You can line a serving tray with leafy lettuce and place different items directly on the leaves or in individual bowls nestled in leaves. Use tongs and toothpicks.
Veggie Tray
Green, yellow and red bell peppers, cut in strips
Baby carrots
Squash slices
Celery sticks
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Hollow out a head of purple cabbage, fill with ranch dressing.
Cheese/Pickle/Olive Tray
Cubed cheeses
Sweet gerkins
Green and black olives
Cocktail onions
Deviled eggs
Fresh Fruit Tray
Strawberries
Pineapple chunks
Banana chunks
Apple slices
Orange slices
Cantaloupe
Mango
Papaya
Fruit Dip
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 small jar marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon almond extract
8 oz Cool Whip
Combine cheese, creme and extract. Fold in Cool Whip. Hollow out half of a large orange and fill with dip.
Another great make-ahead is to make your favorite Cheeseball, but instead of making one big ball, roll into small bite-sized balls. Cover and refrigerate. Remove from fridge about 20 minutes before serving to soften. You can serve with tongs, toothpicks or for something really cute, after they soften, stick a pretzel stick in each one as a "handle." Don't put the sticks in too early or they might get soggy.
I love finger sandwiches. These measurements are approximate as I have never really measured. I make different fillings so I'll have a variety.
Tea Sandwich Fillings
Olive:
2-3 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup olives, minced
1/4 cup pecans, minced
Olive juice, just enough to thin to spread, if needed
Cucumber:
2-3 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, minced
1 tbsp onion, minced
1 pinch salt
Mayonnaise, just enough to thin to spread, if needed
Pineapple:
2-3 oz cream cheese
1 tbsp powdered sugar
1/4 cup pineapple, crushed or chopped
Pineapple juice, just enough to thin to spread, if needed
Orange Cream Cheese:
2-3 oz cream cheese
1 tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp orange zest
2 tsp frozen orange juice concentrate
*This is great on cinnamon-raisin bread
Spread on sandwich bread. Trim crusts. Halve diagonally or cut into 3 strips. Place on serving tray, wrap well with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nothing is easier than buying frozen Meatballs, Cocktail Wieners or Smoked Sausage and throwing them in a crock pot with sauce. Here are some sauce ideas. Just combine sauce ingredients and pour over meat. Cook on low heat. Plain old BBQ sauce is good, too.
Meatball Sauce
16 oz jar grape jelly
12 oz jar chili sauce
Meatball Sauce
1 12 oz. bottle Heinz Chili Sauce
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
Meatball Sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 Cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1 tsp prepared mustard
Meatball Sauce
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. apricot preserves
1 c. honey barbecue sauce
1 small jar of chunky applesauce
Meatball Sauce
1 cup applesauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp onion, minced
Meatball Sauce
1 16 Oz Canned Cranberry Sauce
1 12 Oz. Bottle Chili Sauce
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
These are great stuffed with tuna salad or chicken salad, too.
Stuffed Tomatoes
16 - 18 cherry tomatoes
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Cut a thin slice off of each tomato top. Scoop out pulp. Invert the tomatoes on a paper towel to drain. Combine remaining ingredients. Thin with a little mayo if needed. Spoon into tomatoes.
Bowls of your favorite pasta salad or a broccoli salad would be good.
Broccoli Carrot Salad
Dressing:
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise
Whisk sugar and vinegar in small bowl until sugar is disolved. Add mayonnaise and blend well. (If you want it sweeter, add more sugar. If you want it tangier, add more vinegar.)
Salad:
3 cups broccoli florets, diced small
1 cup carrots, diced small
1/3 cup onion, diced small
1/2 cup raisins
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup mixed nuts or chopped pecans
Combine salad ingredients. Add dressing and stir until coated.
Sweet Pasta Salad
1 lb macaroni or rotini pasta
1green bell pepper, chopped small
1/2 onion, chopped small
4 stalks celery, chopped small
3 carrots, grated
Dressing:
2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
Cook pasta al dente; drain and refrigerate until cool. Combine dressing ingredients, stirring until sugar dissolves. Combine cooled pasta, peppers, onions, celelery and carrots. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Refrigerate.
You can buy frozen ravioli and pour your favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce over it. I buy the 3 cheese ravioli at Sam's and it's very good. Just boil, drain and add warm sauce.
Smoked sausage with onions and peppers are great. Cut sausage into 2 inch lengths. Cut peppers into thin strips. Slice onions. Cook in skillet with just a little oil or butter until onions and peppers are tender and sausage is heated through.
Roasted/baked chicken breasts would be great.
Lemon Butter Roasted Chicken
6 chicken breasts
1 stick butter
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Place chicken in a 9x13 baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour over chicken. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until juices run clear, basting several times with sauce.
I buy bags of frozen chicken breasts at WalMart. They are perfect for this dish since they are already thin and flat.
Lemon Chicken
6 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 cup flour
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 stick butter
10 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules
2/3 cup water
2 tbsp lemon juice
6 thin lemon slices
Combine flour, garlic, onion, paprika, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture. Melt butter in skillet and brown chicken for several minutes on each side. Remove chicken and place in a large baking dish. Saute mushrooms in same skillet, adding 1 or 2 tbsp of butter, if needed. Remove mushrooms and place on top of chicken. Add bouillon, water and lemon juice to pan and bring to a boil, scraping browned bits from botton of pan. Remove from heat and pour mixture over chicken. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. To serve, top each piece of chicken with a slice of lemon and spoon sauce over chicken.
*You can use 2/3 cup chicken broth instead of bouillon and water.
One of these rice dishes would go well with chicken.
Orange Rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 stick butter
1 cup raw rice
1 cup orange juice
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp salt
Saute onion in butter until tender. Add rice, juice, broth, and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer 20-25 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
Lemon Rice
14 oz chicken broth
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 cup long grain rice
2 tbs butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
Salt and pepper
Bring broth, lemon juice and parsley to a boil. Add rice then reduce heat, cover and simmer 20-25 minutes until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat and stir in butter, garlic and onion powder. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Wild Rice with Pecans
1 box Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice, Original Recipe with seasoning packet
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup pecans, toasted, chopped
Combine rice, seasoning packet and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 25 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in butter, onions and pecans.