Amanda

I'm hosting a Christmas cookie exchange party this Sunday, and I need a few ideas for what to serve my guests, aside from the delicious cookies they'll be bringing! I need salty/savory snacks, as we will have plenty of sweet coming from the cookies.

So far, I'm thinking of doing:

-Li'l smokies in BBQ sauce

-Deviled eggs

-Spinach and artichoke dip

-Chips and salsa

-Cheese spreads and crackers

Is this enough, or should I serve more? Also open for different selection ideas, I want my party to be a hit and I have a high level of cooking experience, so nothing is too hard for me.

Thanks very much!

I'm looking for a recipe that has dried fruit (rather than those green and red candied cherries), not too many nuts (I'd guess maybe a 3:1 fruit to nut ratio is what I'd like), and is soaked with liquor and sits for a few weeks to gain full flavor. I want to make sure the cake will be very tasty, and will cut easily when I serve it near Christmas. I also want to make sure that the taste of the alcohol won't overpower the taste of everything else. I want it to taste of the rum/brandy, but not of the alcohol in it, if that makes sense.

I've seen Emeril's recipe for Creole fruitcake, and that is similar to what I want, but I'm curious if anyone on yahoo answers can give me something better. Thanks guys!