Mini sandwiches pre made. Like ham and swiss on mini pumpernickle bread. Or mini reuben sandwiches. Simple is easier. fruit platter with toothpicks and trash cans to sit around in corners.

It is in a hotel suite and as long as we keep it in the suite we are fine. I can't fuss with coolers, there won't be enough time of volunteers. However I do have a huge cooler that keeps ice for several days. I could load that into the truck and use it as remote refrigeration. It's too heavy to move once it's loaded.

Our budget is somewhat limited so I am trying to be creative. I think maybe a good ole batch of Chex Snack Mix might be in order for the late night munchies. I can get DD to make a several batches a few days before. I wouldn't have thought of it but Pillog's ideas tickled my memory.

Cocktail sandwiches are an idea but I'm in a quandary as to what I could I put in them that would be room temp stable other than peanut butter? I could do a dried fruit platter or maybe whole fruit like apples, pears, peaches and bananas.

FYI - This event is 2+ hours away from home so I won't be running back and forth.

Keep the ideas coming!

I'd stick with the basics... cheese, fresh fruit, crackers/pretzels/chips, nuts, granola bars, etc.

And something chocolate. :)

Snack Mix is a great idea, though carb heavy. If you have a scoop, or even a ladle, that you can put in the bowl to keep hands out, that would be great. You can even use a large party cup as a scoop and smaller paper cups to put the mix in. Or you can prepackage in snack sized bags.

Going on a retro theme you could also do Rice Krispy Treats. Just cut them on the small size because they disappear fast.

Sandwiches should be okay for up to four hours if they haven't been handled (i.e., make using gloves), and you've avoided cross contamination. Mayonnaise used to be an issue but the jarred kind uses pasteurized eggs. Think about what works on a picnic. Cheese spread and olives. Deli ham or turkey (pinwheels are also retro and go well because they're bite sized). Butter and cucumbers or watercress (tea sandwich). Just avoid fish which degrades really fast, and anything else you think of that spoils easily. Keep plenty of plastic wrap to keep them fresh (not stale) in the a/c, and see if the hotel can provide you with some pans of ice to put the trays on. Still carb heavy, though.

BTW, in making finger sandwiches, the easy way to do large quantities is to get the square kind of sandwich bread (pullman pan baked--no dome top) in all varieties from a bakery, uncut. Use your longest bread knife to cut the crust off all sides then to slice the loaf lengthwise. Then you can make a few big long sandwiches and cut them to serving size, rather than having to make more long ones. If you do the math, it looks like it should come out the same, but it's really a lot less work making one big one, than a few small ones that end up cut to the same size and number.

Can you have a microwave or crockpot, or two? If so, you could continue the retro idea with cocktail weenies (still popular!), or just do meatballs. You could even do a fondue or chocolate dip.

Fresh fruit basket, chex mix yes!, but also packages of nuts, microwave popcorn, crackers, potato chips, pretzels, beef jerky, homemade cookies.

Offer some nice, fresh low carb ideas, but plan on people eating beef jerky and potato chips.

I think sandwiches are going to be too much fussing, I'd also go with the fruit selection, not cut fruit, but things that aren't too messy to eat with your hands. Chex mix is always good, as are nuts, crackers, cheese, the aforementioned jerky if you're feeling flush (that stuff is expensive), chips and snacks, and some sweets. Homemade cookies would be nice, but if you have to buy them, people eat those too.

And don't forget to have fun!

Annie

For occasions like that I usually include a crock of "snackers"...which is a pickled Dutch bologna with onions and mustard seed. Because it's cured meat and vinegar it keeps at room temp and is good on party rye or a cracker.
And if you ae watching the pennies, a huge bowl of pop corn is great....and if you have time make it into caramel corn.

Lindac92,

You gave me that recipe and I completely for got about it! Thank you! Popcorn is a great idea as well, simple and economical.

Just wanted to report back. We ended up with a small refrigerator and a cooler. The food was: crackers & cheese and assorted Italian meats, hummus and pita chips, salsa and tortilla chips, mixed nuts, chips and dip and a veggie platter. It an odd assortment of items but it worked. Best of all I didn't have to babysit the suite since the men could handle putting out those snacks. LOL Thank you all for your input; I appreciate it.

Thanks for the report. It may seem like an odd assortment, but it also sounds like it was easy to create, maintain and clean up, and had a good variety of nutritious and tasty foods from different food groups that would please many different desires. Congrats on your success!