<p>Kajon, with shirt made me chuckle. Must be autocorrect.</p>
<p>too funny…It should be “white” shirt 
</p>
<p>MD Mom - I too use a store bought barbecue sauce for my meatballs. (Ken Davis), but I never thought about adding a jar of apricot jam…Yummy</p>
<p>Bethie:</p>
<p>Have you decided on the menu after all these ideas? ;)</p>
<p>For drinks, maybe you can keep it inexpensive by buying a box of Crystal Light Lemonade and Crystal Light Iced Tea from Costco and just have some pitchers of those…maybe along with a sangria type fruit punch…will be much cheaper to make then serving wine…do you have a nice punch bowl & ladle? I got one as a wedding gift and I had no idea how handy it would be! You can probably google recipes for a simple fruit punch and sangria type wine and fruit…might be just the thing and will hopefully keep the cost down a bit…</p>
<p>A bit off topic, but I have my carpet cleaned yearly and always do it right before Thanksgiving which I host. We have light beige carpet, two dogs that go in and out several times a day, so the beige carpet can look rather brown after several months! My brother-in-law is an accident waiting to happen and usually spills something wherever he is; if not during appetizers in the den, he is usually good for a spill at the table 
My brother had a solo cup full of coke when his cup sprung a leak and the genius decided to walk through the entire den while it was leaking to get to the kitchen, as oppose to grabbing napkins to cover the cup!</p>
<p>My mother always asks why I bother cleaning before Thanksgiving instead of waiting until after. Because we are big floor sitters and I have little ones that play on the floor, plus a few non dog people, I like the carpet to be free of dog smell, hair and dirt!</p>
<p>We have a Asian eatery that offers a platter of 55 spring rolls (5 free), plus dipping sauce with 24 hours notice. If you have one nearby that you like, maybe they could do the same (maybe 25 instead of 55, but here, 20 can go through 55 because they are well liked). I’d request that they cut them in half for presentation and it will cut down on double dipping (spoon in sauce helps).</p>
<p>I did a field trip to Costco today with a friend who’s a member. I can see how easily I could get everything I need right there. I think I might serve potstickers, mini quiches, shrimp, veggies, maybe American Flatbread. I like the spring roll idea and VT beers, wine and sparkling water. I’ll wait until I know how many are coming before I shop. i have wood floors with dark area rugs in LR and DR, so spills won’t worry me, but I have Oxyclean on hand. Meatballs are a possibility too. I will definitely be “with shirt”!</p>
<p>Has anyone here tried the Costco spinach dip? I thought it might be good with a veggie platter.</p>
<p>Costco spinach dip is great. So is the guacamole…don’t forget mini hot dogs in a bun…they taste very good! </p>
<p>No sangria punch, huh? Oh well!</p>
<p>Yes, I’m still considering the sangria punch too. I have a pretty punch bowl that doubles as a cake plate on a stand. I do have friends who would show up and donate just based on the pigs in blankets. It is all “on the table”. I listen to everything in the Cafe.</p>
<p>^^Cool! 
Have fun…hope it raises lots of $$</p>
<p>Bethie: Do you have a fondue pot? When we have a big to-do, I like to put cheese in the large pot and chocolate in the smaller one. If you’re in a hurry buy the organic apple slices at Costco and the grilled Foster Farms chicken strips in the cooler section. Lay those out with the cheese and strawberries or cookies with the chocolate.</p>
<p>I second ( or is that a third) the motion for hot apple cider, but I put apple brandy in mine. Yummy!</p>
<p>Bethievt- I have found it useful to have a basket and some envelopes in case folks want to write a check and keep their donation private from the rest if the guests.</p>
<p>Great idea about basket and envelopes!</p>
<p>Agentninetynine–no I don’t have fondue pots. I love cheese fondue and should do something about that.</p>
<p>I’m generally not a huge fan of putting out dips and spreads during a flu/cold season - people will double-dip no matter what. However, you can use the divine Costco spinach dip to make stuffed mushroom caps. Get a tub of baby bella mushrooms (yup, Costco!), de-stem, place on a olive-oil greased baking sheet and bake a little in a 400-degree oven until the mushrooms become soft. Then pour any liquid out of the cups and fill them with said artichoke dip, put the tray back in the oven, and in about 5-10 min you will have a delicious appetizer. Here is a more detailed description:</p>
<p>[The</a> Open Fridge: Easy Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms](<a href=“http://www.myopenfridge.com/2011/12/easy-spinach-artichoke-stuffed.html]The”>http://www.myopenfridge.com/2011/12/easy-spinach-artichoke-stuffed.html)</p>
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<p>Here is a review of the Coscto dip:</p>
<p>[Costco</a> Eats: Spinach & Artichoke Parmesan Dip | The Tasty Island](<a href=“http://tastyislandhawaii.com/2009/01/12/costco-eats-spinach-artichoke-parmesan-dip/]Costco”>http://tastyislandhawaii.com/2009/01/12/costco-eats-spinach-artichoke-parmesan-dip/)</p>
<p>Yummm… :)</p>
<p>bethievt–we have 3 fondue pots. We love doing fondue. They are very frequently on sale during the Thanksgiving weekend so look for them if you are out and about.</p>
<p>Bunsen:</p>
<p>EXCELLENT point about double dipping, eeww. Your idea of making stuffed mushrooms with the dip is awesome. Individual servings of food that people pick up but don’t have to dip sounds like the way to go.</p>
<p>Bethie:</p>
<p>I would also suggest that you look at the Pillsbury website. [Easy</a> Cooking Recipes and Easy Cooking Ideas from Pillsbury.com](<a href=“http://www.pillsbury.com%5DEasy”>http://www.pillsbury.com) they always have very easy, affordable pick up type appetizers that are easy to make and delicious.</p>
<p>I suggest, if you have time, to try some of these things before you serve them. Not that you have to buy a 100 item dish at Costco and serve it to your family every night, but…you have to eat anyways, why not try some of these things and see if they are tasty?</p>
<p>Before our big party, I was determined to get a delicious flatbread (surprise, surprise), and got several different freezer ones to try. They were all expensive and not that great (I don’t recall trying the American flatbread). Gave up on that, so tried some specialty thin crust pizzas at gourmet pizza shops (ones with garlic, olive oil, sliced tomatoes, basil…no thick cheese/tomato sauce pizza). Hmm…kind of expensive, and how could I guarantee they’d be any good if I had them delivered and reheated? Ended up with some of those thin crust pizzas I described from Whole Foods, take home and bake. Cut into small party slices. It was good and they went fast. Easy to make, but it’s not always great to have to keep pulling stuff out of the oven during a party.</p>
<p>Anyways, the point I was making was, if you can, try things out on your family and see if they taste good first. You may give something a thumbs down if it doesn’t taste good or is too much of a hassle, better to find out early.</p>