Cream cheese seems to be a popular component, so let me add my favorite use: Take one block of cream cheese and put it on a plate. Pour over most of a bottle of Major Grey’s Chutney or Mango Chutney. Stick a serving knife in it and serve with any type of crackers from Ritz to Fancypants. People always think it’s some sort of fancy French soft cheese, but it costs less than $5.
I’m also a sucker for anything in a wonton cup. Chicken salad, pea salad, egg salad…heck, even *coleslaw *is suddenly fancy if you serve it in a wonton cup. Just preheat your oven to 350, then press a prefab wonton (not eggroll) wrapper from the store into each well of a muffin tin. Bake about 10 minutes until crisped. Cool and fill with whatever you like.
Bruschetta are my go-to quick starter. I usually use toasted French bread with olive oil and garlic , sliced tomato, basil leaf and half a bocconcino, with a splash of smoked balsamic reduction, but that’s the beauty of it - it works with just chopped tomato salad or whatever…
And then there is the classic Idiot’s Delight…slab of cream cheese with Pic-a-Peppa Sauce poured over the top, served with Wheat Thins. Or cream cheese with Strawberry preserves. Or my favorite…cream cheese with Green Pepper Jelly.
Ya know, I wouldn’t be lying, if I were to just bring a serving bowl or even a deli container of the premium mixed olives that you can often get at supermarket deli counters, or from olive bars, or even off the shelf, because they are some of my favorite hors douevres. I might even be tempted to mix them with a drained jar of off the shelf giardinera and some Italian dressing and or olive oil if I wanted to extend them or feel like I actually “made” something.
Fairly quick and easy - make a large bowl of tuna salad, then take a whole bunch of small cherry tomatoes and hollow them out with a spoon and fill each one with the tuna salad. You can keep them cool, easy to prepare and look pretty. Sprinkle some red paprika on top for color. People can pick one up, pop it into their mouth and it is like a small bite of tuna sandwich without bread.
Otherwise, get some cheese and grapes and toothpicks. Cut cheese into small blocks, stab with toothpick and grape. Fast and easy and good.
Get creative with a loaf of cocktail rye, some spreadable cheese (cream cheese or pimento cheese are good bases) and a variety of toppings (sliced olives, crushed pineapple, pecan or walnut halves, deli meat cut with decorative hors d’oevre cutters) to make a tray of tea / cocktail open face sandwiches.
Some of the ones that go over well for me are bleu cheese spread topped with pineapple, cream cheese and black olives, pimento cheese with cutout Virginia ham or cream cheese and pepper jelly. A sprig of parsley or another herb that goes well with the combo or a shake of paprika make good garnishes.
Looks fancy but is really easy and pretty tasty. No reheating required.
