Keep it simple and no one will complain. A big pan or two of chocolate chip cookie bars for dessert.

Either a vegetable pizza (the kinds with chopped veggies on a cream cheese base) for an appetizer, or the same kind of thing as pinwheels made by spreading whatever on flatbread, rolling up and then slicing in 3 inch slices and turning on the flip side for the pinwheel. Use a mix of the red, green and orange kinds of flatbreads you can buy.

Here is a super easy, super good appetizer and you can enlarge the recipe by doubling or tripling it. It will keep(covered) a couple of days in the fridge or you can make it fresh.

1- 8 oz. package of cream cheese
1 tablespoon of mayonaise
Seafood sauce
4 oz. can of tiny canned shrimp
Tortills chips or firm crackers

Soften the cream cheese for about 5-10 seconds in the microwave--or leave at room temperature to soften. Mix with the mayo and spread on a 12x8 inch tray or dinner plate. Spread seafood sauce over the cheese and top with the shrimp. serve with crackers or chips.

Loaves of sweet breads(lemon loaf, banana or zucchini bread)can be made ahead and frozen, as well as most squares or cookies.I start early and do all my Christmas baking this way and freeze them in shallow 10x15 containers.

Well more power to you!!! Lordy if I were having 50 people over and had to work a 12 hour shift the night before I think I would purchase something rather than make it myself. I mean there is a lot of preparation to do with getting tables, chairs, cleaning and organizing the whole thing too isn't there? I think it is admirable that you want to still make homemade food which is wonderful! I think that shrimp appetizer is very delicious..I have had that at parties and it is very tasty...How about big bowls of chips and dip or get one of those fruit trays? Another thought for dessert is ice cream with lots of different toppings...delicious and not much prep there either..but then I LOVE ice cream!!!
Joann

This one works well for crowds because it is flexible and can heat in a crock pot (or several.)

Your favorite jarred tomato sauce. Simple is good. Go meatless and less sugar if you can.

Add these fresh vegetables:
Chunks of zucchini and yellow squash in to the sauce.
Chopped mushrooms if you want.

Black olives (canned, whole pitted, drained.)
Some frozen corn.

After it is hot, add:
Mozzarella cheese cut in chunks.

What happens is you get an Italian sauce that is thick enough with vegetables to not need pasta. The corn adds bright colors and a sweetness. The olives contrast the colors and make it more interesting and substantial. The mozzarella will melt and stretch when ladled out on to plates (which is why it is added in chunks and not too early) which makes it a complete food with protein, veggies, etc. And the melted cheese makes it fun.

Sorry I didn't put amounts down because I always eyeball the size of my pot vs. the size of my crowd vs. the size of my squashes.

Enjoy.

Thanks for all the great ideas!

ghoghunter.... Thankfully my husband and father will be doing all the "set-up" for the party.

I forgot to mention that the gathering will be in our barn. We have a nice wide aisleway where we set up the tables and chairs. My uncle hauls in his cooker the night before and the "guys" get up early (did I say EARLY?) to get the shoulders cooking and they spend all day cleaning the barn and getting it set up.

I'm saving all these recipes.... if I don't use them this time... they will come in handy in the future. I love to cook for big crowds!

Keep them coming!!!!!

Starlight, Starbright:

We always have a large batch of Pasta with Meatballs and Sausage. Besides all the other dishes.

You can make the Sauce ahead of time and freeze it.
Same with the Meat Balls and Sausage.

Some of the Meatballs and Sausage gets cooked in the Sauce.
The others you can Bake, for about 15 minutes.

Put it in containers and Label them, with the amount of servings, in each.
( approx. 2 ladles of sauce, per dish of Pasta )

You will have to cook about 10 to 12 lbs., more or less,
According to how much they eat.

The Pasta can be cooked ahead, dipped into hot water and placed in the serving bowl as needed.
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12 Large Pizza's would take care of a majority.

I've had 35 people for Dinner, a few times and did most of the cooking myself.

One time it was a large Turkey, Ham and Lasagna, with all the other goodies.

If you lived close, I'd come and cook for you !!!

Have a good one.
LOU

If you need a Recipe for the Sauce, I'll post it.
Lou

lpinkmountain... when you say "flatbrad", do you mean tortilla type wraps?? That sounds like a great idea.

LOU.... I wish you did live closer!! I've printed your sauce recipe from other posts, so I have it in a safe place! Thankfully, I'm not in charge of cooking the whole meal, so I want to limit it to side items, appetizers and a dessert.

For things to last a few days, on desserts, I'd go for simple. Bar cookies. Lemon bars, raspberry bars, pecan pie bars cookies, even cake or pie and they could all be frozen for a few days to keep fresh. They'd freeze well for a week or two also if you want to really get a jump on it.

If you like cocktail meatballs and/or cocktail franks/sausage bits, the meatballs could be made and frozen until the night before, thawed in the frig and tossed into a roaster or crockpot. Sausage would keep. For light appetizers, a crudité platter with a variety of dips still is light and refreshing. How about melon? Probably couldn't make melon balls or something days ahead but sliced that day wouldn't take long and is again lighter and refreshing depending on what your temperatures are like. Scalloped or Au Gratin potatoes? Sausage & rice casserole? Stuffing? And could a BBQ be complete without coleslaw? Coleslaw would probably just get better and better sitting a couple days. Just throwing out some ideas off the top of my head.

I can chime in on the spectacular desserts.

Trifle tastes better after it sits a bit, so does tiramisu.

Pioneerwoman's texas sheet cake is supposed to be fantastic although I will own I was not impressed, that said others have raved about it.

I went to a cooking class with Gale Gand once. She lives in the same town as me and opened a restaurant in one of the local hotels and gave cooking classes.

She made a sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce in a huge sheetpan. It was diiiiiiiiivvvvvvviiiiiiine.

Best off all you can make it up to 2 days ahead. It's best served warm but no one has ever complained about getting it at room temp either :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Gale Gand's sticky toffee pudding

Sounds like a great party! But I do not envy you working a 12 hour shift the day before! LOL

This dip recipe was originally posted by CraftyRN, and I make it often. I like that it can be made a couple of days ahead and the veggies can be prepped ahead also!

Caesar Dip with Parmesan and Anchovies
Source: Cooks Illustrated
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 ounce grated Parmesan cheese , (1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
2 medium cloves garlic , pressed through garlic press or minced (about 2 teaspoons)
2 anchovy fillets , minced to paste (about 1 teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth and creamy. Transfer dip to serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until flavors are blended, at least 1 hour; serve cold with crudités. (Can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 days.)

Yeah, I should have written "tortillas" instead of "flatbread." I mean they are flat, and they are "bread" of a sort, but basically those big wheat tortillas they use for wraps. I used to make the pinwheel roll ups for big gatherings at the school where I worked. I would just purchase the vegetable cream cheese over the counter, and doll them up with lettuce or whatever I felt like adding--ham, other veggies, olives, grated cheese, etc. (Or nothing). Dead easy and it's just the colors and pinwheel shape that make them festive. I second a vegetable or fruit tray too, I alway appreciate those at parties since I try to eat healthy and being able to fill up on veggies helps me resist overdoing it on all the other goodies.