Planning a large, informal party; input sought

6 years ago

We're hosting a party on the 11th; an informal kitchen reveal/Valentine's Day heavy hors' d'oeuvre party. We're expecting approximately 50 people. Invitations state the time from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm, but I would not be surprised if guests stay beyond 11 PM, which means they may continue to graze.

I'm giving myself two days to cook for this shindig and a friend is willing to make the two pasta dishes. My BF will be willing to help with everything, but in the end the majority of the work will fall upon me.

Please tell me:

if these items work together,
if I've planned enough food, or
if I've gone overboard, and
if you think it's possible to pull this all off.

Savory:

Rosemary Sweet Potato Stacks (doubled recipe, 24 servings)
Two Cheese Scalloped Potato Stacks (doubled recipe, 24 servings)
Spinach Balls (60 balls)
Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Stuffed Shells (doubled recipe)
One Pot Penne Alla Vodka w/Sausage (doubled recipe)
Honey Sriracha Wings (up to 20 lbs) - I've made these a number of times and they are a huge hit, so I know I need a LOT of them. I'm uncertain if I need the full 20 lbs, but I have purchased that many just in case.

Crudites:

fresh green beans
radishes
colored carrots
peppers (red, orange, yellow)
broccoli
cauliflower
tomatoes
celery
cucumbers
peas in the pod
zucchini and yellow squash

Some of the vegetables like the asparagus, beans, and the carrots, I'm going to blanche. All will be prepped the day before, wrapped in damp paper towels and stored in large, sealed, zip-top baggies with the air pressed out.

Served on a wooden tray or basket lined w/ wet paper towel with bowls of veggie dip. Something like this:

Do you think I should pickle any of these veggies? I've never pickled vegetables, but I'm game.

Sweets:

6 - 6" cheesecakes, a variety, such as this and this and this.
Black Russian Cake
Chocolate bars, broken in pieces

Do you think I should also include a cheese and charcuterie board?

If so, this is what I have in mind:

Cheese & Charcuterie board:

I have a 18" x 48" board that has been treated with food safe mineral oil.

The Master Plan

Saturday and Sunday (4th and 5th): make cheesecakes in the Instant Pot. I can make two at a time, and then freeze them. (They can be thawed the day before the party and decorated the day of the party.)

Thursday PM

shop for cheeses, dried fruit, charcuterie (if needed)

Friday (the day before the party):

shop for groceries, alcohol, and ice
pickle (?), blanche, and prep vegetables, wrap in paper towel, store in zip-top baggies
prep fruits (if needed for cheese board)
bake cake

Saturday (AM):

make chicken wings (chill, reheat in the evening)
decorate cheesecakes with toppings

Saturday (PM):

bake potato stacks
arrange crudite basket display
arrange cheese board
sift powdered sugar over cake
bake spinach balls
set out plates, napkins, utensils, etc.
set up bar

So...what do you think?

Featured Answer

season55

6 years ago

Great menu! I think the cheese/cracker/fruit board would be nice. Just a tip: I like to serve wings in little paper hot dog "plates" lined with wax paper. Just add two or three wings to each thing.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (34)

fawnridge (Ricky)
6 years ago
How do you get an invite?
sushipup1
6 years ago
"I would not be surprised if guests stay beyond 11 PM, which means they may continue to graze."

