Polynesian Cheese Ball

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained well
2 cups finely chopped pecans - divided
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
2 TB finely chopped green onion
1 t. seasoned salt, Lawry, garlic, celery, or other

Mix all but 1 cup of the pecans in a bowl until well mixed. Shape into a ball and roll in the remaining cup of pecans. Chill overnight. Serve on a cheese board or plate surrounded by plain crackers.

Crabbies

6 English muffins
7 oz. crabmeat
5 oz. Old English cheese spread (Kraft's in a glass jar)
1/2 stick butter or margarine
1 t. mayonnaise
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. seasoned salt such as Lawry's or celery salt

Mix crabmeat through salt in a bowl. Spread on English muffin halves. Cut each half into 4 quarters. Put on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 until bubbly. Makes 48 pieces.

Note: these can be prepared and frozen on a sheet until hard. Then place in a freezer zip bag and freeze until needed. Place on baking sheet and bake as directed.

Reindeer Chow (aka Puppy Chow)

5 cups Crispix Cereal
1 cup peanut butter
12 oz. pkg of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 box confectioner's sugar

Melt chocolate in the microwave 1 minute at a time until melted. Add peanut butter to melted chocolate and mix well.
In a large bowl (with a snap on lid) add melted chocolate mixture to the top of the cereal (in the bowl) and mix well. Add confectioner's sugar, cover bowl with the lid, and shake well to coat thoroughly.

If you don't have a bowl with a lid, you can place the coated cereal and sugar in a large zip bag and shake well.

I think your menu is a bit heavy on the creamy, dippy, cheesy stuff...I would cut out either the BLT tomatoes the stuffed mushrooms or the bacon dip.
How about meatballs or one of my favorites, snackers.

Snackers
1 ring Dutch Balogna ( about a pound )
2 medium yellow onions ( about the size of a baseball)
Slice and layer in a crock or straihgt sided bowl
In a sauce pan place 1 c. cider vinegar, 1 cup water and 3/4 c sugar and 1 tsp mustard seed ( whole). Bring to a boil and pour over meat and let stand un refigerated for 24 hours. Serve with cocktail rye.

Meatballs..a la Swedish

pound ground chuck
½ pound cround chuck
½ to ¾ cup fresh bread crumbs
1 egg
!/4 cup milk
½ tsps salt
¼ tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2/3 tsp grated lemon rind
Microwave a little bit, taste and check for seasonings

Mix all togetherÂadding bread crumbs as needed to make a soft mix that will just hold togetherÂmakes about 25 to 30 meatballs, dredge in flour..not too muchÂ

Sauce
2 cups beef broth
!/2 cup dry white wine
½ pint sour cream
Handful of fresh parsley

Bring the beef broth to a gentle boil and drop the meatballs in a few at a time. Remove after about 6 or 7 minutes with a slotted spoon and add more meatballs until all are cooked.
Strain the cooking liquid and return to panÂreduce to about 1 ½ to2 cups, add the sour cream, heat and then add the meatballs, when all is heating to a bare simmerÂadd parsley and serve with noodles or toothpicksÂ
Do not boil hard when cooking meatballs or they will fall apart
Do not boil hard after sour cream is added or it may curdle.
Remember the sauce will be salty when cooked down, so under salt the meat.

CHEESE STRAWS (makes 5 dozen)
1 scant cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Dash of cayenne
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
5 1/3 TBL butter
2-3 tsp water
Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne & cheese. Add the butter & rub in until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle in enough water to make a stiff dough. Roll out about 1/8" thick & cut in 3x1/4" strips. Bake on a cookie sheet in a preheated 400° oven for 10 minutes or until slightly brown. (May make ahead & store in airtight container.~~ From Company's Coming.

Your spread sounds welcoming. If you love alliums...

Raw sweet onion 'sandwiches:'

Slice: rich/sweet homemade bread 1/4" thick.

