We are having an open house at our office in a few weeks and would like some suggestions for easy, yet elegant, appetizers. We will be having about 50 guests, so I need a fairly large menu. I recall having a hot baked artichoke dip before that was da bomb! It was very creamy, cheesy, and was baked. Any good tried and true recipes for that, or some other appetizers? I probably will be making a baked brie en cote, so perhaps too much cheese, if we do this also?

everyone always likes this one;

HOT ARTICHOKE DIP

1/2 Cup mayo
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
4- med green onions, chopped (1/4 cup)
1-can (16oz) artichoke hearts, drained and cut into small pieces

cracker--or cocktail bread

mix all ingredients. put in pie pan, heat until slightly brown and bubbly. serve with crackers or bread

Hi Carol, This recipe is very creamy but not too cheesy. You could add other cheeses if you want. Deb

One Cup mayonnaise
One Cup Parmesan cheese
One 14-oz. can artichoke hearts in water
Drain artichoke hearts. Put the drained artichokes and other ingredients in a blender and mix. I put this mixture in a glass pie pan. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Variations: You can add a 4-oz. can of diced chili peppers after blending and before baking.
This time of year, I like to chop some tomatoes and green onions to use as a topping after the dish comes out of the oven. The big Fritos dippers are good with this.

and i LOVE this one!

HOT CRAB AND ARTICHOKE DIP

1 Cup sour cream
2-10oz. jars artichokes
1/2 cut mayo
4 oz. softened cream cheese
1-yellow onion (minced)
24 oz. crab (any type: snow, king, dungeness, etc.)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (reserve 3 tbsp. to sprinkle on top)
1/8 cu fresh, chopped parsley
1 tbsp. tabasco
salt and white pepper to taste
bread crumbs to cover casserole

whip sour cream, mayo and cream cheese together. chop artichokes and drain well. add cheese, parsley, s+p, mix thoroughly. add tabasco.

spoon mixture into casserole dish and cover with bread crumbs. bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown (350 degrees).

this dip has other uses too! stuff salmon, top off a halibut filet...use it as a salad spread on bread with lettuce and tomato...

enjoy

Thanks, everyone, for the recipes! I will probably try at least one of them next weekend, to have a test run. Any other recommendations welcome!

Carol - this is always a big hit at parties -
6 layer dip
Put on a large round serving plater,
first layer - avocado mashed with lemon - spread thin
second layer - 8oz sour cream, 8 oz mayo mixed with one pack Lawrys Taco Seasoning Mix - leave this sit a few hours to meld, then spread thin over avocado
Third layer- 8oz jack cheese shredded, 8oz cheddar cheese shredded, layer separately, sprinkle on
Fourth layer black olives - one can small sliced, sprinkle on
Fifth layer green onions chopped - 3 bunches sprinkle on
Six layer - chopped fresh tomatoes - 1-2 tomatos - must be firm not mushy
Serve with firm corn tortilla chips stuck in the dip standing up around the edges.
Scoop from bottom up to get all the flavors.
Yum <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />

This is an excellent artichoke dip with a twist!

Hot Artichoke Red Bell Pepper Dip
1 (14-oz.) can artichoke hearts, well-drained and chopped
1 cup drained and chopped roasted red bell peppers
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
Toasted French bread baguette slices (brush with olive oil before toasting)
Stir together first 6 ingredients in a 1-qt. baking dish.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
Serve with baguette slices.
Makes about 2-1/2 cups

or, try this one...

Hot Artichoke-Parmesan Dip
Makes about 2-1/2 cups
14 oz can of artichoke hearts, well drained
1 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 c mayo
1/4 c minced shallot or onion (I used green onions finely chopped)
2 tesp fresh lemon juice
1/8 tesp cayenne pepper
1/2 c dry bread crumbs
Olive oil
1/2 tesp paprika
Plain, bland crackers
Preheat oven to 375. (I baked it the next day.)
Using a food processor, pulse the artichoke hearts until coarsely chopped, about three to four times. Scrap down sides of processor. Add cheese, mayo, shallot or onion, lemon juice, and cayenne. Pulse another three or four times.
Pour mixture into a quarter pie plate or ovenproof baking dish. (I chilled this overnight and let it come to room temperature before baking.)
Top with bread crumbs, drizzle with Olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.
Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until bread crumbs are browned.
Serve with plain crackers.

