Ideas on a Meal for a Light Luncheon

I had my son baptism two months ago and I did simple and easy dishes; like brochettes, antipastos, crackers with cheese and dry fruits, little wraps sandwiches.... if you like the idea send me and email and I'll send you back the recipes, also you can go to foodnetwork.com usually the have great ideas for parties

I serve Chinese Chicken Salad and Cookie Salad at almost every function I have. People expect to see it on the table when they come :) If you want either recipes, just send me a message - I don't want to type them out if you don't want/need them.

Also, I usually serve pulled pork sandwiches at my really big events (the Chinese Chicken Salad goes really well with that since it has a coleslaw base). I like it because I start it 24 hrs in advance and it requires no work and no watching.

Good luck and congrats!

we do the little sandwich rolls and everyone loves them, we did them for our daughter's baptism and all of her birthday parties. Just take a little roll, throw in some sandwich meat and cheese, and have mayo and mustard for people to put on if they want. We usually have a veggie tray and fruit tray with it.

We did taco salad for my last one a few months ago. I cooked the meat and beans the night before and just warmed them up in the crockpot during church. The lettuce and whatever toppings you like can be put in serving bowls and covered with plastic the night before and kept in the refrigerator til time to serve. I had a lot of family that wanted to bring stuff so I had them bring tortilla chips (instead of taco salad shells) and cookies! It went so well, I'm thinking of doing it for my daughter's baptism in a couple of months! Good luck!

We usually get a buch of deli meat and cheeses and put them on trays. I serve bread instead of buns. Then I do a vegetable tray, one hot side that I can warm up in the crock pot and some chips. You could do a salad too.

I would do a big cheese/meat/fruit spread. If you wanted something hot, then you can easily do something in the crockpot. Something like a loose meat sandwich, or a dip.

I'd suggest sloppy joes (you can homemake the whole thing way cheap & not hard to do) or BBQ chicken sandwiches - all done in the crockpot, have buns, chips on hand & ask guests to potluck salads & desserts - is what we do for our family blessings & Baptisms.... as we have 75+ family members that attend!! (We provide the paper goods & usually serve water in case of spills!!) Very simple, easy, but delicious!! Good luck! J. in WY

Hi Amber,
I would recommend a pasta salad of some sort. Pasta is relatively inexpensive and can go a long ways when added to. It's also a light spring/summer type dish. There are numerous ways to make pasta salads that can include meats, veggies and cheeses. Then you can provide a large serving plate with cheeses (if not included in the salad), pickles, crackers, olives , fresh veggies that sort of thing. Pasta salads are actually tastier if made several hours ahead of time or even the day before. Hope that gives you some idea. Blessings to you, L.

Google the recipe for Acini de Pepe Chicken Salad.

Pulled pork sandwiches and a salad! You can also make BBQ beef with chuck roast(s). In crockpot, place roasts (pork or beef) and O. sliced onion , cook on low 8 hours. Drain. Return to pot. Shred with 2 forks, add Jack Daniels BBQ sauce and about 1/2 c. apricot preserves and let warm. Serve on yummy buns!

You could make quiche the day before and serve them just slightly warmer than room temp. Good with fruit, muffins, etc. (I know this is more like brunch, but depending on timing it could work). You could do an assorted salad lunch - pasta salad, green salad, bean salad, tuna salad, etc. You could also make stromboli (like a rolled up pizza). Also good made the day before and warmed up just a little. Serve with salad and you've got a good inexpensive meal. Feel free to email me if you would like a recipe for them. Have fun!

I have had many gatherings and have done the following
bbq pork sandwiches w/ party potatoes baked in the oven
meat and cheese tray with crackers and buns, lettuce salad and jello salads
sloppy joes with chips, cole slaw, potato salad, pickles
bbq meatballs, bbq little weenies, mashed potatoes and corn
swedish meatballs, bbq little weenies, mashed potatoes and corn
taco bar
All can be warmed in the slow cooker and pulled out of the fridge when you return from the service.

Serve a golden cheese tart along with a green salad.

Serve something red/yellow to add color to the guest's plate, perhaps a strawberry/pinneapple fruit platter.

Serve lemonade.

Tea / coffee and small cookies for a light dessert.You can buy a boxed brownie mix for about a buck and make it the day before. Make it up and add some nuts or chocolate chips (I would make a double or triple batch, depending on the sweet tooths and how many kids will attend-kids down these things). Cut them smaller than normal, say one inch by one inch- more of a brownie bite. leave them in the pan, then dust the top with powdered sugar for effect. Cover. Transfer them to a tray in the morning of the event and cover with foil. Buy 1 store bought cookie (no nuts, ) to go with them on the platter.

Pancetta,leek and goat cheese tartlets (Epicurious recipe) yield: 30

Thaw 30 (2 pkgs) frozen mini phillo "shells" (already pre-formed)

Melt 2 T butter in skillet.

Add 2 large leeks (chopped, white and pale green part only) saute 10 minutes.
Heat 1 t. oil in a skillet and fry 4 oz chopped pancetta till crisp. (about 6 minutes.) Remove and place on paper towel to drain.

Wisk together 2/3 c half and half, 2 egg yolks, 1/4 t salt and dash of pepper.
Add 2 oz fresh crumbled goat cheese. Then mix in onions and pancetta.

Spoon filling into shells. bake on ungreased sheet until set, about 11-12 minutes at 350. Cool,cover, and place in fridge.

Day of party: heat oven to 325 and bake until warm, about 10-12 minutes or so.
* if you are limited on fridge space, you might even be able to put them in ziplocs and freeze them. One or two nights in the freezer shouldnt hurt them a bit. Remove them from the freezer as soon as you wake the morning of the event and place them on the baking trays to thaw. Then pop them into the oven as soon as you get home from the church.