Trader Joe's Party Food?

[aching]

I know there are no shortage of TJ's threads on this site, but I didn't see one that was specific to party food. I'm having about 30 people over in a couple weeks and was wondering if there were any appetizer-ish, finger-food-ish things that anyone would specifically recommend from TJ's. My SO dies for the hummus, so we'll definitely have that, and probably chips and salsa - what else should we get?

[Carrie 218]

I used to do a lot of parties with their frozen appetizers:

Mushroom tartlets
Spanikopita triangles
Escargot in Brioche
Phyllo-wrapped shrimp
Crab Cakes
etc.

[aching]

Okay, so I've compiled everyone's suggestions and come up with the following lists:

REFRIGERATED
hummus
salsa
feta dip
onion dip
marinated mozzarella balls
pesto sundried tomato torta
cranberry gorgonzola torta
fiesta dip
stilton cheese with cranberry
blue cheese pecan dip
chive yogurt dip
old amsterdam aged gouda
peach salsa
artichoke bruschetta

FROZEN:
pot stickers
spanikopita
mushroom turnovers
chicken coconut curry spring rolls
spinach and artichoke dip
mini-seafood crab cakes
tarte d'alsace

OTHER:
chips
ginger dipping sauce
green curry simmer sauce
blue-cheese stuffed olives
greek dolmes
sesame thin crisps
guacamole chips

I'm going to take the complete list to the store and see what's available. Thanks for the help!

[ExercisetoEat]

Maybe you've already headed to the store, but thought I'd let you know that the peach salsa isn't in the refrigerated section, and the blue-cheese stuffed olives are. (Just so you aren't wandering the aisles) =)

[aching]

Thanks! I had to guess at some of them, and I do have a bad habit of wandering the aisles at TJ's!

[brendastarlet]

The little frozen beef and chicken tacos are a snap to prepare (I put them in towel paper and microwave them.)

[aching]

If anyone's interested, this is what I ended up serving, and it all went over very well!

REFRIGERATED:
Mediterraneous hummus
roasted tomato salsa
pico de gallo salsa
marinated mozzarella balls
chive yogurt dip
blue-cheese stuffed olives

FROZEN:
shrimp gyoza
vegetable gyoza
chicken lemongrass stix

OTHER:
organic tortilla chips
gyoza dipping sauce
assorted crackers
pretzel sticks
salt & pepper Kettle Chips

Of particular popularity seemed to be the hummus and the yogurt chive dip - but all of it pretty much disappeared by the end of the party. I bought some of the other recommended things but didn't end up serving them - but they will be eaten! Thanks again for all the recs!

[Emme]

Too late now, but for future...

love that sundried tomato pesto torta!
raw cheeses
gruyere and emmantaler
won ton chips
chicken shu mai
Orange chicken--served on toothpicks or with 'em
Turkey meatloaf cut in individual bites (fridge section) or turkey meatballs (frozen)
Cinnamon Pita crisps

[gyozagirl]

What perfect timing- I'm heading to my nearby TJ's after work to pick up a few items for a BBQ party I'm going to tomorrow, and now I have new items to check out :-) The frozen spinach and artichoke dip that someone else already mentioned has always gone over well, as well as the guacamole chips. My friends also really liked the ready-made bruschetta from TJ's that I put out in place of salsa, with pita chips for one party.

[bulavinaka]

The bruschettas are quite good. I prefer the artichoke variety as it's a bit lower on the acid scale... goes well with alot of things... I've even mixed it with potatoes when making croquettes...

[ExercisetoEat]

I always go for their blue-cheese stuffed olives, Old Amsterdam aged Gouda served on the mutligrain california flatbread, the Greek dolmes from the jar, and the sesame thin crisps to dip in the hummus. Another fun thing to do if they have the mini-bell peppers is to cut off the tops and stuff them with a seasoned cream cheese filling. Their peach salsa is one of the best things ever (imho). The options are almost endless at TJ's.

[Amuse Bouches]

The Tarte D'Alsace would be great cut into strips. They also have pretty good party meatballs that take well to sauce. I like a lot of their dips -- the blue cheese pecan is good with crackers, and the chive yogurt is excellent for veggies.

[Tehama]

I've had good luck with the frozen Mini-Seafood Crab Cakes that come 12 to a pack.

[jessicheese]

The fiesta dip is awesome. So is the frozen spinach and artichoke dip. The cheeses are always great to put out. I love the stilton with cranberry.

I also like to cut the frozen pizzas in thin slices to serve.

[mcmama]

I like thier chicken coconut curry spring rolls (freezer section) and I bake them and cut them on an angle(pretty presentation) and serve them with TJ's green curry simmer suace warmed. Do NOT buy the lemon grass spring rolls, they are gross.

[ccbweb]

I second all of this recommendation.

[bunnyluv24]

Try the Vegetable Bird's Nest. It's in the frozen aisle and all you do is bake it until it's crispy and serve with the accompanying sauce. I also like the Mushroom Turnovers(also frozen), but everyone isn't a fan of mushrooms. The Marinated Mozzarella Balls are great to have on hand, alone or with with slices of fresh baguette. I almost forgot my favorite and this has always been a hit for me, the Pesto Sundried Tomato or Cranberry Gorgonzola Torta. It's a molded round base of cream cheese, topped with either pesto & sundried tomatoes or the gorgonzola cheese with tart dried cranberries. All you do is invert it onto a plate and serve with crackers.

[Oh Robin]

They sell the little Okami sushi packs which will always do in a pinch. Also I recommend ALL of their chips. Bean chips, black bean chips, salt & vinegar, plain kettle style... all delish with either their salsa, garlic hummus or onion dip. (yes it's just like Lipton). Great dried fruit and nuts and a good selection of cheeses.

[mojoeater]

TJ's has a feta dip that is great. I think it's got roasted peppers in it. My SO loves their frozen bags of pot stickers, and they have a ginger dipping sauce in the jarred aisle. Their frozen spanikopita's not bad either.