Help!! I need party food ideas!!?

Question

I am having a pool party with 40 adults and 20 kids. I don't want to serve the typical hamburgers and hotdogs, but I don't want to do anything extravagant or really expensive. Any ideas????

Answer 1

Serve easy to prepare summer fun beach food for your pool party. Go a little elaborate with crab legs and melted butter. Add some coleslaw, baked beans, potato salad, corn on the cob, fruit kabobs or a watermelon bowl filled with the season’s freshest fruit, and lots of munchies. Pick foods that do not require refrigeration. You can find recipes for pool and picnic favorites like potato salad that do not use mayonnaise and therefore are safe to sit out for extended periods. Choose finger foods that are easily transported around the pool area. Small sandwiches, chips and dips, cut-up vegetables and fruits are all good choices for a day at the pool. Keep menus for kids' parties simple. Children are notoriously finicky, so extra fussy foods will be a big turnoff. Order a few pizzas, buy some ice cream and juice boxes and sit back and enjoy. For dessert, serve frozen bananas on a stick dipped in chocolate, snow cones, and a delightful summer berry “fruit pizza.” Serve the kids' food in individual beach pails. Use a paint pen to write each child’s name on a bucket, and fill each pail with a juice box, wrapped in a hot dog, goldfish crackers, fruit kabob, and a beach ball. Fill a cooler, wheelbarrow or metal tub with ice and load it with plenty of soda and bottles of water. As an alternative, you can offer guests daiquiris and fruit smoothies—complete with mini umbrellas (pina colada granitas are sooo good)! Don’t forget to stock up on lots of ice — plan on approximately one pound per adult guest for the party. Have bowls sitting around with individually wrapped Life-Savers candy for those sudden sweet-tooth attacks.

Answer 2

Ok first here is my idea

For the main course:

Lasagna

Macaroni and Cheese

Chicken

Spaghetti and Meatballs

For Snacks:

Fruit Cabobs

Trail Mix

Mini Cookies

For your cake

Cookie Cake

Birthday Cake

Answer 3

Island Honey Burgers

32 min | 20 min prep

SERVES 45 (change servings and units)

Ingredients

180 ounces ground beef

2 7/8 cups honey

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups soy sauce

5 5/8 (23 ounce) cans sliced pineapple, drained

45 hamburger buns, split and toasted

lettuce leaves

Directions

1In a bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients; mix well.

2Shape into 8 patties.

3Grill the burgers, uncovered, over medium-hot heat for 3 minutes on each side.

4Brush with soy sauce.

5Contiinue grilling for 4-6 minutes or until juices run clear, basting several times.

6During the last 4 minutes, grill the pineapple slices until browned, turning once.

7Serve burgers and pineapple on buns with lettuce and condiments of your choice.

Incredibly Cool and Refreshing Mandarin Orange Cake

45 min | 10 min prep (Cooling time is not added to the prep or cook times.)

SERVES 10 -12 (change servings and units)

Ingredients

1 (18 1/2 ounce) package yellow cake mix

4 large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed (Cool Whip or store brand)

1 (3 1/2 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding

Directions

1Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch pan (I use a pyrex baking pan so I can serve the cake right in the pan).

3In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, oil and ONE can of oranges with juice.

4Mix by hand or with mixer until smooth (you will still see bits of oranges).

5Pour into prepared pan.

6Bake for 30-40 minutes or until thin steak knife inserted in center come out clean.

7Allow to cool completely on rack.

8In a large bowl, mix whipped topping, the other can of mandarin oranges with juice and dry pudding mix until well combined and smooth.

9Spread on cooled cake.

Your Basic Smores

Ingredients

1 large marshmallow

2 graham crackers

3 chocolate squares

Directions

1Toast one marshmallow until a light golden color.

2Top with 2 squares of chocolate.

3Sandwich between one graham cracker, broken in half.

4(That would be 4 separate grahams, 2 on either side of the smore).

