What time is the gathering? You can still make it more substantial with cheese pies, and small bite cookies.

Anonymous wrote:Can I ask why you are choosing heavy apps rather than a meal? I love apps but my husband always complains that it's not filling enough. I think you are going to end up with more work and people will still go home unsatisfied.

Heavy apps are better for this kind of socializing - walking around, getting food, etc. Vs a real meal where you need enough places to sit etc which OP may not have.

I’d add a meat dish and veg option along with your charcuterie board.

These are really easy:
Sweet and sour meatballs in a crockpot
Muffin tin taco cups with beef— I make these for everything and they always go fast
Curried chicken salad wraps cut into small servings
Smoked salmon crostini
Chilled shrimp

Eggplant caponata
Caprese skewers
Little veggie pizzas

You also can’t go wrong with a sandwich platter from a good deli instead of making a meat dish. Saves a ton of time.

This is definitely a meal.

Great suggestions above, I'd just avoid pork because a lot of people don't eat it, and be sure to have enough items that are non-gluten.

Beef meatballs in a crockpot (labelled as beef) are a good idea. Chiicken wings are too messy to eat standing up, in my experience.

I use a small buffet server for hot apps. You can get some relatively elegant ones from Trader Joes.

But, if I want something a bit more fresh and elegant, I like somewhere like Mediterranean Bakery from Alexandria - its a better price point for picking up a lot of catering type food, though I love Lebanese Taverna too.

Anonymous wrote:Here is what I have served for heavy apps:
--spiral ham, small rolls, mustard and a jar of pickles
--sausage rolls (puff pastry wrapped sausage, sliced and baked)
--devilled eggs
--curried chicken bites
--dim sum (dumplings, steamed rice covered pork balls)
--cocktail meatballs (actually never served them but love them at others houses)
--shrimp cocktail
--mini crabcakes
--mini empañadas

Yes this is it. A few things from here plus what you have

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m hosting about 16 people next week for a gift exchange! Instead of making a large meal, I plan to serve a variety of:
Cheeses (Brie, Gouda, etc)
Cured meats
Olives
Dried apricots
Sliced Apple
Grapes
Fig spread
Crudite + dip (hummus)
Crackers
Bread
Mini quiche
Mixed nuts

What are your favorite snack plate type foods - I would like this to have a lot of options so feels like a meal. Ideas?

This is not a “meal.” It doesn’t qualify in any sense of the word. Plenty of people don’t want to eat fatty cheese, cured meats, and quiche. So they can have a handful of nuts, apricots, and olives?

Are you from here? Fatty cheeses and cured meats are the stuff of parties in this culture. If you don't want to eat them, at least refrain from being rude about them. But I also encourage OP to add a few more choices.

What culture eats Brie and Gouda as the main part of dinner?

Anonymous wrote:All of these are great ideas to heavy it up.

And we don’t need to overthink this stuff. Call it what you want. It’s still a meal. What is this 1950 where you have to sit down with your meat and potatoes?

Food together is a meal. Have a great holiday!!

Meal means a quantity of food of such nature as is ordinarily consumed by an individual at regular intervals for the purpose of sustenance.

All of these are great ideas to heavy it up.

And we don’t need to overthink this stuff. Call it what you want. It’s still a meal. What is this 1950 where you have to sit down with your meat and potatoes?

Food together is a meal. Have a great holiday!!

Can I ask why you are choosing heavy apps rather than a meal? I love apps but my husband always complains that it's not filling enough. I think you are going to end up with more work and people will still go home unsatisfied.

Anonymous wrote:I would consider serving Italian beef sandwiches in a crockpot along with other apps for the guys

What do the girls/ladies/women get extra?

OP, what you have isn't a meal or even an appetizer spread or heavy appetizers. It's just...a charcuterie board.

You need a couple hot appetizers, preferably with some protein in order for it to be heavy appetizers.

If you want it to feel more like a meal, you should consider something like a "carving station"-- hot ham and rolls and dips/mustards.

Hot crab dip

I do this every year.

Crab claws with dipping sauce
bacon wrapped scallops
Mushroom turnovers
Caviar dip
Pigs n’ blanket
Crab cakes

I also do lots of homemade cheese dips

Anonymous wrote:I’m hosting about 16 people next week for a gift exchange! Instead of making a large meal, I plan to serve a variety of:
Cheeses (Brie, Gouda, etc)
Cured meats
Olives
Dried apricots
Sliced Apple
Grapes
Fig spread
Crudite + dip (hummus)
Crackers
Bread
Mini quiche
Mixed nuts

What are your favorite snack plate type foods - I would like this to have a lot of options so feels like a meal. Ideas?

Put all of this on a single charcuterie board.

Now select some great ideas from all the pps' suggestions. Attended a holiday potluck. Mini meatballs in a crock pot, deviled eggs, and a tin of baked ziti were a big hit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m hosting about 16 people next week for a gift exchange! Instead of making a large meal, I plan to serve a variety of:
Cheeses (Brie, Gouda, etc)
Cured meats
Olives
Dried apricots
Sliced Apple
Grapes
Fig spread
Crudite + dip (hummus)
Crackers
Bread
Mini quiche
Mixed nuts

What are your favorite snack plate type foods - I would like this to have a lot of options so feels like a meal. Ideas?

This is not a “meal.” It doesn’t qualify in any sense of the word. Plenty of people don’t want to eat fatty cheese, cured meats, and quiche. So they can have a handful of nuts, apricots, and olives?

Are you from here? Fatty cheeses and cured meats are the stuff of parties in this culture. If you don't want to eat them, at least refrain from being rude about them. But I also encourage OP to add a few more choices.