A Great Party Starts with Simple Cutting Board Appetizers

For the faint of heart, having someone over for so much as a piece of toast, can cause a cascade of fear and panic. The choices are overwhelming.

• What should I serve?
• Where should I serve it?
• How should I serve it?
• Should I serve something right away or wait until … when? Oye.

You can drive yourself downright nuts. And we’re only talking toast not a formal, sit down dinner party for 12!!

Well, not to worry. That’s what this blog is all about. Our goal is to take some of the worry and basic overwhelmingness out of entertaining. We’re going to start small and work our way up.

I recently had the pleasure of seeing a friend handle appetizers in such an easy, breezy fashion I had to share it. She was having a few people over to show off her new apartment. We were going to check it out and then go to lunch. Nothing to it, right? All she had to do was straighten the place up, wait for the oohs and ahs and we would be out of there. She really didn’t need to do a thing.
However, she thought it would be nice if we just had a teensy little bite before we went out. Now, this is the part that can strike fear into your very soul. There are just too many choices of things to do. Paralysis by analysis sets in and before you know it you just call everybody up and meet them at the restaurant. They can see your place some other time, like never.

Our hostess was apparently not one of the nervous Nellie types and carried this off with ease. You can follow this same format next time you need to serve appetizers. If you copy this exactly you can take every bit of the guess work out of things.

This is what she did:

1. Use an ordinary wooden cutting board as your serving tray

2. On the cutting board make a little pile of Mediterranean flat bread or pita bread cut into triangles in one corner, a little pile of pita chips in the opposite corner, and a little pile of almonds in the middle.

3. Take two martini glasses (or wide mouth wine glasses). Fill one with tzadeki and humus (or any dip you like) and one with a variety of interesting olives. Place these on the cutting board.

4. That’s it. You’re done. You can purchase everything at Trader Joe’s and assemble your lovely appetizers in a matter of minutes.

5. Don’t forget to serve this with pretty cocktail napkins.

6. Have everything ready before your guests arrive. Place your tray on a coffee table, kitchen counter, or wherever you expect your guests to congregate.

My mother always said “if you can read you can cook.” True, but what she didn’t say was cooking was only part of the picture. It’s the deciding that can be so problematic. So, follow this next time you need to serve appetizers and you are DONE.

All guess work has been taken care of and you will look like the hostess with the "mostess." And, if you’re not careful, you just might want to do it again.