I need ideas for quick appetizers or desserts

[yvr girl]

I'm going to a BBQ in a few hours. It's an annual event that I COMPLETELY forgot about. (Yes, I should check my messages more frequently.) My friend just called to see if I was: a. alive and
b. planning on attending.

What should I bring?

[Kathy in Cambridge]

1. chips and salsa, chips and guac

when in doubt, I always bring those.

[Jara sang]

2. do you want to make something or buy something?

[yvr girl]

5. I'd like to make something

but it needs to be fast. I have about 3 hours, and I need to squeeze a shower in there too.

(And a trip to the grocery store.)

[Jara sang]

7. make quesadillas

easy, but load 'em up otherwise people will think you are cheap.

[ewagner]

3. Cream cheese/chipped beef

make a "log" out of it for Ritz Crackers.

grate about a tablespoon of onion
add about 1 teaspoon worschestsire sauce
dice up two 3 oz packages of chipped beef
add to 1 pkg of Philadelphia brand cream cheese...

add a few dried parsley flakes for color

blend together with a spoon in a bowl...

shape it into a ball or cone

arrange on a plate with ritz crackers (or townhouse crackers if you like)

quick, easy, cheap...tasty....

[mia]

4. fresh fruit

cherries, grapes any kind of berries

[Tallison]

6. This fruit pizza thing

is fast, and people always seem to love it. Kind of BBQ/seasonal in spirit.

18-ounces of sugar cookie dough (equiv to 1 package refrig store-bought)
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or other flavoring (almond, orange, or lemon)
Fresh halved strawberries, blueberries, banana slices, kiwi slices, halved grapes
1/2 cup orange, peach, or apricot preserves
1 tablespoon water

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line an ungreased 14-inch pizza pan with cookie dough cut in 1/8-inch slices, overlapping slightly. Bake 12 minutes or until light brown; remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract or other flavoring; spread over cookie crust. Arrange fruit over cream cheese layer in any design you want (use your imagination).

In a small saucepan over very low heat, make a glaze by heating preserves and water. Brush glaze over fruit, making sure to cover the fruit that will turn dark. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Note: This does not keep well, so plan on using it up.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

[intheflow]

8. Quick, yummy seafood dip.

Ingredients:

sour cream
shrimp
salsa
tortilla chips

Mix together well 1 pint sour cream with shrimp (canned or fresh) and salsa (to taste, but the dip should be kinda salmon-colored in the end).

Dip those chips in and enjoy!

*****
I left the shrimp amount ambiguous on purpose. I am a shrimp fanatic and will spare no expense to get A-1 quality shrimp for this--maybe a 1/2 pound. The first time I ate this, though, my girlfriend put in a can of those tiny popcorn shrimp. Whatever suits your style and pocketbook!

Good luck! :hi:

[Kali]

9. really weird but delicious

could be either appetizer or desert

Cut up several green apples into slices for dipping.

Mix well: one box (8 oz) cream cheese and one jar (yes I know its wierd) marshmallow topping. add zest of one orange if you have it plus 1 tablespoon of triple sec.

This is a strange combination of ingredients but its really delicious.

____________

Instant fast fruit salad: mix a couple bags of frozen berries with various other fresh fruits cut up, if too tart add a little sugar and serve over frozen or bakery pound cake with whipped cream or with vanilla wafers.

Lots of easy stuff - I will probalby be # 15 when this gets posted!

[eyesroll]

10. Buy a few packages of berries (whatever looks good), some whipped cream

and either angel-food or pound cake (depending on whether you want to go light or heavy).

Cut the cake into cubes.

If you have a trifle dish, cake dome that you can invert or clear glass bowl, use it. If not, just get a deep bowl.

Layer cake cubes, berries (cut strawberries in quarters or slices), whipped cream (Cool Whip is OK since you're doing this fast). Do at least two layers of each, with whipped cream and perhaps a few decorative berries on top. Refrigerate until you need it.

IF YOU HAVE TIME: Macerate any strawberries you have, in slices, in a little sugar, which will create some juice. Then, layer cake, strawberries+juice, other berries, cream. Repeat.

For a takes-a-little-longer (but you might have time) similar dish -- red, white and blue Napoleons:

Get one package of frozen puff pastry. Unwrap, unfold, cut into triangles, bake according to instructions.

Meanwhile, slice strawberries into thin slices. You'll also need blueberries.

If you want:L Take a small container whipping cream, whip with an electric mixer or immersion blender until it's spreadable. A whisk will work, too, but it'll take a lot more effort. Add a few sprinkles powdered sugar -- you want a little sweet, not massive sweet. Otherwise use commercial aerosol whipped cream. I've found Cool Whip doesn't work too well with this recipe.

Let the baked puff pastry cool a bit (15-20 minutes or so). Slice or pull apart the triangles horizontally, so you have two or three layers. (Ideally, you'll have three, but if you don't, try to match up some similarly-sized pieces to stack.)

Assemble the following:
One layer puff pastry
A bit of cream
A few strawberry slices
The next layer puff pastry (use a "middle" piece if you have them)
A bit of cream
A few blueberries
The final puff pastry layer (use the pretty ones for these)

Place the finished stacks onto a washable surface, and drizzle melted chocolate chips over the top. Refrigerate until you need them.

(I've tried making this with bigger pieces of pastry, and then cutting the finished Napoleons to size. It's a mess.)

[Lone_Star_Dem]

11. Cube or ball some melons and throw in some other seasonal fruits

Toss in a few chopped mint leaves and your done. It's a simple, yet refreshing summer dessert.

[Jara sang]

12. I'm changing mine: Go to Caravel and get a Cookie Puss

bring that, people will think you are nuts. they'll love it. or fudgie the whale, he's good too.

[babylonsister]

13. 6-layer Mexican Dip:

Beans
Sour Cream
Guacamole
Black Olives
Salsa
Grated Cheese on top

The colder, the better. Very colorful. Serve w/tortilla chips and/or carrots/celery/peppers

[progmom]

14. prosciutto and melon

:9


or my favorite easy-to-throw-together dessert: an angel food cake, strawberries, and whipped cream. :D

[Floogeldy]

15. Go get a bottle of Kraft barbecue sauce . . .

. . . add a drop of mustard, a pinch of brown sugar, stir it up, put it in a different container, and tell everyone you made it yourself!

;-)

[davsand]

16. Quick Gazapcho

Buy a container of fresh salsa, and two cans of V8 along with a cucumber and a small Vidalia Onion. Fresh Cliantro is nice too.

Dump in the entire container of salsa and the two cans of V8. Peel and seed the Cuke, and dice the onion. Throw those in and stir. Add Cilantro if you want to.

Serve with sour cream on the side for garnish if you want to.

I always take little disposable bowls and plastic spoons along just in case the hostess doesn't have any. :)


Laura