When I put out a plea for appetizers that I could pre-make and/or serve in no time, I got a lot of wonderful responses. I admit that I was kind of stumped, as I have prepared apps for three events in the last month – and I wanted a new idea. Many suggested something that would only take a few minutes on the grill – but under the circumstances, the grill wouldn’t even have a flame as the guests arrived! Then “babeecakes” came to my rescue: “Cucumber sandwiches!! They may sound uppity, but I've made them before for a summer party and they were elegant, cool, refreshing, and the first item to get gobbled up that day. You can assemble them the day before provided you use thinly sliced denser white bread. Then spread one slice of bread with good quality butter, the other slice with a homemade sandwich spread (I pureed cream cheese with herbs like mint and chives and some fresh jalapeno for heat), then layer with thinly sliced cucumber. Cut into triangles and store in the fridge overnight, then just arrange on a serving tray the day of the party ” Just for “non-sogginess assurance”, I salted the sliced cukes for a while to get rid of any excess moisture. Knowing that some of our crowd would not appreciate “heat”, I then marinated the cukes in diluted rice wine vinegar (equal parts vinegar and water) just to add some “zing”. My mint looked really sad, so I opted for classic dill with a little onion and garlic powder… A couple people suggested bruschetta, and when I found out we were having steaks and lasagna, I was looking for a new spin. How about an Artichoke version! Much like the classic dip, but broiled on top of slices of baguettes. I added a couple chopped tomatoes and upped the quality of cheese when I found a blend of grated Asiago, Provolone, Fontina and Parm at my deli! Sautéing the onions in some of the marinade first helped eliminate the mayo completely, as they helped bind it all together. Just a dab of sour cream made the dish complete! Thanks for the tips – and OH! I’ve got another great one from “masterchessboxer” which I’ll share later. It sounds delightful, but wasn’t right for this menu