Box of nice chocolate truffles. The host can accept them as a hostess gift or set them out to share if she wants to.

Anonymous wrote:When I am invited to a home party, I always ask, “What can I bring?” If the hostess says “Nothing”, I would bring chocolate or flowers.

There are lots of threads on here for hostess gifts that are not food or wine and I've liked getting cocktail napkins and wine stoppers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd bring a plate of brownies on a disposable plastic plate. They can either put them out, or save them, and you don't have to worry about getting the plate back. Can include some grapes/strawberries on the plate for color if you want.

I'd stick with quality dark chocolate. My Châteauneuf-du-Pape is not washing down a brownie.

You don’t know what you’re missing.

This probably doesn't fit the etiquette. But I wanted to say that I recently tried these cheeses at a wine happy hour at a conference and was very impressed.

Sage Derby
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sage_Derby

Port Wine Derby
https://www.reddit.com/r/Cheese/comments/nbxzd2/port_wine_derby_beautiful_and_tasty/

They taste great but are pretty mainstream flavors. The sage one has a faint smell of marigold or tomato plants that's very pleasant. And the wine one just blends the flavors you get from sipping wine while eating cheese.

They look gorgeous on a fruit and cheese tray.

Maybe Cheetos pair great with wine, they are cheesy!

People who really know their caviar often prefer it served on plain old potato chips.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brownies on a disposable plate will look so low class. Find a cute ceramic tray or something at least.

For wine nights, I like to gift my host a high quality package of fancy coffee. I assume they’ll need it after a night of drinking.

Remember that episode of the office when Michael brings potato salad to the boss’s party and sets it in the middle of the beautifully catered food spread? That is what you’d look like bringing a paper plate of Betty Crocker brownies to your employer’s wine night.

DP. Do you know the OP’s boss? She could be serving Barefoot wine and a bowl of Cheetos for all we know.

OP said the boss is a bit of a wine snob. Those women are definitely going to be judgmental towards an underling making a faux pas at ladies night.

Unless she asked people to bring food potluck style to share or assigned you something to bring, a hostess gift like you’d bring to anyone’s house is a better idea than bringing a dish or drink.

A women only happy hour? I would bring a classic, inoffensive hostess gift. Some decent options are: 1. Box of truffles 2. Box of sea salt caramels 3. Nice Olive oil (like the kind a store like Olio sells), honey, or similar 4. Nice flowers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd bring a plate of brownies on a disposable plastic plate. They can either put them out, or save them, and you don't have to worry about getting the plate back. Can include some grapes/strawberries on the plate for color if you want.

I am not eating your homemade brownies - who knows what your hand-washing practices are or if you let your kids help make them or your cats walk on your kitchen counters, etc. Just no.

If OP knows her hostess well enough to go to her house and presumably eat food there, the hostess should likewise feel comfortable accepting a dish that OP prepared.

Flowers

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brownies on a disposable plate will look so low class. Find a cute ceramic tray or something at least.

For wine nights, I like to gift my host a high quality package of fancy coffee. I assume they’ll need it after a night of drinking.

Remember that episode of the office when Michael brings potato salad to the boss’s party and sets it in the middle of the beautifully catered food spread? That is what you’d look like bringing a paper plate of Betty Crocker brownies to your employer’s wine night.

DP. Do you know the OP’s boss? She could be serving Barefoot wine and a bowl of Cheetos for all we know.