Bowl games are a great time to invite over a crowd for appetizers.
It's time for the big game and a hungry crowd is due to invade your house soon. Don't worry about getting everything ready, because with these snacks, the guests put the eats together themselves. A little prep work ahead of time means on game day, you just have to set out the buffet and tell your guests it's time to get off the bench and get ready to eat.
Mini Hamburgers
With just 2 lbs of ground beef and a package of small rolls, the condiments you likely already have in your fridge will dress up these mini hamburgers. Separate the ground beef into 16 small meatballs and flatten to about an inch thick. Grill, broil or saut these patties and keep them warm in the oven until guests arrive. Put out plates of lettuce leaves and slices of onion and tomato along side the usual burger condiments. Now your guests can put together their ideal burger bite.
Customized Nachos
While you're setting out the lettuce, onion and tomato for the mini hamburgers, go ahead and dice up more tomato and onions and chop some lettuce. Toppings make the nachos, so getting them ready ahead of time makes serving easy. Set out a big bowl of tortilla chips and have a mini slow cooker nearby with melted nacho cheese dip inside. Additional toppings can include black olives, jalapenos, sour cream and guacamole.
The Big Sandwich
This can be done the day before and wrapped tightly in plastic wrap to keep it fresh. Buy a large loaf of French or Italian bread from the deli of your grocery store along with a pound of your favorite deli cheese and meat. Have the deli slice everything thinly. Slice the bread down the middle width-wise and begin to layer the meat and cheese. When ready to serve, slice down the middle lengthwise and then across to make small sandwiches that will be easy to pick up and dress. Tell guests to use the lettuce, tomato, olives and onion already sliced up for the mini hamburgers and nachos to customize their sandwiches. Provide additional toppings such small bowls of mayonnaise, mustard or Italian dressing.
A Healthy Option
Use bamboo skewers traditionally used in grilling to pierce sliced fruit. These fruit kabobs are easy to pick up from the buffet table and offer guests a lighter option if they're trying to be on the healthy side. These too can be done ahead of time if you use a combination of melons and berries. If you'd like to include bananas and apples, do this at the last minute so your fruit doesn't turn brown.
Tags: ahead time, down middle, easy pick, ground beef, mini hamburgers, onion tomato, your guests