Food & Beverage Facts and Tips

When hosting a party, what to serve is often the biggest dilemma. Whether you’re having a sit-down dinner or not, snack foods are usually a necessity.

It’s important to plan this in advance and have a reference of hostess snack ideas to keep on hand. If you have a list of snack foods, you won’t have as much of a problem deciding what to get for your next gathering.

Keep this master list with your other recipes and you’ll always know where to find it when you’re at a loss for what to serve.

Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip - This is always a hit at parties! It’s great served with French bread pieces, crackers, tortilla chips, or even veggies like carrot sticks. (Note, some versions include nuts, but I recommend never serving nuts at a gathering, as you never know whose allergies might be an issue.)

- 2 jars of artichoke hearts (marinated), chopped and drained - 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded (low-fat works OK, but avoid nonfat since it won’t melt as good) - 1 cup of parmesan cheese, grated - 1 clove of garlic (minced) - 1 cup of mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all the above ingredients in a nice (decorative) baking dish. Bake until hot and bubbling, about 45 minutes. Don’t forget to warn your guests that it’s hot.

Sandwich Loaf: A hostess snack standard from the seventies, this main dish always impresses people at a luncheon!

- 1 large loaf white bread - 3 fillings of your choice (ham salad, egg salad, etc. are popular choices, but you could also use deli meats thinly sliced) - 1/4 cup of softened margarine - 2 packages of softened cream cheese - 1/2 cup half & half

Trim away the crusts from the loaf so that they are rectangular in shape. Cut this horizontally into four big slices.

Butter a slice of bread and lay it butter-side up on the serving platter. Spread the sandwich filling on top.

Repeat, keep layering buttered bread and sandwich fillings. Now, mix the cream cheese with the half and half to create a frosting, then cover the loaf thickly with this frosting.

Garnish with parsley. Slice vertically for individual servings.

Enjoy your gathering, and good luck with the perfect hostess snack!

Tags: beverage, drinks