You best h'ors d.'oeuvres (sp) please

[ektorpjennylund]

DHs 40th birthday party is next weekend.
Hopefully the weather will be good and we can barbie on the deck.
DH however has asked me to do " that yummy selection of "little bites" that you do" --- not entirely sure what he means but since a ton of the neighbourw are coming would like to impress.
Any inspiration?
TIA

If it's for a ton of people I would say getting fancy will be a nightmare. Quantity over fanciness will be more appreciated and if you're having a barbie it would look a bit silly to have tiny bites of things that you'd have to spend ages assembling and wouldn't be able to spend time with the guests.

I would go for casual and generous, with things you can easily make beforehand that don't need any assembly. Really I would just have:

Big bowls of tortilla chips, pita bread, chopped vegetables and one or more dip - salsa (if you want you can make your own), mexican layer dip, white bean dip, cheesy spinach dip and or crab dip

Big platter of shelled prawns, US style cocktail sauce (combine 250ml ketchup, 1 tablespoon creamed horseradish, salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika and lemon juice)

Or instead of (or in addition to) the more American style dips I suggested, you could go Mediterranean - bowl of hummus, tzatziki, taramasalata, olives and feta.

Buy puff pastry and roll out, spread with pesto or olive paste or get Jamie Oliver chili pesto (marmite would probably work too) sprinkle a bit of cheese if you want. cut into little bits and bake

skinny baguette slice thinely and toast with olive oil and salt, then you have little crustinees to top with what you fancy-

chopped toms with red wine vinegar, basil and a blob of feta
crushed broad beans with mint and lemon juice
horseradish cream and roast beef slices
cream cheese and smoked salmon.

Also very nice goats cheese stuffed button mushrooms roasted in the oven for 10 minutes.

you get the idea, but i would agree with Tyelperion, dips and crudites are more fitting to your more informal BBQ meal idea.

yy to massive platters with dips eg

• baby raw veg ( eg radishes, carrots, celery sticks, chicory, cucumber etc ) with homemade lemon and garlic mayo
• feta dip ( made with feta, sour cream, cream cheese and herbs ) with chopped up shards of flatbread or pitta, olives on the side
• taramasalata and hoummus with more breadsticks, veg etc
• my absolute fave platter is mozzarella with grilled chilli, lemon and basil ( an old JO recipe ). Its knocks your head off and is bloody gorgeous. Serve with those thinly sliced crispy baguette slices gapants mentions

Sorry I didn't reply sooner, but Thanks! Have another party I have to bring food to tomorrow so the tips are great :-)