Food Ideas for a Large Party?

Question

In September we are hosting an open house suprise party for my mother's 50th birthday.

We plan on running it from about noon till 8:00pm.

In the afternoon we would like appetizer type things, and then around 4-5pm my father will fire up the BBQ and do his thing.

We've invited alot of people, whether just stop by and say Hello, or stay for a while..

Our issue is with food.

Any recommendations on cheap, easy, simple things?

We have thought of veggie and fruit trays, a cheese/pickle/crackers kinda tray, cold cuts and buns, etc.

And then for the BBQ just simple hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages.

Does anyone have any funky, fun, easy little recipes we can add in?

Answer 1

i like your ideas and would add a huge pot of chili  mixed green salad   chicken leg quarters on the grill  chips and dips  stuffed eggs

Answer 2

stuffed mushrooms

meatballs

antipasta

cheese cubes

mini-wienies in sauce

pigs in blankets

taquitos

Good thinking to have snacky things. Even after people eat they tend

to get the munchies if they've been having a few beers or just hanging

out. Have fun!  

Answer 3

appetizers- chicken wings, chicken nuggets, fries, mashed potatoes, spagetti, mac and cheese, rice, or even soup would be good

dont forget fruit trays and have ice under of course. vegetables trays,  small sandwich trays, or even those tortilla things forgot the proper name for it but u fill it with meat and a spread and cut into slices.

also chips, salsa, bean dip, cheese, or plain regular chips.

dont forget salads. green salad with choice of dressings, or a potato salad, and a macroni salad. dont forget corn on the cob. mmm. and you need a good side dish

like... stemmed brocolli, or aparagus

ya cheese trays and salami tryas will be great for appetizers.

im the queen of partys. j,.k but i threw my own kids birthday parties, my baby showers, and i worked in catering and went to culinary school. so if you want more detail on what and how to present something u can ask me. my emails on my page. ok and dont forget dont stress and have fun. dont forget ice cream it will be hot.

p.s these are all easy recipes if you think about it.  

Answer 4

get a couple cans of artichoke hearts, 2 packages of cream cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup mayo...chop artichokes and mix with other ingredient's.. get some phyllo dough or fresh baguettes (slice thin) and fill the phyllo dough and fold over, seal and bake until brown... or place a spoonful on a slice of baguette and place under broiler.

Answer 5

What about having a selection of salads instead of the cheese/pickle/cracker tray. It might be alot cheaper to make the salads. Potato salad, greek salad, garden salad, cold pasta salad would be good choices. Just be careful with them sitting out on a warm day if they contain mayo. Better to stick with vinegar based salads, they don't spoil as would mayo based salads. For the bbq'd burgers provide alot of choices for toppings. Not just ketchup, mustard and relish. Slice up cucumbers, pickles, tomatoes. Have hot banana pepper rings, chutneys, fried onions, sauerkraut, corn relish etc for toppings. These also work well with hotdogs. Or instead of just plain hotdogs, bbq some Debrezine sausages, mild Italian sausages or the stuffed sausages. Have a type of a buffet style. For your fruit tray, make a nice yogurt dip for it. Smaller finger foods might also be good to serve, such as sausage rolls, cut into small bite size pieces, pizza cut into smaller squares, sweet and sour meatballs, mini skewers (sausage pieces, red bell peppers, cheese cubes etc) Hope all this helps..........have a great party!