I absolutely love entertaining.  Love it!  But sometimes the thought of making a 3 course meal for 8 is exhausting.  That is when I turn to the French for inspiration on effortless entertaining.  They have a term for “snack dinner”.  It’s called l’apero dinatoire.  I liken it to “heavy hors d’oeuvres” where you don’t know if it is cocktail hour or dinner, or both!

There are 5 things that I like to serve when I entertain this way.  All are delicious, require very little effort and can be prepared ahead of time so all you have to do is heat it in the oven before guests arrive.

1.  Mushroom and blue cheese crostini – it is just mushrooms, fresh thyme and onions sauteed in butter then served atop baguette rounds and sprinkled with blue cheese.  Pop them in the oven to warm them up and melt the cheese right before guests arrive.
2. Thinly sliced beef – It doesn’t get much easier than this.  Cook up a couple of fillets, thinly slice them and arrange on a platter.  Serve with some horseradish sauce.  They can be served warmed or cold.
3. Baked brie – Slice off the rind of a brie wheel, place in a small baking dish and drizzle with honey.  Bake until it is warm and gooey.  Serve with baguette rounds and assorted vegetable crudité.  
4. Shrimp cocktail – you can buy this pre-made and if you put in on your own plate, nobody will ever know.
5. Frozen mini quiches – my favorite are from Trader Joe’s.  But any larger grocery store will have them in the frozen food section.

Set up a bar and have plenty of wine.  Everyone will have a great time, snack throughout the evening, and go home satisfied.  The best part is, you will get to enjoy your party too!