Party food suggestions please!

[mattl]

I'm kind of burned out and brain dead at the moment. Dealing with my dad and getting ready for his 95th Birthday Party next Saturday. Expecting about 60-70 people. Had a similar party for the 90th, but at this point can't recall all the details.

I'm planning on 3 whole pork loins that I will marinate and grill the day of the party. That will serve quite a few folks, but I feel I need a second meat. Any suggestions for something easy to make that feeds lots of people? Thought about a turkey, but not sure I want to go that route. I''ll have some Kogel hot dogs and some hamburgers for the kids too.

I'm making 10 Lbs. of potato salad and others are bringing a few dishes too. With all the great cooks here I''m hoping for a few easy to make suggestions -- the floor is open!

 

[cleanteamofny]

Oven fried chicken is so easy and can be prepped the night before baking.

 

[ronhic]

Chicken Drumsticks....

....marinated in a combination of:

- honey
- soy
- garlic and
- a little chilli

....warming the honey a little will help it mix and the marinade to disperse and coat too BTW...

Make sure you line your baking dish with foil to preserve them...

- Spray the foil AND the drumsticks with cooking spray....line 'em up

Bake at 350f (ish)...turning at least once...

Makes a change from the more traditional (from an American point of view) smokey BBQ and hot chilli flavours....and gives a slightly Chinese twist - kids love them too....

 

[mixfinder]

Water Melon Salad

Peel and cube a medium seedless water melon. Cut the cubes about 1 1/2 x 1 1/2. Salt them lightly and place in a colander and chill while the melon drains. Slice a sweet white onion into wafer thin slices. Put the onion in a sauce pan with 1/2 cup white Balsamic vinegar (Substitute rice vinegar) 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper and bring to a simmer just to wilt the onion. Let cool. To assemble place the watermelon on a large platter and pour the onion dressing mixture over. Crumble 1 cup feta cheese over the top and garnish with mint.

 

[mixfinder]

Cantelope Cooler

Peel and cube a cantelope, placing it in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons honey
sprinkle of red pepper
juice and zest of one lime
1 cup chopped raosted pistachio nuts
Toss and serve chilled

 

[mixfinder]

Bananas and Walnuts

Peel 6 frim bananas and cut into 1 inch chunks on the bias. Drizzle zest and juice of 1 orange over top to prevent browning.
In a small bowl combine
1/2 cup sour cream or Greek style yogurt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla
Mix to dissolve sugar. Pour over bananas and add
1 cup toasted pecans
Toss and serve chilled

 

[spankomatic]

As for a second meat I too like the chicken idea. Forget the Turkey! Too much work!!! I always like to make something like Rigatoni or Spaghetti Casserole as a second dish. Boil your Rigatoni or Spaghetti pasta. Add your favorite tomatoe sauce. Put in casserole dish. Cover with your favorite shredded cheese and bake at 350 for 25 min. It's a great dish to have for vegitarians,children,side dish to go with your meats. Mine always seems to go fast....

 

[58limited]

Meatloaf - throw it together the night before.

 

[yogitunes]

crock pot.....meatballs and sauce...add dinner rolls

crock pot.....baked beans....add some chopped onion, brown sugar, BBQ sauce or mustard

roaster.....chicken wings and BBQ sauce...toss in some hot peppers

roaster.....cooked ziti, browned ground beef, sauce and cheese on top

I like to put these together fast in the morning, slow cook all day, and keeps them warm during the party......set it and forget it....allows you to concentrate on the rest of the events...

cool dishes

2 lbs elbow macaroni, cooked and cooled

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
4 cans tuna
toss with mayo and salt and pepper to taste

also with suggestions from the guys here...add tiny shrimp or crab meat and sour cream.............

you can also place this stuff in disposable aluminum pans with lids, they stack in the fridge...then to oven and then table...easy cleanup
2 lbs tri-color pasta, cooked, and cooled
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup each red and green pepper
1 bottle Italian salad dressing
assemble and toss together...........

 

[polkanut]

Cole slaw!

Here is our basic recipe:
1 medium head green cabbage, grated
1 grated carrot
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp. Wesson oil
3/4 cup mayo or Miracle Whip
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. mustard
In a large bowl mix together all the veggies. Mix remaining ingredients together well, and pour dressing over cabbage mixture. Let sit covered overnight in refrigerator, toss lightly before serving next day.

 

[maytagbear]

If there is a GOOD local bakery,

let them make the cookies. By "good," I mean better than the average supermarket "bakery."

Not to be a deliberate jerk, but is your father really up to what sounds like a big, potentially loud and long party?

The mother of one of my dearest women friends just had her 90th birthday, and Franni hosted a small, quiet, not-very-long tea for Helen, and Helen loved it, and was not overtired the next day.

I don't entertain a lot any more, but when I do, the larger the gathering, the more I buy and the less I make. I insist on tasting the ______ first, however, and if it is close to homemade, I'll order it. If I don't care for it, I try another source.

I do not care for paper plates, but I don't mind the heavier plastic "silverware."

I know it's a bother, but please consider having something to drink that is both sugar free and CAFFEINE FREE, like diet 7up or diet Sprite. There are some people who are hypersensitive to caffeine.

