joanie, there will be somewhere between 10 and 30 people. Very, very casual vibe. We are in rustic cottage country. Can't afford catering and I don't think I want it either - also it's 90 minutes out of town. Weather can be spectacularly nice (sunny and 85 degrees) or miserable (one year it was rainy and 55). The cottage is small, but we have fairly large decks and a relatively big sort of indoor porch that is screened and roofed with clear plexiglass so it seems like you are outside.

I should clarify those numbers - I have 15 people who have rsvp'd in the affirmative and am planning on inviting about 15 more once we get out there next weekend. I don't have email addresses those people.

ETA: those numbers do not include children. That might be as many as 10.

3katz, you give me hope. Please spill all your secrets.

Happy Birthday. I think we are same age since I also turned 50 a couple of years ago. I also only throw parties where I say- hey everyone come tomorrow for a BBQ(I think that means I dont have time to freak out). And- I also have a child graduating from HS .Lots of coincidences....

For easy food I would do burgers; Hamburgers, Veggie burgers, Salmon Burgers. All can be frozen if you buy too much. I'd skip hot dogs but I dont like them and neither do my kids. If you want to make it more complicated you could grill some sausage too. For sides I would do corn on the cob,watermelon, an enormous green salad, and either a pasta salad or potato salad. I might do a bean salad too, its a famioly favorite so I know there would be no waste.

Have ice cream sandwiches, or bars, brownies, cookies or cupcakes for sweets.

Drinks- limit yourself to beer, coolers(like Mikes' Hard Lemonade), and some wine or a jug of sangria, have lots of bottled water, pop and maybe some non carbonated, non alcoholic drinks too, like ice tea or lemonade. Just buy cases at Costco, I would think you will use up any excess over the course of the summer at the lake.

Keep it simple, summer lakehouse parties are easy casual things around here. We go to lots of them.

I think burgers and dogs are a safe bet. Kabobs are great if you have the time to put them together. You could also do grilled chicken. If you're not up for making a lot yourself, grab that Costco card and get all the sides pre made.....macaroni salad, potato salad along with the meat and buns. Plus you can pick up pickles, large bags of chips, soda, etc.. Costco has great cakes if you're doing a bday cake.

Depending on the time frame, you might be able to do away with appetizers. If everyone is invited for two but you're not serving dinner until 5, then you need appetizers. If everyone comes at 4 and you're serving dinner at 5, I would just put out bowls of nuts or something small and easy so people don't pig out on appetizers....I've tried to get away from appetizers for that reason....less to do and worry about as well.

You could do a big fruit salad.....I think Costco has big bags..... In a carved out watermelon.....or just do watermelon slices. If you're not doing a big bday cake, you could do whoopie pies ( no problem in the heat) or s'mores would be fun if you have a fire pit.

You can string outdoor lights or get tiki torches to stick in the ground if it's going to be a dinner and not be over until after dark, otherwise you could do a lunch instead.

A bbq at the beach birthday party sounds wonderful! I agree, Costco will have most of the things you'll need. Are you planning to run the bbq yourself, during the party? If you can find someone (or a couple of people) to do this for you, I'd recommend that. I might even hire someone to do it, if there were no volunteers (not a caterer, just a college student there for the summer or a responsible, older, neighbor's kid who can grill hamburgers and hot dogs).

You definitely sound like a kindred spirit, localeater. I totally would have forgotten about sweets and bottled water. I try not to do bottled water, but for guests, I should probably make an exception. A big green salad and a heavier salad with burgers. This is sounding doable.

joanie, I'm trying to save for a bigger range out there (the current is 24") so I don't want to spend too much on decor, but it does seem that lights of some kind would be a good investment, right? I have no idea what a whoopie is, but it sounds like a fun.

Any thoughts on what time? I don't mind either but am kind of leaning towards evening (but letting close friends come earlier if they want to swim). I'm thinking that if the weather is lousy, an evening party would be less affected (who cares if it's raining if you have wine?).

I've had that many people at our lake place for informal gatherings. We have done it around what I would call "happy hour" - 4pm. We have beverages and snacks out from the start and then put more food out around 5pm.

We have beer, wine and soft drinks and just have a cooler for beer and one for soft drinks. I also make a pitcher of lemonade - sugar free mix but you could do frozen if you don't want artificial sweetener. We put white wine in a large clear plastic bowl with ice and red wine on a table or counter with the glasses.

