shi shi cocktail party food?

Just looking for small, elegant, self contained appetizers for a stand up cocktail party - no utensils! I'm hosting the above for my husband's new department for the holidays; I don't want anyone to think the new boss' wife doesn't know what she's doing :11:

Can you share your favorite hot or cold party tidbit? :dazzler1:

cowprintrabbit:

Just looking for small, elegant, self contained appetizers for a stand up cocktail party - no utensils! I'm hosting the above for my husband's new department for the holidays; I don't want anyone to think the new boss' wife doesn't know what she's doing :11:

Can you share your favorite hot or cold party tidbit? :dazzler1:

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Raw oysters on the half shell with a cocktail sauce with lemon juice and a splash of tabasco.

Sushi platter, Costo works.

Cooked shrimp, tail-on

Smoked oysters

Smoked salmon cheese ball with crackers

and what the heck, throw in a veggy platter

dlndavid:

Sushi platter, Costo works.

Cooked shrimp, tail-on

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Ooh, how could I forget Costco! Thank you! :10: *adding to list*

cowprintrabbit,

I wouldn't describe them as "shi shi" cocktail food if any of your attendees is from Japan because that is the term that small children use to say they have to go #1

Good luck with the party.

Rickg

If you want to make stuff, water chestnuts wrapped in bacon are good and pretty easy. This is commonly made with scallops, but I prefer the water chestnuts. Just use canned whole water chestnuts, sometimes I mix them with a little soy sauce and honey. Wrap in third or half slices of bacon depending on size, hold together with a toothpick, and broil on each side until crunchy. You can make ahead and keep warm, or even rewarm in the microwave.

Frozen puff pastry is a good starting point for making appetizers - pretty much anything wrapped in either bacon or puff pastry tastes good! Or you can buy lots of frozen "whatever in puff pastry" appetizers. You might find some good ones in the grocery store, but specialty places will usually have the best (and of course most expensive) ones. Testing ahead to find the ones you like could be yummy.

A new one I've stumbled onto is spicy sausage stuffed mushrooms - really easy, but I'm not sure how it will work with no utensils. I pop them in my mouth, but they do get pretty wet, so maybe won't work.
Here's the recipe anyway, you decide:

1 # chub pork sausage
approx. 20 fresh mushrooms, stems removed
1 8 oz. jar chile jelly (I use Millicent's Champagne Red or Yellow Pepper jelly , but any brand would do)
Finely chopped italian parsley to decorate (optional)

1. Take the sausage and mix it evenly with the jar of jelly.
2. Take cleaned, de-stemmed mushrooms, and stuff with approx. 1 tsp (depending on the size of the shroom).
3. Put mushrooms in shallow baking dish and sprinkle parsley over the top - just for color accent, not necessarily flavor.
4. Bake (I don't have the recipe in front of me, but I'm guessing it was between 350-425 for approx. 15 minutes).

I don't like mushrooms, but I loved these! They were fabulous!

Actually, the millicent's jelly makes a good dip, too - take half a jar and whip it with a block of cream cheese. It's great on crackers, veggies, etc.... Their apple butter is good the same way - makes a nice, sweet dip for apples and graham crackers.
Good luck!

rickg:

I wouldn't describe them as "shi shi" cocktail food if any of your attendees is from Japan because that is the term that small children use to say they have to go #1

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LOL!!! That's EXACTLY what I thought of when I read the thread title. I thought "What kind of cocktail is THAT?!?" :11: That's a common everyday phrase here, too.

Anyway, how much effort do you want to put into each type of appetizer? I have a lot of different great recipes (appetizers are my favorite thing to prepare) - but most require some time.

Some quick ones off hand, though - you could do prosciutto wrapped around melon, or a "wrap" of arugula around proscuitto and parmesan cheese (cut it on the diagonal and sprinkle basalmic vinegar over it). If you have a Chinatown, pick up a roast duck, toast some pita points (not too crisp), put the duck on the pita with plum sauce and slivered green onions.

baked brie on crackers with rasberry-chipotle sauce (sauce availlable at Costco too)
Very tasty, very easy.

cowprintrabbit:

Just looking for small, elegant, self contained appetizers for a stand up cocktail party - no utensils! I'm hosting the above for my husband's new department for the holidays; I don't want anyone to think the new boss' wife doesn't know what she's doing :11:

Can you share your favorite hot or cold party tidbit? :dazzler1:

Click to expand...

got to go for the deepwater menu since we are at the right site;
schrimp (think Gump)
crab (love the rock)
iceberg (vodka)
that cool new veggie centerpiece (see seastarr2 thread) with clam dip
pickled herring in sour cream is making a comeback

with this crowd helping you, I am sure there will be plenty more to follow :11ztongue

Get some ripe strawberries and wash, but don't remove the green part. Cut a slit across the top to open, and put in a little brie and a small mint leaf.