Easy-to-make Party Foods
It's a typical monster Monday. There you are, running around the whole day, juggling between your daily dose of office work, groceries and other domestic chores, barely having enough time to breathe, when the phone rings - it's your husband calling in to convey the unexpected arrival of some outstation relatives. After the regular "Hey sweety, how's it going, etc. etc.", there's a slight pause, after which he asks you a little sheepishly whether it could be possible to host a dinner party for the guests that night. The loyal, loving wife that you are, how can you say no? (although you secretly wish that you could...) Naturally, you roll your eyes, let out a sigh of helplessness, and ultimately give him the go ahead.
I guess most women would be familiar with the above scenario. Dishing out some exotic party food at such short notice is out of question. What you need are some easy-to-make party food items; basically, something that you can whip up in a matter of few minutes. The type of occasion along with the number of expected guests, are a couple of things that you should take into consideration while selecting some finger foods for a party. For example, the choice of party food items that you can have for your kids' birthday party can be quite different from that of a casual get-together of close family friends. Let us begin with options for a kids' party.
For Kids
Deciding on party food for the li'l hoggers is both easy and not-so-easy. Easy because kids seldom care about food. Most of their time at a party is spent in running around and playing party games. And not-so-easy because on the few rare occasions that they do show the slightest amount of interest in food, they are unbelievably fussy about it! Therefore, it is better to stick to tried and tested foods such as:
- Popcorn: Kids love popcorn. In selecting popcorn, you also have the option (and the joy) of experimenting a little bit by making different varieties of flavored popcorn such as regular, cheese, caramel, tomato, etc.
- Pizza: Another sure shot hit with kids (and just about everyone else). Add lots of cheese and colorful pizza toppings to make it look all the more inviting. Remember, when it comes to kids, how a dish looks is far more important than how it tastes. (By the way, I second that).
- Sandwiches: Another regular snack that children love and to which you can add lots of variety as well. Jam, egg, cheese, chicken, ham, tuna fish, and oh...how could I forget? Peanut butter sandwiches!! Serving them in a cute Dennis the Menace plate will fetch you a lot of hugs and kisses from all the sweet children.
- Hotdogs: Oh my! Just thinking about them has made me hungry. If you own a barbecue grill, consider making some lip smacking hotdogs! Kids love them and there's a good chance that, that is all you will need to cook the entire evening.
- Pastries: Finish off with some delicious chocolate pastries, cakes, or some homemade chocolate pie. Jelly is another popular dessert choice that kids will love and enjoy.
Here is a list of the possible choice of finger foods that you can think of having at your party:
- garlic mushroom dips
- prawn tempura (yummy!!)
- bruschetta
- tortilla chips served with salsa
- fish and chips with tartar sauce (simply put...heavenly)
- pasta salad
- spaghetti and baked macaroni with cheese
- chicken satay
- jumbo chicken burgers with mayonnaise
- nachos and tacos
- Mexican meatballs
- Japanese chicken wings with sweet 'n' sour soya sauce (you've gotta eat it to believe it)
- dim sums
- Russian salad
- grilled pineapple salad