Last year I think this is what I served - much from Costco. I bought a big bag of small buns, some packages of deli roast beef and turkey and pre-sliced cheeses (all Costco). I arranged all of that on a couple platters for sandwiches along with mayo, butter and a few mustards. I also had pretzels for dipping in the mustards. I had a good assortment of pickles, olives, etc, a vegetarian orzo salad, fruit bowl, chicken salad all of which I made, some veggies and store bought dip, cold shrimp (frozen cooked from Costco) with easy homemade cocktail sauce, a bowl of nuts (Costco) and the big bag of organic tortilla chips (Costco) and big jar of salsa (you guessed it - Costco). I made some brownies from a mix (Costco) for dessert. Dump cake is a very easy dessert that a lot of people like. Hummus and pita chips is another good snack for vegetarians.

I'm having the same group again this year over the 4th of July and likely will do pretty much the same. We always make sure we buy enough and we buy things we'll use if we have leftovers so we have never returned anything.

Much as we love grilling, I don't do it for a larger group like this. It requires someone (DH) to spend too much time attending the grill when he would rather be mingling and socializing. I prefer to have everything ready ahead of time and then just set it all out at once.

My people are chefs and foodies. That being said, they are also pretty chill about a BBQ. So here's what I would do

BBQ a variety of sausages.

I do this potato salad with a vinaigrette and green beans

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/red-potato-and-green-bean-salad-with-dijon-vinaigrette

tomato and fresh mozzarella salad

green salad

good rolls

fresh fruit

then add the bad stuff

chips and dip

nibbles

desserts

add beer, wine, soda and fizzy water

now you're golden!

I'm getting hungry just reading this thread! :-) Costco has some great dips. Everyone in my family loves their artichoke jalapeno dip. It's good on those pita chips, which you can also find at Costco. They have some really tasty desserts too. If you can't find someone to bbq for you, they sell lots of sandwich meats, cheeses, etc. Like someone mentioned earlier, you could definitely do a sandwich bar.

I forgot to talk timing. We always do about 4pm for BBQ, but it gets dark earlier this far south. Friends with a pool start around 2pm and we're all gone by 8pm.

Good point about the time it takes to grill burgers and dogs. Sandwich fixins ready to go would be easier. You could even do Bbq pulled pork (costco) on buns as well as deli meats.

I would probably pick up some tri-tips to grill, grill up some onions and red bell peppers and serve them up with corn and flour tortillas with an array of condiments (sliced lime, chopped onion, diced tomato, shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, salsa) so folks can do either fajitas or tacos. I'd make a tex-mex bean salad with black beans, corn, onion, and tomato and dress it with a lime-based dressing. I'd have a pot of black or pinto beans somewhere so any vegetarians will have a non-meat option for burritos or whatever. This might sound complicated but it involves very little actual cooking, just some chopping, much of which can be done in advance.

Maybe a green salad and a fruit salad. Brownies for dessert.

For summer with families, I'd probably choose daytime with the expectation that folks (kids at least) will be in and out of the water.

I'm not much for party games, but if a lot of people don't know each other you might plan some kind of ice breaker. I've been to family reunions where there was a kind of --I dunno, scavenger hunt?--where you had to talk to a lot of people to find the ones who (1) lived in Europe for 10 years (2) Was a belly dancer (3) visited Ronald Reagan at the White House, etc. They are stupid, but otherwise you get little cliques forming among the people who already know each other and not much cross-mingling.

I know in Nova Scotia you can return alcohol to the liquor store.

Sounds like a fun party! If you have it in the evening, get some fireworks!

You have gotten some good advice. If you can't hire someone for the meat portion keep it simple, unless you or another family member loves to grill. There is nothing wrong with burgers and dogs on the beach. I'd come to a party on the beach with any food!

I'd do (and often do) a low country boil. Potatoes, corn, sausage, shrimp in one or two huge pots, cooked outside using a grill. Scoop it out and serve with good bread and beer. Easy.

One thing about buying bottled water. I learned a long time ago to buy the small bottles of water after throwing away a lot of large bottles that had only a couple of sips taken. People put them down and then forget. And just put out pitchers of fresh ice water with lemon slices so people can help themselves.

I don't think burgers and hot dogs are that hard to cook if you buy the frozen patties. Costco's are pretty good. And you can have a platter of condiments - tomatoes, lettuce, avocados, bacon, sautéed onions & mushrooms - mostly prepared ahead of time. For sides, the only thing I'd add would be maybe baked beans. They are a family favorite, along with the potato salad and/or pasta salad.

Good suggestion about the water OutsidePlaying. In my experience and I never learn, don't feel you need to have twice the food you know is realistic. I recently spent way more than needed for a seafood party. I ordered way too much. If food runs short there is a carryout or grocery within twenty minutes.

