<p>The problem with meatballs is that you would have to rent chafing dishes, and then you would probably have to supply small plates and forks. More expense.</p>
<p>Also, you are having meat as your main course. </p>
<p>If you want meatballs, there are plenty of good recipes. I make little Indian-spiced meatballs with ground turkey, and have served them with a yogurt dip. I admit that I have never purchased meatballs premade, so I have no idea what they are like. Probably too big for an hors d’oeuvres that is going to be followed by a substantial meal, though.</p>
<p>If you are going the chafing dish route, you could go to an Asian food store and buy bags of dumplings, since your mother likes Chinese food. Once cooked, they could be gently tossewd with a little sesame oil so that they didn’t stick together, then reheated in a chafing dish with a little stock to moisten them, and you could serve a simple dipping sauce on the side. (I don’t know if I would want to entrust this to someone who didn’t know what they were doing, though, because they could end up all stuck together or broken.)</p>
<p>I also have a recipe for a great tuna dip/spread called spuma di tonno. It’s is made with tuna packed in olive oil, and very tasty. But it really isn’t cheap, since there is a lot more expensive tuna in it than there is smoked trout in smoked trout mousse. (Or the smoked salmon equivalent.)</p>
<p>Something else you might consider are salami cornets. Buy some good salami from a deli, sliced thin. Spread with softened cream cheese or goat cheese and roll up. You can do the same thing but roll it around a dilly bean. Very tasty </p>
<p>I have a recipe from a friend for something called “Hog Balls.” It is Bisquick, cheddar cheese, and breakfast sausage. Sounds like your crowd might love them, and they do not have sauce so you can get by with toothpicks and a cocktail napkin. They would fit in with the BBQ.</p>
<p>Your mother might be able to deal with the grapes. They are seedless grapes dipped in a puree of cream cheese and blue cheese, then rolled in chopped toasted walnuts or pecans and chilled.</p>
<p>I would suggest phyllo triangles or spanikopita if you had any way to heat them up on site. Shrimp toasts are always a big hit, but you have to be able to fry them on the spot. I love chicken sates, and fix them two ways: one Indian, the other Thai peanut. Those are actually not expensive if you take advantage of the times when boneless chicken breasts are $1.99 per pound, but they require heating on the spot. Of course, this means that someone would have to do it. And if there is a kitchen, won’t your caterers be using it?</p>
<p>BTW, there really is no way a caterer can do food for less than you can. Caterers typically quadruple (at least) the cost of the ingredients to arrive at a figure that covers labor. THey may pay less for some things, but not THAT much less.</p>
<p>Edit: I forgot an hor d’oeuvres that I love that would be pretty or a wedding: little glasses of pretty cold soups garnished with herbs. Examples: Cold beet soup with sour cream (pink), cold cream of broccoli (pale green), mango gazpacho (yellow), carrot (pale orange). You can use very small plastic glasses: the servings are about 1/8 of a cup. Set out trays, and guests just drink them from the glass: no spoon required.</p>
I’d go with the birch cutlery, because I hate plastic. You can put together a really nice, natural look. I’d go with rented table cloths and napkins in a soft color and complimentary natural and sustainable-looking centerpieces. A single blossom floating in a shallow bowl, for example, or live plants. </p>
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