Need help with party menu

[RevDahlia]

Since we've been in Austin, we've met all kinds of really nice, fun people who have helped us out in a big way, so I decided that we have to throw them a party. I wanted to have a real party, with good food and decor and a theme and stuff, and it will be the first such party that I've ever thrown -- most of my previous parties have been BYOB deals where the sole available activities were hooking up with random people, disgracing oneself, and trying not to get caught vomiting into houseplants.

After some thought, I decided that this will be a Return of the Bats Voodoo Party. In late March, the bats (http://www.batcon.org/discover/congress.html) return to Austin, with much fanfare. The party will be timed to coincide with the bats. The theme will not be serious voodoo, but sorta New Orleans kitsch/horror movie/pop-culture voodoo, with a dash of Santeria in there to keep things geographically pertinent.

I'm kind of stuck on the menu, though, and here's where I was hoping you guys could help me out. Here are the criteria:
Food items must not require a knife, fork or spoon; little plates, cocktail napkins and skewering devices will be provided
They must not drip
Ideally they may be prepared some time in advance
They should be of Caribbean, Creole, Cajun, African or West Indian pedigree, or be totally inauthentic but evocative of those places
They should be relatively cost-effective
They should be pretty

Here is what I have so far:
Devilish Nut Mix (mixed nuts, roasted with honey and pulverized ancho chilies -- absolutely delicious)
Crab Remoulade Cups (take quartered spring-roll skins, brush with oil, mold into mini-muffin tins, bake until crisp, then fill with lump crabmeat and remoulade sauce and some kind of festive garnish)
Trough O' Shrimp -- big ol' bowl of shrimp, with peanut and cocktail sauce and wasabi mayonnaise for dipping
Spicy chicken wings of some description (anyone got a good recipe?)
Fried plantain nibbles
Something involving black beans?

I am stuck on dessert, a vegetarian option, and probably another nibble that doesn't involve seafood (lots of people are deathly allergic.) We are expecting about 40 people, but the party will be held quite late -- starting at 9 -- so we'll assume everyone has already eaten and won't need a whole meal's worth of food.

As for beverages, we will be providing Red Stripe beer and a rum punch of some description. (Again: anybody got a good recipe for rum punch? I'm stymied.)

And as a special prize for everyone who read this far, here is how you make a

Glowing Punch Bowl

You need:

One large plastic painter's bucket
A saw (hack, band or jig, but not chain)
Opaque spraypaint in a pertinent color
A Tap-Lite with batteries (you see these things advertised on late-night cable, but they are also available at Home Despot. They're round and about 9" in diameter, and if you wallop them they light up.)
A clear plastic punch bowl

Transparent punch
Ice ring (optional but very desirable)

You do:

Saw off the bucket 5" from the bottom. Paint it a color that fits your party decor and allow to dry. Wedge the Tap-Lite into the bottom of the bucket. Tap the light so it GLOWS! Place the punch bowl on top. Fill with punch and add ice ring. Isn't that pretty? Serve alongside an ice bucket, ladle etc.

This is most beautiful when presented in a darkened area.

[TomJoe]

I don't think you can ever go wrong with fruit and a dip.

Here is a quick and easy dip recipe from Real Cajun Recipes (dot Com) (http://www.realcajunrecipes.com/).

8 ounce package of softened cream cheese
1 can sweet condensed milk
1 tsp lemon juice

Mix. Chill. Serve.

[wei yau]

Spicy chicken wings of some description (anyone got a good recipe?)


Hmm, well Carribbean jerk chicken wings come to mind. I don't have any to recommend, as I've never made them. They seem dead easy, especially if you use a pre-packaged seasoning mix.

Here's one from Food Network, I like it for no reason other than it's been provided by "The Chicken Man"

Jerk Chicken Wings (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_8826,00.html)

You can find jerk seasoning here (http://www.jamaicathings.com/customer/jerk_seasoning.htm)

But, of course, you'll have to call them "Bat Wings"

[RevDahlia]

I don't think you can ever go wrong with fruit and a dip.

Here is a quick and easy dip recipe from Real Cajun Recipes (dot Com) (http://www.realcajunrecipes.com/).

8 ounce package of softened cream cheese
1 can sweet condensed milk
1 tsp lemon juice

Mix. Chill. Serve.
Wow. That's a great idea. Maybe a touch of vanilla too, and some lemon or lime zest? Thanks, TomJoe!

[livius drusus]

I've only had this once from a Whole Foods sample table and would have loved it had it not been for the (:yuck: ) cilantro infestation, so I figure it'll be perfect for you. I'm not sure how topical it is, but ballpark.

Spicy Black Bean Dip

2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tblsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbslp fresh grated ginger
1 Tblsp tomato paste
1 tsp ground cumin (toast the seeds first and mortar & pestle them for optimal deliciousness)
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Louisiana red hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or fresh basil
2 scallions, sliced
1 can (19 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup coarsely chopped tomato

In small saucepan of simmering water, cook garlic for 3 minutes to blanch. Drain well. In food processor or large mortar & pestle, combine garlic, lime juice, ginger, tomato paste, cumin, chili powder, salt, hot pepper sauce, and 2 Tbslp of water and process/pestle until blended. Add cilantro, scallions, and beans and process with on/off pulses or lightly pestle until combined but still chunky. Transfer dip to serving bowl and stir in tomato.

I vote warm whole wheat chapatis as the dipping items, some crunchy, some foldable. :yup:

[LadyShea]

For a veggie dish, seems to me you could use blackening seasoning on eggplant and that would be tatsy, or gumbo minus meat. Just a thought.

[livius drusus]

P.S. - That glowing punch bowl looks fabulous.

[RevDahlia]

Sorry I ducked out on my own thread, guys -- my computer is mad at me for some reason.

All these suggestions look fabulous. I am so, so doing the jerk chicken Bat Wings, with the suggested name too.
For a veggie dish, seems to me you could use blackening seasoning on eggplant and that would be tatsy, or gumbo minus meat. Just a thought.
The eggplant is an idea worth trying, although it will mean involving a grill (I have a hard time getting eggplant sufficiently crispy in a skillet.) I did consider the gumbo in my initial planning, but it drips and involves implements... maybe I could put it in wonton cups, like the remoulade?
P.S. - That glowing punch bowl looks fabulous.
Oh, it is. I made one for a Burning Man fundraiser last year. We made two other kinds of punch which were served in non-glowing bowls; the glowing punch was a pretty nauseating concoction involving blue curacao, but I put star fruit in the ice ring and the result was so beautiful that the icky blue punch went twice as fast as the tastier, non-glowing versions.