French Bread Pizza would be easy and probably pretty cheap, too. Slice some french bread loaves in half lengthwise, spread with some bottled pizza or pasta sauce, top with grated cheeses, veggies, or some crumbled veggie sausage patties or Boca Burgers, bake until hot through and cheese is melted. Apple juice costs less than cider and can be kept hot in a crock pot - sweetened with brown sugar, add some cinnamon sticks and cloves tied up in cheesecloth. That will warm up those skaters very nicely! Apple slices dipped in a warm caramel sauce would be different. Taco Soup - you could use crumbled Boca Burgers instead of ground beef or add another can of beans or two. This makes a large quantity and freezes well 2 pounds ground round, or veggie burgers, crumbled 1 large onion, diced 1 packet taco seasoning 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch original dry mix salad dressing 1 can kidney beans (with liquid) 1 can pinto beans with jalapeños (with liquid) 1 can yellow hominy, optional 1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies (Rotel) 2 cans stewed tomatoes (I use Mexican stewed tomatoes) 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce 1 cup of water Cook beef and onion until beef is browned, drain excess grease. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Penzy's Spicy Cheese Bread 1 cup grated mozzarella, Jack or Swiss cheese 1 cup grated colby or cheddar cheese l loaf french bread sliced in half lengthwise 2 TB butt, soft 1/2 small yellow or red onion minced 1 1/2 t. Italian herbs 1 t. garlic salt 1/2 t. crushed red pepper or sprinkled on cayenne pepper Heat oven to broil. Cover baking sheet with foil. Toss cheeses in a bowl. Butter cut surface of bread and place on sheet. Sprinkle onion on both halves of bread. Sprinkle half of herbs and garlic. Mound cheese on top of bread. Top with rest of herbs and garlic and the red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, if desired. Boil 5-7 min. until the cheese melts and the bread is crusty. Slice in 3" slices.

How about: CAJUN BAGEL CHIPS 6 plain unsliced bagels 1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted 1/4 tsp. dried thyme, crushed 1/4 tsp. onion salt 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper 1/8 tsp. black pepper 1/8 tsp. garlic powder Preheat oven to 400ú F. Cut each bagel vertically into 1/8-inch-thick slices. In a small bowl stir together melted margarine or butter, thyme, onion, salt, red pepper, black pepper, and garlic powder. Brush one side of bagel slices with margarine mixture. Arrange slices in a single layer on baking sheets. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes or till top edges are crisp. Turn chips over. Bake about 4 to 5 minutes longer or till crisp. Cool on a wire rack. For giving as a gift, place chips in clear plastic gift boxes or bags. Makes about 60 chips, 2 gifts. Basil-Garlic Bagel Chips: In a small saucepan combine 2 cloves crushed garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1/4 cup margarine or butter. Cook over medium heat till margarine is melted. Remove from heat; let stand 30 minutes. Remove garlic. Stir in 1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed. Brush on bagel slices and bake as above. HERBED CHEESE-AND-CRACKER BITS 2 (10-1/2 oz.) boxes Ritz Bits cheese crackers (not peanut butter flavor) 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 (1 oz.) pkg. Hidden Valley Original Ranch salad dressing mix 1 heaping Tblsp. dried dill 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. celery salt Place the crackers in a large sealable freezer container. In a bowl, mix the oil, salad dressing mix, dill, garlic powder, and celery salt. Pour this mixture over the crackers, cover the container, and invert it to coat the crackers with seasoning. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours, turning the container every so often to keep the crackers coated. Let the mixture come to room temperature before serving. Store in the covered container in refrigerator. Recipe courtesy Paula Deen. MELANIEâÂÂS SUGARED PEANUTS 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 2 cup raw Spanish peanuts (the kind with the red skins on them) Preheat oven to 300ð F. Combine water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in peanuts and continue to cook over medium heat until peanuts are completely sugared (no syrup remains). Pour peanuts onto an ungreased baking sheet (I use a jellyroll pan so none of those critters escape) and spread out as much as possible. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Allow to cool and break any chunks apart. Store in an airtight container. Recipe courtesy of Melanie Warren.

I just made the most wonderful dip for a party that was great with veggies to scoop or crackers. It would also make a wonderful sandwich spread. The recipe called for peas, but I substituted shelled edamame. People went wild for it: Photo: Jennifer CauseyActive Time 5 Mins Total Time 5 Mins Yield Serves 8 (serving size: 3 tbsp.) Adapted from the Green Pea Wasabi dip recipe by Paige Grandjean May 2017 Cooking Light. This blend is a zippy alternative to hummus; serve with crudités or crackers. Ingredients: 2 cups frozen shelled edamame cooked with a little salt, per package directions (I think 5 min) drained and rinsed in cold water to stop the cooking process 1/2 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I used less) 1 teaspoon grated lime rind 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime) 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste (use paste not powder) 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds Place edamame, parsley, oil, rind, juice, salt, and wasabi in a food processor; process for 1 minute, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, until almost smooth. Place in a serving bowl; sprinkle with sesame seeds (I used black sesame seeds). Calories 110 Fat 9.6g Sat. fat 1.4g Monofat 6.7g Polyfat 1.4g Protein 2g Carbohydrate 5g Fiber 2g Cholesterol 0.0mg Iron 1mg Sodium 225mg Calcium 15mg Sugars 2g Est. added sugars 0g

Thanks, everyone! These are great ideas. I think the fossil cookies would be fairly easy for the kitchen staff to make and look pretty cool, too. Then some sort of rocky mix with healthier components like raisins and cereal - maybe doing stratigraphy in a clear container (altho, I'm also always trying to get the kitchen to do less plastic - I think we can make this work) . I also like the idea of creating a rocky landscape on the serving area with utensils, etc. You guys rock! (sorry, that's a groaner).