So the future Mrs. Rabbit and I just moved in to a new place. We’re inviting 20-25 friends over for drinks and snacks this Sunday afternoon. It’s going to be pretty informal - we’ll have a couple of cases of beer, a few bottles of wine, and stuff for summer cocktails. I expect people will be randomly dropping by throughout the afternoon, and we’re going to start kicking people out at dinner time.
I’m what passes for the chef in the relationship, so I’m in charge of the menu. I’m looking for relatively small appetizers that can be mostly prepared the day before, and will hold up well throughout the afternoon. We’re well in to the steamy armpit season in these parts, so I don’t want to spend a ton of time in front of a stove or grill.
So far, I’ve settled on the following:
Fresh dill hummus with toasted pita
A single round of beef/veggie kebabs to hit the grill about an hour after the party starts
Get all your friends hooked on Bloody Caesars:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz vodka
4 oz clamato juice
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
dash of Tabasco sauce
celery salt
lime wedge
pepper to taste
celery salt
celery stalk for garnish
Preparation:
Rim a highball glass with the juice from the lime wedge and a combination of celery salt and salt.
Add the vodka and clamato juice.
Season with pepper, Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces to taste.
Stir well.
Garnish with a celery stick.
Don’t tell them about the clamato juice.
Also, a hollowed out watermelon re-filled with fruit cocktail (including the watermelon, of course) is always delicious in summer.
“You can’t go wrong with cocktail weenies. They look as good as they taste. And they come in this delicious red sauce. It looks like ketchup, it tastes like ketchup, but brother, it ain’t ketchup!” - Homer Simpson
Popcorn and/or Chex party mix. With that many guests, it’s worth it to make the Chex mix from scratch. Note that you can add popcorn to the mix, instead of or in addition to one of the cereals. Yeah, it’s a cliche, but it’s good. The main problem is that it’s kind of messy.
To go along with the hummus\kebab theme - couscous. Make a big batch up according to the directions, add some pine nuts, lots of EVOO and cilantro or parsley. People can mix in the veggies and meat from the kebabs. A cheap and tasty filler that can be made ahead of time.
Large flour tortillas, spread a mix of cream cheese, chopped black olives and chives, roll up and cover and refridgerate. Before serving slice in bite sized pieces.
I think you need something sweet to signal “party’s over, here’s dessert, there’s the door.” IMO, when you serve a sweet item, it lets people know that it’s time to stop eating and drinking. Some little cheesecake bites or even just Popsicles. Otherwise you’ll never get rid of them.
Since you’re firing up the grill anyhow, I’d add some skewers of bacon wrapped dates (get the pitted ones!) and some of sliced pineapple.
A standard slice of bacon cut in half fits perfectly around your average date, by the way.
If you’re feeling fancy, marinate the pineapple slices in some tequila, lime juice, pinch of salt and a touch of brown sugar, first. (And yes, I’ve been known to throw the marinade in a blender with some ice and Sprite when I’m done with it as a marinade!)
Jalapeno peppers halved, stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon. Turkey bacon cooks better on the grill. Real bacon in the oven. The cream cheese kills the hot taste of the peppers.
