Thanks for all of the great suggestions, many of which have been noted for use in the future! I put on my thinking cap and came up with somthing that might work.
The thought of actually cooking something really scares me as I am not a great cook, so fear has gotten the better of me and I am going to make something unusual, easy, and fun that requires little cooking. I had these at a Vietnamese restaurant a few years ago and loved them- they tasted really fresh and I believed I could have had extras and been satisfied that I had eaten a ‘meal’. These are easy to make ahead, will travel well, and are served either cold or at room temperature- they are light and fresh. Can use lots of fillings, such as bean sprouts, blanched asparagus, chives, thin slices of red pepper, pea pods, or even add some shredded cooked pork or chicken (great for using up leftovers!). The rice paper rolls are thin and translucent, so the colours of the filling show through and can be very pretty.
Plus, there is a T&T grocery store (all Asian, all the time stuff) within walking distance from my house, so it will be easy to do the shopping! I will make all of the different dipping sauces and arrange it all on a large platter so the rolls are in the centre and the dipping sauces are separate ramekins, and will garnish with some greenery (cilantro or parsley).
Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls (makes 15 rolls)
Filling:
100 g (3.5 oz.) thin rice vermicelli noodles (about a handful)
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
15 cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ cucumber, peeled if necessary and cut into thin sticks
Small handful fresh cilantro, mint, or thai basil leaves, torn up or left whole
½ half cup chopped peanuts (optional)
How to make and assemble:
To prepare the filling, place noodles in a bowl of boiling water and let stand for about 3 minutes to soften. Drain well and place in a medium bowl. Add carrot and rice vinegar and toss to combine. Cut the shrimp in half lengthwise.
To assemble the rolls, fill a shallow dish (pie plate will work) with hot water and lay a clean tea towel over your work surface. Soak one rice paper at a time in the water for about 10 seconds, until it is pliable, and lay it on the tea towel. Pat the surface with the edges of the towel to absorb any excess water.
Place 2 shrimp halves (cut side up so you can see the pink through the wrapper), a stick of cucumber and some of the noodle/carrot mixture down the middle of the round. Sprinkle with cilantro and peanuts. Fold over one long side to cover, then fold up both ends. Roll the whole thing up as tightly as you can without tearing the wrapper.
Serve with dipping sauce.
Dipping Sauces!
Ginger Mango Dipping Sauce
Combine ½ cup mango chutney, 2 Tbsp water, 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar, the juice of 1 lime, and t tsp fresh grated ginger.
Sweet Lime Dipping Sauce
Combine 2 Tbsp each lime juice and fish sauce and 1 Tbsp each brown sugar and water
Garlic Dipping Sauce
Combine 3 Tbsp fish sauce, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, and 2 Tbsp honey
Nouc Cham
Combine ¼ cup each rice vinegar and fish sauce, 2 Tbsp lime juce, 3 Tbsp sugar, 3 cloves crushed garlic, add 1 fresh hot Asian chilli or jalepeno pepper, seeded, finely chopped
Peanut Sauce
2-4 Tbsp chicken or veggie broth or water
3 Tbsp light peanut butter
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar or honey
2 Tbsp rice vinegar or lime juice
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 tsp grated fresh garlic
1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
¼-1/2 tsp curry paste (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a blender or jar and whiz until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Yum Yum 
~Deborah
