Appetizers that can travel?

novella1186

I told my friend I'd bring an appetizer to his party this weekend. A lot of people are planning to bring desserts, so I wanted to bring something that's not sweet. I was thinking mini quiches, but I haven't been able to find those pre-made mini shells that of course I always see at the store when I DON'T need them. And I don't think I have the energy to make my own mini shells. 

I'd rather not make a dip because usually these parties have 100000 different dips lol. 

So, not a dessert. 

Not a dip. 

And it probably won't be able to be kept warm cuz we have some driving to do to get there. 

Any recommendations? 

TIA! 

climbingsingle

What about an awesome cheese plate with fruit and jam spreads?

ETA: clarifcation of spreads 

larrygaga

I'm the resident cheese tray girl. Bring that! I usually buy two huge bricks of the regular Colby and cheddar, then a few small bricks of weird fancy cheese. Add some club crackers and you are set! They are always a hit. I usually don't mess with cheese spreads. 

kat1114

These mini zucchini bites are kind of like mini quiches but easier (and delicious!): Link

Inkdancer

Caprese salad crackers (crackers with mozzarella, tomato, and a sprinkle of basil. Vinaigrette optional)
Meat and cheese tray
Sausage balls
Mini sandwiches
Dates filled with goat cheese and wrapped in prosciutto (seems very fancy, but easy and incredibly yummy)

climbingsingle

I shouldn't have gone onto pinterest to look at appetizers. Now I'm starving. 

zizibet

Crostini with toppings. You should be able to buy the baguette slices froma grocery store, then toast them in the oven ahead of time as they don't need to be warm.
 This site www.smittenkitchen.com has a bunch of great ideas.

I take the slices in a bag and toppings in tupperware bowls as well as a platter and put them together on site. Easy, really good, and kind of fancy.

Maggie0829

Deviled eggs?  Keep them in a cooler/on ice on the drive there and they should be good to go.  They are always a huge crowd pleaser in my circle.

ShesSoCold

H's grandma makes one of those cold veggie "pizzas" that always seems to go fast. And it's easy to transport.

littlemushroom

Mini frittatas? I make ham, cheddar and chive ones in my mini cupcake pan and they are awesome warm or cold. You could do several different flavors if you wanted.

theartistformerlyknownas

How far is the drive? I made some jalapeño popper monkey bread for Halloween that was a big hit. Canned biscuits, cut in half and filmed with a blob of cream cheese/jalapeños/shredded jack cheese (fold over to sell it in), dip in melted butter, pile into a bundt pan, sprinkle each layer with ranch dressing mix. Bake for... I don't remember. It cools for a while in the pan before you take them out, so if you bake just before you leave and put the whole hot thing into a box to travel it could work. Not if you're driving for an hour though. Maybe 20 minutes.

Soft pretzel bites would be good too! Boil bread dough balls in water with baking soda for like a minute, take out, sprinkle with salt and bake til golden brown. Cool on a rack before you pack them up. Make a yummy cinnamon honey butter to dip.

esstee33

I like making little antipasto cups: 

Take a big slice of salami (or pepperoni if you feel like it) and push it down into a muffin tin. Bake at 350 for ~10 mins or so until it's crispy and definitely bowl-shaped. Watch it so it doesn't burn around the edges. 

Fill it with stuff. I like to put in halved cherry tomatoes or sundried tomatoes, chunks of mozzarella, black olives, roasted red and/or yellow peppers, and sometimes pepperoncinis. If I'm feeling especially sassy, I'll chop up some fresh basil leaves and sprinkle those on there too. 

Drizzle with olive oil, then eats. 

novella1186

lolo883 said:

How far is the drive? I made some jalapeño popper monkey bread for Halloween that was a big hit. Canned biscuits, cut in half and filmed with a blob of cream cheese/jalapeños/shredded jack cheese (fold over to sell it in), dip in melted butter, pile into a bundt pan, sprinkle each layer with ranch dressing mix. Bake for... I don't remember. It cools for a while in the pan before you take them out, so if you bake just before you leave and put the whole hot thing into a box to travel it could work. Not if you're driving for an hour though. Maybe 20 minutes. Soft pretzel bites would be good too! Boil bread dough balls in water with baking soda for like a minute, take out, sprinkle with salt and bake til golden brown. Cool on a rack before you pack them up. Make a yummy cinnamon honey butter to dip.

