Graduation party ideas

14 years ago

I will be hosting a small gathering in a motel when our daughter receives her doctorate.It will be at 11:00 am prior to the ceremony. We know there will be about 10 relatives and then of course some drop ins. Looking for suggestions? I will have a small suite with plenty of counter tops and a small frig. (Two years ago it froze all of my vegies!!). Also, will want clean up to a minimum as we will need to take off for the ceremony.

We had talked of a brunch and I can certainly do coffee cakes, muffins, juice, fruit, etc. but feel like there needs to be something of substance as this will be lunch for the 10 of us. I will be traveling a couple hours 24 hours before the ceremony so most supplies that I make up in advance will have to be in a cooler. I will be next door to a Wal-Mart. Thank you for any ideas.

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Comments (10)

triciae
14 years ago
Maybe those miniature bagels, lox, cream cheese with sliced red onion & capers. Or, you could use those small loaves of cocktail rye bread, a single thin slice of smoked salmon, with a butter & dill spread & a paper thin slice of cucumber then slice the mini's on the diagonal to serve. If fish doesn't go over well with your group the salmon could be replaced with Black Forest ham.

Congratulations to your daughter... & you for her accomplishment!

/tricia
chase_gw
14 years ago
oooops.... meant to congratulate your daughter on her wonderful accomplishment!
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Another idea... Since the guests are folks who've know her since babyhood...when you send out the invites-include a page from a smaller sized photo album (one with 2-3 ring holes so it can be inserted by her the day of the celebration. The size of the album should have pages that will hold the photo & memory card on the 1 page. Print a'what to do' directions to include with the invite (send in a manilla envelope to fit the photo page)stating to please place a photo of her they have taken, and also include a recipe sized card for them to write down what the occasion was when the photo was taken and/or what special meaning it has for them. If they don't have any photo (from birth thru the present-perhaps you or another family member would give that person one to use. Then...(you still with me? LOL) place a ladder at the party location-place an 8x10 photo of her (Sr photo?) on the very top of the ladder with a sign under it saying : "___'s (her name) Ladder of Life". You can tie cording to each side of the ladder, with clothespins threaded on it (to hold the photo/memory cards that each guest brings. A little sign dividing the rungs of the ladder into sections (Babyhood, Toddlerhood, Elementary, High School)-guests would pin their page of the album into the section when the photo was taken, along w/their memory card. You can decorate the sides of the ladder with bows, school colors or party colors. You'd give her the empty album when she gets ready to open cards-have her read each & then place it in that section of her Memory Album. I've done this w/all 3 of my children & a couple nieces & nephews-well received by all and a treasured album for the graduate!
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I see what you're saying with the fact that the buck should stop with what the parents (note the plural) say should happen, even if it is a party FOR SD. I also see the appeal, for many good reasons, of the party in a pavilion at the park. But I could see it being a thorny issue if this decision is coming as a change to plans already made. I don't know when commencement at your SD's school is, or how many people she's already told that the party will be at the house, or how far the park is and if that's in any way prohibitive for anyone to get there easily... any of these could be factors making it seem like a more stressful change in plans than the otherwise good idea it seems to be. One more thing to consider is that I know you said you want to avoid extra hassle, and that's why the pavilion in the park appeals to you. But bear in mind that it will be just as much hassle to clean up the area around the pavilion as it would be to clean up your own yard after such an event, as these parks do expect you to clean up entirely and take all the trash out... and in some cases you have to haul the trash quite a distance to the dumpster, wherever it is on the premises. There is also the matter of hauling back and forth from the car(s) all of the food and serving implements, napkins, tablecloths all of the gifts, plus any coolers or warming devices to keep anything cool/hot, ice for drinks, any decorations or balloons, plus any equipment needed to provide music and any gear needed in case it decides to rain hard. I'm just saying--- you kinda trade some hassles in for other ones and in the longrun it might not be that much of a difference.
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annie1992
14 years ago
First, congratulations to your daughter.

I agree on the breakfast casserole, if you have an oven. If not, small sandwiches are always nice, whether on rolls, in small puffs like cream puffs, or on biscuits. My family loves ham on sweet potato biscuits.

Then again, I love smoked salmon on bagels, so that would make me very happy!

Annie
lindac
14 years ago
Congratulations to "Dr. Daughter"!!
I wouldn't take stuff like salads or quiches...
I gather you will arrive the night before...sleep and serve "brunch", pack up, attend graduation and head out.

