Do you have any good ideas for cheap or easy to make party foods?

Question

I am throwing a New Year's/Birthday Party and I don't have any good food ideas. It has to be something healthy. And the party is for 14-15 year olds.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Pepperoni Bread
1 lb. frozen bread dough, thawed
8 oz. turkey pepperoni*
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning**
Egg wash (1 beaten egg + 1 tbsp. water)
*Turkey pepperoni is recommended because it’s not as greasy as regular, but just as tasty. Of course, regular pepperoni can also be used.

**Italian seasoning is fast and doesn't involve messing around with a lot of different spices. But a creative cook can feel free to substitute garlic powder, basil, oregano, or any mix of spices.



Avocado Dip

This avocado dip recipe is delicious with tortilla chips or vegetable dippers. Ingredients include avocados, sour cream, tomatoes, green onions, lemon juice, and hot pepper sauce.
INGREDIENTS:
2 large ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
16 ounces sour cream
2 tomatoes, cored, seeds removed, coarsely chopped
4 green onions, with green, coarsely chopped
4 teaspoons lemon juice
a few drops of hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
PREPARATION:
Cut avocado into chunks; place in food processor with sour cream, tomato, green onion, lemon juice, and hot pepper sauce. Pulse until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for an hour to chill. Serve with chops or vegetable dippers.
Makes about 4 cups of dip.



Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll bread dough into a flat rectangle. Spread pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese over the dough; sprinkle seasoning on top. Roll the bread up, jelly-roll style, and pinch the edges to seal. Brush loaf with egg wash.

Place loaf on a greased cookie sheet and bake until golden, 30-40 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

Spinach-Artichoke Dip
1 10-oz. box frozen spinach, thawed but not drained
1 15-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
10 oz. alfredo sauce
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cloves garlic, minced
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer to a casserole dish; bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is bubbly.

Serve hot, with tortilla chips, bread, or cut-up veggies.

Easy Meatballs
1 lb. ground beef
2 tsp. Worcestireshire sauce
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt (more or less, according to taste)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 jar marinara sauce
Combine beef, egg, Worcestershire sauce, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Form into meatballs—each should be slightly bigger than a golf ball. Place meatballs on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink.

Meanwhile, heat marinara sauce over low-medium heat on the stovetop.

When meatballs are finished, add them to the sauce. (They don’t need to be drained first because they’re baked, not fried—less mess and healthier!)

Serve immediately or keep warm in a Crock-Pot until ready to eat.




Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables


2 red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 cremini mushrooms, halved
1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence
1 pound penne pasta
3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
1 cup grated fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.

In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.

Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.



Black-Eyed Pea Dip
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 to 4 green onions with tops, chopped
Oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons Tabasco
1/2 cup Ketchup
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 (15-ounce) cans of black-eyed peas
10 ounce can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 jalapeno peppers finely chopped (fresh, seeded)
1 teaspoon sugar
PREPARATION:
In medium saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté bell peppers, celery and onions in a small amount of oil, until tender. Add black pepper, Tabasco, ketchup, bullion cubes, and cinnamon. Lower heat, add peas, tomatoes, garlic and sugar. Simmer 30 minutes. Serve hot with corn chips for dipping. Makes 1 quart of dip.



Tuna Pinwheel Appetizer Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
1 loaf white sandwich bread, unsliced
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 cans (7 ounces each) tuna, drained and flaked
2/3 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing (such as Miracle Whip)
2 tablespoons finely chopped pimiento
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
thinly sliced green bell pepper, about 40 very thin slices
PREPARATION:
Cut loaf lengthwise into 8 slices. Trim crusts. Roll bread lightly with a rolling pin. Spread with softened butter. Combine tuna, mayonnaise or salad dressing, pimiento, and mustard. Spread each slice with about 1/4 cup of filling. Place 5 strips of green bell pepper evenly on top of the filling on each bread slice. Roll up, jely-roll style, beginning at narrow end. Wrap and chill thoroughtly. Slice in pinwheels about 3/8-inch thick. Makes about 40 appetizer sandwiches




Easy Tuna Cheese Bites
INGREDIENTS:
2 cans (7 ounces each) tuna, drained and flaked
2 small packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons horseradish
1/4 teaspoon pepper sauce, such as Tabasco, or to taste
1 cup fresh chopped parsley
PREPARATION:
Cream cheese with electric mixer; add seasonings and tuna, blending well. Shape tuna mixture into small balls, about 1 tablespoon each, then roll in parsley to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate to chill thoroughly before serving.
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen tuna appetizers.




Winter Tomato Sandwiches
INGREDIENTS:
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon each, salt and pepper
1 (1 lb) loaf French bread
3 large tomatoes, thickly sliced
PREPARATION:
In a small bowl, combine lemon zest and juice, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. Stir well.
Cut eight slices (about 1/2-inch thick) from center of bread loaf. Toast lightly under the broiler if desired. Spread mayonnaise mixture on each slice of bread. Arrange tomato slices on 4 bread slices; top with remaining bread slices, mayonnaise side down. Cut each tomato sandwich in half to serve.
A delicious lunch sandwich, served with chips and pickle slices, or with soup.
Serves 4.