I would not be serving food at that hour. And be careful about serving more alcohol that late, too. But it sounds very nice!
Related Discussions
Bridge Input Sought
Q
Comments (12)
At first I thought that was a satellite dish on your clothesline. What an easy way to tweak the aim! Yeah, that's a swinging bridge. Just wondering how much fun you want to interject. But conventional deck style construction would probably be easier. With the existing deck going away I see the space between the two existing trees as a better route for a bridge to pass through than to the right of this. A better destination is more toward the center of the container than where the ladder is. I think the bridge should start very near top of grade. (There's no point in going down the hill a ways only to go back up a different hill which is what moving it all to the right seems like it will do.) While this might make the bridge longer, it's probably only going to need support posts at about every 8' of it's length, or so. And probably some angle bracing. That's as though the bridge were supported in two evenly spaced places along its length and at each end. 4 supports (pairs of posts or "anchors") total.
...See More
Large scale vermicomposting opinions/advice sought please
Q
Comments (15)
Chuckiebtoo - I appreciate both your love of worms and the processes associated with using them for 'composting'. However, based on a growing body of reading-based 'knowledge' and a small but growing bit if first-hand experience, I don't share your "almost magic" perspective of what worm guts do. While there is little - but some - doubt on my part about the "fact" that worm-gut-processing does indeed "add" some beneficial component to the output, I am beginning to strongly suspect this is yet another in a long and growing list of "scientific facts" that is technically/scientifically "true", but practically/real-life exaggerated. In order to illustrate my point and attempt to demonstrate that I am not just being "contrary", let me provide an example in a completely different field. Some years back - over 2-decades - a graduate student working in completing their Master's degree in fisheries performed a perfunctory examination of the effects of "over-crowding" spawners in a couple of TINY streams in the state of Washington. As part of the requirements for a Master's degree in fisheries, one must produce and "publish" the work at least through the university's press.The field work was "good" and the results were unambiguous: It was scientifically "true" that above a certain density, increased fish numbers resulted in reduced production. The scientific explanation was not complex: increased numbers of spawners meant that fish were constructing their redds (salmon 'nests') on top of previous spawner's nests, and thereby destroying the first one. Sounds perfectly "reasonable", and there was not doubt about the "scientific" fact. However... "More fish "allowed" in the river means LESS fish production" was a clarion-call to commercial fishermen. They could now claim the SCIENTIFIC "high ground" and DEMAND that fisheries managers prevent "over-escapement" by allowing the commercial fishermen to catch more fish out in the ocean before they reached the spawning streams and "harmed" the stock. Commercial fishermen are among the most politically powerful groups in the natural resource exploitation/management community. They were very capable of hiring "scientists" (in this case AKA "biostitutes") to "verify" the "scientific proof of the "danger" of "over-escapement", Soon - VERY SOON - "over-escapement was the watchword for every government "scientist/fisheries manager" in the Pacific Northwest. In fact, it became - BY LAW - a requirement that the state fisheries managers incorporate "over-escapement" prevention in the state's salmon management plan. Where's the 'flaw' in the above, "you" ask? The "science" was performed in an excruciatingly small "piece of the world". TWO, SMALL (you could STEP across them), streams in the Puget Sound drainage. Secondly, ALL subsequent "science" performed around the subject was directed at "proving" the concept of "over-escapement", NOT TESTING/CHALLENGING IT, which is exactly what Science, REAL Science, is supposed to do! In fact, when a few scientists tried to point out the error of applying the result of a VERY small scale scientific project to a GLOBAL scale, they were shouted down. To put it mildly. The result has been a STEADY decline in salmon production in the State of Alaska. The almost complete collapse of salmon fisheries in California, Oregon, and Washington. I am reminded of "What are you going to believe, me (the "scientist") or your lying eyes." By the way, when confronting the voodoo witch-doctors - aka fisheries scientist proponents of "over-escapement - I would ask; "What did all these salmon do before we humans came along to "help" them with their "over-escapement" problems? True to their form, those witch-doctors raised up in violent anger, but had to initially tuck tail and run. However, as is so desperately sad with today's "science", they simply went off and schemed an explanation. It goes like this. "What we are doing is "leveling" the peaks and valleys in the long-term population trends, thereby assuring a STABLE SOURCE OF SALMON FOR THE COMMERCIAL SALMON FISHERIES. (Emphasis mine.) This rationalization - by way of "science" - is the bread and butter of the priests of the religion of science that pervade the scientific community today. They can "explain" ANYTHING they want to, and when challenged, simply retort to laymen that it is "too complicated" for "you" to understand, and simply screech "Heretic" at those that have the technical ability and credentials to point out the obvious flaws in their ecclesiastical assertions. Was all the subsequent "science"of "over-escapement" "peer-reviewed"? Yes, at least most of it. Was all the subsequent "science" published in a "peer-reviewed" journal of "SCIENCE"? Most of it, yes. Was all of that peer-review highly corrupt? MOST OF IT, YES! And so goes most of what I have seen in the past 40+ years as a professional "scientist". I "see" the same sort of thing with worm "tea", worm "compost", and other "scientific" "facts" about the "magic" of worms. Is there "scientific proof" that the "output" of a worm's gut is "better" than the "input". Yes in proper context. Is there a MOUNTAIN of evidence that such "betterness" is something less than the "magic" so widely claimed? Yes, also I would assert. Having said all of the above, I am perfectly "fine" with using terms like "magic" to report on surprising results we all observe in our hobbies and personal passions. I do it myself. As Arthur C. Clarke is quoted as saying: Any technology sufficiently advanced, is indistinguishable from magic. So, I appreciate your enthusiasm for the beneficial effects of "worming"; I acknowledge that the "scientific "truth" " of those "facts" are "scientifically" undeniable, but I am increasingly convinced that the magnitude of those effects are greatly exaggerated when applied to the "real world". In the case of the topic of this thread, I remain comfortable with suggesting to fulofwin that all of the extra effort of "worming" MAY not produce the "magic" results he/she has read/heard about. I believe he/she is probably capable of evaluating the relative merits of the comments he/she receives in his thread regardless of who posts them. I don't think you and I disagree as much as it might appear. I think the primary difference in our points of views is a matter of degree: You "love" worms, and I just "like" them. Paul This post was edited by pskvorc on Wed, Aug 27, 14 at 14:40
