Food Suggestions Womens Dinner but with Lots of Limitations

I made this for a wedding shower and everyone raved about it. It is easy and inexpensive.
Slice an angel food cake in app. 1" slices, place in the bottom of dish
drain a can of crushed pineapple and layer on cake
mix 8 oz of cool whip with a tub of cheesecake filling (philedelphia) layer on
pineapple
layer strawberries on top, I used frozen, fresh was not available, but would
be better
you can continue to do the layers if needed
it was great

Chicken salad on crackers is delicious. If you want to do a bruchetta you can buy a crusty bread...you slice it and toast it. I just recently made my own version of bruchetta. It was chopped tomato, mozzarella, garlic, onion and olive oil. You could put a little basil... i did not have any handy. I served it cold on the toasted bread... it was yummy!

It's not cheese and crackers but a great( and inexpensive!) cheese dip recipe I have is maybe an option. It is one of the most popular dishes at family gatherings and is more filling than just cheese and crackers. I don't measure when I cook and with this it's really just made to how you like it so no measurements are necessary: Melt velveeta cheese, bag if frozen spinach, and chopped tomato over low heat. Add chicken broth until consistency coats the spoon and but is not runny ( about like potato soup) serve with tortilla chips and salsa. You can add garlic salt to taste as well if you like as well as chopped jalepeno if you prefer it spicy :)

I make fried brie. Take a ripe small round of brie, you can get them in the grocery stores, one stick of butter or margarine (okay so it is not diet food but it is wonderful) and 1 Tbsp of chopped garlic. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Put the garlic in and then the wheel of brie (complete with the white rind). While it is cooking baste the garlic butter on the top side of the brie wheel. Cook for about 2-4 min. on the first side. You will know it is time to turn it over when you can see it bulging at the bottom because it is melted. Carefully turn it over and cook for another 2-4 min. Baste this side with the garlic butter. Serve the brie hot with the garlic butter with crackers. It also reheats beautifully in the microwave so you can cook it ahead, refrigerate it, then heat it the day of the event.

You could also serve a cheese fondue instead of cheese and crackers. If you need a recipe for that just let me know. Have fun!

After reading your post, I have two different suggestions...
- If you want to stick with the cheese and cracker guidelines, you could add some cubes of pepperoni, maybe some olives, to make it more of a meal
- If you want to try a meaty dip, an easy (and relatively inexpensive) one is a 16 oz pkg Velveeta, a 16 oz jar salsa, and a 1 lb roll of Bob Evans sausage. Just crumble and cook the sausage, then drain it. Cube the cheese and add to meat. Once cheese is melted, add salsa. Serve warm with tortilla chips. This makes a lot, so you can adjust it down if your group is small (but it does re-heat well later for your family). You can vary the level of heat to suit your audience by choosing sausage and salsa that is mild or spicy.
Good luck~

I made a great dip/spread the other day that you can probably find online. It also looks pretty impressive. It's a 4 layered Torte made up of:

-4 oz of goat cheese mixed with 8 oz of cream cheese
-pesto
-diced sundried tomatoes w/2 tablespoons of tomato paste added and 1/4 cup of the goat cheese mixture

I don't know all the measurements off hand, but I don't think you can mess it up. Line a container with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Put half the goat cheese mixture in first, then all of the sundried tomatoes, all the pesto and then the rest of the goat cheese. Cover it with the plastic wrap that should be overhanging the container. Refrigerate for a few hours. Turn it upside down onto a platter and peel off the plastic wrap. I served it with Wheat Thins and a sliced baguette.

Good luck.
K.

PS. The pesto needs to be pretty thick so it holds its shape. Add parmesan until it's thick enough.

This is really tough. I know trying to provide food for a crowd on a budget is difficult at best. If you have some leeway (meaning it doesn't *have* to be cheese and crackers), a filling and inexpensive option is a tuna pasta salad. I do it to taste, but usually about 1-2 cans of tuna per pound of cooked pasta (macaroni or shells work well). Then add mayo, salt, and pepper to your desired taste and consistency. I also like to add a diced onion, but some people find this too strong a taste, especially if it's prepped in advance.

If you have to stick with cheese and crackers, I'd get blocks of cheese on sale (cheddar, swiss, pepper jack maybe for variety) and cut them myself. Then I'd add whatever crackers were on sale - the various Wheat Thins and Triscuits go on sale often. You could add a tray of salami roll ups (salami with cream cheese on it and rolled up) for something more substantial.

Good luck!

I was also going to suggest Hummus, but I think you should make it yourself. If you have a blender or food processor, it is basically just garbanzo beans (canned chickpeas) and olive oil. You can add things like bell peppers or lemon or jalepenos and make a whole variety of Hummus's.

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt (sour cream can be substituted if you need to)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (recipe says fresh...but yeah, right)
3 garlic cloves (or from a jar)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Stick it all in a blender and puree until smooth. Add more olive oil if necessary, a little a time.

