Party Food - Deerfield,IL

My staple appetizer for summer parties is cucumber sandwiches. At least 2 people per party ask for the recipe. They are delish!!

1 loaf french bread
1 english cucumber
1 package cream cheese
1/2 cup mayo
1 packet Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix
Dill seasoning

Take cream cheese out of fridge and allow to soften. Add mayo and dressing mix. Combine well. Cut french bread at angle (about 1-2 inch thickness). Cut cucumber at angle (abt the same thickness as the bread). Spread cream cheese mix on bread, place cucumber on top and sprinkle with dill.

I've made these the day before and they are fine. I prefer to make it the day of so the cucumbers are still really crunchy, but that is just my preference.

I've found that kid's don't like grilled hot dogs - you can make them in a crockpot - no fuss, no hovering!

As for sides, kids love fruit and why not a veggie tray (just stick to the stuff kids are more apt to like - cucumbers, carrots, grape/cherry tomatoes, celery, snap peas).... good eating habits can continue at parties. Consider water instead of juice & lemonade if you can which attract the bees too.

Keep It Simple - the more variety - the more people eat as they feel they need to taste everything.

For a side with the entree, how about corn on the cob? Very cheap. You can break them in half so they'll be kid sized and cook them on the stove. One less thing that needs to be grilled. It's easy to keep warm and reheat and kids love em.

You can make fruit fun for a 5 yr old party. You can carve out a watermelon to use as a serving bowl. Cut part of the top side of a watermelon off. Use a melon baller to make balls of watermelon, cantelope, and honey dew. Scoop the watermelon out and fill with the balls. Kids will think that's fun. Check online for tips on carving the watermelon in a fancy way.

You can also take that fruit skewer idea and serve it in an impressive way. Cut a honey dew melon in half and scoop out the seeds. Turn it upside down on a serving platter. Stick the skewers in the honeydew and you've got an edible bouquet people can pull from. I pour vanilla yogurt in the other half of the melon for a simple fruit dipping sauce.

How about dessert? Sliced pineapple rings brushed with brown sugar and butter. Served warm with ice cream and a drizzle of the melted butter and brown sugar.

Mmm, sounds delish.. We sometimes pre grill the hot dogs and burgers, they can be placed in a roasting pan with foil and kept warm in a warm oven.

Prep all of your condiments so they can quickly be taken to the serving table. If it is all going to be outside. Use a giant cooler. The cooler can be placed under the serving table.Just drag it out and unload, then push it back under there till time to place anything back in the cooler.

Place condiments in a bucket, so you can lift it right out of the cooler and on to the table.. Cheese, chopped onions, lettuce.. celery cucumbers , fruit etc.. go ahead and prep and place in bowls covered in plastic wrap so it is all ready to go.. I would even prep this part, the day before and keep it in ziplocs. that morning move to the tray or bowl they will be served on.

The chips are fine, but also a huge raw veggie tray with dip, fruit salad, Baked beans.

We do a lot of BBQ's in the summer. If the party is starting at 1:00, we start grilling at about 12:50. We have the hamburger patties all made up before hand ready to go. I put the meat on a platter and cover it with foil.You could use a roaster pan too. We usually do a type of salad bar (a big bowl of lettuce with toppings on the side), pasta salad, chips and dip, a fruit tray, a vegetable tray, cheese tray, and potato salad. To keep the potato salad cold, I have a really big bowl that I fill with ice and set a smaller bowl with the potato salad in it down in the ice. I also put out about 1/2 at a time. It stays colder that way. No one wants food poisoning! Make sure you have lots of water available for everyone. I would also make sure you have sunscreen and towels. Sometimes people forget that type of stuff.

Frog eye salad is always a hit....the recipe is usually on the side of a box of Creamette Acini de Pipi noodles....those teeny tiny ones (sorta like tapioca size)..its a cold fruit/whip cremem salad with these bitty noodles in it..mandarin oranges, pineapple..pretty tasty!

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1943,149177-254199,00.html

Other wise like others said...pre cook is good...plain fruit on a plate....a veggie and dip plate is good and easy (make ranch from the dry package or even the bottle stuff...or get dill dip from a deli or make your own)...

