Fresh Ideas for a Couples Shower aka Cocktail Party Needed Please!

Tracy, have a great party. Many hands make work light! :-)

Set up a buffet with grilled sliced beef tenderloin with several breads, a bowl of shrimp, smoked salmon platter and a cheese board.

Thanks everyone so much for your suggestions! I think I'm going to combine many of your suggestions. I'm going to call my caterer to see if she can prepare a few different items instead of the full service. Then I'm going to call on my mama and see can help. Then I'll come back and fill in the gaps with the menu. Your food ideas have inspired me. Thank you! Feel free to keep them coming!

How about a taco bar . It's easy and quick to put together for a large number people. It's also pretty quick to put together burritos for 40. The issue there may be having enough oven space to cook them all. That may not be formal enough for your event - I never have formal events.
Is there another guest you can ask to either bring a dish or come over and help you cook?

You might want to find another caterer. It’s not easy to provide food for 40 on a short schedule! For a more upscale event, you want to have a few hot things and unless you have two ovens or steam trays yourself, that’s not easy.

Anyway, here are a bunch of ideas – just ideas – not that you should serve all of them! Some require the oven.


Beef Filet Skewers
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Beef-Skewers-236914

Anchovy Puffs
https://food52.com/recipes/15331-anchovy-puffs

Pub Gougeres with Anchovy and Cayenne
https://food52.com/recipes/17788-pub-gougeres-with-anchovy-and-cayenne

Crispy Spice-Brined Pecans
https://food52.com/recipes/7334-crispy-spice-brined-pecans

Creamy Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms
https://food52.com/recipes/3110-creamy-sausage-stuffed-mushrooms

Spinach, Feta and Artichoke Dip
https://food52.com/recipes/9002-spinach-feta-and-artichoke-dip

Shrimp Spring Rolls with Hoisin Dipping Sauce
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/shrimp-spring-rolls-with-hoisin-dipping-sauce

Have a great party!

I fall back on gougères a lot. They're delicious, beautiful, and somewhat fancy but are still finger foods (and they go well with sparkling wine).
Gravlax on very thinly sliced black bread or buckwheat blinis with a little crème fraîche, cucumber or minced pickled beet, and chopped dill.
Savory palmiers with store-bought puff pastry and a filling of blue cheese, toasted walnuts, and finely chopped dried figs.
Belgian endive leaves filled with good things like crab or lobster salad, a fruit-nut-cheese mixture; or you could make a dip of some kind and have the endive leaves for dipping.
A really nice crudité platter is always good. The sad thing about crudités is that people usually buy them in plastic containers from the supermarket and you get dried out carrots, stringy celery, and flavorless cherry tomatoes. If you get really awesome produce, you can make a gorgeous crudité platter. French breakfast radishes, romanesco florets, asparagus tips, fennel slivers, celery hearts with leaves, tiny carrots (if you can find them; and I'm not talking about "baby" carrots), blanched haricots verts, etc. Serve with aïoli.
Stuffed and baked mushrooms. I love the combination of leeks and mushrooms, and I've used creamed leeks in this application before. Top with a good melting cheese of your choice and bake or broil until browned.

The trick with canapés is to make them the size that is one bite! Then you guests don't spill any crumbs or food on their nice clothes.
Last week I made the following the night before:
Smoked salmon roll ups - take two packages of plain goat cheese, soften to room temp and mix in a tablespoon or two of liquid honey. Take a small amount (1/2 T) and shape into an oval about 1" long. Roll a piece of smoked salmon over it to cover the cheese (but not the edges).
With a mandolins make some long slices of English cucumber (toss the first slice that is all skin away). Slice thin enough to see through it. Wrap around the salmon cheese log and secure with a nice looking toothpick. If you make long slices of cucumber you can cut to a length of 4 or 5 inches. The trick is to slice only until you get to the seeds, then turn and use the other "meat" side ... You will find the cucumber slices nicely in thirds.
Wrap in plastic overnight in the fridge.
Bring out an hour before serving so the are cool, not cold.

I have a couple questions that may make giving food suggestions a little easier:
What kinds of foods do the couple like? Also, how many people are going to be there? And is this a laid back or more formal affair?

Here's the rest of my message: Due to unexpected bus travel, I have limited time and my favorite caterer is booked. I'm looking for ideas for a cohesive menu that will satisfy the men too, but I do not want football food. Since hors d'oeurves are time consuming to make, a light meal may be better.

I can't seat everyone so food needs to be easy to eat and not messy when standing.