This always goes over well...

Crunchy Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto and Herb Cheese

2 cups garlic and herb cheese spread (Rondele' Herb & Garlic Spread works well)
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 bunch chives, finely chopped
24 slices of Prosciutto di Parma or Serrano ham—ask the butcher to slice it thick, almost as thick as bacon.
24 stalks of asparagus (do not use pencil asparagus. It should be approximately 1/2" thick)
Spread the cheese on top of the prosciutto and top with lemon zest and chopped chives. Place the asparagus in the middle and roll on an angle.

or this one which I've been making for years! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" />

Curried Shrimp Dip
16 oz. softened cream cheese
1/4 cup mayo
1/2 tesp. curry powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
8 oz. tiny canned shrimp; drained or 8-10 large frozen shrimp, cooked and chopped
1/4 cup scallions; chopped
1/4 cup celery; chopped
2 hard boiled eggs; whites and yolks chopped separately
Blend cream cheese, mayo, curry powder and salt & pepper in bowl. Spread in shallow, round serving bowl leaving 1/2" margin at edge. Layer shrimp on top of cheese mixture leaving 1/2" margin at edge. Repeat with layers of scallions an celery. Layer chopped egg white over scallions/celery mixture. Fill center with chopped egg yolk. When done, it should look like a colorful "bulls eye." CHILL OVERNIGHT.

Looks like you have some good options. If you're definitely serving hot dip, my suggestion would be to serve it in a crockpot. Goodluck with the openhouse. We just hosted one and it's a lot of work...

Gott im himmel, I'm in heaven.

Kimmers--thanks for some great suggestions!! Glad I posted this now, as the open house isn't until the end of September, so I have plenty of time to try these out!

Thanks for the suggestion, but if we serve the artichoke dip, it will be baked and it would ruin the effect if we had to spoon into a crock pot? It's only going to be about two hours, so I think we will just buy a couple of disposable chafing dishes. Just chuck the whole mess when we're through! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />

Bacon wrapped shrimp?

You need fairly large uncooked, cleaned shrimp. Cut bacon slices in half and wrap around the shrimp. Secure with a toothpick, place on a cookie sheet and bake in 400 oven for about 45 mins to 1 hour depending on thickness of bacon. When the bacon is done to your liking, it's done! Easy Peasy.

I will keep that in mind, although we probably are going to do bowls of cold shrimp. I've never done shrimp that way, I think I will try it and see how much work it is..

On a cookie sheet take new small / mini size potatoes, washed but not peeled, wrap in a slice of bacon , cook at 425 for 1 hr , turning once, bacon gets crispy and potato cooked ..........VERY TASTY & easy to do, people love them and are well received , ...... enjoy

Wow, that sounds good!

Yes, it does! Of course, just about anything wrapped in bacon sounds good.

I usually add chopped spinach to my hot artichoke dip, it makes it a bit healthier--or at least that's what I like to tell myself! Just thaw and squeeze dry (really squeeze it!) frozen chopped spinach and add it in.

Another nice variation is to add cooked minced/shredded white meat chicken, to add some protein to (and reduce the fat whallop of) each serving. But, admittedly, it's less "da bomb" that way.

As for keeping it warm for a couple of hours, see if anyone has one of those 1960s era electric warming trays to set your dish on. You know, the kind that is probably orange or avocado colored...

Carol, here's another variation. It's always a huge hit.

Hot Seafood Artichoke Dip

1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 can artichoke hearts - chopped fairly fine
1 can small salad shrimp - drained
1 can crabmeat - drained
several shots of Tabasco sauce

Mix all ingredients together. Put into a microwave safe dish and heat. What hot, sprinkle with paprika or snipped chives for garnish. Serve with crackers.

