3 Year Olds Birthday Party - Oxford,MI

We did subs/pizza from Buscemi's and I had a couple people bring salads.. fruit or whatever else and it was easy and perfect!! And pretty cheap..

I see someone already mentioned mastacolli, which is very easy...any pasta really will work. Pasta, marinara, and then a meat - ground beef or sausage. Or you could do a white sauce and chicken and veggies, depending on the price range you are going for. Pastas can be made ahead and then warmed in the oven before serving.
BBQ usually goes over well - pulled beef, pork or chicken works. Easy to do on your own, or you can buy it pre-made.
And then you could also do deli sandwiches...not sure if you want something cold, but sometimes that can get pricey...depending on what you can find.
Burgers wouldn't be too bad for 40 ppl...if you grill them ahead of time (cook a little under) and then warm them in the oven with a little water in the bottom of the pan before the party. Chicken breasts can be done the same way.
Good luck!

How about Pizza. You could get the big size and then some smaller sizes and set them up on the table to look like Mickey Mouse!

Since your grill will already be in use...chicken breast is always very easy. You can make them thin...either by pounding or fileting....marinate them in Italian dressing or a home made marinade overnight or for a few days. They will grill up fast being that they are thin.

Or as mentioned before pasta is easy and cheap. On hot days I usually opt for Pasta Primavera. It's so easy and fast and inexpensive. All you need to do is saute garlic in olive oil, toss in a bunch of veggies (frozen or fresh) I usually use broccoli, caulifour, sometimes peas or snow peas, squash is good zuccini too, pretty much any veggie you would like. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss it all with some ti-colored pasta and you are done!

If you aren't concerned with price ribs are always pretty easy and well recieved. To cut back on time while cooking for a crowd I usually boil mine in a big pot filled with water and a bit of white vinegar (sometimes I salt the water too but not too much). Then I toss them in a bit of olive oil and bake for a bit, coat them with BBQ then bake again to thicken the sauce. Very yummy.

If you have multiple crocl pots on hand or can get a few brisket is great too. I get a pack of two at Sam's Club or Costco...sometimes they have only flank steak but this works just as well. Rub them with garlic salt, onion salt, and liquid smoke, let 'em sit over night in the fridge (covered). Then cook them in the crock pot. Slice or shred (depends on how low you cook 'em) and put them back into the pot. Then add lemon and brown sugar to your bbq sauce and heat it until sugar dissolves. Pour it on the meat and people can serve themselves right from the crock pots! It will keep the meat warm for you. I like to serve mine with rolls, corn, and garlic mashed potatoes...but the meat is the main attraction!

Hope you have a fun party with your family!

Hi Lola,
I would recommend doing a taco bar! I know there is a lot of prepping for something like this, but going to a place like GFS can help with that. Also, you could go to the deli in your local grocery store, and ask for there party planners. I used to work in one and some of the most popular trays are the friut, veggie, and sandwitch. If you think you might want them to do some trays for you, I would recommend that you put in your order a least 2 days ahead of time. This is a great time saver, but could get a little pricey. Most of the party planners have pictures, and discriptions so it's easy to recreated them yourself.
Hope this helps in your planning. Have a great party.
C. O.

Every party we have we always serve Gordons Food Service mac and cheese- no matter what the other food. It goes over very well with the little ones as well as the adults. You can buy it for about $7-$8 at Gordons. They sell a Stouffers brand as well but the Gordons one is cheaper and slightly bigger. Just had my daughters 3rd b-day party yesterday and served 2 trays of it along with corn on the cob, dogs, brats, fruit salad and chips. Had about 25-30 people.
Have Fun!!

2 things I've done for big crowds are pork loin and strips of chicken breasts to put on a salad. You can often get those whole pork loins on sale and also boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Either way, you could do a salad bar. Both can be done in the oven ahead of time or on the grill. I'd serve the chicken cold though. Sloppy Joes are also OK but, if your family is anything like mine, many of us are eating healthy and losing weight, so lean meat would be a better choice with a big salad & some light and regular dressing choices. Both would allow you to fix the meat ahead of time and not have to be occupied with cooking at the party. With the pork loin, I rub some spices on it and roll it in plastic wrap for several hours before laying it uncovered on cookie cooling racks set on cookie sheets or broiling or lasagna pans. You can do quite a few at a time but allow plenty of time.

Lola,

For the last few years we've been doing pizza. It's quick, cheap and easy. Jets has a party sized pizza (30 pieces) that is very affordable at $20.00.

There aren't many people that don't like pizza and you don't have to worry about making anything but the sides.

I hope this helps.

C.

Our usual birthday meal has been ham or chicken with cheesy potatoes, and salads. We were trying to think of a meal that would be less expensive, so we actually had a Mexican Bar similiar to Linda W.. Our invitee ages ranged from 1yr old to 83 years old and the menu worked well. It was a very simple menu. I am planning on doing this again. We received a lot of compliments.

Here is the menu:
Taco seasoned beef : I made this in advance and kept it warm in a crockpot
Soft and hard taco shells
All the fixins: cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, taco sauce
Tortilla Chips with Salsa and melted cheese
Taco Salad made with Chicken instead of beef with Ranch and Catalina dressing on the side
Fruit tray
Spanish Rice

Wishing you the best on your menu and B-day Party.

What about Chicken Breasts & Chicken Legs for the smaller ones. You could marinate the breasts & then grill. Not too expensive. Another is mostacolli w/salads.

How about a Mexican Fiesta? We do this a lot for large groups (we had this for our 4th of July party!) and it is always a hit.

Make the meat ahead of time and put in crock pot (make a little extra moist so it doesn't dry out during your party). You can also put out a crock pot of refried beans, chorizo (Mexican sausage) or whatever else you think your gang would like. (I have a big roaster that has three sections for serving multiple warm items...it was a great deal at Wal-Mart and comes in handy at least a few times a year...plus friends and family borrow it, too! If you don't have one, maybe someone you know has one you could borrow?)

Cut up all other fixins ahead of time and make a "taco bar." (lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese, etc.) You can put out hard taco shells, soft taco shells, tortilla chips, etc. and everyone can sort of do their own thing. We also do this about once every week at our house...it is probaby our favorite meal!

Have a great time!
L.

What about deli type of sandwiches? You could make up trays of ham, turkey, etc with different cheeses and condiments that would be cost effective for a lot of people, good for an afternoon party and EASY!!!

You could do hot dogs for the kids and sub for adults. Chicken from chicken shack, Pizza.

My son is four, and for every birthday party we've done Jets pizza. I make a couple side salads and call it a day. Since you want to be able to ENJOY the party TOO, this is the easiest way to go. We've had about that many people at his partys, and only spent about $60 to $70 in pizza. Considering what you'll spend on grilled food (and the hassle for whoever has to stand there and cook it), you actually come out a little cheaper this way with MUCH less fuss. Plus, everyone likes pizza and its easy enough for the kids.

Best way to go is to call the manager of whatever pizza place you opt for, tell him/her how many people are attending (and how many adults vs kids). They'll let you know exactly what you need. I've never been steered wrong YET by doing this. But figure AT LEAST two pieces per adult, one per kid (except older kids, figure TWO). When I've had a lot of dads, I factor that in too and estimate THREE pieces for them (we ALL know daddys eat ALOT more).