I Admit It - I'm Obsessed

With party planning, that it. After all, I'm only turning 40 once. And this is my first birthday party since, well, I don't even know, and I'm not planning on having another until I turn 50. (If I live that long.)

So I'm planning.

I've already picked your brains regarding the music playlist. (Which, by the way, there were some awesome suggestions - I'm thinking I have some major music purchasing in my future!)

Now I want to talk food. Specifically, what's your favorite party food?

I wrote on the invite for people to bring a dish to share - which my son informed me is extremely rude and very bad manners, but whatever - but I want to have a bunch of stuff here already. I'm not planning on a big cake, but want to make several desserts that I'm "known" for - Rum Cake, Darned Good Chocolate Cake, and my ever beloved cupcakes with a new marshmallow icing recipe that I just discovered, as well as Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake - and then I'm thinking chicken nuggets from Chick-Fil-A and a veggie tray.

What else screams "PARTY!!!!!" to you?

Well, besides the rum.

Lay your best party food (recipe too, if needed!) on me.

Comments

[amie]

Bruschetta & also some good dark chocolate.

[Jodie]

Buffalo Wing Dip. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups sour cream
1 cup blue cheese dressing
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
2 1/2 cups shredded chicken
8 oz provolone cheese, shredded

Beat cream cheese, sour cream, dressing and wing sauce until well blended. Stir in chicken and cheese. Transfer to a greased 2 qt baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve warm with carrots, celery, crackers, chips, etc.

** I use Marzetti's Ultimate Blue Cheese dressing and Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce

[BeeBelle]

Get thee to Pioneer Woman's site to pick up the olive cheese bread recipe!

[Average Jane]

If you can get your hands on some fresh pomegranate (I hear that Costco sells them already peeled), I recommend my Pomegranate Salsa recipe: http://averagejane.blogs.com/average_jane/2007/01/average_janes_f.html

[Headless Mom]

queso and tortilla chips-velveeta (1lb.) melted w/ 1 can of rotel (tomatoes and green chiles) you can do it in the microwave (stir every 30 sec. to a minute) or on the stove, or in a crock pot.

I usually try to find excuses to make this because it is my guilty pleasure. nom nom.

[LizP]

This is my newest fave ... Rachel Ray's Gorgonzola, spinach, artichoke dip. Here's the link to the recipe

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/gorgonzola-spinach-artichoke-dip-recipe/index.html

[Rebekah]

Salami rolled with a line of piped cream cheese and a slice of pepperoncini. Toothpicked. :)

[kalisa]

Did you see the Pioneer Woman's recipe for brie-stuffed mushroom caps? They looked AWESOME. I'm thinking I might have to try & make those for T'giving.

[Issa]

Artichoke dip and sourdough bread. Yummmmm. If you want, I will give you my super secret recipe.

[jb]

I made this crockpot spinach artichoke dip for two parties last weekend--and it was terrific!

http://saucynsweet.blogspot.com/2008/02/spinach-artichoke-dip.html

I served it with tortilla chips. Super easy!

[Mama Cas]

For a dessert: Take equal parts fluff (that mushy marshmallow spread) and whipped cream cheese. Stir them together. Serve as a dip with fresh fruit. My personal favorite is strawberries, but it also works well with honeydew or apples. Trust me, this might be the easiest and yummiest dish EVER.

Also,for an appetizer or just a picky type of food......cut a loaf of italian bread into thin slices. Bake them in the oven until they're just a tiny bit crispy. Take them out and cover them with slices of fresh tomato, a leaf of basil, minced kalamata olives (if you like olives), and finish off by grating pecorino romano cheese over the top. Put them back in the oven until the cheese melts and the bread gets a bit crispier.

Oh god I'm hungry.

[Jen R]

My party favorite is Taco Dip, and it's always a huge hit and goes fast.

Mix 250ml cream cheese with 250ml sour cream and then mix in one packet of Taco Seasoning. Spread in a dish/pie plate. Sprinkle on some finely shredded cheese and whatever other toppings you like - I use tomato and green onion. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

[Emily]

We always have a potluck for our parties ... and I don't care what anyone says about it! Our guests always have a great time with it - so you go girl!

