Favorite Foods to serve at a SU workshop???

[Peg]

I'm hosting a SU workshop this coming Friday night with my friendly demonstrator, Sherri Jackson. This party will be in my new house and I am looking forward to a nice evening.

My question is this: what foods are favorites at Stamp parties nowadays??? I know I should serve 'easy' stuff, but I also am considering this a sort of house warming as well...for the gals who are invited.

Any suggestions (and recipes) are helpful.

TIA-
Peg

[cathystamps]

Chex Mix is always a hit at the ones that I have gone to.

[granijani]

Nothing greasy!!

[stampcrazygirl]

Believe it or not, fresh fruit always goes first! Grapes, strawberries...stuff you can eat with your fingers!

Cookies and brownies are a close second!

[stamperb]

I recently had a workshop, and I made a Hot Pizza Dip. My sis-in-law is a Pampered Chef demo, and she gave me the recipe. It is easy to make, and went over well.

Hot Pizza Dip

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese (softened)
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 cup (8oz) Shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup (3oz) Parmesan cheese
1 jar (8oz) Pizza sauce
1/4 cup diced green pepper, sliced green onions (optional)
1 loaf Italian bread (sliced in half, then cut in individual serving pieces)

Combine cream cheese & Italian seasoning; spread into bottom of mini baker. Combine mozzarella & parmesan cheeses. Sprinkle half of cheese mixture over cream cheese mixture. Top with pizza sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake @ 350 for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly.

[LisaB]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... I'm hungry now....

[JanTInk]

M & M's are always popular; any chocolate really.

What I found the one time I had a workshop for a Pampered Chef demo, the food really cut into her sales. Once she trotted out all the yummy PC stuff, people forgot all about ordering. So if you're going to serve a big spread, you might consider having the food part first, then do the demonstration afterwards.

[LisaB]

Oh, sorry. I forgot. I started daydreaming about what the pizza dip tastes like....... The fruit works well with mine, as does the fresh vegetables and ranch dip. It's always gone!

[LisaB]

Mmmmmmmmmm....... M & Ms...............................

[CrabbyAbbe]

if you blend a jar of fluff and a package of cream cheese together, it makes a really good dip for fruit, especially apples and grapes.

also you can mix 1 packet taco seasoning to 1 can sour cream, spread in a shallow plate and put on a layer of each of the following: shredded lettuce, grated cheese, salsa (or chopped tomatoes) and black olives.
(also anything else that goes well with tacos). Use it as a dip for tortilla chips. This always goes over well at parties.

hope this helps you out!
kirstin

[cpstamper]

To add to the fresh fruit I love making a dip. It's a container of marshmellow cream mixed with softened cream cheese. Everyone loves it.

A great appetizer that is easy to make and eat and people rave over them are these little cookies. You take short bread cookies and spread a little strawberry flavored cream cheese (just a dab) on each cookie. Slice strawberries with an egg slicer for nice even slices. Place one slice on top of the cream cheese then top with each cookie with a dollup of whipped cream (I use a pastry tool from pampered chef). They are easy to eat with fingers and they only touch the cookie so it isn't greasy.

Other suggestions: chocolate chip cheese ball with graham crackers. Also have a recipe for a cheese ball that has pineapple in it.

If you want a light dinner - a delicious salad with mandarin oranges and toasted almonds with some chicken salad with grapes and pecans. If you want any of these recipes just let me know.

All of the above are tried and true recipes for me at my stamp camps. Carri

[HeidiAnn Stublaski]

Beer dip with pretzels is real good. This is also a good Football party dip because the guys like it.

2-8oz. cream cheese
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dip
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 can beer (use 1/2 to 3/4 of the can drink the rest haha!!!)
Mix together (make the night before) it tastes better.
EnjoyÜ Heidi

[Robyn Kuritz]

I used to be PC demonstrator. The Hot Pizza Dip is one of my faves. Serve it with warm French bread...UMMMMMMMMMM... Another good food to serve is a hot artichoke dip or a cold spinach dip. Serve with either crackers or the French bread. I'm getting hungry. Too bad I'm at home alone with the kids otherwise I'd make some. (I'd eat it all by myself. Not good for my diet ). As for any food being greasy, make sure to have some wipes handy...

[HeidiAnn Stublaski]

Another one that is good is candy corn and dry roasted peanuts. I sometimes add M&M's too.

[love2praize]

An easy appetizer that goes well is Shrimp Dip - Soften a bar of cream cheese, cover with shrimp sauce and the tiny salad shrimp and serve with crackers.

[HB]

I like to have my parties on Saturday mornings. After the demonstration and everyone places their order, we have brunch. I think alot of my friends come more for the food, but their guilty conscious makes them order stuff - it's a win win!
Carol

[spammie]

I love to have dill dip (there really is no name for it!) All you need is a block of cream cheese, and a can of cresent rolls, and dry dill.