...See More
Layout Advice Sought - Major Reno Floor Plan
Q
Comments (19)
rhome410 - thanks for the suggestion around flipping the fridge / pantry area. I had considered it early in the process, but we were hoping to avoid in order to prevent changes to the dining room (wallpaper and paneled.) However, as you will see below I created an updated floorplan and included your suggestion. I think it helps with the overall functionality of the space. We considered the full range over the rangetop / wall ovens. We really like to idea of an oven that is up off the floor for both easy access and distance from small children. Also, the fact that the oven + rangetop combo is actually significantly cheaper is a factor. On the other hand, the full range makes the floor plan easier to arrange, provides ventilation for the ovens and also has the benefit of providing an excellent "centerpiece" to the kitchen appearance. I'd say we're undecided at this point. Do you think I have the right pro/con list? kaismom - thanks for the thoughtful feedback you've given on the overall flow and interaction of the spaces we're designing. I completely agree that this is one of the most important aspects of the design process and is also one of the hardest to figure out since it can be difficult to visualize. Let me give you a few more facts that I haven't already provided. First, we live in the Boston area (not VA). The funny thing is that we used to live in VA - up until about five years ago - so I know what you are talking about! Given the combination of relatively few truely hot days and the fact that our backyard has mostly indirect light except for in the early morning, we aren't to concerned about to much light heating up the house. The back wall of the kitchen that faces the backyard does face southwest, so I'd expect great morning light and then indirect light as the day goes on. Second, your suggestion about casual family dining is an excellent point. We were thinking that the island would be the center of family life in the evenings (homework, dinner prep, dining, clean-up.) You will see below that I've created a revised floorplan and added a placeholder for a table to the plan. My thinking right now is that we wouldn't add the table - but it gives us the option. You make some excellent points about how as the kids grow older, all being seated facing each other might be a valuable habit - I'll keep them in mind. Third, you suggested I consider how we interact with the house / yard today. I'd say 90-95% of our entrance / egress from the house happens via the garage. This is in spite of the fact that we have three other entrances (including two in the backyard.) Now that you've suggested I give this careful considering - I don't expect this to change much - so this is probably the most important entrance to get right. The second priority would be the backyard, as the kids get older I envision more time (especially on the weekends) being spent playing in the backyard. In fact, this consideration is why we are having so much consternation about giving up the side view. While not having direct access to the mudroom from the backyard isn't ideal, I'm not sure we can have both the side view and this access. Adding a door from the backyard into the garage or coming through the kitchen wall adjacent to the garage won't work because there is a bulkhead access to the basement in that corner that cannot move. That's unfortunate since this would have been an excellent solution - thanks for the suggestion! palimpsest - you asked about the right front room. It is currently a room that gets little use. We'd like to eventually turn this into a library / study of sorts since the idea of a formal living room doesn't appeal. Adding the powder room of the central hall would reduce the room dimensions from 17x18 to 13x18 - I was thinking this was still adequate space for the use we envision. Perhaps a little more of a rectangle than would be ideal, but still a space we could make work. What do you think? bmorepanic - Excellent point about the double french doors. The more my wife and I think about it, the fact that they swing creates space problems and also makes it difficult to have screens on the doors. I don't see that much opportunity to have both of these doors wide open with no screens as it's either darn cold or there are to many bugs around. Given this, we're leaning more towards a sliding door. The fact that it isn't centered on the hallway isn't all that big of a deal to me, but I'll keep an eye on it when I can get some renderings and make sure it doesn't look strange. I'm still thinking about the idea of moving the fridge to the wall adjacent to the garage. Biggest concern about this is that it moves it farther away from the family room and backyard entrance. Maybe this reduces the convenience factor? However, it does create some benefits around allowing open counter space across the whole backyard wall and what feels like a more convenient work layout. I'll keep this in mind. If you get a chance, take a look at the layout I'll provide below and let me know what you think. sundownr - it's great to hear the dimensions of your space and that you find it functions well. Very encouraging that we will eventually find a solution that will work for my family. Also great to hear you eat at the island and enjoy it - this is what we envision today. Also, the photos are helpful - thank you for providing them. As you mention, I see you went with the full range which solves the wall oven problem. We like the idea of wall ovens for their convenience and also like the ideas of deep drawers under the cooktop for pots and pans, but both the convenient floorplan as well as the asthetics of the full range certainly appeal. We're still undecided there. New Revised Floorplan: I've incorporated some of the suggestions everyone has provided in this update. Still isn't perfect, but I'd be interested to see what people think. Thanks again for all the helpful suggestions!
...See More
Potential plan. Feedback sought.
Q
Comments (83)
It just screams "McMansion!!!". And "lottery winner!!" Why are you building a new one? The suburbs in the mid-Atlantic are filled to the brim with houses just like that that people can't sell for any price. New Jersey is overflowing with them, as is the Main Line and Montgomery County suburbs of Philly. And, seriously--what's with the powder room backing on to the "grand room"? The minute a guest flushes the crapper everyone on the other side of the wall will hear it. Not cool. That belongs out of sight and sound--off the kitchen/mudroom/laundry. This is a real schlock design from some web outfit cranking them out for a quick buck. And don't get me started on the Palladian windows and that enormous, out of scale roof.
...See More
party_music50
6 years ago
For my parties like that, it doesn't sound like enough food for 50 people -- although I don't usually go heavy with desserts. I think you may be sorry if you make fewer of anything than you have guests (i.e., 50 people and 24 of either kind of potato stack), and I've never seen pasta dishes as hors' d'oeuvre so I don't know how I'd figure the amount of that needed, but one recipe doubled is only 24oz pasta. The 20 lbs of wings seems to make up the bulk of the food -- but then again, it's for 50 people. Are they big eaters?
Cheryl Hewitt thanked party_music50
Compumom
6 years ago
What age are your guests? That will help to determine the amount that they might eat.

