Party Food?

[Jane]

Hi everyone,
Vinni and I will be hosting a real life baby shower for his sister and I was just wondering if you had any ideas on food that are great for parties. I'm thinking about making petit fours (it will be my first time, any tips?) for dessert since they're small cute, and kind baby sized! Thanks in advance for your input!

[David]

Hi Jane,

Here is an idea for you to make some little candies ( petite fours ). Get out your ice trays, small ones if you have them. Dust them with powdered sugar or cocoa powder to keep your candies from sticking. Melt some chocolate ( regular or white ) in a double boiler or just put a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water ( a slow rolling boil ). When the chocolate is melted pour it into the ice trays about 1/4 of the way up. Add what you want to fill them with, something like cherries would be nice. An easy way to do that is to get a can of cherry pie filling and put a cherry and a little bit of the sauce in the middle and cover with some more chocolate. You can put anything in them, the method is the same. Let them harden and there you have It! You could put nuts in them or, stir some peppermint extract in the chocolate and make something similar to Andes Mints.

A quick and easy little snack I discovered is with those easy bake croissants ( pigs in a blanket ). Here's what you do:
Ingredients:

croisssants
sliced cheese
little sausages ( I use something called "little smokies" which you can find in the sandwich meat isle )

Method:

Take one of the uncooked croissants and place 1/2 slice of cheese and 1 or 2 of the little sausages on a corner and roll it up sealing in the cheese and sausage. Repeat until done placing them on a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven according to the directions from the croissants or until golden brown.

You can also fill the croissants with what ever you like... maybe turkey and cheese, sauteed mushrooms and garlic, veggies or fruit. These make a nice savory snack and are sooo versitile:-) how about bacon, egg and cheese.

These are ideas just off the top of my head. I hope it will help you :-)

[kristine]

I tried to make petit fours using pound cake and frosting, but it didn't turn out right. I need so much practice!

[Erika]

This is awesome, David! I can't wait to get some mini- cube trays and try this out - perfect game night desserts!
-Erika

[David]

Hey Erika,

I just put a "candy bar" recipe on my page... it's a little easier to make than using the trays. I do like the trays though because you can make different kinds of little treats. If you do make more than one kind you might think about marking them....maybe with different colored m&m's or a little piece of whats inside.

David

[Erika]

Thanks, David - I will give this shot - I'm definitely a big fan of coconut and chocolate, though I had never thought of adding mint into the mix. As long as you are on the sugar theme, I'm absolutely craven for lemon and chocolate - anything you have that combines those two is a winner for me. :)
-Erika

[David]

Hi Erika,

You can buy lemon extract and substitute it for the mint. I haven't tried it but I think it'll work. It should be about the same amount per my other recipe (1/4 teas.). My little candy bar recipe is very versatile, just start with a chocolate base and add whatever you like. I will be experimenting with it in the future... I am thinking about trying to incorporate bananas into it, I love chocolate and bananas... with some nuts. Uh oh, my sweet tooth is starting to talk to me :-)
-David

[Brenda]

You have to make this dip. I dont know what it's called or where the recipe came from but it is so simple and it's always the first thing to go at ANY party.

What you need:
1 8oz package cream cheese
1 12 oz jar of salsa
1 bag shredded cheddar cheese

optional:
1 can of chilli

Let the cream cheese come to room temp so it can soften. Spread it on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Add the salsa, chilli and sprinkle the entire bag of shredded cheese on top. Bake at 375 until the cheese is melted and bubbling on the sides (about 15-20 minutes). Serve with tortilla chips.

Trust me, everyone will love it.

[David]

Hi Brenda,

This sounds good, I'll have to try it. What size bag of cheese did you use?

[Brenda]

Hi David! Sorry it took me a couple of days to respond. I used an 8 oz bag (2 cups). My mother usually only sprinkles half the bag on top but I use the whole thing.

[David]

Thanks Brenda,

I'm going to try this next week:-)

-David

[kristine]

It depends on what kind of foods you'd like to serve. For my first baby shower at work, they asked me what kinds of food I liked. I actually prefer finger foods. So my menu consisted of small croissant sandwiches, ham and cheese wraps, chicken wings, fruit and veggie platters, chips and cake. The cool thing is that all those stuff you can pick up at costco.
And every time it's a family hosted shower, we end up having good old filipino food. You know, lumpia (eggrolls with meat), shumai (meat balls in wonton), pancit (noodles) and an extra few dishes someone can cook or arrange for potluck.
Goodluck!

[Jane]

Ooo yum. Filipino food. lol. Vinni's family is from Guatemala and their in laws are from China (good mix! the baby will be so cute) so I don't know how they'll do with the Filipino food, though I'll gladly finish it myself. I'm thinking finger foods for the party as well. =]