Make The Perfect Hostess Snack In a Flash

When you're planning and hosting a party, figuring out what to serve can be a dilemma. Whether it's an all-out dinner or not, snack foods of some kind are usually expected. It's essential to plan out a range of hostess snack foods to serve in advance, so you'll have an organized list to choose from every time you host a get together.

Go ahead, try out some of these and make note of your favorites.

Keep this master list with your other recipes and you'll always know where to find it when you're at a loss for what to serve.

Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip

This stuff disappears fast at parties! It's best complemented by pieces of French bread, tortilla chips, crackers, or even veggies such as carrot sticks.

Note: Although some variations of this recipe recommend nuts, it's safest to avoid nuts. You never know who has nut allergies.

• 2 jars marinated artichoke hearts, chopped and well-drained
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded. (Low-fat is OK, avoid nonfat because it won't melt well)
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine all the above ingredients in a nice (decorative) baking dish. Bake until hot and bubbling, about 45 minutes.

Don't forget to warn your guests that it's hot.

Sandwich Loaf

This is nothing new, considering it was a staple in the seventies. But it's a good luncheon main dish that never fails to impress.

• 1 large loaf white bread 
• 3 fillings of your choice (ham salad, egg salad, etc. are popular choices, but you could also use deli meats thinly sliced)
• 1/4 cup of softened margarine
• 2 packages of softened cream cheese
• 1/2 cup half & half Cut the crusts off the loaf of bread so that they are rectangular shaped.

Cut it into four large slices horizontally. Butter a slice of bread and lay it butter-side up on the serving platter. Spread the sandwich filling on top. Continue adding layers of buttered bread and sandwich fillings.

Now you mix together the half and half and the cream cheese to make a frosting. Thickly frost the loaf. Garnish with parsley. Slice vertically for individual servings.

Enjoy your gathering, and good luck with the perfect hostess snack!