Finger food for 'blokes'

We seem to be having lots of unexpected (well, unexpected to me at least) visitors lately. Friends of the Man, I'm calling them 'the Lost Boys', because that's basically what they are for several reasons, the main one being they lost their good mate and hang out very suddenly and unexpectedly, so our place is, well, turning into their cubby house.

Well, the Lost Boys drink (not wine), and if its not near a meal time, I like to be able to provide them with something savoury. But not expensive so that it eats into our own food budget, iykwim.

Aside from making up little sausage rolls and freezing them raw, I'm not sure what else what I can offer them.

I thought of dips (but the tubs can be exxie, don't keep anyway, and when the Man sees them in the fridge, they seem to evaporate), with toasted flat bread (I can freeze this to keep it longer). However, avocado and chick peas are out (Man doesn't like them). Except maybe if the dip made with chick peas doesn't taste like chick peas..... As for avocado, I don't think there is anyway to disguise its greenness... Do I have to keep a stock of plain yoghurt, cucumbers, and other stuff in my fridge? I have a few dip recipes, but any ideas (recipes inc.) of dips and other foods would be more than welcomed.

Gees, how 1950's do I sound??? :rolleyes: That being said, I'm not a very good entertainer.

nachos - super simple - have cornchips in hiding, jar of salsa or nacho sauce, then top with cheese and chuck it in the oven (if it's near dinner time, you can swap the corn chips with wedges - more filling - and do the same)

sausage rolls - so easy

marinated chooken wingettes/drumettes - throw them in a plastic bag to marinade, whole thing in the freezer - easy

ummmmm, trying to think what else we have on hand (DH has a few "lost boys" as well - and i HATE them drinking on an empty tum)

peanuts

the biggest suggestion i have is to HIDE the food from DH - only drag it out when the lost boys are around....

ooh - other suggestions - if you are any good at making scones - make them up and freeze them in small batches. defrost - then top with a bit of pizza sauce (tomato paste etc) bit of grated cheese, then heat in the oven. you can put salami etc on to make them more tasty, but you don't need to

lots of other simple food - but the biggest suggestion is, whatever you have, put it out of the way so DH can't snack on it while he's alone - it ONLY comes out when the boys are over!

Tzaziki is really easy - cucumber (I seed, peel and grate the long telegraph ones, then squeeze as much of the liquid out as I can, it is more traditional to have grated cucumber but you could also chop it finely), very finely chopped or minced garlic, greek yoghurt and salt. I also add a tiny bit of sugar if I've overdone the garlic, it balances it. Tastes best when it's a day old, the garlic mellows.

Hummous doesn't really taste of chickpeas, it's more the base, iykwim. Tastes better if you buy dried chickpeas and soak them, they have a nuttier flavour. Pureed chickpeas, lemon, cumin, garlic and tahini. Yum.

Baba ghanoush is char-grilled eggplant dip, is really yummy too. Can't think of a recipe off the top of my head. Beetroot dip is another good one.

What about a salsa type dip - chopped tomatoes, spanish onion or spring onion, chopped chilli and lime or lemon juice, maybe a bit of chopped coriander? Or if you have lots of tomatoes or a herb garden with lots of basil, flat bread bruchetta is really easy, toast it, rub with a garlic clove, then top with chopped tomatoes, basil and spanish onion (if you like, I prefer it without onion)

HTH!

Steamed Dim Sims, Homemade pizzas, spring rolls, meat pies just to name a few of what i see dh eating with his mates.

Oooh, thanks guys!

Hadn't thought of nachos. (Well, duh, if I had, then I probably would have included it myself :doh::doh:) I definately need to hide food like chips and dips here. If the Man doesn't get them, then Steph loves rice crackers! I like the pizza scone idea too BG, that's a great one. I do a mean scone too :rolleyes:. I don't like the boys drinking on potentially empty tummies either, which is why I like to feed them, even though the Man says that I don't need to. I feel responsible for them. OMG, does this mean I'm turning into a mother hen?? :o

And thanks for the dips Suse. Hummus, that's the stuff. I think the Man has actually eaten it, and thought it alright, even though its chickpeas.

Doh, double post!

Large turkish breads make a good cheap pizza base. You can put anything on it that you would put on a pizza - even just brush with oil, garlic and cheese then pop in the oven.

if you always have philli and sour cream thats your base for creamy dips
have a
jar of corn relish
tin of beetroot
packet of french onion soup

the flat breads are a great idea.. you can get the bread sticks too.

party pies and bits are easy as well

even just savoury slice( pizza type toppings on slices of bread) cut up...

Hi there,
I was thinking of the turkish bread as well - you could add some diced tomato, red onion and olive oil and make some bruschetta also.
Puff pastry comes in very handy as well - you could make some pizza pinwheels or parmesan cheese twists.
mini hot dogs are nice and easy - cheerios and those little bake at home bread rolls.

You sound like a wonderful nurturer - they're lucky to have you looking out for them :)