Any ideas for drinks or hors d'oeuvres at our "fancy" party?

We used to do this with friends, and called it the “Extravagance Party” because we all had the kind of lives where it was very rare to dress up. Our friends would each bring something to eat or drink that would not normally grace our table, whether a fancy little something from a bakery, or a homemade pate (not too difficult, but fancy!) or a bottle of $10 champagne to share (in other words, not Andres!) If everyone brings something, it can be very fancy without breaking anyone’s budget. Have fun!

Buy pre-made filo shells and fill with your choice of fillings. I like crab, mushrooms or mini quiches. But there are bacon fillings, avocado fillings, and many more recipes.

Lamajoon, Armenian Pizza. If you live in Southern California, you can get them freshly made in Montebello or Glendale or Winnetka.

You could feature one fancy drink so you wont have to buy a bunch of different alcohol. Maybe find a really good unique margarita recipe, and serve tapas

Champagne is usually the least expensive celebratory drink. You can get plastic champagne glasses. Fancy appetizers require time to make. If there’s a discount place near you, shop there. Find a base or three (bread for little toasts, crackers, refrigerated rolls etc.) Make a variety of toppings: egg or tuna salad; liverwurst; cheeses; ham; etc.. The thing that makes them look elegant is the garnish: a dab of mustard; a sprig of parsley; a sprinkle of chopped nuts; a slice of olive.

Hummus with pita chips or an assortment of raw veggies (especially some of those “new” fancy looking multi-colored veggies such as red carrots and purple cauliflower)

Fresh Spring Rolls, either Vegetarian or with Shrimp

Or Skewers, either Vegetarian, like these Italian style skewers (take a marinated mushroom, a ball of fresh mozzarella and a grape tomato, slide them onto the skewers. Lay them out on a lettuce leaf lined platter and drizzle with a little bit of Balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil) or these Tropical-style skewers (take a square of baked marinated teryiaki flavored tofu, a square of fresh pineapple, some mint leaves and a grape tomato, drizzle with a tiny bit of soy sauce mixed with pineapple juice) or you can also have Chicken Skewers

Stuffed Mushrooms

Cucumber Cups (You can also fill cucumber cups with egg salad, tuna salad, hummus, cream cheese and herb concoctions, olive tapenade, fresh mango salsa, Cowboy Caviar

Hollowed out, smallish sized tomatoes are also good holders for all of the ^^ above fillings.

And don’t forget about Variations on a theme of Deviled Eggs

You’ll probably want a cheese tasting platter too. Go to Trader Joe’s and pick out 4 or 5 different cheeses (different colors, different textures, soft and hard) Cut half of the block of cheese and cut it into cubes, set the cubes next to the remaining “original” block so people can see what the cheese looks like in its original form.) Set out some of those fancy toothpicks with the frills on the end of them (can be purchased at Smart and Final or Cost Plus Marketplace or online), and have a basket of pre-sliced baguette rounds in a basket too. Make sure there are little cheese knives or spreaders. If you really want to be fancy, put little computer made labels next to the cheese, describing its name and qualities. I would suggest an Emmentaler Swiss or a Gruyere and a Sharp Cheddar and a Smoked Gouda and a Red Wax Edam and a Humbolt Fog Blue Stilton or a Point Reyes Stilton and maybe a soft Goat Cheese

Then make a punch bowl or a couple of pitchers of home made Sangria

pomegranate mojitos or bellinis