Conference turris::cooks

    How about pizza bites?  I know a lot of people appreciate an
    "appetizer" rather than junk food (chips and dip, I presume). It'll
    also fill up the folks that didn't realize they weren't getting any
    real food : )
    I use a Boboli (those pre-made, pre-seasoned pizza shells). I make 
    the following :
    
    -Mexican pizza (refried beans, salsa (mild) and jack cheese). Pop into
    the over for 10 minutes at 425.
    
    -Hawaiian pizza (heat the crust for 10 minutes at 425 until it is
    crispy, Cool. Spread with room temp. cream cheese, ham slices, and
    pineapple)
    
    -Greek pizza (thawed, squeezed spinach topped with crumbled feta cheese.
    Bake at 425 for 10 minutes.  Sometimes I throw on mushrooms and tiny
    salad shrimp)
    
    I slice these into 2 inch pieces, thus the name "Pizza Bites". You can
    also make it a traditional pizza, but I like to do something different.
    The Hawaiian is served chilled, the others go fine at room temp. Kids
    love them, adults love them.  And 3 shells go a long way once you slice
    them into small squares.  
    
    Sarah

  Out here in CA you can buy a concoction called "Swiss Mix".  It's M&M's,
peanutbutter chips (like chocolate chips only peanut taste), sunflower seeds,
peanuts, cashews, and raisins.  It goes for about $4/lb but we've made our
own for a little less...  It tends to be more M&M's, peanuts, and raisins than
the other ingredients...

Try it you'll like it...

Al

    
    	If there are going to be kids, you could do "Jell-o Jigglers".
    Recipe is in most magazines.  It takes jell-o, gelatin, and water.
    Cut in fun shapes for the kids.  And the kids are supposed to like
    the next blue jello.  They are also advertising watermelon as a 
    new flavor.
    
    	Linda
    

 We made them. Be advised that they are extremely concentrated and it's
difficult to eat more than one. Even for kids who love the sweet stuff.

    Are Jello jiglers like Knox blox?  that was a stable of mine when I was
    a kid.
    
    The recipe is simple and much more natural and tasty that that awful
    jello stuff...
    
    2 cups juice of your choice (my favorite is Cran-raspberry)
    4 envelope Knox gelatine
    sugar to taste (I never use any, but some people, especially kids,
    	like things sweeter than I do.)
    
    Mix the gelatine with 1/2 cup of the juice *cold* and let it sit. 
    Meanwhile, bring the remaining juice to a boil.  Add the dissolved
    gelatin and the sugar to the hot juice and stir till dissolved.  Pour
    into an 8x8 pan, chill till firm (a few hours) and cut into desired
    shapes.  When I was a kid, we used to then decorate them with frosting,
    candies, etc...
    
    D!

    It's gross for adults, but kids supposedly like gelatine acquariums.
    
    You make that new blue jello, then layer it in clear plastic cups with
    jelly fish.
    
    Gaudy, awful, probably a big hit with the kids.  They can trade the
    fish and the jello, depending on what the like.  What a mess.  Good for
    a picnic.
    
    Laura

 Laura's right. The jello "aquariums" are a much better hit with the kids.
Just add those gummy fish to the jello when it first starts to set.
(Gummy fish are like gummy bears.)

    
    My kids love these.....
    
              Graham Trains........
    
    You take graham crackers or cinnamon graham crackers, and white
    frosting, and Necco wafer candies, and "glue" the candies to the
    cracker to make it look like a train.  You can cut the wafers with a
    sharp knife to make various shapes.  The "glue" is the frosting.
    
    
    This can also be used to decorate the top of a birthday cake.  I have 
    pictures of the one I made for my son.  If anyone is seriously
    interested, send mail, and I can show you the pictures. Littleton, MA
    or Worcester, MA area.
    

Pigs In Blankets (cocktail franks wrapped in crescent roll dough) is
very simple and enjoyed by adults as well as kids.

Ingredients:

	2 cans crescent roll dough
	1 pkg cocktail franks or sausages

Roll out the crescent dough (each pair of triangular sections stay together
to form a rectangular shape).

Cut each rectangular shape into 4 triangle pieces (width wise).

Roll a piece of dough around each frank (rolling it lengthwise like a 
crescent roll keeping the longer point on the outside).

Bake at 375 about 10 minutes.

Simply delicious! 

    
    <--  same thing is delicious with sausages instead of hot dogs...
    Pre-cook the sausages, though.....
    
    

    
    These were my favorites as a kid.  My mom used to slice the hotdog
    lengthwise and put cheese in it before wrapping the cresent roll around
    and baking.  
    
    There great - I'll have to make them for my kids tonight!
    
    Kirsten