Would a big batch of hot spinach artichoke dip and sliced baguette work? I'm a creamy dip hater, but when I tasted this version of spinach artichoke dip I swooned.... It ain't good for you, but man is it delicious. I think it could easily be doubled in two pans.

INGREDIENTS

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry

1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 7x11 inch baking
dish.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Mix in the artichoke hearts, spinach and Parmesan cheese. Season with garlic and
lemon juice. Spread evenly into the prepared baking dish.

3. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove the cover, and let the dish bake uncovered for 5 more minutes, or until the surface is lightly browned.

I recently clipped an article from the newspaper about Mini Cocktail Popovers with just such an occasion in mind. These are miniature popovers which can flavored with various herbs and/or filled with spreadable cheese, olives and the like. I'll post the detailed recipe later if you wish. I'm in a bit of a hurry just now.

Jim

Here is a link to a good resource. I would suggest Crabbies, Chili Cheese Bites, Party Rye Toppers, and Hummus with Triscuit crackers or Wheat Thins. You can double the Chili Cheese Bites or other similar recipes and bake in a 13x9 pan, cut into 1" bites. The Crabbies and Party Rye Toppers can be made ahead and frozen. The Seven Layer Taco Dip could be doubled and put in a large dish with tortilla chips for dipping.

It's wonderful that your "kids" are now bringing their friends to your party!
Teresa

Here is a link that might be useful: Appetizer List

A friend sent this to me; it certainly appears to have glowing reviews. I have not tried it yet.

Bonnie's Buffalo Chicken Dip

Brought this dip to our son's house for the playoffs last year...all his friends kept going into the kitchen and saying "What IS this???? Who MADE this???? Dude, did you TASTE that?"

4 - boneless skinless chicken breast halves, about 2 pounds, boiled and shredded with 2 forks (I do mine in the crockpot and then I have homemade chicken broth for other cooking uses; the meat shreds so beautifully, too.)
1 12-ounce bottle Frank's Hot Sauce (try NOT to substitute....Crystal is passable but whatever you do, do NOT use Tabasco!)
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 16-ounce bottle Ranch dressing
1/2 cup chopped celery
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese or combo thereof

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 13x9x2 inch baking pan, combine the cooked, shredded chicken meat with the entire bottle of Frank's, spreading to form an even layer.
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine cream cheese and entire bottle of Ranch dressing, stirring til hot and smooth. Pour this mixture evenly over chicken mixture.
Sprinkle with chopped celery. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Then add the shredded cheese and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes or til bubbly--do not overbake or the cheese topping will get browned and hardened! Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes. Serve with celery pieces (cut the celery cross-wise, not lengthwise...you want the dip to get scooped into the celery piece)...or with any sturdy dipping chip like Tostito Golds.

COMMENTS:
This is an awesome dip! I use half blue cheese dressing and half ranch dressing, and I use half blue cheese and half cheddar cheese in mine...rave reviews every time I've made it!!!

I've used this recipe before, and it's always a hit. After making it several times, I found an even easier version with the same taste......simply layer the ingredients in a glass dish--cream cheese on the bottom, ranch dressing and hot sauce mixed together, cooked chicken, cheese....then microwave it rather than bake (the cheese doesn't get hard that way) . Scoop with celery sticks or nacho chips.

I've been making the Buffalo Chicken Wing dip for about a year now, and no matter how often I make it, my family always requests it for the next party! I've never added the celery right to the dip...I'm going to have to try that next time.

I googled "best party dip" and this came up. Yowza! It's true, the party guests ate this UP. And it was sort of a fancy party with high-end cheeses, "whole" snacks, etc. - but when folks are drinking on a Saturday afternoon, this is the bowl that get licked clean. Making for another party today! Oh, and I used the tip from one of the comments to add blue cheese along with the cheddar...as well as a mixture of ranch & blue cheese dip. Thanks!

My sister made these for Thanksgiving. I could have snarfed down the entire batch they are so good!

Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies

1 pound sliced bacon, cut into thirds
1 (14 ounce) package Little Smokies
3/4 cup brown sugar, or to taste

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F
Wrap each cocktail wiener with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle brown sugar generously over all.

Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until the sugar is bubbly. To serve, place the wieners in a slow cooker and keep on the low setting.

Linda

How about veggie pizza, the one with crescent rolls, ranch dip (dry) mixed with cream cheese, easy to make and serves a lot. I also make a torta that is very easy and a real crowd pleaser!

Torta

Vegetable spray
4 pieces sun-dried tomatoes
4 leaves fresh basil
3 tubs, 6 ounces each, soft garlic and herb cheese (recommended: Alouette brand)
1/4 cup sun-dried tomato tapenade
1/4 cup prepared basil pesto
1 baguette or whole grain baguette, pre-sliced at the bread counter
Handful baby carrots
Handful grape tomatoes
Line a small shallow dish or bowl with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Coat wrap with vegetable spray. Arrange a pattern in bottom of the dish using the sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Add 1 1/2 tubs of garlic and herb cheese (about half a pound) to the dish and smooth over, then layer in the sun-dried tomato spread and the pesto. Spread the remaining cheese on top of the pesto. Place a serving plate over the bowl and invert the bowl. Hold on to the edges of the waxed paper or wrap to release the cheese. Remove the waxed paper or plastic wrap. Arrange the sliced baguette along 1 side of the torta.
Arrange carrots and tomatoes along the opposite side of the torta.

Or maybe Chili, serves a lot and can be made ahead of time!
Bruschetta or maybe cheese sausage puffs! If you'd like any recipes I can get them to you!

Sounds like fun, I'll keep thinking!
Enjoy,
Gina

I just made 200 hundred little meatballs in a good sauce and they are now in the freezer waiting for Christmas morning. (I'll thaw them in the frig for a couple days before and serve from a crock pot or chafing dish).

Manhattan Meatballs (about 75)

Combine:

1 pound ground veal or chuck
1 pound ground pork
2 cups plain bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/2 Cup chopped onion
2 TBS. dried parsley
2 teas. salt

Heat:

2 Tbs. butter

in skillet,
form meat mixture into cocktail size balls and brown in butter.

Place browned meatballs in a 9 X 13 baking pan.

Combine:

2 Cups Apricot Preserves

with

3/4 Cup Barbecue Sauce.

Pour sauce over meatballs and bake for 30 minutes at 350.

Cool a bit and freeze. Reheat before serving.

These are nice to cook ahead and even better if you want to marinate with some garlic overnight. You can also use boneless pieces of chicken but I love the wings.

Balsamic Soy-Glazed Chicken Wings

4 pounds chicken wingettes
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon butter

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Line 2 large shallow
baking pans (17 by 11 inches) with foil. Put pans in oven and preheat oven
to 500 degrees F.

Pat wings dry, then toss with oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and
divide between preheated pans, spreading wings in 1 layer. Roast, without
turning, until golden and tender, about 35 minutes.

While wings roast, simmer vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar in a 1- to 1 1/2-
quart heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1/3 cup,
12 to 14 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted.

Remove roasted wings from oven and let stand in pans 1 minute (to make
wings easier to remove from foil), then transfer with tongs to a clean large
bowl.

Pour balsamic mixture over wings and toss to coat well. Let stand 5
minutes, then toss again.

I also like the Sea Salt Pita Chips with a hot crab dip or which ever hot dip you prefer; they are very addicting.

in my experience, when making a lot of appetizers for the kids and their friends ( bottomless pits and hollow legs IMHO!!) you don't want it to be too labor intensive.
I can speak for that buffalo dip...awesome!
Meatballs are good....as are little smokies in a cocktail sauce. Shrimp with a cocktail sauce for dipping is trite but well loved. And here's another that is well liked and feeds a mob without a lot of labor.
Snackers
1 ring Dutch Balogna ( about a pound )
2 medium yellow onions ( about the size of a baseball)
Slice and layer in a crock or straihgt sided bowl
In a sauce pan place 1 c. cider vinegar, 1 cup water and 3/4 c sugar and 1 tsp mustard seed ( whole). Bring to a boil and pour over meat and let stand un refigerated for 24 hours. Serve with cocktail rye.
Isn't it fun when you have kids who invite their friends too?
Enjoy! Linda C

This is another one that will feed a crowd and is not labor intensive at all. It will hold the heat a long time, just be sure it gets hot all the way through.....