While we all want to be the best host, people don't judge that much. They want to come to your beach and have fun. I don't know you but if you invite me to your beach I'd come!

When we have a big, casual party we use red solo cups and put out markers so people can write their name on their cup.

I am not sure in America if you can return liquour. Only once when I bought a mixer. Ask ahead.

Unless you have a really large grill and someone who truly prefers to work it rather than socialize, I wouldn't grill burgers for a party this large. They take up a lot of grill real estate and you'll likely end up having to cook them in batches (and have a bunch of hungry vultures hovering). If you have a smoker, you might consider smoking a few pork shoulders well in advance and then pulling the meat for sandwiches, then grilling just a few hot dogs and/or pre-cooked chicken sausages as an alternative (maybe even a few veggie burgers if you have vegetarians). If you don't have a smoker, you could just roast pork shoulders in the oven the day before and reheat the pulled pork with sauce in a crockpot.

As for the rest of the menu - think about how you are going to serve/present the food and how people are going to be seated. If this is a party where people will be wandering around with plates in hand, stick to things that are easy to eat with fingers. If you are serving buffet-style, choose salads and sides that can easily be scooped with one spoon and don't require a lot of futzing with extra dressing/condiments/toppings/utensils (i.e. no green salad!). There are plenty of catering-related websites online that can help you estimate how much food you need for how many people (drinks too).

I had a similar party, most of my suggestions have already been mentioned. But I made a nice, fancy fru fru cake (coconut almond chocolate, in my case) and I highly recommend taking this opportunity to make a nice cake. I don't eat cake much because with just the two of us, cake goes stale or molds before we can eat it all. So when there's a party, I think cake of some kind. Even something like a summer cobbler or buckle or whatever you want to call it, fruit with cake on top or vice versa! Ice cream and brownies are easier, but cake takes the cake. (As long as it is something yummy, not some stale-ish store-bought thing with crisco icing.)

You were asking about time. I would say mid afternoon. That way the old folks (like me) can have fun and it can go into a party. I wish I could be there!

Anne, that be a dream if all the gw gang could come.

pinkmtn, I hope I have time to make a real cake. Strawberry shortcake is my favourite and it will be strawberry season here, so I may just do some version of that.

I think in terms of grilling, we will likely do burgers/weiners/sausages. One thing I've noticed is that grilling is like party games for the guys. They all gather round, give advice, try to get the coals just right, etc. I think my DH would prefer to have a post and job to do. If I had a smoker, I'd do the pulled pork, but our oven out there is only 24" and generally burns anything I put in it. Might try the Costco version ahead of time tho and see what it's like.

Love the advice to have "spoonable food". I hate trying to wrestle food into my mouth while having the plate fold in two.

Really glad to hear people don't mind jugs of water with citrus. I would really rather not do bottled water at all. And solo cups with markers is going on the list - I 've done this for kids bday's and it makes such a big difference in mess and waste.

I have never heard of a low country boil. I need to research this.

spanish, thanks for the recipe. I will try it out this weekend. Hmmm, I'm thinking I might enjoy the "trying out" of several dishes pre-party.

3katz, good idea about the orzo salad. I can make that one of Ina Garten's in my sleep now, but everyone always loves it.

Definitely fireworks, robo. Fireworks over the lake are always extra special (and also gives the guys another thing to bond over).

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions and for making it sound so easy. I'm starting to feel like it's going to fun.

Our old car group has a party every year the first Saturday in December yes it's not December-- but we have around 50 people every year . The most popular menu is definitely burgers and hotdogs. Other menus have included chili or various casseroles . The food is provided by the host\hostess and no one has ever had the meal catered. We have learned to simplify things as much as possible and to do everything in advance that can be done. The hardest part is always the cleanup

Don't forget the bug spray!

Ugh, clean up. Forgot about clean up.

Bug spray is definitely a given. People around here generally start showering in bug spray around mid-June and don't stop until September long.

Clean up won't be bad! Have clearly marked cans for trash and recycling. That's half of it right there. Anyway, you can clean the next day. Have some of the kids come back. :)

I like to send my dog around after a shindig and that gets all the food spills.

Daisychain, happy 52nd birthday!!! I think it is terrific that you reached outside your comfort level and decided on holding a larger party.

I agree with some others about how bbq can be a social occasion all by itself especially for guys. I don't know if it is in the budget, but buying a proper smoker will give years of great cooking, and if you get one and announce it is new and you are not quite sure of the skills needed, the guys will fall all over each other to help and give advice.

My advice is to always have a plan B in case of rain, etc.

