Quick! Super easy appetizer help needed!

[limabean]

I'm going to a get-together in about an hour, and completely forgot that I'm supposed to bring an appetizer.

Since it's so late, it has to be something I can just grab and serve -- I can't cook or even do too much assembling (I don't know the host well, and would feel weird taking time to do a bunch of assembling when I get there. Quickly transferring something to my own dish is fine, but for example, I can't take the time to put together a 7-layer dip or something).

All I can think of is boring stuff like dips (pitas/hummus, veggies/ranch, chips/onion, etc.). Any ideas for something more fun that would still be easy to just pick up at the store and serve when I get there?

Maybe something like a jar of nice olives and a wedge of fancy cheese, transferred to my own pretty dishes? I don't know -- help!

[rosie29]

Originally Posted by limabean

Maybe something like a jar of nice olives and a wedge of fancy cheese, transferred to my own pretty dishes? I don't know -- help!

That's what I was thinking...well, I didn't think of the olives, but that's a great addition! That and some good crackers. Those things are always a winner. GL!

[rhiOrion]

Buy a block of cream cheese and pour a jar of salsa over it in a bowl. It's perfect because in the time it takes you to get to the party the cream cheese will have softened just a bit. Buy some sturdy chips for dipping.

[limabean]

Originally Posted by rhiOrion

Buy a block of cream cheese and pour a jar of salsa over it in a bowl. It's perfect because in the time it takes you to get to the party the cream cheese will have softened just a bit. Buy some sturdy chips for dipping.

That's a good idea, but last time (we get together once a month) I brought cream cheese with pepper jelly poured over it, so it might be too similar. I'll keep it on file for later though -- thanks!

[Ola_]

I'm probably too late now but I love a heated up brie or camembert cheese. You can put sweet or savoury toppings on it, and give it 10-15 min in the oven. Serve with crackers. My fave topping is a sour jam/jelly, like a blackcurrant, though I've seen it done with chopped sundried tomatoes (just from a jar I think), I'm not big on those but it looked tasty.

[feminist~mama]

It's too late now- but...

If you can find ripe pears, then serving them with a nice sourdough and some goat cheese is super yummy! A lot of people I know like to add a local dill-mustard too, so I put it out, but I hate mustard, so I don't eat it with mustard.

It's super easy to throw it on a platter and it's so yummy- but it's often hard to find ripe pears on a moment's notice!

[limabean]

Yum, great ideas for future get-togethers, thanks! And feminist~mama, I actually happen to have some ripe pears, which you're right is unusual. (Although I've been patiently waiting for them to ripen for like 5 days, so I kinda want to eat them myself instead of cutting them up for a party. )

I ended up doing the antipasto thing. I got some nice olives, some sesame cracker sticks, and a mozzarella/prosciutto/basil roll thingy that was tasty! And the other women brought awesome stuff too -- chocolate fondu, greek wraps, fancy nuts, quiche, edamame, apples and caramel -- yummy!