Crab Canoe

1 loaf French bread, hollowed out. Cut part hollowed out in chucks.

Combine:
1 1/2 cups HellmannâÂÂs mayonnaise
1 bag grated Colby/jack/cheddar cheese
7 small green onions, chopped fine
4 cans crabmeat, drained and squeezed with fresh lemon juice

Put mixture in hollowed-out bread loaf and bake 75 - 90 minutes at 325 degrees until bubbly.

The last 10 minutes add a little more of the grated cheese.
Place bread cubes around, add additional cracjers and crusty bread slices.

Wow I just got back to the computer--what a great bunch of ideas. The Crab Canoe and Buffalo Dip are definites.

I have a similar Buffalo Chicken dip that goes in the crock pot, but doesn't have the chopped celery in it. It's served with celery sticks and tortilla chips. I'll post it if you want it. It's on the other computer.

Tami

I always post this idea because it's the easiest thing in the world and yet very popular. Get 3-5 different cheeses in large chunks and set them out with knives and crackers. Cut-your-own-cheese is worlds better than precut cubes. The best part, all you have to do is unwrap them and set them out.

Another easy appy is a block of cream cheese topped with a sweet hot jelly such as jalepeno jelly, served with crackers. Again, this gets scarfed up every time I serve it and it takes less than two minutes to create.

Nothing easier than chips & salsa which is usually also a fast mover.

And here's a recipe for artichoke dip that makes one pie plate full of dip and it's delicious. If you're really going to have a lot of hearty appetites and you want to make this dip, consider making two because it goes very quickly. This is a bit richer than other artichoke recipes I've seen.

ARTICHOKE DIP

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
4 to 5 drops hot pepper sauce
1-1/2 cups of Monterrey Jack
1/2 cup Parmesan
1/2 cup Cheddar
2 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained, coarsely chopped
1/2 medium tomato, chopped, drained
2 tablespoons sliced green onions

Heat oven to 375.

Mix 3 cheeses together.
Beat mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, garlic salt and hot pepper sauce in large mixer bowl on medium speed, scraping bowl often, until smooth (1 to 2 minutes). Stir in 3/4 of the cheese mixture and artichoke hearts by hand.

Spread artichoke mixture into ungreased 9-inch pie pan. Sprinkle with tomato, onions and remaining cheese. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until heated through.

I'd like to share one that my 2 teenagers absolutely devour, and it's always requested by the 16 members of the girls varsity basketball team! So easy, it's silly!
Pepperoni Roll:
Bread dough that has risen
sliced pepperoni
shredded mozz
Roll dough out on greased counter. Form a 12x18 rectangle. Top with pepperoni, then cheese. Roll up, jelly roll style. Using serrated knife, cut several slits in top of loaf, cover with plastic, allow to rise for 30 minutes.
Bake @ 350 for 20-25 minutes.
That's all there is to it!!
In a pinch, I'll use the Rhodes frozen dough, allow it to thaw and rise. 3 frozen loaves come in a package and 16 girls with 2 coaches can go thru all of it!
If you have time and inclination, a little garlic butter brushed on top before baking is good, too!
Have fun!

sissyz, that's a great suggestion! I like things that are homemade, but don't require a bunch of prep right before you serve them. I bet you could do a lot of different fillings, too!

caliloo - Just what size cans are those of crab meat for the Crab Canoe? The can I have in the fridge weighs 16 ounces. If I used four of them it would cost $45. If it you mean the little 6 ounce cans it would only be $25. Even at that, that's a lot of money for love2weed's scarfers. LOL I'll bet that if it was made with canned tuna or imitation crab it would taste just as good. Gonna try that.

Nancy

sissyz--can I used refriderater bread dough--Pillsbury?

