What about little bite size quiche made in mini muffin tins? some with bacon or ham, some vegetarian with mushrooms and red pepper, maybe some with blue cheese and apple?

I would be going full on charqueterie and what ever delectables that inspires.

This sounds so familiar...have we been here before? A few years back maybe?

Somehow 9pm I think coffee and....be it cakes, scones, petit fours, cookie bars...an after concert dessert, cinnamon bread. Maybe some fresh fruit...strawberries, apples slices dipped in caramel, chunks of pineapple. If looking for a little more, can spruce up the coffee with some liqueurs like kahlua or amaretto.

Your savory and sweet options sound good. Maybe garnish with clusters of grapes, plain and sugared. Yes,I’d include some red wine as a non-fruity alcoholic option.

Annie, we often host people after a local concert or play so you have undoubtedly read this request from me, probably more than once 😁 I’m hoping to use the whole apple / fall / cinnamon spice vibe as a theme. My first thought was caramel apples! But, they are messy, so I settled on the mini slices of cheesecake topped with apples and caramel sauce as an alternative. I’ve definitely got scones on the menu as well. I am looking for something else savory that would pair well with wassail and apple sangria as well as any apple or apple adjacent treat.

Oly, mini quiches are an idea, I think a ham and onion one would be good!

Arcy, I really, really do not like charcuterie boards. They are pretty and of course they are VERY trendy but to be honest —to me it is the same as everyone eating with their hands from the same plate. When I make cheese and cracker and fruit trays I put a toothpick in every single piece of fruit and in the cheese, if it is in smaller pieces. I always provide more than one knife, too — anything to keep people’s hands off the food. Crackers are more problematic and I often splay them out so only the one chosen has to be touched. I realize how crazy that must sound, but I do these things rather than sound like mother and telling people to wash their hands before they come to eat. 🙄

Lisa the sugared grapes are a lovely idea for decoration and thank you for weighing in on the wine. I was leaning towards offering red and not white since the sangria is made with white.

Hoping PORKANDHAM will see this……what are the proportions of ingredients in apple sangria?

In my catering life I have picked up a shocking number of strawberry tops discarded on a buffet table. Perhaps having a waiter stationed at the entrance to a dining room with warm towels to wipe guests hands is not a bad idea.—— joking joking, mostly.

A non-meaty parallel to the sausage balls such as a mini quiche or blue cheese stuffed date would be perfect.

For a gathering at 9:30pm that will include people who need to spend more than 10 minutes to drive home, show your love by not offering anything alcoholic. Good coffee, a selection of teas and other non-alcoholic beverages will get the job done.

For some people, any amount of alcohol consumed just before a night drive will compromise the perceptions and reaction times they need to stay safe. No need to take a chance with anyone.

My sangria was:

1 bottle of wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc, but anything dry will work.)

2 cups of fresh apple cider

1 cup of apple brandy

Chopped apples, orange slices, fresh cranberries

Combine ingredients and chill overnight.

To serve:

Ice (I wouldn’t add to the pitcher, so it doesn’t get diluted.)

Ginger ale or club soda. We added to our glasses individually. If I was going to add to the pitcher, I’d use 12 ounces.

Do you have access to mini croissants? In keeping with the apple theme, croissants with ham, a little slice of brie, and a thin slice of apple. Perhaps cut each mini croissant in half, depending on how ”mini” it is. I think you could prepare the sandwiches ahead, refrigerate, then have a good friend slide them into the oven before you even get home.

K, the menu sounds wonderful.

I think something with pears would be complimentary with everything else. Pears/a type of cheese/prosciutto bites are popular, but here’s something different:

https://www.southernliving.com/spicy-pear-and-cheddar-bites-8723182

I’ve seen savory recipes for ‘mini potato skins’ using sweet potatoes, which would fit your theme. Or something like this:

https://lovelegrand.com/en/recette/festive-sweet-potato-rounds/

Dressed up deviled eggs are always a favorite.

