Party Time Saver - Trader Joe's Cocktail Party

Before I had Reed the thought of serving anything but homemade food at one of my parties was out of the question.  Recently I was reading through some old magazines on the hunt for party designs and inspiration and I stumbled upon a piece on southern luncheons by Tobi Fairley, a designer based in Little Rock.  She says her biggest time-saver is to purchase food from your favorite restaurant or premade from the grocery, serve on your prettiest dishes and no one will be the wiser.

Now, I don't really want to pull the wool over my guests eyes, but the thought of being able to eliminate cooking at one of my parties (or at least part of it) is great.  The cleaning and decorating can be done in the days leading up to the party after Reed goes to sleep or when he is taking a nap, but the cooking not so much.

So when I was doing the grocery shopping at Trader Joe's I saw all this great stuff that I would serve at a summer cocktail party.  And not much preparation required!

This would be so pretty on a pewter plate with assorted crackers and short breads.

Cheap hummus!  I would add some fresh cilantro, chopped sun-dried tomatoes or basil as a garnish.

Smoked salmon with capers are always good.

These sweets would be great served with some sweet dipping sauces.

And who can forget the wine at Trader Joe's?  So many great options for low prices - there is much more to choose from than two buck chuck!

I just might have to have some friends over for this little soiree soon!  What is your biggest party time saver?