I'm throwing a baby shower for my sister in December. The party is casual and at a friends house starting at 1. What would you serve for food? Appetizers and small bites or full on sandwiches and heavy dishes? I love entertaining and am the go-to house for holiday dinners. I am not afraid to cook but where do I start with such a large crowd?! Thank you~ I always get the best advice from you all!
Personally, I'd do a meal.
Maybe baked ziti or another pasta, nice green salad & a good bread.
Iced tea, coffee...
A pasta is easy because you can make ahead & bake when needed.
If you want an app--what about sausage stuffed mushrooms & bruschetta?
Something light...back ijn the day they were called "finger sandwiches," but I'm sure that's a term that's no longer used. So, essentially, mini sandwiches on rolls or mini-croissants with chicken salad, cucumber spread, sandwich meats, etc. You can add a large salad if you want.
I was recently at a catered event which featured a "build your own cobb salad." There was a very large bowl with romaine lettuce mix. On a round tray, there wee beautiful strips of chicken, ham, cheddar cheese, montery jack, cucumbers, black olives, tomato, hard boiled egg, etc. On the side there were bowls of ranch and raspberry vinagrette. It was unique and quite attractive. There was a lot of ham left over...the chicken went first, so I'd make it with more chicken than ham.
Maybe some cut up fruit if you'd like and some chips or pretzels. The main thing is that if people haven't eaten lunch, you want enough food for them to not be hungry. However, it's also late enough that it's not really a luncheon, so you don't have to plan a full meal where someone might feel obligated to eat even if they've just had lunch.
Hmm I'd go somewhere in between.. small, slider-sized sandwiches on mini croissants or kaiser rolls, maybe buffalo wings, a pasta salad or potato salad on the side, a fruit salad, corn on the cob.
Appetizers could be cheese and crackers, veggies and dip, spinach artichoke dip and tortilla chips, potato chips, shrimp cocktail, mixed nuts, marinated large green and black olives.
Small tea-sandwiches--lemon cucumber, tuna, turkey and tomato etc.
lemonade and or a nice punch
veggie platter
fruit platter
nuts and or other small snacks--
Good luck!
If you're having the party at 1:00, I would think you would serve more of a small meal then just appetizers. You don't have to serve a heavy meal either. I also think it's nice to have a variety. Also, keep in mind where people will be eating, if they won't be at a table, don't serve items than require cutting.
Here are some ideas....
make some wraps or small sandwiches ahead of time
a salad
veggie platter
potato salad
tossed salad
quiche
hot soup you could keep in a crock pot
baked ziti (or other baked pasta dish)
casseroles are good
meatballs (use small meatballs, put them in a crock pot with your favorite sauce - teriaki, bbq)
scalloped potatoes (you could add some small cubes of ham)
Finger foods. If you serve a meal, guests will have to balance plates of pasta or whatever along with drinks (assuming you are not going to have 40 guests sitting down at tables to eat). It's much easier, as a guest, to serve yourself finger foods and to eat them somewhat gracefully while standing or sitting on a couch than it is to try to juggle a plate of hot food and salad or whatever while wielding a fork and worrying that the glass you set on the floor is going to get knocked over.
Maybe make a few small things, but with that large a crowd, I would buy most of the finger foods. Mini quiches are always a huge hit (get a variety of types) and are as filling as a meal! Be sure to have some all-vegetarian options too, not just tiny hot dogs and meatballs.I think finger foods and veg and fruit platters are as filling as a meal. One p.m. is a tough time -- I might have scheduled it later, maybe at 2, to ensure there wasn't an expectation of a meal -- but hot finger foods will be just as filling. And most guests truly won't expect a full-on entree at a shower.
Have fun -- and keep it simple.
start at costco lol or a store like that.. my cousin had a bday party for her son last weekend.. she did the normal appetizers.. chips & dip, thos little hotdogs (pigs in a blanket i think theyre called) and for dinner she cooked but got everything she needed at costco.. huge try of meatballs& sauce, she got a huge bag of premade chicken cutlets(just had to throw them in the oven to warm them up) and just made the franchaise (spelling?) sauce to put over them & a giant tray of baked ziti.. plus a big bowl of salad... she said it realy was not as big of a deal as she thought it would be
I would do trays of lunch meats, cheeses and breads for small finger sandwiches and some salads (pasta, potato, green) and fresh fruit on the side.
