Friends of ours have started a monthly happy hour. It's a bit of a happy hour club, really. Six couples, all with kids, who take turns hosting a child-friendly happy hour the first Friday of each month. Fabulous idea! The host family is in charge of the dinner (read: ordering the pizza) and drinks; guests bring an appetizer.
I've spent the better part of the week trying to decide what to make. I think I've settled on a version of Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip. I've had it once before at some family firehall gathering and it was delicious (in that perfectly fattening Midwestern casserole way). Merseydotes' recent Butterscotch Budino post has me jonesing to make a fancy dinner, but still I can't get this casserole style dip out of my head. I'm also hungry today for a salad with French Fries, so perhaps I'm just embracing my inner yinzer.
So, I'm pretty set on this month's contribution, but I'm curious if anyone has any appetizer favorites they would recommend?
For our fancy dinner, we made appetizers beforehand. Baked prosciutto cups filled with diced pear tossed in lemon juice, and cucumber cups filled with a grated carrot-sour cream-white wine vinegar-scallion mix. Both are Everyday Food recipes, but I can't find them online. They were delish. I also love stuffed mushroom caps. And I like those port-soaked-walnut-stuffed-bacon-wrapped prunes we made for our Christmas party in 2006. But you were there and saw how much work those were...
Posted by: merseydotes | January 30, 2008 at 02:48 PM
Crab dip. My tortellini alfredo with procuitto works as a hot appetizer, if you don't mind eating them with forks. Anything in a won ton wrapper is officially an appetizer in my book -- minced shrimp and veggies, southwestern style chicken, brie and beries, etc. Maybe kielbasa and egg and french fries and cole slaw inside the won ton. Call it a "Wontonti's."
Since I'm here, dinner tonight is left over cioppino that I made this weekend. It was very good this weekend, should be better after a few days in the fridge.
Posted by: buzz | January 30, 2008 at 03:23 PM
Great suggestions all. Plus, mer, the prunes have additional health benefits, as well. A good counterbalance to too much cheese!
I think I'll have to try some of these for next time ...
Posted by: Yum | January 31, 2008 at 08:07 AM
I have a good broccoli cheese appetizer served warm with pita chips. It is a shame that R doesn't like broccoli or I would make it more. Plus it is a light recipe so it is not terribly bad for you. Of course you know my fav appetizer is the pumpernickel cheese dip. Can't have too much of that, as we proved that one Memorial Day weekend - how many times did we eat it 4 or 5?
Posted by: JR | January 31, 2008 at 12:44 PM