Butter: thinly, (I NEVER use margarine).
Filling: 1/4" thick (or less) slices of white or red sweet onion. Sometimes, I just use minced onion.
Wrap: individually or as a stack. Double or triple bag to contain 'fragrances.'

Refrigerate: 12-48 hours

Can decorate with minced fresh parsley.

Note: I make the bread in 2"x%' or 3"x5" pans, amd do not remove the crust. In summer, I make these for a treat with the sweet onions from the garden. In winter(zone 6), I often keep these chilled in a cooler with a gallon or liter of frozen water on the deck. This way, your cheesecake is still tasty.

When is the party? I'll bring the wine...Enjoy!

I'm one of those people that don't like dips and normally wouldn't serve any, so three dips is too many for me.

I'd get rid of the dips except for the shrimp and cocktail sauce.

I would suggest some bite size squares/finger foods, such as Spinach squares, Green Chili Squares or Artichoke and Red Pepper squares. These all can be made in advance and served either warm or at room temperature. Or maybe Blue cheese tarts, Foccacia topped with goat cheese and roasted red peppers or olive tapenade or Mushroom and Pimento in PUff Pastry. The Mushrooms in puff pastry can be made days in advance and frozen. Then baked at the last minute.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Artichoke Heart And Red Pepper Bites
====================================
April 12/02 From Perfect Entertaining website
These simple appetizers are something that we always have on hand for surprise guests. They freeze extremely well, are very easy to make, and are always popular. They go together very well with the rest of this festive Easter menu and require no preparation time at all on a very busy day. Simply defrost and eat!

6 ounces marinated artichoke hearts in oil
6 ounces roasted bell peppers
1 small chopped onion
2 minced cloves garlic
4 eggs
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Dash hot pepper sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 inch baking dish. Drain
the artichoke hearts, reserving 2 tablespoons of the oil. Drain the
roasted peppers and discard the liquid. Finely chop the artichoke
hearts and peppers and set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium
heat. Add the reserved oil, onion, and garlic. Cook for five minutes,
or until soft and translucent. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl until thick and lemon colored. Beat in
the remaining ingredients along with the artichoke hearts, peppers, and
onion mixture. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or
until pale golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes, then cut into one inch
squares. Tightly wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days, or freeze for
up to a month. Serve cold, at room temperature, or gently reheated in a
300 degree oven for 5-10 minutes.

Makes 60 bites.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Spinach Squares
===============
These are really good. They are from a Woman's Day Home Entertainment Magazine from Dec. 1982.

2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen, chopped spinach
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
8 eggs beaten
10 to 12 soda crackers, crumbled (2/3 cup)
2 teaspoons herbs, (thyme, rosemary, dill)
1 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated cheddar cheese Parmesan cheese
paprika
. Thaw and drain spinach. In large skillet, heat oil. Saute spinach,
onion, garlic and parsley until lightly cooked. Add eggs, crackers,
seasonings and Cheddar cheese, mix together. Pour into a greased 8 1/4
X 13 1/2 inch baking dish. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese and
paprika and bake at 325 for 45 minutes, or until knife inserted in
centre comes out clean. cut in small squares, about 1 3/4 inches. May
be served hot or cold. Makes 36 squares

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

8 oz tart pastry dough (or frozen puff pastry)
3 oz spinach or Swiss Chard
1 egg
2/3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup freshly grated Emmenthaler Cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper
3 oz Blue Cheese (Roquefort, Gorgonzola,etc.)
2 Tablespoons pine nuts
. If using tart pastry, prepare the dough and refrigerator 30 minutes
before you are ready to roll it out. If using commercial puff pastry
defrost in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

Preheat an oven to 425°F. Bring a large saucepan filled with water to
a boil. Plunge the spinach or Swiss Chard into the boiling water and
cook for 30 seconds. Immediately drain in a colander and rinse with
cold water to halt the cooking. Drain again, pressing against the
greens to force out as much water as possible; set aside.

Break the egg into a bowl. Add the cream, Emmenthaler cheese, nutmeg
and salt and pepper to taste and beat with a fork until completely
blended. Coarsely chop the spinach or chard and add it to the bowl;
stir well.