I'm not a big fan of spinach. I have a hot spinach artichoke dip recipe that I have just made on top of the stove and it is OK, but I'm thinking the baked one for this.

Carol,
One of my favorite food blogs:
http://www.merrygourmet.com/recipes/

Some good ideas there. Bruschetta is always good and easy to make.
And the dates with chorizo and bacon? Wow!
Cheers
irina

Carol, You mentioned cold shrimp, as in the cocktail recipe? I have always loved shrimp cocktail until I tried Barefoot Contessas roasted shrimp version. She bakes cleaned shrimp drizzled in extra virgin olive oil, S & P, and bakes it for 8 to 10 min. at 400 degrees, lets it cool to room temperature. Serve with cocktail sauce. It's really great, no more boiled shrimp for me. The taste far surpasses the boiled version!

I was going to just buy pre cooked shrimp and serve with cocktail sauce. That recipe sure sounds great though! Ina is really a great cook! May have to try that out!

Wow, thanks for that link! I think I'll have to have more than one party, to try out all these recipes... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" />

BLT TARTLETS


Loaf of white or wheat bread (your choice)
Pre-cooked bacon
lettuce (finely chopped)
tomatoes (chopped)
mayo with pesto added for a little flavor

Make shells by cutting crusts off bread, cut with round cookie cutter and press into mini muffin pan. (may refrigerate a day or two)

Day of the event, spoon mayo mix into cups. Top with lettuce, tomato and bacon.

Pretty and easy. I have used bacon bits from a jar just to make it easy.

Should be vg, but not quite sure of the method...
Do you bake the bread to form shells? If not, how do you remove the cups from the mini muffin pan so they keep their shape? Do you fill the shells in the mini muffin tin?

Thanks for clarifying. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

i've made ina's shrimp cocktail recipe many times; it's a keeper for sure. her cocktail sauce recipe compliments it well, and as usual, recipe is simple and delicious.

carol, are you looking for other suggestions for your openhouse? meatballs, tea sandwiches, puff pastry filled with veg or filling of choice, bocconcini/cherry tomato/basil skewer, stuffed mushrooms, .... some finger foods that come to mind.

Definitely still looking for suggestions! Probably going to do a baked brie in puff pastry, for sure. What suggestions would you have for a filling for puff pastry otherwise? This is an office open house, pretty much a stand up cocktail affair.

September is great for seasonal foods.

You're at the end of tomato season, so slice tomatoes about 1/4" rounds and sprinkle with feta. Fine raw or broil for a couple of minutes. If you go the broil route you can do it early in the day and serve later at room temperature.

Cut cucumbers into eights (twice lengthwise, once in half) and seed. Fill with a simple dill yogurt sauce (dill, salt, white pepper stirred into Greek yogurt).

Jalapeno poppers - nearly any recipe and you can share an oven with your artichoke dip.

Veggie tray, again with seasonal veg, that has celery, carrots, pole beans, and sweet peppers and a sour cream based dip.

Deviled eggs.

Late the day before or early on the day slice French or Italian bread thinly and toast under a broiler with a little olive oil and pepper - makes a nice structure for dips that is much more elegant than chips.

Bowls of M&M peanuts are amazingly popular.

Hummus. Paprika sprinkled on the top is always very pretty, and a small pile of olive slices in the center is lovely.

Roast squash puree served in the hull of the squash is great and easy.

If you have a senior person who is into it, a small station to make crepes with choices of jams is a hit and gives the chance for everyone to chat briefly with the senior person and then move along. If you're dealing with customers it works great - humanizing and good leverage at once. You can make up the batter a week ahead and anyone can make a crepe.

Cold poached salmon with red onion.

September is getting into cabbage season, so you can do a wrap with ground pork, onion, pepper, and tomato. Cook the filling ahead and roll the wraps the day before. Microwave in batches and serve warm.

Pickled cocktail onions and green olives.

I'm hungry now - I'm going to go cook.

Thanks! Lots of neat ideas there!

