How to Make a Party Tray
Don't buy party platters when it's so easy to make your own. Use your party trays as decorations, as well as tasty nibbles for your guests. Arrange appetizers, heavy hors d'oeuvres, sandwich fixings and desserts on attractive party trays. Prepare your party food in advance. Assign someone to keep an eye on the party trays and refill them as needed. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Platters or trays
- Small bowls
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Meats
- Cheeses
- Crackers
- Desserts
- Lettuce
- Paper doilies
- Cupcake liners
Instructions
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Decide whether your party trays will serve as pre-meal snacks or the main event. Use lighter foods if you plan to serve a meal; examples include fruits, veggies, cheese and crackers. Otherwise, serve heavier foods, such as meatballs, chicken fingers and hamburger sliders, so your guests don't go home hungry.
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Prepare the food. Wash and dry vegetables and fruits. Slice cheeses, veggies and fruits into one- or two-bite pieces. Cook miniature pizzas, meatballs, sliders and chicken fingers. Bake cupcakes, cookies or lemon bars. Make cake balls, fudge or candy.
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Garnish fruit, veggie and meat trays with washed and dried lettuce. Use paper lace doilies for dessert trays.
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Pour dips or dressings into small bowls. Place them in the center of your party trays.
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Arrange the food on your party platters. Fold sliced deli meats. Overlap meat and cheese slices for sandwiches. Place rolls or croissants on a separate tray. Arrange a variety of cheeses on a platter with crackers; place green and purple grapes in the center of your cheese tray for a splash of color.
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Arrange strawberries, pineapple slices, blueberries, raspberries and melon balls on deeper party trays or use a hollowed-out watermelon for a fruit bowl.
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Place bite-size desserts in pretty cupcake liners before arranging them on your trays.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't mix salty and sweet foods on the same platter, except for fruits and cheeses.
Use toothpicks to secure small sandwiches.
Have a separate platter for salty and sweet foods (aside from the fruits and cheeses), as often times the tastes do not mix well together.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images