[Janelle]

Green Chili Dip
8 oz softened cream cheese
4 oz shredded pepper jack cheese
1 can chopped green chilies
mix with mixer on med. speed until well blended. Spread mixture in a 9 in glass pie plate. Microwave on high 3-4 min. or until bubbly. Serve with cracker or tortilla chips.

Super easy to make and very yummy!

[Amy]

good cheeses....greek olives
booze booze and more booze woman!

[Patty Madden]

Easy Chili Dip

Spread Cream Cheese on the bottom of a baking dish

Cover with a can of chili-any kind you like

Cover all of that with shredded cheddar cheese

Bake at 350 until bubbly

(If my partner is not watching, I add a layer of salsa or green chilies...but it tastes amazing either way!)

As for the chicken wing dip, we make a huge crockpot full of it for family gatherings...it gets a little soupier than baking it in the oven...but at Thanksgiving, theres is not enough room in the oven and everybody loves it even though it is a little soupier. We cannot have a family gathering without chicken wing dip in the crock pot.

[Jennifer]

Not knowing the particulars - time of party, number of guests, drink menu, etc. I would say, if you are having someone pass apps, the apps should be easy to eat and not messy. I caution against buffalo wings because they can be hard to eat, plus what do you do when you finish it and now have to hold onto the bones. So my advice would be pigs in a blanket, everybody loves them. Mini cheese puffs or quiches. If it is a large party, whith lots of different ages of people, you can't go wrong with cut up sandwhiches or a big hero or hoagie.

[Karen]

Mmmmm... deviled eggs. Don't ask me how to make them, though, I just go around to other people's parties and eat them all up...

BTW, my blog has moved to a new home (mommyimhome.com). Stop by for a visit.

[Katherine]

And the layered taco dip... typical but yummy. But here is the BOMB... are you ready? Yes, there is fat in it. But it is a PARTY, right? Learned this from a caterer. Cut fruit with a fruit dip... but the fruit dip is a big ol tub of sour cream with brown sugar added. That's it - easy peasy. But the taste is rich, deep and wonderful - no one can ever figure out how to make that "amazing complex dip"... when in fact it is just brown sugar and sour cream. Pineapple is especially good dipped in it.

[kyooty]

It's not rude at all it's called "potluck" :)
screams party? Nachos baked in the oven with shredded cheese and taco meat sprinkled on, or that Cream cheese and salsa dip that I've seen at other people's parties. I haven't had a birthday party since I was 19? and I threw that one myself but hey I was legal drinking age so tht one was easy :0

[elizabethk]

Did not celebrate *big* my 40th - will for my 50th (if I live on earth that long, too...) and I want Sushi - tons and tons of sushi. I want things light, and healthy but extraordinarily sumptuous! Have a most blessed blast of a birthday, you young thing! ;-)

[Anita]

Bacon Wrapped Smokies

1 pkg. cocktail size smoked sausage
1 lb. bacon, cut into thirds
brown sugar

wrap sausage with bacon and secure w/ toothpick. Put in 13 x 9 pan and sprinkle liberally w/ brown sugar. Bake @ 350 for about an hour (until bacon is done)

YUMMY!!!!!!

[madge]

PIGS. IN. BLANKETS.

That is all.

[A]

A friend of mine makes this artichoke cheese bread that is so very yummy!!!!! I can send you the recipe if you like.

[Mary]

A few suggestions - some have already been said - but here ya go:

1. Stuffed Mushroom caps - Crumbled Bacon, Shredded Cheese and Bread Crumbs. What is not to like?

2. 7 Layer Dip - You can actually make a less guilty version - Use Fat-Free Refried Beans, Fat Free Sour Cream, Low Fat Shredded Cheese - same taste and really have cut fat down (we don't use guacamole in our dip). Note - 7 Layer Dip should be made a day ahead to allow the flavors to fully marry.

3. How about a Chocolate Fountain? Pain in the neck to clean but adults LOVE them (guess makes them feel like a kid again). We have one that I pull out for special occasions, actually pretty inexpensive to buy, or you can rent. FYI - it takes a LOT of chocolate.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ahead of time - if you need complete recipes, drop me an e-mail and I will be happy to forward.