I’m a firm believer that you should never go to any ones house empty handed. Â My mom taught me that and it’s stuck with me. Even my husband now remembers to always take something with him. Â AND it doesn’t mean that you have to go out and buy something!!!
Now, everyone LOVES hummus, so I find it easy to whip up a batch of hummus, put it in a nice tupperware, drizzle it with some olive oil and paprika and take it with me. If I happen to have pita bread or pita chips, I’ll take those along too. Or if you’re invited to lunch, you can just take it in a tupperware and then serve it in a nice plate when you get there, just don’t forget to take your garnish with you, and just let that person know that you’re bringing hummus and if they have some olive oil to spare. I mean, you don’t want olive oil spilling all over your car.  You can even get fancy and make a different flavored hummus, check out the variety of different recipes on my site.  Best of all, hummus is great as a snack, a side dish, or an appetizer. 
If you’re looking for something to take with you that’s more along the salad/fresh angle, then I’d shoot for a caprese salad.  It’s fresh, light, and super easy to assemble with minimal ingredients.  You can actually buy the ingredients and take them with you to put together when you get there.  You need fresh mozzarella that stored in water/brine, or if you can find buffalo mozzarella that would be even better. Then you need some good firm, yet ripe, red tomatoes.  Find some fresh basil, but if you can’t find fresh basil, look for ready made pesto.  You’ll need some good extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and if you like a reduced balsamic vinegar.  Some people like vinegar with their caprese salad and some don’t. I like to drizzle a little bit of reduced balsamic vinegar on top.  Just slice up the tomatoes and mozzarella and layer them nicely on a plate, if you have fresh basil leaves then layer that in too, drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and that’s it!
And if you’re looking  to take a dessert that will impress, then I’d go for some baklava. It’s not hard to make and you can really get creative and show off your baking skills.  There are a few different types of baklava, depending on what you like. Some people like to use walnuts, some like to use pecans, or peanuts, or even cashews.  You can add chocolate, or even cinnamon to the baklava layers.  You can top with pretty green ground pistachios, or leave it without.  Either way you make it, I’m sure everyone will be impressed.
Find all these recipes at www.DedeMed.com
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