You take the can of crescent rolls, and leave the rolls together to form a kind of crust, then put a block of cream cheese on it, and put dill all over that, and put the rest of the rolls around the cream cheese. It is kinda like a little calzone for the cream cheese. Then bake it in the over for about 325-350 degrees for about 15 min. It is soooo good. It is always gone!

[spammie]

Oh yeah... I usually serve it with crackers! And you have to have some form of chocolate!!!

[veramats]

I've tried lots of things, and half of the time, no one eats much because they're busy stamping! Brownies, however, are always a hit.

Vera

[riderseeker]

I usually have a home made cheesecake. It is something people love but don't usually make. So it goes over well.


Cindy

[Peg]

Thank you ladies for such great ideas!

My friend, Pat Daigle, is a Tasefully Simple Demonstrator and brought over sample bags and her recipe book. The beer bread is so awesome and all the dips, etc...are amazing and easy to make, like only 1 or 2 ingredients and it's that easy!

Now I'm hungry from reading all the posts...
Thanks again...you ladies rock!

smiles-Peg

[granijani]

Carri,
Would you post the Chocolate Chip Ball W/ Graham Crackers recipe?
Thanks!

[stampinstephy]

do u guys bring snacks also, or isn't it up to the hostess to provide whatever refreshments? i know the topic starter was the hostess, but since all of u are answering what u do, im getting a little confused....do
u bring these things to help out your hostess, or when YOU are the hostess?? thanks!!

steph

btw....for the person that started this subject...(sorry, can't go back to get the name ) have u thought about people puppy chow, or no bake cookies?

[Laurel]

I was just thinking that Jan.............I sure would like the recipe for the Choc. Chip Cheeseball that is served with Graham Crackers. Can you do that for us Carri, Please?

[j-me]

Choc...of course

Baked potatoe bar...
Cheap and goes far. My consultants do not serve anything
at stamp camps...
But these are my favorites that I have had at crops.

j-me

[StampinAntie]

Hi- At my last workshop got worried at the last minute that I wouldn't have enough food and didn't want to run to the grocery store and looked in the kitchen and combined butterscotch pudding powder with light cool-whip and served it with sliced Granny Smith Apples. It was really great.

Also, I only had an 8x8 brownie mix and didn't think that would be enough so I made a packet of peanut butter cookie dough I had in the cupboard and blobbed that over the bottom of a 9x13 pan and then put the brownie mix over it--everyone thought it was butterscotch and loved it and I didn't have to go to the store!

Anne

[Kar]

Hmmmm I make puppy chow, veggie pizza, something chocolate and usually a nice punch made from kool aid, sugar, pineapple juice and some sprite for my parties

[Andrea Jackson]

If you make the marshmallow and cream cheese dip for fruit, try adding like a tsp or so? of Almond Extract. It tastes reaaaaaally good. I don't really know how much to tell you to add... i just keep adding it till it tastes good Love that stuff!!

[stamperb]

or add 2 tsp of strawberry jam to the cream cheese/fluff fruit dip!

[Stampinstalker]

all of these ideas sound really good. Not sure if it's true or not, but I have heard that Chocolate triggers something in your brain and you spend more. At a seminar I heard that and they said always have chocolate when you want to sell something. So, I think we should all carry chocolate with us to our parties.

[JennFerrer]

I have my girls tell me that they will only come if I have guacamole ready for them! So, its guac and chips, usually little mini hotdogs, chocolate-either m&ms or hersheys or when I get a care package from my sister in law, Belguim chocolates. Sometimes an angel food cake with sliced strawberries with Cool Whip. mmmmmm.

Jenn

[cpstamper]

Sure - here it is. Enjoy! It's easy and yummy, too.
Carri


Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

8 oz. cream cheese
1 stick real butter
3/4 cup mini choc chips
2 tbl brown sugar
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
3/4 c. finely chopped pecans
Mix butter, vanilla, sugars, cream cheese until fluffy. Add chips. Chill in the bowl for about half hour. Then scrape onto saran wrap form into a ball and chill. Roll in pecans. Serve with regular, cinnamon or choc graham crackers.

[Peg]

Ooooohhhhh....thanks for this recipe! I have to make this too!!!

I know some of my friends go nuts over my Mexican Layered Dip, but I usually make it and I wanted to try different recipes.

Thanks for all the help and ideas. Now I'm hungry. Hehehehehehe!

smiles-
Peg

[purplewinkle]

Lately I've been serving merigune cookies. I find them at Target or Publix. They are non fat and only 20 calories a cookie.

I used to cook, but nobody ate much, so I focus my energy on getting the demo and the house (a big job) ready.