We just did a big birthday/college grad party for me (old college grad!) and did a Taco bar as my hubby didnt want to be tied to the grill...and in the end it rained so worked well since we had to be inside)...it was a HUGE success! Easy to do...fairly inexpensive (got most supplies at a S*ams Club locally)...everyone loved it! It was a nice change of pace from burgers, sandwiches, salads etc!

Have fun!!!!

One of the best tips I ever got while working at a catering business was to precook your hamburgers, them put them in a lasagna pan on the grill on low, in beef broth. The burgers stay warm and juicy, without losing the flavor.

Also, you can pre-cook your chicken, and have it ready to go, throw it on the grill at the last minute with some BBQ sauce.

Total grill time is minimal, you get to enjoy yourself, and your husband still gets to be the "grill king"

Enjoy

I like the fruit Kabobs idea...as long as the kids don't run around with the sharp skewers! And believe me, some might try sword fights (personally experieance I have two boys, 6 & 7). :) Watermelon is always a hit, corn of the cob, pre-grilled wrapped in foil and cut in half. mini cupcakes from Wal-Mart, they are small enough to pop into a mouth whole, so there is no half eaten mess left behind. Sliced strawberries in mini dixie cups. Hot dogs and burgers shouldn't be that hard to keep up with if you pre grill them and put them in a foil roasting pan and keep warm in your oven. Crackers and cream cheese with apple slices.

Good Luck!

I use our turkey roaster to keep grilled meat warm at our parties. You could also use some large pans in the oven - warm setting is 175. I make salads the day before - coleslaw, potato salad, pasta salad etc (just one). Also a crock pot of baked beans works well. Fruit tray/Veggie & pickle tray. Chips & Pretzels. A big bowl of cut up watermelon with a bag of frozen blueberries added to keep it cold and make it look "fancy"!!!!

you could make a fresh fruit bowl, or kabobs of fruit. jsut sliced watermelon is a good side. a plate of pickes and olives. have your husband cook the hamburger just as the first guests arrive and leave the hamburgers and hotdogs in a tin foil pan on the grill-that way he is enjoying the party too and not standing at the grill all during the party!!

It is hard when you grill because, if there are a lot of people, you can't get it all done at once. Maybe just pick a time to eat and as guests arrive let them know "we will be eating at 5:00", etc. Then have your husband cook enough burgers & hotdogs for everyone and then shut off the grill. If the kids are in the pool they may not want to get out but they also probably won't mind if their hotdog is not completely warm when they eat it. Getting as many parents on board as you can to help the kids eat at mealtime will help too. As far as sides, we have done macaroni & cheese or some type of pasta. The kids usually like that. Raw vegetables & dip are usually a big hit or fruit salad - I usually just cut up watermelon & cantelope and mix it with grapes or blueberries so it's easy & can be done ahead. Strawberries with chocolate to dip them in are easy. Even some of the canned baked beans are good. Good Luck, have fun & Happy Birthday to your son!

Raw veggies & dip (keep a small bowl inside a larger bowl that has ice in it), rice or orzo salad (made with olive oil & lemon juice - won't spoil), fruit kabobs (skewer grapes, melon chunks, kiwi wedges, apples dipped in lemon juice, berries etc. on long toothpicks or plastic skewers, about 4-5 pieces per pick - alternate colors - cut a small watermelon in half and turn it over, then stick the picks thru the rind of the melon and you have a serving "dome"). It's a little time-consuming but you can do it ahead of time. Otherwise, just cut chunks of fruit and serve with toothpicks and a dip. Pita chips or bread and humus provide protein and less salt than standard chips.

You can grill chicken and asparagus ahead of time too and serve them room temp or keep warm on a warming tray or in a foil chafing dish. You can do burgers ahead too and keep them in the other half of the chafing dish - you can buy these at places like iParty or BJs. You get a large pan to put water in, a stand, and 2 smaller foil pans to sit on top of the water, and 2 cans of sterno. Keep the fuel back from the edge of the table and away from kids but it will keep the food warm. You can serve potato salad in a bowl set inside a larger bowl with ice in it. Bean salads keep well too.

Good luck and keep it simple! I always do recipes that have 5 ingredients or less, and can be made ahead.