Nancy

I use the smaller cans, the size of tuna cans, that I pay about $2.00 - $3.00 for at my grocery. You don't need to use lump crab or anything too expensive and I have no problem with spending a few dollars on a great recipe that will feed a ton of people.

I absolutely would not eat it if someone served it with tuna or imitation crab (which tastes off to me), but if you think it would work for your crowd, then by all means go ahead.

Alexa

Here are a couple of our family favorites.

BOURBON MEATBALLS

2 cups barbecue sauce
1 1/2 cups bourbon
1 cup honey
1 cup prepared mustard
1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 (32 oz) package frozen cooked Italian style meatballs, thawed

Cook first 5 ingredients in a Dutch oven over medium heat 5 minutes. Add meatballs, bring to a boil, Reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes.
Yield 10-12 appetizer servings
(Source: Southern Living)

CLAMS CASINO DIP

Posted by tobygirl (My Page) on
Sun, Dec 23, 07 at 6:31
Here's a very good one, which I have made many times.

2 cans minced claims with their liquid
2 Tbls. lemon juice
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2 Tbls. fresh parsley chopped or 1 tsp. dried
1/4 c. butter
1/2 tsp. oregano
3/4 c. seasoned bread crumbs
2 drops hot sauce or to taste
1/2 c. cheddar or parmesan cheese grated
Paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Simmer clams with their liquid and lemon juice in a covered saucepan for 5 minutes. Set aside. Saute onion, garlic and parsley in butter for about 5 minutes; then add the oregano, bread crumbs, hot sauce and clams/lemon juice mixture. Spoon into a greased pie plate and bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and paprika and return to oven just until cheese melts. Serve warm with crackers.

ANN T'S GREEN CHILI SQUARES

2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
2 cans green chiles
4 well beaten eggs
.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the cheese and chiles in the
bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. Pour the eggs over the top. Bake for
30-40 minutes or until golden brown and firm. Cool to room temperature
and then cut into squares.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

I have posted Ruthanna's recipe and made this so many times over the years that I should take Ruthanna's name off of it and put my own on there LOLOL :) Its sooo good and easy!

PARTY SHRIMP SPREAD
Posted by: Ruthanna (My Page) on Mon, Oct 7, 02 at 17:07

2 (8 oz.) pkg. softened cream cheese
1 cup cocktail sauce
1 1/2 cups (1 lb.) cooked baby shrimp
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
1/3 cup sliced ripe olives
1/3 cup diced fresh tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese and/or mozzarella

On a pizza pan or large, flat round tray, spread the cream cheese evenly. Spread the cocktail sauce on top. Sprinkle the shrimp, green onions, green pepper, olives and tomatoes onto the cocktail sauce. Distribute the Parmesan cheese evenly over all the other ingredients so it looks like a pizza. Cover and chill until serving time. Serve as a spread with crackers.

I betcha you could use the Pillsbury, I find it has a metallic taste, so I don't use those fridge rolls very much. If you do use those, I would skip the 30 minute proofing time.
The frozen bread dough taste much more like pizza dough, and I promise, it's not hard!!
You can find the Rhodes dough in the 3 loaf pack even at Wally Mart, or any grocery- near the frozen breakfast and monkey bread and such.
We also love it with sliced corned beef and swiss cheese, italian beef and provolone, and even bacon and cheddar!

Nancy, if you have an Aldi near you, they have cans of crab meat on sale for $1.50. The crab meat is a little bland, and it's in tiny pieces, but I think it would work just fine for dip.

Can't get more bang for your buck and time than this:

Bourbon Sausages

-1 cup to 12 ounces bourbon
-1 12-ounce bottle Heinz Chili Sauce
-1 cup dark brown sugar
-1 3.5 pound package of Little Smokies sausage

In sauce pan, bring bourbon, chili sauce, sugar to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens.

Put smokies on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees until grease is rendered. Drain grease from smokies. Add mokies to bourbon sauce.

Serve in crock pot on low or chafing dish.

I have a gret recpie for stuffed flounder,delicious,It makes alot,I use extra either crab cake or crab imperial.love it ,you can use 1 piece flounder if big fold over or 2 pieces 1 on bottom one on top,creamy.