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+ servings

PARTY ON A TRAY

Course Appetizer
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

KETTLE CHIPS WITH TRUFFLE OIL & BLUE CHEESE

  • 8 ounce Kettle Chips
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon Truffle Oil
  • 6 ounce Maytag Blue Cheese

BUFFALO SHRIMP WITH CELERY STICKS

  • 1/3 cup French’s Hot Sauce
  • 3 tablespoon Butter
  • 1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1 teaspoon Fresh Dilled Chopped
  • 1 pound 16-20 count shrimp peeled, deveined and tail left on
  • Pam Cooking Spray
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 4 inch Celery Sticks cut into 4-inch sticks (can be done a dayadvance)
  • Leafy heart section of celery for garnish

PIZZA SKEWERS

  • 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon Oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon Paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon Fennel
  • 3 oz. Mozzarella cut into 8 cubes
  • 16 slices Pepperoni
  • 8 Cherry Tomatoes
  • 8 Queen Green Olives with Pimento
  • 16 leaves Flat Leaf Parsley
  • 8 4 inch Skewers

BEER CHEESE DIP WITH SOFT PRETZELS, BROCCOLI & CAULIFLOWER

  • Beer Cheese Dip
  • 2 tablespoon Butter
  • 2 tablespoon Flour
  • 1 cup Beer I used Sparkle
  • 1 teaspoon Spicy IPA mustard whole grain or any whole grain Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon Parsley dried
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne
  • 3 cups Sharp Cheddar shredded (8 ounce block of cheddar)
  • 4 Frozen Pretzels
  • 3 cups Broccoli Flowerets one broccoli head
  • 3 cups Cauliflower Flowerets 1/2 a cauliflower head

Instructions

KETTLE CHIPS WITH TRUFFLE OIL & BLUE CHEESE

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread ½ the chips on a baking sheet, drizzle with ½ the oil, top with ½ of the blue cheese. Repeat a second layer on top. Bake for 8 until the cheese has melted.

BUFFALO SHRIMP WITH CELERY STICKS

  • Heat the hot sauce, butter and lemon juice over low heat. Whisk to incorporate butter. Once heated, add the fresh dill. *Can be done a few days in advance and refrigerated.
  • Peel and deveined shrimp. Dry with a paper towel. In a small bowl, toss shrimp with the salt, pepper and garlic.
  • Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is heated, spray with Pam. Add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook on one side for 3 minutes. Flip the shrimp and cook on the other side for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Add the sauce to the pan of shrimp, tossing to coat shrimp in hot sauce.

PIZZA SKEWERS

  • Heat the oil to 145 degrees. Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Add the herbs and allow to infuse for a couple hours. Pizza Oil is good for 30 days, unrefrigerated.
  • Note: I used leftover pizza infused olive oil to make a sauce less pizza. It was delicious! Or, drizzle on bread and top with Parmesan. Broil, for toasted pizza bread.
  • Skewer tomato, 1 leaf parsley, 1 slice pepperoni, 1 cube mozzarella, 1 slice pepperoni, 1 leaf parsley, 1 olive. Repeat on each skewer. Drizzle with pizza oil.
  • You can substitute fresh cherry size mozzarella balls for the regular chunked mozzarella.

BEER CHEESE DIP WITH SOFT PRETZELS, BROCCOLI & CAULIFLOWER

  • In a 2-3 quart saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Let bubble for 5 minutes (don’t allow to brown). Slowly add the beer, whisking constantly to avoid clumps. Add mustard, Worcestershire, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne and parsley.
  • Slowly add the cheese, stirring to incorporate as it melts. Serve warm. Or refrigerate for up to 7 days. If you are preparing ahead of time, you may want to add a little water or beer if the dip becomes too thick.
  • Heat the pretzels according to the package’s direction. Serve dip with pretzels, broccoli and cauliflower.

Notes

AHEAD OF TIME
1. Make Pizza Oil (good for 30 days unrefrigerated)
2. Make the Beer Cheese Dip (good for 7 days refrigerated)
3. Make the Buffalo Sauce (good for 7 days refrigerated…add the fresh dill when reheating)
4. Make Pizza Skewers (can be done one day ahead)
5. Cut celery sticks, broccoli flowerets and cauliflower (can be done one day ahead)
30 MINUTES BEFORE
1. Reheat Beer Cheese Dip
The cheese dip will heat up faster if it’s at room temperature, but you can reheat when it’s cold. Reheat on low. Be sure to continually whisk the dip while its reheating so it doesn’t separate.
2. Make Hot Sauce for Buffalo Shrimp
If you’re reheating, whisk to reincorporate the butter into the sauce.
3. Sauté shrimp and toss in sauce (keep warm)
4. Heat Kettle Chips with Truffle Oil & Blue Cheese
5. Heat Pretzels
*Both the kettle chips and the pretzels can be heated at the same time. 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
TOUCH DOWN…
TRAYING UP THE PARTY
Use a sheet pan that is 18 inches by 13 inches or something close to that. To complete the look, you want to make sure you cover every inch of the sheet pan with food. Snug food close to edges as well. I used the broccoli, cauliflower and celery to cover the areas around the other food.
To add some heights, I garnished the beer cheese dip with chives and placed celery leaves in the center of the tray.
No two trays will ever look alike. The fun part is to let your creativity guide you.
I love the concept of a “Party on a Tray”. You can take this same concept and use all sorts of different food: Chicken Wings, Salami, Cheese Chunks, Breadsticks, Hummus & Pita Chips, Nachos. Whatever you want to serve, put it all on one tray and let your imagination run wild!