Discover Cooking

When you’re planning and hosting a party, figuring out what to serve can be a dilemma. Whether it’s an all-out dinner or not, snack foods of some kind are usually expected.

What you need are a range of hostess snack ideas to always have at hand, so you can choose from your list quickly whenever you have a get together. Try out a few of these and write your favorites down on a list.

Just remember to store your list in the same place you keep all your other recipes. That way, you won’t lose it and find yourself desperate for ideas.

Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip - Serve this at your party and it will go fast! It goes best with either crackers, tortilla chips, French bread, or even carrot sticks or some other dipping veggies. Please note that although some variations of this snack call for nuts, you’ll be safest to avoid nuts; you never know who much have an allergic reaction.

- 2 jars of artichoke hearts (marinated), chopped and drained - 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded (low-fat works OK, but avoid nonfat since it won’t melt as good) - 1 cup of parmesan cheese, grated - 1 clove of garlic (minced) - 1 cup of mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all the above ingredients in a nice (decorative) baking dish. Bake until hot and bubbling, about 45 minutes. Don’t forget to warn your guests that it’s hot.

Sandwich Loaf: A hostess snack standard from the seventies, this main dish always impresses people at a luncheon!

- 1 large loaf white bread - 3 fillings of your choice (ham salad, egg salad, etc. are popular choices, but you could also use deli meats thinly sliced) - 1/4 cup of softened margarine - 2 packages of softened cream cheese - 1/2 cup half & half

Cut the crusts off the loaf of bread so that they are rectangular shaped. Cut it into four large slices horizontally.

Butter one slice of bread and lay face-up on the serving platter. Spread evenly with one sandwich filling.

Continue layering buttered bread and sandwich fillings. Combine the cream cheese and half and half to create a frosting, and frost the loaf thickly.

Add garnishes of parsley, then slice vertically to create individual servings.

Have fun at your party, and good luck creating the best hostess snack!