Turkey a la King
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups half-and-half or milk
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 jar (2 ounces) pimiento strips or chopped
2 1/2 cups cooked cubed turkey
dash onion powder
dash pepper
PREPARATION:
Melt butter; add green pepper and mushrooms. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove vegetables with slotted spoon. Add flour to butter, cooking and stirring until smooth. Add half-and-half and cream of mushroom soup, stirring until smooth and thickened Add turkey, pimiento, mushrooms, green pepper, and seasonings. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve over hot cooked rice, biscuits, or noodles.
Turkey a la king recipe serves 6.

Answer 2

Here's a really easy nacho dip that tastes awesome!

1 package Velveeta mexican chese (you can do spicy or mild)
1 can Hormel chili
+/- green onions

Melt it in an oven-safe bowl in the Microwave or oven (for however long it takes to be all melted) stirring occasionally, and eat it with tortilla chips. It's awesome!!

Answer 3

This is cheap/easy and it goes over very well at parties, get togethers. You can make it more healthy by using no fat/low fat products...

Layered Taco Dip

1-2 cans of refried beans
low sodium taco seasoning

16 oz. jar of salsa
1 brick of cream cheese you can use low/no fat
1/2 c. of sour cream you can use low/no fat
16 oz. bag of finely shredded cheddar cheese.... low/no fat if preferred.

mix beans/taco seasoning spread on the bottom of glass pie plate for shallow dish

mix together sour cream/cream cheese spread ontop of beans

Top with salsa, can be garnished with some shredded lettuce, sliced black olives and onions

Serve with tortilla chips.. Refridgerate 2 hrs. before serving..

Fruit/veggie trays work well also

Just serve veggies w/ low/no fat Ranch dip
Fruit with melted dark chocolate

Hummus is very easy/healthy

1 can chick peas or garbanzo beans (drained rinsed)
2-3 cloves of minced garlic
juice of 1 fresh lemon
1/3 cup olive oil
tahinni available at most grocery store.. Sesame paste.. It can be omitted..

In a food processor process peas, garlic, olive oil/tahinni until smooth... slowly drizzle in olive oil ....

Serve with pita bread... You can also roast garlic for a milder more sweet flavor..

You can substitute store bought hummus as well... It's very healthy and good for vegetarians...

Answer 4

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Truth is, I've been a carpenter for almost 36 years, and I haven't found anything like this for less than 10's of thousands of dollars.

Answer 5

What I do for parties, is make orange jello slices. You slice anorange in half and then take out all of the orange part so you just have the skin / shell. Then take orange jello (while it is still liquid) and pour it in the orange skin. Put the oranges in the refrigerator and let the jello set. Slice them and enjoy!

Answer 6

I would say the choclate mice. its always a good treat. First all you need is some cherries some hersey kisses meltable choclate and something for little eyes like sparkles or something. then you put the cherry and the kills together into the melted choclate so they stick together and make sure the tail end of the cherriy is sticking out like a tail and put them in the choclate and they will stick together then add the eyes.

Answer 7

Make your own wraps are good. Get some wheat tortillas and some lettuce and tomatoes and all that good stuff... and then add some meat if you want. Grill up some tofu or something. And then Voila!

Answer 8

TORTILLA WRAP - UPS

8 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. sour cream
8 oz. American, cheddar or Colby cheese, shredded (all or some)
1 sm. jar green olives, chopped
3 cans mild green chiles, chopped
8 flour tortillas
Salsa

Mix cream cheese and sour cream. Smoothly spread equal amounts of cream cheese mixture on each tortilla. Top with your choice of topping, may add your own. Tightly roll up each tortilla, wrap securely in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Cut each tortilla in 6 pieces. Secure ends with wooden toothpick. Serve with salsa.

LIL' SMOKIES PIGS IN THE BLANKET

one package Hillshire Farms Little Beef Smokies
cheese whiz
potato hot dog rolls (or regular hot dog buns)
little vegetable oil

Heat up small amount of vegetable oil and add package of the smokies. Fry sausages until they are dark.
On potato rolls add Cheese Whiz and microwave for 20 seconds.

Add 8-10 little smokies onto hot dog bun and cut in half or more.

Answer 9

ok take a normal velveeta cheese brick and a mexican velveeta cheese brick and chop up in little cubes or slices and a can of beenless chiliand cook in crok-pot until melted it will be thick but liquid like. take tortilla chips and enjoi! use lo fat for the health

Answer 10

just do a veggie tray and a fruit tray...cheap....healthy...fun to eat where can u go wrong? my mom has bought them for my parties since i was like 10 and they are always a big hit! good luck!!! also try celery with peanut butter in the crack...its really good!!!!

Answer 11

Chips, salsa, and guacamole
Burgers
Fries
Pizza