Select-a-sammy
Sometimes the easiest ideas are also the smartest. A well-stocked panini bar is the hero of the party over at Giggles Galore. Set up the ingredients, and let your guests DIY their sandwich selections cold-cut style, or fired up on the panini grill.
Banana pops
Um. What? Let’s round up all of this stuff right now, and we’ve got some yummy bar food. Bakers Royale won our hearts (and stomachs) over with this banana pops bar idea. Be the sleepover superhero — there’s at least one serving of fruit under it all, right?
Bubbly bar
A mimosa bar is always a good idea. La Mia Vita sets up an enchanting station perfect for an outdoor gathering (the handwritten labels are such a special touch!). For the kiddos, use sparkling water and colorful fruit to add a little fancy to their juice.
Chips & dips
A simple setup of assorted salsas and chips works great if you’re planning a shindig in a pinch. Reality and Retrospect shows us how to organize the options — what about a blind taste test and scorecards to generate some debate?
Tricky pizza
Thriving Home has an idea for kicking up the sweet factor with mini dessert pizzas. Sweet cookie crusts topped with cream cheese frosting and colorful fruit make for a party centerpiece guests will love digging in to.
Hot potatoes
When finger foods aren’t enough to satisfy the big eaters, set up a hearty baked potato bar like this stunner by Bloom Designs. Put out the typical sour cream, butter and cheese toppers, but throw in some curveballs, too. Taco toppings? Greek style? Who will make the most interesting combo?
Get yer popcorn here!
Pen N’ Paper Flowers charmed our socks off with this salty and sweet popcorn bar idea. The popular snack gets a delicate (and mysterious…) spin when kernels are covered in tasty toppings like caramel, cinnamon and chili-lime, or partnered with Reese’s Pieces.
Chili cookout
Happiness is Homemade pulls together a nice chili bar, equipped with a tower of toppings, cornbread muffins and hot dogs. Head over to the full post for printable football drink labels and a stockpot turkey chili recipe perfect for game day.
Move over, Burger King
What makes for better party food than a build-a-burger station? A Place For Us turns a routine BBQ into a culinary win with nice platters stocked with MVP burger toppers. Tiny ramekins for condiments are an easy switch. P.S. Click through to the full post for a sweet Roy Rogers recipe.
Morning in Paris
Your Homebased Mom elevates the pancake breakfast idea with a delicate crepe bar concept. Perfect “shower” food? The treats are a great feature for wedding showers, baby showers or brunches.
Budget fro-yo
If you can’t tear your children away from those mix-in yogurt shops (tasting every flavor, dumping in two pounds of toppings, syrups that don’t go together!), create an at-home version for a crowd. This recipe by One Handed Cooks uses frozen bananas as a base, with fruity mix-ins to make fun flavors. Head over to the post to see how it’s done.