On a lightly floured board, roll the dough out as thinly as possible.
Sprinkle the Roquefort or other blue cheese evenly over the dough.
With a fluted pastry cutter about 1 1/4 inches in diameter, cut out 18
dough rounds. Use the rounds to line 18 individual tartlet pans or
wells in tartlet trays or miniature muffin pans. If using the former,
arrange the lines pans on a large baking sheet. Fill each lined pan
with some of the egg mixture and scatter a few pine nuts on top. Place
the tarlets in the oven and bake until the filling sets and the crust
is golden, about 15 minutes. Serve Warm.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

1 roasted red pepper, cut into strips and drizzled with olive oil.

1 recipe homemade Tapenade (or purchase all ready made)

Chevre (Goat cheese)
. Cut the Focaccia into bite size squares

Cut the roasted pepper into small strips

Warm the Goat Cheese in the microwave to soften.

Put a dollop of goat cheese on top of each square of focaccia.

On half the focaccia place a few strips of pepper and on the other half
place a small spoon of Tapanade.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Green Chile Squares
===================
April 12/02 Perfectentertaining.com
We love simple recipes, and this one certainly qualifies. With only three ingredients it whips up in under five minutes and then bakes unattended, making it perfect for parties. It can also be made up to 24 hours ahead of time and served hot, cold, or at room temperature.

2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
2 cans green chiles
4 well beaten eggs
.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the cheese and chiles in the
bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. Pour the eggs over the top. Bake for
30-40 minutes or until golden brown and firm. Cool to room temperature
and then cut into squares.

Makes 8 servings.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Marinated Mussels
=================

The Foods and Wines of Spain

1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 minced garlic clove
1 teaspoon small capers
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 tablespoon minced homemade pimiento
1 tablespoon minced parsley
salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 dozen mussels
1 slice lemon
. Mix the oil, vinegar, capers,garlic, onion, pimiento,parsley, salt,
and pepper in a bowl; set aside. Scrub the mussels well, removing the
beards. Discard any that do not close tightly. Place 1 cup of water
in a skillet with the lemon slice. Remove the mussels and bring to a
boil. Remove the mussels as they open; cool. Remove the mussel meat
from the shells and add to the bowl with the marinade. Cover and
refrigerate overnight. Reserve half the mussel shells, clean them well,
and place them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Before serving,
place the mussels in their shells and spoon a small amount of the
marinade over each.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

1 package puff pastry
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon minced onion
1 clove garlic minced
2 Tablespoons minced pimiento
preferably homemade
1/4 pound mushrooms, chopped fine
1/2 dried red chili crumbled or 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Teaspoons grated parmesan cheese

.

Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the onion and garlic until onion is
wilted. Add the pimiento and cook for a minute, then the mushrooms,
chili pepper, salt, and pepper and saute until mushrooms are softened.
Remove from the heat and stir in cheese.

Roll the puff pastry to 1/8 inch. You can cut Cut into 1 3/4 inch
circles and place 1 teaspoon of filling on half of the circles. Moisten
the edges with water, cover with the remaining pastry circles, and
press with the tines of a fork to seal.

I prefer to make them triangle shape,by cutting the pastry into 2 1/2
inches squares, add filling on one half and then folding over corner to
form a triangle.

(May be prepared ahead and refrigerated) Place on a dampened cookie
sheet and bake at 425 F on the upper rack of the oven for 7 to 10
minutes or until golden.

( To cut down on work you could make this appetizer in a larger size
and Bake for about 20 minutes.) Then cut into wedges.

I think I'll cut out the bacon dip and maybe stuffed mushrooms. The dill dip for the veggies is a must have so is the smoked salmon spread. They're in demand.
Linda, I'd like to try you sweedish meatballs but I have no way to keep them warm.
Ann_T, I noticed your recipe Artichoke Heart And Red Pepper Bites on a previous and am thinking of doing them.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I always appreciate the advice I get here.
Teri