A cranberry crostini appetizer:

https://spoonuniversity.com/recipe/cranberry-pomegranate-crostini-recipe-twist-on-the-classic-a-holiday/

Or … substitute cornbread for whatever other bread a recipe calls for.

.

Just posting this next recipe for fun, maybe for another occasion. I’ve been wanting to try it. :)

https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/rosalynn-carter-cheese-ring/

These are great ideas all! Jilly I like all the recipes you posted! If I made the cheese ring I could fill it with a spiced apple jelly or apple butter. Rosalyn Carter is very close to our Georgian hearts ❤️ I also like the sweet potato canape, although I think it would take too much last minute work. My mother has volunteered to forego the concert to get things ready; she can’t really hear the music now, anything in a cavernous room now sounds like a dull roar to her. However, by ”getting things ready” she means fluffing pillows. She could not lift an empty sheet pan to put in the oven, let alone one with food on it. 🙄 I do love the crostini idea also and could easily make those in advance and program the oven to cook them later. And I could do the same with mini croissant sandwiches— thank you Bbstx!

Lisa, a waiter with warm wet towels is a great idea actually, and if DS2 was coming he could definitely pull that off in a way that would make people want to use them. I do try to direct people to the bathrooms saying ”the powder room is to your left in case you want to wash your hands, and there is another one just down the hall.”

Elmer, your point is well taken. Those coming from afar will likely have one drink in an hour and a half, if past behavior can be relied upon.

I would imagine your guests are well past the age of consent and can make good choices regarding their alcohol consumption. I think it would be quite presumptuous to not serve alcohol at a gathering, thinking that your friends are going to drink too much to drive safely. Every adult party I go to serves alcohol and most people have a glass or two of wine (same as if at a restaurant) over the course of the evening and are in no way impaired.

" I would imagine your guests are well past the age of consent and can make good choices regarding their alcohol consumption "

What a naive thing to say. If that were true, why are there people with drinking problems? Drunk driving accidents and fatalities? Organizations like MADD and SADD?

Can you look at someone and know if they have a drinking problem? Do you know which of your friends and acquaintances have problems driving in the dark that can be exascerbated by drinking as little as a glass of wine?

I can treat my guests like adults.

For a warm food option, you could offer small cups of butternut apple bisque.

Tha’s a good idea also local! I’ve done that with carrot soup but never butternut.

You could serve your carrot recipe, I think that works nicely with a fall theme. Or a combo of carrot and squash. I actually made that the other day. No recipe, on a sheet pan I roasted squash carrots shallots garlic and a red pepper. It was all spiced with cayenne, paprika paprika, cumin, and a bit of cinnamon. After roasting it was blitzed with stock and coconut milk,and served with roasted pepitas on top. I love soup!

I'd have a serious gastritis attack with the high fat food and alcohol. Can you get a lean protein in there somehow?

I hear your point, Eileen, but it is cocktail food, which is almost always high in either fat (cheese) or sugar (desserts). Even smoked salmon isusually served with cream cheese, and the meat typically served as charcuterie is very high in fat and sodium. We will just have to hope they had salads for dinner 😎

Sounds like fun, Kswl.

Some ideas:

* Seasoned nuts — you can serve them in little folded triangle ”hats.” pecan and walnut halves, hazelnuts

* Dilled small red potato salad (vinegar when drained and hot, olive oil, finely minced fresh dillweed and parsley, salt, pepper

* mini spanikopita bites (spinach, feta, other)

* ~ something w fresh figs, goat cheese or other, honey or seasoned honey

* mini focaccia bites — aged black olive bits, or artichoke bits or caramelized onion

* Popcorn seasoned with brewers yeast, dried dill weed, only a bit of salt or no salt. Serve in paper folded cones from a large bowl with a small ladel or scoop.

The reason I mentioned a lowfat protein is because it sounded like the singers would be hungry for real food, not just nibbles.