All-
I am planning a semi-surprise birthday party for hubby at the end of July (he knows we are having people over just not sure of the date/whom and food). At the beginning of July, we'll also be hosting a party and providing sloppy joes and mac and cheese as well as juice/soda/water.
I am not sure how many people are coming by it could be as many as 50. What are some tried/true/fabulous meal/entree food ideas for a party without having the slave over the grill all evening (it's during the week on a Tuesday due to his work schedule). I don't want to do hotdogs and brats (even inside). Did pasta for one of the kids birthdays. I'm looking for large recipes that make "FUN" things (wings, put your own sandwiches together...but something different than just regular sandwiches, tacos, etc)?
Thanks!
Pulled beef or pork, corn-on-the-cob, baked beans......
Meatball sammies, hot sausage sammies, green salad......
(Above can all utilize crock pot(s) and large serving trays & sterno)
But for 50 people, I'd be "making" a call to the caterer!
Well, pulled pork is always an easy and delicious option, although I'm not sure how "fun" it is!
What about doing a few large pans of lasagna. You can easily make that before hand and just warm it up for dinner. You could even warm it up on the grill, at least a pan or two anyway, depending upon how big your grill is. Then you could have a variety of fun salads to do along with it. You could do caesar, pasta, fluff, etc. and go wild with your side dish choices! You could even do a little salad bar for people to build their own salad.
If you really want to go all out, you could always do a pig roast. I'm sure there is some butcher shop near you that you could get a whole pig and rent a spit...that will surely feed a crowd and be plenty of fun!
We always order fried chicken, just the dark meat (otherwise they drop too many chicken breasts in there) from the grocery store. Then make up a few other dishes like pasta salad, fruit salad, veggie dishes. A super easy side is Dannon peaches and cream yogurt (5) with berries mixed in.
I get some of those chafing dishes at the warehouse store - the foil pans that sit over pans of hot water. They definitely say "informal" which is how I entertain! You can make stuff ahead in the small foil pans and the refrigerate them - have your neighbors help you if you don't want your husband to see things ahead of time. Then they can bring the food, slightly warmed up, when they come for the surprise.
I make sweet & sour meatballs (you can use pre-made meatballs) and create your own sauce of chili sauce & currant jelly. Some people use grape or apricot - anything sweet works. Microwave so jelly is liquid-y, then mix with a whisk and pour over meatballs. Or use Italian meatballs.
You can do a chicken & rice meal too - a stir fry that keeps. You can make Chinese rice using some chicken broth and a little soy sauce instead of some of the water, stir fry some chicken pieces, add in the sturdier veggies like carrots and broccoli and celery and green pepper, then throw in snow peas and sliced water chestnuts at the last minute. I use a sauce of soy sauce & chicken broth, thickened with a little cornstarch and sometimes some white wine.
The above all presumes that it's not 90 degrees and there's no AC!
Make your own sandwiches is fine but it really slows up the buffet line so be prepared for gridlock! You can also order a giant sub sandwich from a local sandwich place and they will slice it into serving sizes.
Quiches are easy to make ahead and they can be served room temp or slightly warmed.
You can also do Mediterranean/Greek style food that's served cold: salads, sliced tomatoes topped with a slice of mozzarella & some basic with a little oil/vin drizzled over, hummus & cold veggies & pita, tabouli salad, baba ganouj (all of which you can make ahead or buy from the grocery store). I just came from a catered lunch where the caterer cut long English cukes ("seedless" cukes) sliced the long way, and then bent the slices into a border with the ends of each slice overlapping a little. There were a couple of these almost forming a couple of little "fenced in" sections. Then hummus and tabouli were spread into each section. Pita wedges were served on the side, and a few parsley sprigs and cherry tomatoes were in the center. It looked really cute.
Pulled pork done in slow cookers. Serve with a variety of bbq sauces. Sides such as brown beans, cole slaw and corn on the cob.
baked potato bar? or alternatively, if you don't want to wait the cook time for the potatos, you can buy bags of fries, serve them up hot, top with gravy and cheese, and all the usual baked potato toppings.
F. B.
Go to the local library and see if they have any of the original first few years of Taste of Home magazine. They had a section called Food for a crowd or something like that. It was my favorite place to get recipes for large groups.
I had Cheesy Apple Crisp for 100 several times, we served it at girls camp numerous years in a row.
It had the best sloppy Joe recipe too.
I can't tell you if there is a single recipe I didn't use. They were that good.
How about Meatball sandwiches? You can purchase large bags of meatballs and toss em in a crockpot with sauce. Buy hoagie type rolls and everyone can make their own. Cut some of them in half for kids or for those who want smaller. Along with side of Parmesan cheese, potato or macaroni salad and chips n dip. It's filling and you don't need a lot of sides. You can also keep more meatballs in the oven and they freeze well.
Good luck!
