Looking for ‘tried and true’ appetizer ideas to serve my book group. Seems we’ve been in a rut lately and thought I’d ask this group for some new ideas/recipes. We usually serve 2-3 (maybe more) savory snacks and a dessert. Thanks, in advance, for getting me out of my rut!
I have a great (and easy recipe) for a hot crab dip that is served with tortillas chips if you are interested.
I also have made sausage, ranch, and cheese wonton cups that were a big hit. More labor intensive but still not too bad.
I go to Costco. Crackers and a dip, e g whitefish, hummus, salsa. Soft cheeses and crackers or bread
Lasagna, spanikopia tuna fish,
Local Greek restaurant, falafel and sauces
What appetizers are part of the “rut” so we can avoid recommending those recipes? For me, it would be those wheels of brie smothered with some kind of jelly/jam. Ugh! I usually stick with a dip (spinach, artichoke, crab, guacamole), some skewers (greek, antipasto, caprese), and a type of mini sandwich, slider, or tortilla wrap.
It there anything you can tie into your book choice in terms of ethnicity of country/city of origin of some of the characters or the setting of the story? That’s what we try to do with our book club – our last book was a bunch of short stories about Vietnamese refugees so spring rolls and sticky rice dishes ruled. We’ve had everything from Asia to the both the American South and South America to Eastern/Western Europe to Australia and everything in between. Never gets boring.
So easy and everyone loves it everytime - Tex Mex Tortilla appetizer. One 8 oz block cream cheese softened, one small 4 oz can choppped green chiles drained, 2 green onions minced, 1/4 tsp garlic salt. Mix together. Spread heaping TBL on 12 6” tortillas. Roll, place seam side down and a baking sheet, cover and chill 2 hrs (can freeze at this point, too). Cut in small bite size portions. Service with Picante sauce. Easy to double, too.
https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/hot-pizza-dip-2687
An old favorite I served at my last meeting and everyone loved it:
https://www.knorr.com/us/en/recipes/knorr-spinach-dip.html
https://spicysouthernkitchen.com/hot-caramelized-onion-dip-with-bacon-and-gruyere/
https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/pumpkin-dip-0
https://www.spendwithpennies.com/crab-rangoon-dip-wonton-chips/
snow peas are nice and a little different. They can be stuffed -but that is kind of a chore. I usually just serve them blanched with a little salt and sometimes I make a dip with Sour cream and horseradish
My family eats up that old favorite, dates stuffed either with goat cheese or Bleu cheese and wrapped in bacon.
Brie baked and topped with a sprinkling of nuts and swish of honey.
I make a middle eastern style roasted carrot (2-3# cut thin, swish about 1T olive oil, 2T honey, a generous T or two of coriander and cumin, a teaspoon f thyme, salt & pepper & roast at 425, 45 minutes or so until cooked through & we like them darkened) recipe with a 1-2 T tahini/2T lemon juice/1 tsp minced garlic/1/2C greek yogurt/salt dip (that is fantastic if you are a fan of the flavors.
Around the holidays, make guacamole (w lemon juice so it doesn’t turn brown). Halve cherry tomatoes and fill with guac. Nice red and green look.
Got a great recommendation:
Amy’s Artichoke and Parmesan Swirls.
I make this super easy bloomin Brie bread.
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a56271/bloomin-brie-bread-recipe/
Fish sticks, definitely fish sticks.
Stuffed mini peppers:
Buy a bag of those mini sweet peppers. Cut into them. Stuff with herbed goat cheese. Bake at 400 Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
Pea crostini:
Slice a baguette into thin slices and lightly toast each slice. Cook some fresh or frozen green peas, puree in the blender with olive oil and salt. Spread on toasted bread, add a thin sliver of mint, a sliver of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and a drop of balsamic vinegar.
You could make up a tray with blanched broccoli florets, crackers, 2 or 3 types of cheese, sliced salami or other sausage, pitted olives. Put out frilled toothpicks to pick up items.
Another idea is a soft-taco bar. Stack of small tortillas, beans, shredded chicken or pork or beef, shredded cheese, salsa, finely chopped lettuce, etc.
I have smoked trout dip gp-to recipe. It has smoked trout (from supermarket near the smoked salmon/lox), avocado, dill, lemon, mayonnaise, sour cream, and capers. If you are interested, I can send you a screenshot of the recipe (it’s in a book, not on line.) Serve with thinly sliced french bread or crackers.
Reuben Dip
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Thousand Island dressing
16ounces sauerkraut, rinsed and squeezed dry
8 ounces shredded corned beef
16 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
Mix iit all together in a bowl.
Spread into a pie pan.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so or until bubbly.
Serve with those cocktail rye and pumpernickel breads. Have little spreaders so folks can spread the Dip onto the bread.
Taste just like a Reuben sandwich!
I’d love the hot crab dip recipe, @momofsenior1.
OP are you in a warm or cold climate?
Are there members of the book club who have strict dietary restrictions such as food allergies that you need to take into account?
This was my mother in law’s recipe:
In a food processor pulse the following until well combined:
1 package of cream cheese (softened)
1 can of crab meat (I like the jumbo lump but you can really use whatever)
1/3- 1/2 an onion, roughly chopped
1/2 c of mayo (you can use up to a 1 cup of mayo if you like it more creamy) (I have successfully substituted sour cream in the place of mayo but my people liked the mayo better ; ))
1/4 of fresh parsley chopped, + 1 T to garnish
1 T of lemon juice
Dash of worcestershire sauce
Dash of cayenne pepper (to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
Bake in a buttered caserole dish for 30 at 350 degrees.
I serve with tortillas chips or water crackers