5To toast while camping, push the marshmallow on a long stick and turn constantly over an open fire.

6To toast at home, pop in a preheated oven on a cookie sheet and watch closely!

7(Usually about 2 minutes).

Ham And Macaroni Salad

40 min | 30 min prep

SERVES 40 (change servings and units)

Ingredients

32 ounces boiled ham or baked ham

2 cups cheddar cheese, diced

8 cups cooked elbow macaroni

4 cups chopped celery

4 small onions, chopped

2 cups dill pickles, chopped

2 cups mayonnaise

8 teaspoons prepared mustard

Directions

1Dice ham into 1/2-inch cubes.

2Combine ham and cheese with macaroni, celery, onion and pickle.

3Mix mayonnaise and mustard; then stir into macaroni mixture, mixing well.

4Chill well until ready to serve, several hours for maximum flavor!

5Serve in a lettuce lined bowl, and garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.

6Tip: Elbow macaroni doubles in volume when cooked, so start with 1 cup dry macaroni to yield 2 cups needed for this recipe.

$1.00 Tangy Chicken Recipe

4¾ hours | 4 hours prep  Prep time includes marinating time.

SERVES 4 -6 (change servings and units)

Ingredients

3 1/2-4 lbs cut up chicken

2 cups cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons hot red pepper sauce

3/4 cup barbecue sauce (your favorite)

Directions

1Combine vinegar, Worcestershire,chili powder,salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce in a small bowl.

2You'll have mixed all ingredients except BBQ sauce.

3Place chicken pieces in a large plastic bag and pour mixture over chicken.

4Marinate in refrigerator for at least 4 hours, turning several times.

5Spray grill with non stick cooking spray.

6Grill chicken pieces over medium heat in covered grill for 30-45 minutes.

7Turn occasionally while grilling.

8Baste with your favorite BBQ sauce for the last 10 minutes of grilling time.

Answer 4

Pulled Pork Sandwiches and/or Sloppy Joes.  Either can be kept warm in crock pots, everyone can help themselves.  With 20 kids, I might lean toward hot dogs, as they are easy and kids love hot dogs.  So maybe hot dogs for the kids and bbq pulled pork for adults.  

Side dishes like pasta salad or orzo salad are easy to make.  My recipes for these can be found at:

http://www.cooking-is-easy-and-fun.com/S...

Dessert - icre bars and brownies, both really easy.

If friends are contributing to the event, have them bring desserts and the chips and dips.  Sound like a lot of people and big fun!

Answer 5

Why not make Kebobs. Use marinated chicken and veggies. You can even do Satay's with various sauces. Corn on the cob and watermelon is perfect for this time of year.

Answer 6

Pizza is always easy. Or have everyone bring a side dish or dessert and you cook shish kabobs or ribs. We love bar-b-que in the south. Don't forget a veggie and/or fruit tray. Finger food is the best. Chips, dips, jello shapes, bag/box drinks... You could make a theme and go with it - like a lula (pineapples, lays, music). Many kids love peanut butter sandwiches; I have a neat cut-n-serve from Pampered Chef that makes neat round sealed sandwiches - we put PB or Nutella or cheese spread in them; it's great for the kids! Watermelon is always a big hit. have fun!

Answer 7

A pool party! What a great idea.

There's no better way to combine cooling off and having fun with friends & family.



Check out this Website hope fully you should be getting an brief idea of what you are looking for..

http://www.chiff.com/entertain/pool.htm

Answer 8

taco bar

tostada bar

nacho bar (or all three)

Salad bar (believe it or not...) with meat selections to make

the salads more hearty. Like sliced london broil, ham peices,

bacon, etc and unusual ingredients (garbanzos, green beans, corn...)

Bread bowls and a couple fo different soups. Pea soup,

bean soup, chowders... sounds odd - hot soup for a pool party, but if you're cold when you get out of the pool, hot soup

goes good.

Don't forget the ice cream sundae bar for after! Have a great

time!