Here are my thoughts: Go heavy on the charcuterie board. Dried fruit, not berries, little dishes of caponata (store bought), olives, salami, prosciutto, parma, etc. Dips for the veggies? You can always add a Honey Baked ham or a protein that will serve a lot of folks. We host a big New Year's day open house and usually have at least 1/2 of a ham sliced with some mustards and halved buns or rolls along with other foods.

Trader Joe's makes some excellent appetizers. Their stuffed mushrooms and spanakopita are very good.

I agree that 24 potato stacks isn't enough if you have the appetizers as stated. Folks will nibble! As it's Valentine's Day weekend, in what way are you planning to highlight hearts and or red foods? If you could do your veggie platter or basket in a heart shape, that would be very cute!
Cheryl Hewitt thanked Compumom
lindac92
6 years ago
I have done more than a few parties like this....you are a hostess with the mostess!

20 LBS of wings? That's 4# each? Over kill...10 or 12 pounds will be more than enough.
I hate to have a food item that isn't enough for every one.....think I might ditch the potato stacks....unless you are depending on them for people who will call your party dinner.
I think I would do the wings....and your lovely charcuterie board....and the crudites with maybe 2 or 3 dips....and perhaps include some home made bread sticks on that platter.
I don't see any things to put in a bowl for just munching....like snack mix, spiced nuts, edamami.
Love all the cheese cakes!!
I would not pickle the veggies but definitly blanch things like green beans and broccoli. I would make the cheese cakes tomorrow and freeze....they freeze well and will take a little of the last minute pressure off. And I would make the chicken wings on Friday in that time slot.
Those late staying guests, in my experience, mostly are looking to kick back and talk with old friends. Unless they were late arriving, they won't likely want food but to clean up the last of the stuff in the dishes. But again, in my experience, they are thirsty! I always have some tea made to pour over ice and lots of club soda and lime>
Sounds like a lovely party!! Please tell me you will be using real plates and glasses!
plllog
6 years ago
You know the eating habits of your guests best, but it looks a little light to me, too, on the quantities for the hot bits. There are two methods which I've found to work: A few things for all, or tons of stuff, get it while you can. That is, two or three different protein hors d'oeurve per person (exclusive of the charcuterie) and one or two others, or enough of any one dish to serve a few dozen, constantly being replaced through the evening. The latter is more work, but less figuring. If you really think that your crowd will graze more and not go for the hots that much, it might work as you've stated, but I'd have a few things that go freezer to oven and are ready in less than 15 minutes, just in case. If you freeze in foil pans, that makes it that much quicker.

Recommendation: That basket of crudités looks beautiful, but it also looks hard to deal with, like once the top few bits are gone people are going to have to dig through. If they're naturally uninhibited or well lubricated, it's not such a big problem. OTOH, you could do a similar casual and beautiful arrangement on a tray (which you'd mentioned as an alternative)and make it much easier to serve. Tongs are also very useful. Much better than pickle forks or spoons. If you don't have pretty ones, the clear plastic ones work really well and are inconspicuous.

You might think about having some specific things for late night snacks. Nothing heavy if people are driving, or high sugar or high fat, which can make people sleepy. Crunchy is good. Suggestions: These honey spiced almonds are really good. Coffee and biscotti. Parmesan crisps. Popcorn. Lady apples. That kind of thing. A bit of a pick-me-up, but not another meal.

