Cold or make ahead appetizers

[tonksy]

So I need an appealing appetizer that can be made ahead of time and served cold or heats up quickly.
I have a new neighbor meet and greet on Saturday but have obligated myself to take the girls swimming with their friends early that day and will be hard pressed to do the turn around.
Any ideas?

I was contemplating making these:

CHERRY TOMATOES STUFFED WITH SPANISH OLIVE TAPENADE

For the tapenade:
1/2 cup Spanish olives with pimento
1 1/2 teaspoons drained capers
1 teaspoon brandy, preferably a Spanish brandy such as Solera Gran Reserva
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
32 small cherry tomatoes
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Make the tapenade: in a food processor, pulse the olives until chopped fine. Add the remaining tapenade ingredients and pulse until olives are minced.
With a sharp knife, slice the stem end (1/4-inch down) and the bottom (1/8-inch up) from each tomato and discard. Using a 1/4 teaspoon, remove the juice and seeds from each tomato half, leaving the outside shell intact. Spoon a generous 1/4 teaspoon of the tapenade into each shell and garnish with the parsley.

[SouthernN'Proud]

Sardines and Cheese Whiz on Captain's Wafers?


Hey, with enough Old Milwaukee...

Seriously, I'll check me recipes when I get home. I prolly got somethin or t'other.

[tonksy]

Thanks :)

[SouthernN'Proud]

I went through my entire recipe box, and didn't find anything I thought you'd want to use. I got over a dozen cookbooks, but not knowing tastes of the crowd I'd be hesitant to recommend much.

[BlurOfSerenity]

finger sandwiches are always a possibility!
the foodnetwork.com might have ideas.
undeadexploder suggests bacon-wrapped shrimp, but i don't know what that entails precisely. shrimp cocktail maybe?
(id go with the finger sammiches were it me)
ooh, or crock-pot swedish meatie-balls!

[BlurOfSerenity]

undeadexploder also suggests doing something like what you posted, but filling mushroom caps with the tapenade instead of tomatoes.

[Nixy]

Toasted pita wedges and spinich dip!

Toasting the pita wedges shouldn't take too long (they don't need to be hot when served, but i wouldn't toast them more than 30min or so before going).

[tonksy]

finger sandwiches are always a possibility!
the foodnetwork.com might have ideas.
undeadexploder suggests bacon-wrapped shrimp, but i don't know what that entails precisely. shrimp cocktail maybe?
(id go with the finger sammiches were it me)
ooh, or crock-pot swedish meatie-balls!
I am allergic to shrimp...:eh:

undeadexploder also suggests doing something like what you posted, but filling mushroom caps with the tapenade instead of tomatoes.
I thought about that but mushrooms weep when they cool.

Toasted pita wedges and spinich dip!

Toasting the pita wedges shouldn't take too long (they don't need to be hot when served, but i wouldn't toast them more than 30min or so before going).

I thought about that too...and maybe a hummus to go with it. That's a good possibility.

I just wanna do something different than the expected. Go figure.

[SouthernN'Proud]

I just wanna do something different than the expected. Go figure.




Sardines and Cheese Whiz on Captain's Wafers

:nerd:

[tonksy]

Somehow no....

[BeardofPants]

Caprese salad, or brushetta with a caprese variant?

[tonksy]

Caprese salad, or brushetta with a caprese variant?

I love caprese...and made one for a function not too long ago. Of course it's also so damn hot right now that the mozzarelle turned to glop :(

[BeardofPants]

That's a shame. :(
When I was in Vienna recently, they had these gorgeous canapes. They were kinda like lil' mini sammiches with gourmet shit on them ('cept there was only the one lil' slice of bread, and it had stuff on top like salmon spread).

[BeardofPants]

Here's a possibility: http://www.grouprecipes.com/1666/braunschweiger-canapes.html

I'd replace the ketchup with something else though. The braunschweiger is basically liverwurst (had a variant in germany and it was teh yummy).

[tonksy]

I have never had liverwurst before...I'm scared. Is it like pate? I like pate.

[BeardofPants]

It's like pate. Except yummier (if you get a good sort).

[BlurOfSerenity]

if memory serves, it holds its shape better than pate/is firmer

but quite yummy indeed!

[BeardofPants]

... yes, it can be more firmer, but a pate consistency is probably best for the above recipe (for ease of blending).

[Aunty Em]

Hummous with veg crudites

2 tbsps olive oil
2 tbsps tahini (ground sesame seeds)
1 can chick peas
juice of one lemon
2 cloves crushed and chopped garlic (more if you like)
paprika or chilli powder to garnish

strips of pepper, celery, carrots, etc (whatever you like) for crudites

Put everything except the paprika or chilli powder in a blender and blend until soft and smooth(add a little more oil if necessary). I like mine fairly firm so it stays on the crudites. Leave covered in a fridge over night (allows the flavour to develop). Serve sprinkled with paprika or chilli and the crudites. You can add salt if you like, but I'm on a low salt diet so I don't.

A nice healthy party food. You can also use toasted pitta bread, tortilla chips or bread sticks if you don't like veg. :licklips:

[tonksy]

Tonight I am trying a brie dish for bunco. A wheel of brie is topped with a hot bubbling butter honey walnut mixture. The recipe says to serve with apples but I think I am going to use water crackers...unless I get to the store again.

[Aunty Em]

Tonight I am trying a brie dish for bunco. A wheel of brie is topped with a hot bubbling butter honey walnut mixture. The recipe says to serve with apples but I think I am going to use water crackers...unless I get to the store again.

Sounds nice, but lethal to me and my figure... LOL

[tonksy]

Indeed but it will be divvied out among 20 or so other women so that should help.

[Aunty Em]

Indeed but it will be divvied out among 20 or so other women so that should help.

True, but I'm intolerant of cow's milk and sugar (including honey) is too concentrated a source of glucose for me and causes me to go hypo, so I don't eat it. My sister used to do the same and so does my mum. I stick to complex carbs or fruit as much as possible because they're slow release and don't have the same effect.

[tonksy]

It was reaaaally frigging good! I used a whole wheel of brie and all that was left when I left was enough for me to have 3 cracker's worth for breakfast.

[tonksy]

So that last time I was at my secondary bunco group (this is the one where we don't have to bring food, just money) the hostess had some yummy truffles out and we were all snacking on them and I asked where they had came from as my other friend was curious but being shy. The woman said she had made them and proceded to tell me how easy there were to make because they were made from 3 ingredients: Oreos, cream cheese and good quality chocolate morsels Whoa! I was amazed. I came home and googled the recipe and there are indeed only those 3 ingredients.
I made them tonight to bag up and sell at the school's Octoberfest bake sale and it was super easy (I used bittersweet chocolate morsels 'cause I'm like that).
.
You should try it when wanting some little chocolate-y bits. They taste nothing like Oreos!

1 pkg. (1 lb., 2 oz.) OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted


CRUSH 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; reserve for later use. (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter.

DIP balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.

REFRIGERATE until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.

[unclehobart]

It looked reeeeeally good.

[tonksy]

It is reeeallly good.

[Stop Laughing]

Seeing as how I am to cooking as McDonald's is to gourmet, here's an easy and surprisingly tasty appetizer. Mix one of those tubs of pork (Lloyd's or similar, I think), salsa and cheese (salsa con queso is what I usually do), and heat up and serve on top of tortilla chips. Very tasty! Got the idea from a Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ (yes, same as the sauce in stores) restaurant around here, their Pulled Pork Nacho appetizer is outstanding.