I am sure there are other good recipes out there, I haven't tried this one but a friend passed it on to me recently. allrecipes.com is a great website for recipes (check there for a good bruschetta recipe too). Packaged hummus is pricey and seems fancy, but chickpeas in a can are cheap! Then you could add a few types of cheese or cheese dips and it will seem a lot fancier. You could also make your own cream cheese dips with plain cream cheese, add in veggies that have been very slightly steamed or blanched for a second in boiling water, then dipped back into cold water, and re-refrigerate it.

For your crackers I would do some basic ritz or wheat thin type crackers if you must bring crackers, and then you can make baguette crisps also- they are great for the bruschetta. Buy some day-old baguettes (probably 2 long ones for that size group) from your grocery store, they are usually pretty cheap. Slice them very thin, lay them out on a cookie sheet, drizzle olive oil all over them, and toast them in the oven. I tend to over-buy bread and it is always turning stale. I had to bring a dish to bunco a few months ago and completely forgot to shop, so I pulled out the stale-ish bread (it was quite hard actually) and did this, and made a packaged spinach dip and added frozen shrimp to it and everyone raved. The baguette crisps you buy in the store cost a fortune. Now I just buy the old bread and stick it in my deep freezer. And then pita breads cut into triangles are good for the hummus.

Good luck!

I have gone in the past and purchased some of the sliced cheeses and then cut them with cookie cutters making them into little flowers and butterflies. I love the veggie ritz, cracked black pepper triscuits as well as the rosemary and olive oil triscuits. If the ladies are into seafood, you could make a super easy and fairly cheap shrimp ball--which is simply an 8 oz package of softened cream cheese mixed with a can of tiny shrimp (drained) smashed up, formed into a ball and then covered with cocktail sauce. I wish you the best of luck!

Here are a couple of great dips!
1) A VERY easy and VERY cheap bean dip is:
1 can pinto beans (rinsed/drained)
1 package of dried pesto sauce (of course fresh is a lot better)
Puree together and your done! serve with pita or veggies.

2) Another EXCELLENT dip is the Knorr's spinich dip!!
http://www.letsmakeknorr.com/Recipes/6200/1/Knorr-Spinach...

INGREDIENTS
1 package (10 oz.) baby spinach, chopped or 1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 container (16 oz.) sour cream
1 cup Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
1 package Knorr® Vegetable recipe mix
1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, drained and chopped (optional)
3 green onions, chopped (optional)

PREPARATION
Everyone Loves Our Dip! Here's How We Make It:

Combine all ingredients and chill about 2 hours. Serve with your favorite dippers to your favorite people.

A new serving idea: Hollow out cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes. Fill vegetables with Knorr Spinach Dip and garnish with a sprig of dill.

3) Artichoke Dip - AWESOME DIP – always gets rave reviews

6 ounces marinates artichoke hearts
1 clove garlic
½ cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
Chop artichoke hearts. Mix with remaining ingredients. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Serve with chips or vegetables

Enjoy!

try hummus and pita! Sabra is the best brand. It is still simple and not very expensive but it is heartier than cheese and crackers. You can also look up Israeli salad on the internet. It might be better than a fruit salad and you can suggest it to your partner.

My fall back position is always stuffed baked potatos.

10 lb bag of potatos $3.00
3 cans of turkey chili 4.50
1 bag of shredded cheese 2.75
1 carton of sour cream 2.00
5-6 little green onions chopped 1.25
Home cooked bacon bits 2.50

Voila! Hearty dinner for 15 for $16. Enough cheese and cracker for 15 hungry women would be at least that much. You could always leave out the bacon too. Some folks insist on butter too. You could ask your co-host to bring that.

S.

Who says you can't bring something additional? What about a pasta salad, too? Trust me, no one will complain because there's MORE food. I always like a "greek" salad: corkscrew pasta, olives, tomatoes, green/red peppers, feta cheese and greek dressing. A little goes a long way!

If you go the hummus route, here's another vote for the Sabra brand. It is head and shoulders above other commercial brands. I also wouldn't try to make it... even though it seems easy, I made it once and it turned out really bad. I think because it has so few ingredients they need to be really fresh and good quality. Definitly don't try to make it with canned chick peas.

Great question... I love all the responses you got!

Costco snack trays? Comes all prepped already.... varying prices.

I really feel for you... those things adds up in cost... and people don't realize how it can be a real financial and food burden for others.

all the best,
Susan

The other woman providing food wants to bring a fruit salad and wants you to bring crackers and cheese? Why should you? You could make this a "salad" supper and bring a nice broccoli salad, like this great one http://southernfood.about.com/od/broccolisaladrecipes/r/b... or even a nice chicken salad? I was at the grocery store today and could not believe the price of cheese and even crackers. If it were me I would bring a very nice salad and tell her you both need to bring a few boxes of specialty crackers to serve with the salads/

Here is a good & easy (4 ingredient!) chicken/cream cheese spread.

http://southernfood.about.com/od/chickensandwiches/r/bl80...

You can use canned chicken to make it easier.

Have you tried Triscuit Thin Crisps? They are REALLY good and would be yummy with a chicken spread!

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