Re the plan, do yourself a favor and shop for the alcohol, cheese and dried fruit on the weekend before--or this week if you have time! You may want to buy some or all of the produce on the weekend, too. Get the heavy stuff out of the way, and if things need ripening you have time. Get someone else to bring the ice--it's a perfect sibling/best friend kind of job.

Since they're going to be reheated, and you're planning on chilling the cooked wings anyway, I'd make them Friday, and prep as much as possible, even if it's just mise en place, for the potato stacks and spinach balls Saturday morning.

Also, unless you have a real conflict, you can do any furniture arranging and bar setup (other than chilled things/ice) way ahead of time, like Wednesday or Thursday, and put the tableware on a tray or box on the buffet (with a towel over if needed). Why should you do more than remove the tray and make pretty on the day of?

The more you do ahead of time, especially if it's fiddly, the less frazzled you could potentially get by the time the guests arrive. Remember to plan on time for answering a bunch of phone calls from guests on Friday and Saturday. It takes a lot of time you need to put in your prep schedule.

Lists and organization are key. You have that down pat. I'm sure it'll be a lovely party!
Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
6 years ago
Maybe heavy hors' d'oeurve isn't the right classification.

So, more potato stacks, increase size of pasta dishes, and yes, do the cheese and charcuterie. We have some excellent stores for cheeses and charcuterie and all that one would like to go with that in our area.

Guests ages will range from 30's to late 50's mainly, with a handful of kids.

Maybe I should plan something to bring out for the late crowd. Not sure what that would be.

I'll check out Trader Joe's. Thanks for the idea.

A ham would help, although my BF doesn't eat ham. There are plenty of things he can eat besides ham. And yes, dips for the veggies.

I've thought about making a variety of cookies and chocolate dipped strawberries to add to the sweets. I could also make cupcakes. I had them on my list at one point. If I do this I want a good (and easy) recipe for frosting that I can pipe onto them. Does anyone have a recipe like that?

Thanks so much for your input and ideas!
Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
6 years ago
Linda and plllog, we were paying at the same time. Thanks for the feedback and ideas. Mulling things over. :)
plllog
6 years ago
Cookies and cupcakes are great on a buffet because they're so easy to pick up and nibble. Do you need more sweets? You know your crowd. I'd think you had plenty, because my people would only take a tasting sliver of each cake. If your guests are more the kind who want a full serving of each and think of cookies as garnish, that's a different story. Re the frosting, start a new thread just on that question, and search past threads. There have been many good ones posted over the years.

There's plenty else for your BF if you want the ham. That would certainly bump up the protein ratio. An alternative is a smoked turkey, if you have someplace good to buy one, though someone has to carve. But if it fits your budget, you could also just boost the charcuterie content (buy more meat and replenish regularly), or add some ham into that.

If you're counting portions, kids 10 and under usually count as half of an adult, though I have a cousin who at age 7 could eat a trucker under the table.
Cheryl Hewitt thanked plllog
annie1992
6 years ago
I agree, I'd add some thinly sliced ham and rolls, or go heavy on the charcuterie. I also agree that you need enough of everything for everyone to have one. Are you thinking that the pasta eaters would pass up potatoes and vice versa? I'm not sure I'd eat white potatoes and pasta at the same meal, but I wouldn't hesitate to convince myself that sweet potatoes are different. (grin)

I'm one of those people who never want to run out of anything, I always want there to be enough and a bit more, so I'd keep the 20 pounds of wings too. There just isn't a whole lot of meat on wings, lots of bones and skin. And I also think you should do those on Friday, and give yourself extra time on Saturday, as well as shop in advance for non-perishable things or things like cheese that won't spoil.

Frosting for the cupcakes? I'm assuming you want a buttercream type? One "trick" I just learned is to use flavored coffee creamer in buttercream in place of some of the milk/cream. The favorite so far has been "sugar cookie" flavor, but the chocolate raspberry was good too. It doesn't crust as well, but it's easy to work with and gives a different flavor than the extracts. Mine is just butter, powdered sugar, cream and flavoring. A cup of fat to 4 cups of powdered sugar, the flavoring and enough cream to get the consistency you want. You can use shortening in place of half the butter if you want that consistency, my family actually likes it better than the "all butter" version. Heretics.....

Anyway, the menu sounds lovely, as does the party. Have fun!

Annie
Cheryl Hewitt thanked annie1992
Compumom
6 years ago
Cheryl, I think that Pillog, Annie and LindaC have given you some great input. You're certainly on the right track and smart to ask if you're on target. These women are experts in serving large groups!

I thought of another easy dip that you might want to add. I made a hot artichoke and parmesan cheese dip that was a hit at two holiday parties this year. I didn't quite follow a recipe, but winged it. Basically, it was chopped canned artichoke hearts, a package of frozen chopped spinach (drained and squeezed dry), mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice and parmesan cheese mixed together and baked in an shallow dish until warm and crusty. Serve it with garlic pita crisps. Simple and easy to prepare earlier in the day.

