UPDATE!! Party Food Ideas, please? (Not Sweets)

[MamaMolly]

I want to thank everyone who inspired me to get off my butt and try some new things. I ended up making the ham and cheese sliders and EVERYONE wants the recipe! One friend had her DH come over when I was explaining it so he could help her remember. :applause: We had a really nice party, so THANKS!!!! :)





Dolly's birthday party is this weekend, at a party place. I'm totally uninspired for food for the grownups. Most parents will stay, and I'd like finger food for them. I've got easy ideas for sweets, I plan to do fruit too, but does anyone have suggestions for savory finger foods? Thanks!

[Tondi G]

cheese and crackers (could add some sliced salami too)

caprese salad ... cherry or tear drops tomatoes, marinated fresh mozzarella balls, chopped basil. serve with sliced baguette.
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/08/marinated-mozzarella-cherry-tomato-basil-salad-recipe.html

spinach artichoke dip with sliced baguette or tortilla chips

vegetable/dip platter

[georgiegirl]

Grape tomatoes and balls of mozzarella on toothpicks
Crostini (small toasts with various toppings, goat cheese and pesto, tapenade, bruschetta, etc.)

[bostonsmama]

For DD's first BD, we went all out and catered to a lot of different diets. We had cooked bacon strips and a bevy of gourmet nuts for my paleos, soft-baked pretzels on a mug tree with cheese and mustard to dip, individual salad cups (predressed with forks in each)...and you could certainly do caprese salad skewers with cigliene mozarella balls, basil and grape tomatoes on fancy picks, hull-less popcorn in paper cones for the littles (I think it was like Pirate's Booty), bags of TJs kettle corn, and a veggie tray with a cream-based dip and hummus. We also had whole grain (corn) chips and salsa. All of this complemented rotisserie chicken drumsticks (a friend has a machine and did this for me--great idea b/c you can walk around and eat them w/out forks), spinach & chicken hot dogs, and organic turkey hotdogs, and a crockpot of rice pilaf. We also had clementines and apples displayed (no prep-work)...and a million sweets like cotton candy in paper cones, her first initial and the #1 cookies decorated in her party colors, 7 flavors of cupcakes, decorated dipped oreo cookies w/ her initials on them, organic lolipops, sixlets in her party colors, and a smashcake. We had a TON of food for 30 people. I should have scaled back. I did it way more simple for #2 and it was perfection.

[Tondi G]

forgot to add

hummus and pita or pita chips ... you can even dip pretzel sticks into it. I also like red bell pepper and cucumber dipped in hummus.

The suggestion for chicken drummettes is good ... either BBQ or teriyaki sprinkled with sesame seeds and chopped scallions

or you could do BBQ or sweet n sour meatballs in a crock pot

[boolady]

I always like the cheese and cracker option, with a salami, maybe, or crudite with dip or

Option 1:
A tray with hummus, pita, baba ghanoush, roasted red peppers or roasted tomatoes, baby carrots, olives, stuffed grape leaves, and a hunk of feta. If you want truly fork-free, you could take off any elements (maybe the roasted peppers and feta) that might require utensils.

Option 2:
A tray with good tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole, and fresh vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, pepper strips, etc.).

[bisous]

Does it have to be finger food? My favorite foods for adults at kids' parties are always different kinds of salads. Like pasta salad and egg salad and lentil salad and green salad. I think it is very appealing to adults and can be prepped usually well in advance. Plus, they're usually pretty healthy, colorful and flavorful!

[truly scrumptious]

Just did DD's party. For the non-sweet food, I had mini pita's stacked with slices of fresh mozzarella, fresh tomato and a sprig of basil - instant caprese mini pizza! Refreshing and healthy too.

[mom2khj]

Does it have to be finger food? My favorite foods for adults at kids' parties are always different kinds of salads. Like pasta salad and egg salad and lentil salad and green salad. I think it is very appealing to adults and can be prepped usually well in advance. Plus, they're usually pretty healthy, colorful and flavorful!

I was going to suggest a pasta salad too. Not really a finger food, but easy to make in bigger quantities and easy enough to eat without making a mess.

This one is a huge hit everytime I make it:

I leave out the bell pepper, just because I'm not a fan of them raw and I also use rotini instead of shells.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/antipasto-pasta-salad/detail.aspx

[mom2khj]

Just did DD's party. For the non-sweet food, I had mini pita's stacked with slices of fresh mozzarella, fresh tomato and a sprig of basil - instant caprese mini pizza! Refreshing and healthy too.

Yum! I'm going to have to try this sometime!

[DietCokeLover]

I make this for parties quite often and get huge raves for it. Plus side is that any leftovers are fantastic on baked potatoes.

http://www.plainchicken.com/2008/07/chili-cheese-dip_22.html

[MamaMolly]

You guys are AWESOME!!!!! I had been feeling so blah about all this, now I'm starting to get excited.

And BostonMama, your Muffin is ADORABLE!! What a cutie patootie!

[ellies mom]

I love these ham and cheese sliders (http://www.beyerbeware.net/2011/04/hunk-of-meat-monday-game-time-favorites.html). I make them for every party. I also like fruit with a couple of choices of dip. Generally, I make a Nutella Yogurt fruit dip (http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/nutella-yogurt-fruit-dip/) and a Marshmallow Fruit Dip (http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1615,130174-245197,00.html) (Cut the amounts in half, a full batch is way too much) but any dip would be great.

[MamaMolly]

Bumping for update in OP...:)