing them with some water - the instructions are on the back of the packet), but they're absolutely delicious, and the way the dumpling shell is folded around the filling looks beautiful.

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I was once a professional chef. Here's a few ideas. Mini-meatballs - small skewers of cocktail sausages and cheese cubes - vegetable platter with one or two sauces. An anti-pasto platter in either Italian or Greek style. That pretty much used up your hundred bucks. You want to serve 40 to 50 people for $100. I wish you luck.

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finger sandwhiches (cucumber sandwhich, tomatoe and basil, etc.), cupcakes, fried mac n cheese

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Veggie and fruit trays, cheese sticks, pizza rolls, mini corn dogs stuff that you would find in the frozen food section. It's quick and it's easy.

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I got a recipe last year from food network.
SUper easy.
Get some salami and lay them out on a non stick cookie sheet. Bake them for 10 min. Put sour cream in a bag to squeeze out on the salami and sprinkle with basil.
It was tasty and a little goes a long way.
YOu could also buy medjool dates and wrap them in bacon. broil them for 15 min. That is the best thing ever.

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1. Fill plastic shot glasses w/ tomato soup (Campbells) & top w/ a tiny grilled cheese (make regular grilled cheeses & cut out into small circles) on a tooth pick
2. Cucumber slices topped w/ cream cheese, a tiny piece of smoked salmon & a piece of dill.

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I am from the southern state of GA and one of the things we like is Deviled eggs, Swedish or Italian meatballs, cubed cheese with fruit and cracker tray and some kind of finger sandwich, or a meat and vegetable tray with a fruit punch concoction(fruit juice/punch blended with some ginger ale or 7-up). There is always some sort of desert, perhaps a store bought cake or some homemade pies/cakes.

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Mini Cucumber Open-Faced Tea Sandwiches
1 loaf white bread
1-2 cucumbers
cream cheese, softened
garlic salt
paprika
Cut circles (about the diameter of the cucumber) from the slices of white bread, using a small shot glass or cookie cutter
Peel and slice the cucumber (about 1/8" - 1/4" thick)
Spread a small amount cream cheese on each bread circle
Sprinkle with a bit of garlic salt, lightly coating the surface
Place a cucumber circle on top
Sprinkle with Paprika for color
Serve! You can make these a few hours ahead of time, and keep refrigerated
Salami Appetizers Recipe
Yummy appetizers. You can make up a tray with these, or use your imagination and use bologna or other meats. If I use bologna, I add a tablespoon of mustard to the cheese spread.
15 min 15 min prep
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
9 pieces salami, large thick sliced
12 olives
toothpicks
Soften the cream cheese and spread each slice of salami with the cream cheese.
Stack the slices on top of each other, ending with the top slice having no cheese on it.
Cover and refrigerate till cheese is set and meat is good and cold.
Cut into 12 wedges. Garnish with an olive on a toothpick and push into top of wedges.
Lady bugs recipe
30 min 30 min prep
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon snipped chives
1/8 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
black paste food coloring
36 butter flavored crackers
18 cherry tomatoes, quartered
18 large pitted ripe olives
72 fresh chives, pieces (about 1-1/2 inches long)

In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
Add sour cream, chives, parsley and garlic salt; mix well.
Place 1 tablespoon in a small plastic bag and tint black; set aside.
Spread remaining cream cheese mixture on crackers.
Arrange two tomato quarters on each for the ladybug wings.
For heads, halve the olives widthwise; place one half on each cracker.
Insert two chives into olives for antennae.
Use tinted cream cheese mixture to pipe spots onto wings.

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