I agree wholeheartedly with adding cookies to the desserts and snacky things like spiced nuts, popcorn or edamame. Add a bowl of grapes to your charcuterie board. I think you'll find that the late guests will definitely nibble at the grapes, cookies and nuts. Will you have a pot of coffee going?
Cheryl Hewitt thanked Compumom
Islay Corbel
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Here, I'd have something like bite sized sausage rolls/mini hot dogs / pigs in blankets/devils on horseback waiting in the fridge that I could shove in the oven if people

1 looked very hungry

2 the food was running out

3 people arrived late/stayed late

I could then freeze what didn't get eaten for later.

It sounds wonderful.
Cheryl Hewitt thanked Islay Corbel
artemis_ma
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
It sounds wonderful, what time should I show up?

I second the ham, and the cheese and fruit charcuterie - make sure some of the fruit is fresh (grapes?), as some folk may find dried fruit to be cloying and unpleasantly textured.

Maybe instead of potato and sweet potato stacks, make then all one or the other -that way, there'll be enough. (I'd vote sweet potato, especially as you have a fair amount of pasta.)
Cheryl Hewitt thanked artemis_ma
l pinkmountain
6 years ago
I had a big party like this, and luckily my friend who should be a personal life coach, urged me to simplify. I am so glad she did. Why do two pasta dishes? Twice the work. One big one. Why do two potato dishes, same reason. Spinach balls, I would love, but a lot of folks don't like spinach. I know, I don't get it either, but to maximize the number of people I could feed per unit of work involved putting it together, I would not do spinach, but instead make a cold cut tray and some rolls, or some kind of pulled meat and buns. I do crockpot shredded beef and then serve it with wraps and sides and folks can make their own stuff. If you want to do another easy peasy thing, buy some pre-made pie/quiche crusts and you can throw together a couple of different types of quiches by just adding different styles of shredded cheese and different mixes of frozen veggies or ham or shrimp, whatever. Quiche can be made the day before and served at room temp. Cut thin slices.
Cheryl Hewitt thanked l pinkmountain
MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
6 years ago
quiche is a great idea!!!
Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
6 years ago
l pinkmountain, funny you said to simplify, because that's exactly what I've been doing this morning.

I have decided to make one kind of potato stack, using alternating layers of sweet potato and probably a golden or russet. I will make 5-6 pans (60-72) of them. They're rather simple. I can make them ahead of time and reheat. These are so adorable and pleasing to the eye, that I really don't want to drop them from the menu.

I will make all 20 lbs of wings, because when it comes to wings there isn't much substance to them. I'm not concerned with leftovers, because the kids love them and I've had a 10 year old asking me all through our kitchen renovation when I'm going to make them again.

I'm adding Turkey Ham Sandwiches to the mix. These can be assembled the day before, or day-of, and heated before serving. They'll also taste good if they are served at room temperature.

I'm keeping the vegetable tray w/ two kinds of dips, and the cheese and charcuterie board (5 cheeses, 2 sausage types) which will include grapes, raspberries, black berries, blueberries, dried Michigan cherries, apricots, nuts, olives, honey, bruschetta and likely some breadsticks or straws. Water crackers?

Sweets: I think I'm going to stick to the 6 cheesecakes, chocolate covered strawberries, broken dark chocolate bars, and the Black Russian bundt cake. I just don't think I'm up to making cookies with new ovens that I'm unfamiliar with. Do I need more than this? I could make another type of bundt cake.

Should I add some chips and dips?
l pinkmountain
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Yeah, chips and dip are practically another no-brainer. I made a curried dip by mixing sour cream with mango chutney, and served it with sweet potato chips and other colored potato chips, a slightly unique take on an old stand by.

Edited to add that at my party, I had cake, fruit, candy, a cookie tray and a tart. Guests only ate one kind of dessert, and it was the cake.
Cheryl Hewitt thanked l pinkmountain
plllog
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Your new plan sounds great.

Chips depend on the guests. Some scarf them up. Others won't touch them. They're cheap and easy, however, and if you have guests who insist that they must bring something, they're easy to assign out. :) Be prepared with a couple of big bowls for the chips and places to put them because people bringing bags don't usually think to bring serving pieces.