We often do bacon wrapped scallops the same way. Very tasy!
A nice seafood or vegetable dip served in a breadbowl is delicious and very easy for an office party too.

auspicious- some great ideas, especially going with the seasonal produce. to add to what you suggested, i like to serve my hummus in endive leaves, for variation from pita.

Not for this party, as our guest list seems to be expanding exponentially, so I am having to start to look at cost, but I would like to do bacon wrapped scallops at some point in the future. I have to assume you're talking about the little scallops? And does the bacon get done enough in the oven? I loathe bacon that is not crisp! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Sick.gif" alt="" />

I'm sure it has to be sea scallops, not the tiny bay ones. You could never wrap those! They they would certainly be toast before the bacon cooked!

OK, you're probably right.

OOPS, I forgot to mention they need to be cooked. That is how they stay uniform. Sorry.

I made these for a progressive dock party one year, they were a big hit:

Gorgonzola Phyllo Cups


Ingredients
2 packages (1.9 ounces each) frozen miniature phyllo tart shells
1-1/3 cups crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1/2 cup chopped tart apple
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
Place tart shells on a baking pan. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; spoon into tart shells.
Bake at 350° for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.

Colleen - Nice. In my recipe list. Thank you. dave

OOH!! Wow, that sounds terrific! I had decided I would just buy pre-made cheesecake, but that sounds yummy!!

The larger scallops don't take long to cook Carol. They are done when the bacon is done. You will be busy if you are doing all this by yourself for the open house. Many yummy recipes to choose from. I'm hungrey now!

Yes, I expect it to be quite a production! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Crazy.gif" alt="" />

These go together really easy, but of course pre-made cheesecake would be quicker. The sharpness of the gorgonzola and the sweet of the apples and cranberries gives it a really interesting flavor.

I will see what my final menu ends up being, and see what kind of time I have. I do want to try those sometime, even if I can't do it for this party, as they sound scrumptious!

Italian Hoagie Dip

1/2 lb. bologna
1/2 lb. cooked ham
1/2 lb. salami
1/2 lb. American cheese
1/2 lb. Provolone cheese
2 diced tomatoes
1 head of lettuce, shredded
1 diced onion
1/4 c. light olive oil (add more if desired) with a pinch
of oregano

1 round high top Italian bread, hollowed out
2 French baguettes, sliced thin

The night before, stack meat, cheese, cheese, meat in stacks 2-3 inches high. Wrap in Saran wrap and refrigerate overnight. Dice the stacks. At the last minute, mix with lettuce, tomato and onion. Toss with olive oil/oregano. Put the mixture in the hollowed out loaf of bread to serve (or just put it in a glass bowl!) You can get the baguettes sliced at the bakery or use an electric knife to slice them.

For how long and at what temp.?

350 till toasted to your taste. Not sure exactly how long.

not always Elaine...we're in the hamptons, ny here, and if we have a good season, we get decent sized bay scallops...i wrap in bacon without a problem...yum!! pre-cook the bacon a bit ( i just nuke it a minute or two), wrap the scallops and put under broiler for a few minutes...nothing beats our bay scallops!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />

Peconic Bay Scallops (and Gardiners Bay Scallops) are the absolute sweetest you'll ever taste! YUMMMM!
too bad the season isn't for a few months from now (usually early November)!~

carol, i'm amazed that you're taking on the catering yourself. we just had an openhouse with approximately the same number of guests and with all the other planning it involved i think catering it myself would've sent me over the top.

something to consider is making a timeline, which i like to do when planning for a party; it really helps to break the recipes down by days, hours. for example, truffles are relatively simple to make although not everyone realizes it and it can be made well in advance. brownies are another simple dessert that most people love. i have a good recipe, if you're interested in dessert recipes.

The open house is at the office, so I don't need to worry about cleaning before hand, like I would at home! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" /> And this is a small town and I don't really know any catering companies around here that I would trust to do it, but it's going to be mostly simple stuff anyway.