We could potentially be driving more than an hour  

It depends on if we end up stopping at my parents' house to drop the dogs off or not, which was the original plan, and then I could bake/cook whatever at their house and only have about 20 minutes to drive. But thanks to family drama, I may be re-working the plans to avoid thier house. 

ETA: both those things sound so delicious! Thanks! 

novella1186

esstee33 said:

I like making little antipasto cups: 

Take a big slice of salami (or pepperoni if you feel like it) and push it down into a muffin tin. Bake at 350 for ~10 mins or so until it's crispy and definitely bowl-shaped. Watch it so it doesn't burn around the edges. 

Fill it with stuff. I like to put in halved cherry tomatoes or sundried tomatoes, chunks of mozzarella, black olives, roasted red and/or yellow peppers, and sometimes pepperoncinis. If I'm feeling especially sassy, I'll chop up some fresh basil leaves and sprinkle those on there too. 

Drizzle with olive oil, then eats. 

That is just way too clever

abbyj700

I love doing Veggie Tortilla Pinwheels. Two packages cream cheese, one packet dry ranch dip, random veggies and a package of large tortillas. 

Soften the cream cheese, mix with the ranch. Finely chop any raw veggies you have in the fridge (some of my favorites for this include broccoli, carrots and onions) Mix the finely chopped veggies in with the cream cheese mix. Spread the mix on tortillas, roll and cut the tortillas like sushi rolls. They travel well, stay good sitting out and I usually don't have to worry about picking up my leftovers as there usually isn't any!

lovegood90

I usually contribute desserts to these types of things so I'm not much help, but if you don't want to make anything from scratch a lot of places have those mini frozen spring rolls that you just have to put in the oven for a bit; super easy

AlexaF2014

Caprese Skewers! Small chunk of mozzarella wrapped in a basil leaf plus cherry tomatoes. Skewer on a toothpick (get fancy if you'd like) and serve! Probably keep in a cooler with an ice pack if your driving for an hour, though.

Maggie0829

Mini chicken salad sandwiches

Candied bacon

Bruschetta

novella1186

Hm... how did I know you guys would have tons of awesome ideas? Now the problem is choosing just one thing to make... lol Thanks! 

mrscaty

I was going to say meatballs if you have a crockpot. That way they would probably still stay pretty warm even after an hours drive. Then you plug it in when you get there and boom - done.

esstee33

Oh!! I just remembered my other go-to: 

Pesto crescent rolls. 

Get crescent rolls and spread pesto (homemade or premade, whichever you're feelin') inside them. Roll them up, bake @ 350 until golden (usually about 8-10 mins). 

novella1186

Ok, it's time for a TK party and you all need to make the stuff you posted cuz it's making me drool! 

lc07

Super Easy: Toast bread and cut down into squares. Mix softened cream cheese with lemon juice and dill, spread on toast, top with cucumbers or smoked salmon. I usually do a platter with a mix of the two. Looks pretty, tastes delicous.

lc07

slices of cucumber. You know, don't put a whole cucumber on a tiny square of toast.

novella1186

lc07 said:

slices of cucumber. You know, don't put a whole cucumber on a tiny square of toast.

Thanks for the clarification  

I would have showed up at the party with a platter of cucumbers wearing little toast hats 

esstee33

lc07 said:

slices of cucumber. You know, don't put a whole cucumber on a tiny square of toast.

Man don't be such a buzzkill. I love cucumbers. 

But for real, this sounds awesome. And SO tea party in the cutest way. 

lc07

Oh and salt. I fucking suck at posting everything I want to say in one comment.

NYCMercedes

lc07 said:

Super Easy: Toast bread and cut down into squares. Mix softened cream cheese with lemon juice and dill, spread on toast, top with cucumbers or smoked salmon. I usually do a platter with a mix of the two. Looks pretty, tastes delicous.

Does this work with crackers?

ElcaB

I like to make crab salad (or Mediterranean salad, or hummus, or tuna salad, or pretty much any type of dip or salad) and put it into cucumber cups. It's super easy and would travel well in a cooler. It's also pretty fancy and people love it! For extra wow, I like to cut the cucumber cups at an angle as pictured below. Sha-pow!

wandajune6

I make flatbreads a lot. Homemade pizza crust, olive oil, kalamata olives, caramelized onions, and goat cheese. Very easy and looks fancy.

novella1186

wandajune6 said:

I make flatbreads a lot. Homemade pizza crust, olive oil, kalamata olives, caramelized onions, and goat cheese. Very easy and looks fancy.

I've never tried homemade pizza crust. Or any crust; that's the part I always lazy-out on. Is it hard to make?