Seems to me you would need a large grill if you do get 30 people. I would do pulled pork in the crockpot.

I second the smoker idea. We have one at each of our houses and it gets a lot of use. 6 chickens can smoke at once and at .99 per lb a real bargain. Ours is an electric smoker which some purists will scoff at but it's truly set and forget.

I will definitely look at smokers. No idea of cost. We do have 3 bbqs at the lake plus could probably borrow from neighbours who are also invited.

I think plan B will just be that we all cram inside. The centre of the cottage is the main entertaining space and it has a clear roof (like a greenhouse), so even if we have to be inside, it will be like we are outside (but it's not going to rain, right?)

Thanks, Lucille!

I agree with everyone about serving pulled pork in a crock pot. It's filling, smells good, has a party vibe and is super easy. You can get containers of premade pulled pork from Costco, grocery store deli or the frozen food aisle.

Serve with slider buns, pickles and kettle chips.

If you are in strawberry country, a store bought angel food cake is pretty good with the strawberries, and they make the individual ones with the indents in them for berries. And for a party, lots of dream whip cans, let folk assemble their own. In a pinch, I do drop biscuits with Bisquick. No one has ever complained! :)

For children I would also consider S'Mores.

This sounds like something you can easily manage from Costco, right up to cake and cookies. Are you sharing the occasion with your DD who graduates or are you celebrating that separately?

We used to do an open house at the holidays for 50-75 people. Invariably several would ask what they could bring. Even if I said 'nothing', a few would bring something anyway. If they ask, tell them to bring a dessert. You can have your b'day cake if you want, then let others fill in the rest. If nobody asks, you'll know you need some cookies or a couple of pies.

How did the party go?

Thanks for asking, Anne. It's still a couple of weeks away. With end of year reports due, my DD turning 18 and graduating this week, I haven't done anything except send out invites. Almost everyone can come, so I'd better get on the planning! I'm also hosting the end of school staff party at my house next week - yikes! at least I haven't had time to stress about it :)

You will do fine! I and I think most of us, have never come home from someones party or invitation saying they didn't do enough. Congrats to your daughter!

Well, it is morning of party and, thanks to you all, I am feeling fairly optimistic. I've done a combo of Costco and homemade and we are queuing burgers and dogs. The weather forecast has been changing hourly all week usually going between cloudy and cool and thunderstorms but this morning it is clear and forecast now says fairly warm and clear. Yay! Unfortunately, the lousy forecast meant that quite a few people changed their response from yes to maybe so it's been hard to plan how much food, etc. Bought some great fireworks and have a few games and crafts for kids (and lots of wine for me!). Wish me luck and thanks again for all the great advice!

Good luck on the weather. It sounds like you've made wonderful plans and it will be a great party!

Good luck with your party, it sounds like it will be lots of fun.

Happy Canada Day! :)

Looking forward to your post party report. My annual 4th of July party is tomorrow.

Thanks again everyone. It was a great success. Everyone seemed to have a good time. There were lots of kids which made it feel really special for me as mine are rapidly growing up. Way too much food as most of you predicted but my mom has a big crew of grandkids over at her cottage so I sent lots over there to be eaten today.

The weather held. It was a bit cool but kids still swam and there were no bugs (very surprising for this neck of the woods).

Burgers were good but I do wish I had taken advice to do pulled pork in a crockpot just because some guests came and went all afternoon and I felt like they would have eaten if food was out. There were about five families here for burgers and dogs and there were lots of snacks and appies for those who left early. My stove up and died this week (it was also celebrating its 52nd bday) but I didn't really need it.

One friend brought a great appetizer. I think I may start another recipe thread and post it there

Sadly, it gets dark so late here, no one was awake for fireworks. We agreed to have everyone back later in the summer when the sun sets earlier for a big show.

All in all a success with such great suggestions from everyone here.

Glad to hear it went well. We had a nice day today and too much food as well. However I'm on vacation from preparing anymore food until next Friday so leftovers are good.

Oh man, I'm up on the shore and it's been nonstop fireworks from 9pm to midnight every night. I'd be more charmed if my dog didn't bark at all the other dogs barking at the fireworks!

so glad it went well! Sounds like a lovely day to remember.

3katz, I'm glad to hear yours went well. If I recall correctly, you do yours up at the lake as well?

Robo, our neighbours have a dog and I was worried as I know that some dogs really get terrified, but she said it wasn't a problem. Someone also gave us one of those Asian flying lantern type thingys with a big Canada flag printed on it. I really wanted to do that as well, but TBH, I was asleep by the time it got really dark :)

Glad it went well! Thank you for the update.