Carol, I'm not a great fan of hers but Paula Dean is making a 3 cheese hot artichoke dip on her 12 noon show today. Was looking at the daily listing and thought of your party. It must be good, most of the reviews gave it a 5 (73 reviews). I'm also sure it's not low calorie! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Oh, anything she makes is for SURE not low cal! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" /> I will look online to see if I can find the recipe.

I found the recipe and it looks delish! If you're going to watch the show, I'd be interested to see if she uses 1 cup of mayo or 2, as some of the comments to the recipe say that Paula actually uses 2 cups of mayo.

Carol, Watched the show. She used 2 cups of mayo. But I would read the reviews, most say 2 cups made the dip too greasy. The recipe calls for one cup and thats what I would use. It does sound delish! Hey, why don't you make her deep fried mac and cheese also. LOL, I added 50 points to my cholesterol just watching that one. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Dear god, deep fried mac and cheese?? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Sick.gif" alt="" /> I think I will go with the one cup recipe, but I will need to double the recipe a couple of times..

Carol, this dip is always a big hit:
http://www.recipe.com/mexican-seven-layer-dip/
Buy thick tortilla chips.
Ellen

Here's an idea how to present the pre-made cheesecake...Cheesecake Pops! They go fast, very popular!

Maybe someone will volunteer to help you make them...because the perks of taste testing are delicious <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />
http://www.bakerella.com/cheesecake-pops/

and then there are the infamous fried cheesecake bites served at Mohegan Sun Casino Buffet that are delicious. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" />

OOH, those look good for sure! I got the stuff yesterday to make a trial batch of the phyllo tarts above and I had forgotten about this recipe for a chocolate covered pretzel 'cookie' that I made at Christmas. Yummy and easy to make and you can freeze them!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/circle.gif" alt="" /> So we'll see how the phyllo tarts work out and then go from there..

Those look awesome! http://www.stephanieskitchen.com/?s=peanut+butter+pretzel+bites
Definitely will try 'em. Let us know how the phyllo tarts turn out.

They are really good. Trying the phyllo tarts next week.

I mixed this up this evening, taking it in to the office tomorrow, to bake and try out on some folks, to see how it is..

Also doing this recipe tomorrow.. Will report on this also.

You know Carol, you will have to do a photo journal , complete with recipes, of the event!

Of today, or the actual party?? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> I do intend to take pictures at the actual party, if I remember! I may be so frazzled that I forget! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Blush.gif" alt="" />

OK, the hot artichoke dip was fabulous! I took a picture of it before we dug into it, and also took a picture of the plate I served to various people around my office. The phyllo cups I thought were only good, but everyone else seemed to love them, so I guess everyone's tastes are a little different. Everyone loved everything, so it looks like I am fairly set on my menu. Eric's not here now, but will post a couple of pics after he uploads them for me.

And the picture of Paula Deen's hot artichoke dip, which was fantastic!



And a pic of the platter of appetizers which I did, which included the dip, some Barefoot Contessa style shrimp, the phyllo pastries from Orange Burst, and the chocolate cookies from Periwinkle. The pic don't really do them justice, as particularly the cookies look kinda yucky in the pic, but they were good! I will be serving some other things, but I wanted to try these recipes out on some folks before the party. Everyone loved everything!

Everything looks so good...
Carol what is the appy pictured top center in the cups? Paula Deens dip in what kind of cups?

Carol, Have you thought about making Gravlax? Extremely easy, start it a few days prior to the party, stick it in the fridge and when its done, slice thin and serve with party rye and sliced cukes. A delicious no-brainer!

The 'cups' are just Tostitos 'scoops'. I wasn't 100% happy with them, but they are really heavy, so they stand up to the dip very well.

I am not a big fan of salmon. Eric had suggested maybe buying some smoked salmon, which I don't like at all. We'll see how the rest of the menu goes, but I probably won't do it because I don't like it.

Everytime I make this someone will ask for the recipe.

1 block cream cheese, softened
1 can chicken, mix in food processor
1 package dry Ranch dressing mix.

Mix together, chill and serve with crackers.