You might want to have several bags of store ice in coolers, and more trash bags than you think you might need. Plus, check all bathrooms for hand soap, bathroom tissue, and towels. I have found that for all but the most elegant gatherings, people are really grateful for paper towels in a party setting! None of that "dare I use it? Do I refold it? Where do I lay it down?" nonsense. There are paper towels with nice print motifs on them, and not just Plain White. One or two REAL flowers in a small vase, if there is room on the sink, is a nice touch.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[toggleswitch]

Get yourself a ready-made flavored (honey, barbeque, etc) spiral-sliced ham.

Le voila!

Another idea:

Oven-roasted potatoes. One potato per person. Scrub with brush. Cut into uniform(-ish) wedges.

Add butter*, a quater of a cup of water in the pan, and spices to taste. Drizze sparingly with olive oil. Add water in additional 1/4 cup doses as needed. Use paprika for a redder color. Roast at 325*F for 1.5 hours. For variety, one can add parboiled carrots, raw celery and even a sliced onion to the mix as well.

*Say half a stick of butter for a 9 x 13 pan and a whole stick for a huge pan that encompasses nearly the the entire rack of a 30" wide 'standard' American overn.

Spices:
Adobo
OR lemon and oregano, S&P and parsley.

If you have any fat, lard, or bacon grease substitute for the butter.

Test with fork then in mouth to determine if/when done.

To make a meal of this, BTW add chicken drumsticks or even meatballs (golf-ball sized ) with other vegetables. Then one does not need the butter or fat if there is meat in there.

Cookign it all covered for 15 or so minutes hastens the cooking time. Uncover for color. Throw under broiler if needed if NOT in a glass pan.

 

[mattl]

Wow!

....Those are all making me hungry!

All are keepers, and I'll make as many as i can find time for. Leaning toward the chicken, I'd use legs and thighs, or the ham. Didn't think of ham but that may be a quick easy thing to add. For some reason I'd like Mostacholi, but it seems a bit more work intensive.

After the "main" party is over we're going to switch gears a bit and go with a drink of the hour. We did this a couple of years ago when my brother, sister-in-law and 6 cousins all turned 50. Everyone brought either their favorite alcohol based drink or one they wanted to try. Everyone sampled and voted on their favorite. Mojitos ended up being the odds on favorite, but they got served after midnight and 5 or 6 other drinks.

 

[mattl]

Lawrence, as to my dad's health, it's up and down. A few weeks ago he was out and about in the yard watching all the work I was doing. I took down 15 30' arborvitaes and put up a 60' fence to block the view of the neighbors and he wants to be in the action. Over the past few weeks he's gotten progressively weaker, I suspect a new med, colchcine, which has listed as a side effect of muscular myopathy -manifested as weakness, neuropathy, and paralysis, which has been stopped. He keeps saying we should move the party to a near by hall and let them do the food and such, but at this late date that is not an option.

So, I'll play it by ear, when he gets tired I'll get him to lay down or go to bed. Ours used to be the party house when my mom was around, we had dozens of gatherings, showers, birthday parties and just get together's, I miss that. I have china service for 30, but won't be using that outdoors, just heavy paper plates, might try the new Dixie stuff, if not I have a lot of Chinet around. People spread out and if they are eating in the dining room they are welcome to use the china.

For outdoor parties we have some very old large wash tubs we fill with ice and keep the drinks cool, odds are they have been around for 60 or 70 years worth of parties. I like the idea of a fresh flower in the bathrooms, I wish I had a way to telling the women guests not to flush feminine products, seems like after every big gathering the sewer backs up due to those being flushed, Roto-rooter to the rescue.

 

[yogitunes]

for the bathroom ammenities......provide a pop-up dispenser of paper towels, and a small trash can with a lid.....and then a sign about flushing paper towels, bulky, and/or feminine products.......

I have these signs, made with a label maker, on both sides of the lid on mine....I have a sewage ejection system....I don't need a backup like this during a party

"Sewage ejection in use---DO NOT flush sanitary products"

just a thought!

 

[xraytech]

How about Roast Beef for sandwiches.

for how many you are serving, I'd use 3 5lb block roasts. take each roast set on a big piece of foil, sprinkle with 1 or 2 packets of Lipton onion soup mix, add 1 cup of water, and wrap up in foil, place in a baking pan. bake slowly on 300 degrees for a few hours, occasionally check to se eif you need more water. When done remove from juices and cool, remove any fat from the juice and reserve the juices. When roasts are cool, either shred apart with a fork or slice thinly with a deli slicer. place back in reserved juices, adding beef borth and onion soup mix to have enough to cover meat completely, reheat slowly in a roaster or crock pot, serve on hard rolls.

 

[toggleswitch]

Generally 25 minutes per pound when at 325*F

 

[polkanut]

My wife does slow roasted beef the way Sam does his, and it is out of this world. It literally melts in your mouth, it's that tender. The leftovers freeze well also. Works great with venison roasts too.

 

[xraytech]

Or for a quick and easy second meat make Kielbasa and sauerkraut or hot sausage with peppers and onions and diced tomatoes