I have hosted several "motel brunchs" or motel cocktail parties.
Are you having drinks? Mimosas would be lovely.
Then I like tricia's bagels and lox idea....add some blocks of cheese and cracker, a tray of veggies and a bowl of fruit and you have it.
The clue to a nice party and a picnic in a motel room in my opinion is real serving dishes and a real knife to cut and spread and a real spoon for serving.
Have a picnic basket with your serving stuff in it and plastic glasses and plates, and napkins....then a cooler with your lox, veggies, fruit, cheese etc....and remember to keep the veggies in the cooler...not the fridg!
Have fun...sounds like a great celebration!
Linda c
happyintexas
14 years ago
You could go 'German' as my family calls it. A platter of sliced sandwich meats and cheeses with small rolls or buns to serve it on. Yogurt and granola to add to all the other suggestions.

Well done, Dr. Daughter!
deannabsd
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks so much for all your great ideas and for congratulations to our daughter. Unfortunately, we will not have an oven otherwise we had really thought about yummy egg dishes. We did go "German" for her undergrad degree---I have never heard it called that-is that a Texas thing??

All the little ideas for the mini sandwiches will probably be our best best. I had thought of some type of wraps or pinwheels. She loves bbq pork as her all time favorite meal but is nice to have portable food that you can eat while chatting, etc. Keep the ideas coming and thanks for all the ones you sent. Deanna
deannabsd
Original Author
14 years ago
Annie,
You mentioned sweet potato biscuits. I have never had them and would love to try them. Do you have a recipe you can share? What else do you serve on the biscuit besides ham.

Still looking for other ideas if anyone has some. Thanks.Deanna
annie1992
14 years ago
Well, of course I do, but you know that, LOL. The kids like ham on them, but I'm happy with just a slice of turkey and some cranberry sauce, or a smear of cream cheese, or butter and honey, or maple cream, or ham or turkey salad. Oh, scrambled eggs and bacon are pretty good too. (grin)

Anyway, this recipe is from Paula Deen:

Sweet Potato Biscuits
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

.Prep Time:5 minInactive Prep Time:--Cook Time:15 minLevel:
EasyServes:
15 to 18 biscuits. Ingredients
Â1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Â2 heaping tablespoons sugar
Â4 teaspoons baking powder
Â1/2 teaspoon salt
Â3/4 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
Â1/4 cup (1/2 stick) softened butter
Â2 to 4 tablespoons milk (depending on the moisture of the potatoes)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate, large bowl, mix the sweet potatoes and butter. Add the flour mixture to the potato mixture and mix to make a soft dough. Then add milk a tablespoon at a time to mixture and continue to cut in. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and toss lightly until the outside of the dough looks smooth. Roll the dough out to 1/2-inch thick and cut with a biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on a greased pan and coat tops with melted butter. Bake for about 15 minutes. (Watch your oven: If the biscuits are browning too fast, lower the temperature.)

Alexa posted one that had cheese and chipotles in it and they were delicious. Can I find that recipe? Nope, I lost it in the big "computer crash". Sigh. Maybe someone else has that one.

Annie
happyintexas
14 years ago
LOL, going 'German' is not a Texas thing, it's an our family slang. We lived in Belgium for a time. While we were there, and from time to time still, we had (have) an opportunity to cook at a church camp in Germany. One of the things we learned was how to set a 'proper' German breakfast table. ;0) Great memories and eating adventures.

Which brings to mind the Aldi's about to open near me. There's an Aldi's near the camp in Germany where we shop. The adventure is always to figure out the German on the package. (What's German for sour cream again???) My second language as far as grocery shopping goes is French. When the Aldi's opens here in Texas will it take all the fun out of it that we will be able to read the labels??? I think it might.
chase_gw
14 years ago
Annie's post reminded me of one back awhile ago that talked about mini Reubens.

Use small cocktail rye squares top with a folded slice of corned beef, a bit of sauerkraut and a dollop of Russian dressing. Super good!

Biscuits and ham
Mini reubens
Mini croissants with egg salad, ham salad or tuna salad or shrimp salad
Mini bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon
breakfast breads
muffins
fresh fruit
juices
Coffee

Oh my, what a feast...and I should be where, when?

Graduation party ideas

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triciae

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