Unless you have real sweets hounds who would rather eat them than dinner, I wouldn't worry about having more. It does work best to put them out after the guests have had at least one round of the full buffet, and can really wait until you're ready for a dessert and coffee service. If you want to leave the food for later arrivals, rearrange it to make it pretty again while the coffee is brewing, and perhaps remove a few dishes from the buffet by combining if you need to make room. Having a separate table for the coffee and dessert service makes it easier, however. You can set up the coffee cups, dessert plates, napkins, coffee spoons and dessert forks there, ahead of time. Waiting to put out the cakes, etc., keeps them looking nice. If you put them out ahead, even under domes, unless you have exceedingly polite guests who wouldn't dream of touching them before dinner, they can be ravaged looking by the time most of the company gets a chance to see them. People will take smaller servings of sweets if they've already satisfied their basic hunger, and anticipation of lovely desserts entices people to "save room", so it helps a lot with managing quantities.
Cheryl Hewitt thanked plllog
lindac92
6 years ago
Since you have an open time....as in 7 to 11...I would certainly put the sweets out at the beginning. Some may come to your party after having dinner some where else.
As for chips and dips? Naah! They are so very 70's and teen age party or Super Bowl special. Everything else is very nice, don't spoil it with chips and dips...or little smokies in grape jelly BBQ sauce!
Cheryl Hewitt thanked lindac92
PRO
Anglophilia
6 years ago
Okay - so I'm old. I HATE parties like this - tons of food but one is still hungry because the party was at dinnertime and there is not enough "real" food to make a dinner. This will be especially so for the children.

Chicken wings? Do you realize how messy they are? That would be great for an all-outdoor party, but all those greasy, saucy hands in your house? And with children? Your poor furniture!

It would be fine for a 5-7 party, but you need to feed your guests dinner. You need something easy to eat sitting on the floor or on furniture - something that will fit on one place and require nothing more than a fork. Lasagna is always a winner - perhaps do a white one - no tomato sauce on your furniture. A salad and bread to go with it. Then lots of small desserts - finger foods.

Limit your drinks as well unless you are hiring bartenders. Wine, beer, something non-alcoholic.

Heavy hors d'ouvres are never heavy enough to be a substitute for dinner. At the very least, have turkey, beef tenderloin and ham on dollar rolls available, too.
maggie2094
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Def a cheese and charcuterie board! I love all the desserts. I would totally skip the pastas...seems too heavy and a buzz kill ;) this dip has been a favorite of our friends and great for those wanting to include clean eating options in between the splurges. I serve with whole wheat scoops chips.

Cowboy Cavier

Ingredients
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (11 ounce) can yellow shoepeg corn, drained
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 small bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup chopped green onion
- 1 (2 ounce) jar chopped pimento peppers
- 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions

Combine the black beans, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, shoepeg corn, celery, cilantro, red and yellow bell peppers, green onion, pimento peppers, jalapeno pepper, and garlic in a large bowl. Set aside.Bring the rice vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt, and black pepper to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. All to cool to room temperature, then pour over the bean mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Drain before serving

Also, I was just at a fairly upscale event at a museum and they served this: i like ina garters roasted tomato soup this time of year. You could have in crockpot to ladle into cups as needed.

They were so fun and such a hit! Everybody was going crazy for them.

Pitchers of prosecco with pomegranate or red currant juice would make a celebratory welcome cocktail and pretty, too!...or Kir royal
1. Have too much fun!
Cheryl Hewitt thanked maggie2094
plllog
6 years ago
Linda brings up a good point. Your guests do know that you're feeding them, right? My suggestion for putting out the sweets later meant like an hour later, not way late. :)
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
6 years ago
Congrats on the new kitchen. Looks fantastic especially for parties. (just saw the post on the kitchen forum...getting ideas for an up-coming reno)

Good to combine the potato stacks. I've made them and use both combined. For a larger crowd i usually make them as baked fries but i have some vintage snowcone holders that are cool looking with a parchment fold.

You have lots of counter space so all can be arranges out. Good way to break your kitchen in. Sounds like you have been without for a while.

I do like to do much more ahead of time. And less things that need a plate and fork. I had a small gang last Sunday for the game and did AllBalls. : ) 'global balls' we called it making fun of a restaurant that has on their menu 'Global Cuisine'. I made a basic meatball, lamb sausage balls, porcini risotto balls, spinach ones, and a falafel. All made as meals for us over the past few weeks and froze the extras for the party. Three sauces. Salsa, yogurt/cucumber, and hummus.

I like to set everything out and somewhat planned for placement the night before in case something is missing. (i was low on toothpicks). And we like kitchen clean, dishwasher run and empty by noon the day of. Something always comes up or eliminated....i opted out of making spring rolls and just made veggie platters, the cheeses and charcuterie. Like you, all prepped the night before. Ran out of steam Sat night so had to make hummus Sun morning. (beans were cooked and fridged). Made fresh pickles and DH decided to make focaccia. (big hit but a risk using a new oven). Last minute BagnaCoda for the veggies.

I did have brioche slider rolls and naan but put out some Boston and red leaf lettuce for hand roll wraps for this not wanting so much bread, (me). Since i had all the ingredients for spring rolls anyway.