How about a Taco/Fajita bar.
Make up some taco meat and spicy chicken ahead of time and keep them in crock pots.
Roasted veggies -- onion, green and red bell peppers, zuchinni
Bowls of grated cheese, sour cream.
Sauces and salsas
Fresh tomato, lettuce, onion, cilantro, limes, chiles
Fresh tortillas and tortilla chips.

Keep the grill on (if it's gas) so people can make quesadillas.

Okay, I just planned my next party.

We just had our daughter's 1st last month and it worked out perfectly! We got a 6-foot sub from Wal-mart ($25) pop, chips and the cake/ice cream and then invited everyone to "BYOG" bring your own goodie! No one minded and we had a ton of food. Some people asked what we wanted but I mostly just told them "I'm having a loaves and fishes attitude" some people made things some just brought store bought. We fed about 30 people heartily and ate off the leftovers for more than a week. I opted not to do the grill thing for the same reason you sited as well as the safety of the small children present in our small back yard and no worries about the weather! Have fun and congrats on the big 0-5!

pasta salad is good
fruit tray (we slice up watermelon, canalope and put grapes and strawberries
veggies and dip tray
pickles, olives both black and green
baked beans in the crockpot

as far as the hamburgers and hot dogs go. you can grill them before the guests get there and throw them into a crockpot or covered dish. we do that a lot. so that the hubby is not hot and sweaty during the whole party.

Veggie platter, potato salad, broccoli salad...we have three birthdays that are during warm weather (will be 4 after this summer) and we used to do the grill thing. I figured it was inexpensive too. Unfortunately, my husband ended up strapped to the grill the whole time it seemed so we started ordering pizzas!! We still do the sides but those are things that can be made ahead of time.

Have fun!

Get some precooked chicken and make a chicken pasta salad! yum, yum
Of course keep it refrigerated til the big moment. There are a lot of recipes on line. Basically it's with mayonaise, chicken, peas, and other goodies. Play around with veggies.

Other sides could be: potato salad, taco salad, watermellon, fruit salad or fruit tray, baked beans, veggie tray, sausage and cheese tray. You could also do a make your own sandwich bar instead of grilling. Get rolls and different sliced meats (ham, turkey, salami, beef, chicken, etc...) and cheeses (american, swiss, chedder, peperjack, provolone, muenster, etc..) and then mayo, mustard, whatever you like on your sandwiches. You could also offer things like tomatos, pickles, black olives and other toppings like that if you want.

a macoroni salad, Potato salad, dessert salad (cookie or snickers, whip cream vanilla pudding and a fruit mixed together) Veggie tray. Watermellon cut in half with fruit slices inside. Maybe consider doing a crockpot shredded meat and buns so you dont even have to turn the grill on. You can even throw hotdogs in a warm crockpot (with water) for the kiddos who wont eat the shredded sandwiches. Have fun!

I have a great corn dip recipe

1 cup Mayo
1 cup Sour Cream
2 cans Mexican corn (Drained)
2 cups monterrey and cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/4 cup jalapenos (finely chopped)
3 stalks green onion (chopped)
1 tsp garlic salt

Best to let it sit overnight. Serve with tortilla chips. Salsa is also a great party hit with this corn dip.

When we do parties I make up all the patties ahead of time and cook a ton of it and cover it lightly with aluminum foil. As far as sides I usually do what my kids like(if its their birthday party of course). My oldest likes baked beans, deviled eggs, watermelon and taco salad so I always have these things for her. Plus I put out chips and stuff like that. It proly sounds like alot but I have a problem for over cooking! Good luck with the party!

For a kid's birthday party I use the following menu

Sides and Appetizer
1) Chips and Dip
2) Salad ( for the adults)
3) Something that can be baked beforehand ( like a bag of poppers from Sams club)

Main Dish:
Pizza ( I ask them to cut in small slices for the kids)

Dessert
1) Cupcake cake ( so it is easy to serve and eat for the kids)
2) Icecream cups from Kroger or Walmart ( So it is easy to serve and eat)

Beverages
1) Cans of soda ( diet and regular)
2) Juice boxes for the kids
3) Small bottles of water