Pottery Party Food Ideas

[alli_wan]

As I mentioned in a seperate thread, I'm hoping to throw a party at a paint your own pottery place this month.

I'm planning on serving soda and/or iced tea, a vegetable and dip platter, cheese and crackers, and probably some fresh fruit, and maybe angel food or pound cake.  (Anything I bring has to be carried 2-3 block to the pottery place from my apartment, though I have a small cart.)

Any other recipe ideas that are easy to cart over?  (FInger food is probably preferred to anything requiring utensils.)

(I'm planning on providing the food, but if anyone wants to bring anything or wants to bring a more substantial dinner, I'm not going to object since I'm providing an appetizer type of meal.)

[Summrs]

Tea Sandwiches?  Small, easy to make, easy to transport.  Here are a few filling suggestions:

Goat cheese and Watercress: Use cinnamon raisin bread for this, 16 slices for 32 quarters.  Mix 10 oz of fresh, soft goat cheese (such as Montrachet), 1/2 cup of chopped watercress leaves and salt to taste.  Spread on half the bread and top with other half; cut into quarters.  Roll the edges of each sandwich in softened butter and then roll again in chopped, toasted pecans.  Refrigerate.

Herbed Vidalia Onion: Stir together 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley, 2 tb minced fresh tarragon, lemon juice, Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste.  Spread this over 12 slices of bread.  Top six slices of the bread with thinly sliced Vidalia onion and top with the remaining 6 slices of bread.  Cut off crusts and cut into quarters.  Dip each sandwich into another 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley.

Deviled Ham:  Thinly slice and grind ham, preferably VA or Smithfield.  Blend ham with finely chopped sweet or sour pickle, tiny pinches of ginger, cloves and nutmeg and enough mayonnaise to make spreadable.

[alli_wan]

One of my friends also suggested fondue.  That might be fun but  have no experience with it.

[LissaR1]

I love doing fondue, but I think it would be a pain to cart over to the place.  You need to take the pot, the cheese/chocolate, if you're doing the cheese the wine and other stuff to mix, and the dippers.  (Although you can get a cheese kit in the grocery store.)  Also, it can get messy, and the pots are hot, which could be a hazard.  Fondue parties are a great time, but I personally recommend doing them when the fondue and eating are the focus of the party. 

I like the finger sandwich idea, myself.  Very neat, contained, and a little different and substantial.  Another idea for fillings is various salads- chicken salad, seafood salad, tuna salad....  Not quite as elegant, but filling.

Oooh- if you want something chocolate, what about chocolate dipped strawberries?  Especially at this time of year!