I did the grilled cheese last early Fall with fresh garden tomato soup. That is a great one and the focaccia make super grilled cheese. Pesto/mozzarella and ham/gruyere...both with a fresh tom slice.

....ideas for another party. You seem set for this one.
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
6 years ago
I do like the stuffed shells but i would use shells for both. Two fillings, two separate trays but simpler prepping just shells instead of the penne.
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
6 years ago
Spring rolls i made a couple weeks ago.

quick pickles
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
6 years ago
Impressed by your dessert making skills. I do make chocolate truffles once or twice a year but lately i just have a chocolate bar tasting. NewYears i must have had a dozen. Broken into bits in bowls with the wrapper under. (the one thing i can't purchase to far in advance)...the fig pistachio one is empty since i ate it. : )
Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
6 years ago
Anglophilia, I think you missed the post where I said I was adding sandwiches.

plllog, I don't think I want to hold back on setting the sweets out. I would need to be aware of timing and it might take some effort to get things arranged like I would like. I'll have greater peace of mind if it's all set up and ready to go.

Yes, guests know that we're feeding them. :)

sleevendog (5a NY), oh wow! So many delicious looking pics! That focaccia looks amazing. I've never made it before. I just did a search for recipes and it looks simple enough, but maybe not something I should attempt for the first time for this party. Those spring rolls are beautiful. Are they hard to make? Those quick pickles, did you post a recipe about them a few weeks back? Link?

The cheesecakes may not end up happening. I'm up against the clock and there are not enough hours in the day this week it seems. If I skip the cheesecakes, then I'll probably do some cakes or cupcakes in their place. I have ordered these cute papers in case I go that route.

I'm not doing the pasta dishes, just the scalloped potato stacks. Although I was tempted to drop the potato stacks for this:

I made this Monday night and oh, wow, delicious!
Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
6 years ago
I forgot to mention that I am adding turkey/spinach meatballs. I made them last weekend and froze them, so they are ready to go. These are a family favorite. I wasn't going to make them, but when I mentioned them I got urged to make them, so yeah, meatballs.
lindac92
6 years ago
ahglophyle...I Loooove the never ending cocktail party!! and if you think there is never enough to eat, either you're not trying or you haven't been to one of my parties!
And when I had kids around, toddlers through teens, they loved it too!
As a matter of fact, when our oldest was about 4 we started doing a "cocktail buffet" for Christmas Eve dinner. The young ones were so hyped they didn't want to sit still for dinner ( we open gifts on Christmas Eve), but they would eat some carrots and dip and cheese fondue and tiny meatballs and hot dog bites dipped into the cheese sauce, and shrimp....and later on when they were older, we grilled a chunk of beef filet and made sliders with the dinner rolls made for dinner on Christmas Day. And a dinner club I used to belong to, loved that sort of party so well we would each invite another couple and make an each make an appetizer in addition to the host's 4 and we would have a lovely feast.
I have had 35 people eat 4 pounds of poached salmon, 3 pounds of meatballs, 3 pounds of shrimp about 3 dozen small ham sliders, 5 pounds of chicken wings and half a bushel of raw vegetables not to mention crackers and such...Oh and there was a crab mousse I remember and another hot hors'douvre....and in the midst of the crazyness I was frying egg rolls!!
If you went away hungry from that ti was your own dumb fault!
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
What is the budget? Food + drinks + paper plates + napkins + + + + ?

50 x $10 = $500.00

50 x $20 = $1,000

dcarch
Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
6 years ago
So far around $600. I think I've bought most everything we'll need, but there are no doubt some things that have been overlooked.
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
6 years ago
I was just posting things i've made recently. I've made spring rolls for 20 yrs and usually are my 'take to a party' treat. Best to practice and nail it before trying something new. I did take some pics for that batch but thought i would take some more pics before posting a tutorial but ended up not making them for the Sunday fest.

I was waiting this morning for some laundry to finish so i was killing time so i could shower....big snow storm tomorrow and then off to the market to stock up. Crazy 60 and sunny all day right now!

Good choice on the added family favorite meatballs. I finally figured out a good falafel over the holidays so froze that one.

...that was yesterday

Your salad looks great!

Shoveling snow all morning, turn around and more snow. 145+ accidents reported.

I also like grazing parties. It is a meal in any order you want. Enough variety can please all. Prepped ahead and frozen and cheeses, meats have a long fridge life...in case a storm causes a cancelation.
Cheryl Hewitt thanked sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
Cheryl Hewitt
Original Author
6 years ago
sleevendog (5a NY), I definitely want to make some of the things you posted in the near future. We're having a bitterly cold day today here in WI, but tomorrow and Saturday are supposed to be quite warm.

I'm waiting for the clock to tick down to the end of the day so I can go home and start cooking and prepping. I can't wait! :)