Party food doesn't have to be heavy or fattening, it can be deliciously healthy and informal. When planning a party buffet, make sure to pick up the ingredients the day of the party or the day before to ensure the food is at its freshest.
Good food combined with a festive atmosphere can turn any party into a real celebration. Select dishes that are practical to serve. Use menu cards to label each dish so no-one has to guess what's being eaten, especially important to those with food allergies.
Selecting Appetizers
When serving tapas-style hors d'oeuvres, a good rule of thumb is to have, at minimum, two hot dishes and two cold ones with a variety of desserts. Be sure to select several complementary types of food.
Include a variety of colors, textures and flavors. More food rather than less is always a good idea at a holiday gathering when friends and family tend to stay longer.
Holiday Hostess Gifts
Another fun way to host a tapas-style meal is to allow party goers to bring one favorite appetizer to the party to share. The hostess can then send each person home with a small gift such as a jar of homemade pickles, homemade jam, festive cookies in a small holiday gift bag, or a dry cookie mix in a jar.
Pear and Blue Cheese Pizza
Pears and cheese go together so well and when used as toppings on a pizza, guests will ask for the recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 large Bobboli pizza crust (or buy fresh pizza dough in bread section of grocery store)
- 4 fresh pears, peeled and thinly sliced
- juice of a lemon
- 2-1/4 cups grated Gruyere cheese
- 1-1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese
- 1/4 cup melted butter
Directions:
- Drizzle lemon juice onto pear slices to keep them from browning. Arrange a layer of pear slices in a circle around outer edge of pizza pie. Sprinkle with Gruyere cheese.
- Arrange a second layer of pear slices in smaller inside circle. Sprinkle with the blue cheese.
- Brush the outer edge of the pie with melted butter.
Bake at 425° for 10-15 minutes or until the crusts turn golden brown. Slice 12 pieces per pizza.
Avocado Salsa
Ingredients:
- 2 large ripe avocados
- 1 small red onion, minced
- 1 fresh red or green chili pepper, seeded and minced
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1/2 lime rind, shredded
- 1-2 limes, juice
- 2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 2 Tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- pinch of sugar
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- lime wedges dipped in kosher salt
Directions:
- Peel avocados and cut away seeds. Mash one avocado in bowl with a fork. Set the second one aside for later.
- Add onion, chili, garlic, lime rind, lime juice, sugar, tomatoes, coriander, cumin, seasoning and lime juice to taste. Add in oil last.
- Chop second avocado in small chunks and add to salsa. Stir in sour cream. Cover and place in refrigerator or serve right away.
- Serve with favorite chips or veggies cut in sticks such as carrots, cucumbers, green zucchini, red and yellow bell peppers. One bowl serves 4-6.
- Optional: Cut a red cabbage in half, remove the center and use as a serving bowl for salsa.
Beer-Battered Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients for Shrimp:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup beer
- 12 large raw jumbo shrimp
- 1 cup unsweetened dried coconut
- vegetable oil for frying
Ingredients for Dipping sauce:
- 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce
Directions:
- Blend beer, flour, egg together till smooth.
- For sauce, blend all ingredients together until smoothly blended, warm in microwave.
- Heat vegetable oil to 325°.
- Dip shrimp in prepared batter, roll in the coconut and deep-fry until golden. Drain on paper towels, then serve with warmed dipping sauce. Makes 12.
Using skewers is a great way to offer guests easy finger foods. When threading skewers to make kebabs, thread three chunks of meat or veggies onto each stick. This makes for an easy way to serve and to eat!
For more tapas recipes, you may enjoy:
Lamb Tikka and Chicken Satay on Skewers
Vicki F. Chavis - Growing up in Asia, Europe and North America left Vicki with a love of cuisine, history, language, fashion and travel. Today she writes on ...
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