Need cheap recipes for party made from WHOLE FOODS?

please no pillsbury crescent rolls or rice crispy treats. looking for some classy food, yo.Need cheap recipes for party made from WHOLE FOODS?
Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes, Basil, and Onions





Ingredients:


1/2 cup olive oil


2 pounds tomatoes, chopped


1 onion, diced


2 cloves garlic, minced


1 pound mozzarella, cubed


basil to taste, chopped (start with 3/4 cup or so)


salt to taste


1 pound fettuccini, sea shell, or other pasta





Directions:


Put the olive oil, tomatoes, onion, mozzarella, basil, and salt in a bowl and mix together. Let stand at room temperature an hour or so.





Cook the pasta and drain, then stir into the tomato mixture.





Variation: Use cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella. Add some chopped parsley and crushed red pepper. Omit the pasta, cut down on the cheese, and serve it as a tomato salad on the side!Need cheap recipes for party made from WHOLE FOODS?
Make a nice platter of sliced tomato, mozzerlla, roasted peppers and thinly sliced proscuitto... have a little bowl of premade pesto and serve with a sliced fresh bagette...





I make this all the time and get great compliments on it!!





Its a nice twist on an antipasto
Always a big party hit, home-made salsa, guacamole and tortilla chips. Bruschetta made with the home-made salsa: just buy a bottle of garlic infused olive oil (or make your own), paint it on sliced french bread, top with the fresh salsa (or chopped tomatoes and basil), a slice of mozzerella and pop it under the broiler for a few seconds to melt the cheese.
Tortilla chips with homemade salsa
http://members.tripod.com/~lotsofinfo/


http://www.recipelink.com/





The above sites should give you anything you'd like to make, recipe amounts have to be tweaked to numbers.





Whole Foods or Scratch Cooking?


Cooking from scratch is always cheaper than using prepared food.





Martha White Buttermilk Biscuits or


Corn Bread, Corn Sticks, Hush puppies





Chile-beef, beans, tomato, spices


Meatloaf with rice, eggs, tomato sauce, oatmeal, spices





Chicken and rice or noodles with milk/onion gravy to thicken





Slaw


Green Beans


Mixed greens Salad with vinaigrette dressing





Nilla Vanilla Banana Pudding


Cold Oven Pound Cake


Fruit compote/cobbler/crisp





Beans, Potatoes, Slaw, Biscuits/cornbread





Appetizers


Hobo Stew with vegetables


Crackers, Crisp Breads


Desserts





*Aunt Bertie's Tea --great tea base, just add water





Presentation, Presentation, Presentation:


Serving dishes, table settings, linen, etc.


Garnish everything to make ';classy';


Classic however is ';Scratch';.
Many appetizer and finger foods can be made cheaply with whole foods, or organic foods.





-Finger sandwiches- they are not too expensive (bread, and filling). ex:


- Mayo-less tuna sandwiches (really good!): 6 slices bread, 6 oz. tuna, 1/2 c. celery, 4 oz. cream cheese, 2 Tbsp. fresh basil (finely chopped), 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, 1 Tbsp. sour cream, 1 Tbsp. Ricotta cheese.





Cut crust off bread, cut each slice diagonally in 4 triangles (total of 24 triangles). Prepare tuna in a bowl and mash. Cover and chill. Just prior to serving, spread mixture onto 12 triangles, top with remaining bread. Arrange on platter- serve.


(if you dont like tuna, you can make other kinds of filling.. just substitute your favorite).





- Also cut some cucumbers and top with seasoned cream cheese or salmon,





- antipasto skewers: take italian dressing and toss in large olives, cubes of mozzarella cheese, dry italian sausage, cherry tomatoes, roasted peppers- chill for 1 hour, thread onto wooden skewers, serve!





-Lots of others: Home made dips, 7 layer mexican dip, salsa..chips.. cheeseball w/ crackers, shrimp (chilled) w/ cocktail sauce..etc!





If you use good quality ingredients, you dont have to serve too much for classy, tasty app's. Good luck!