Office party. I need Ideas for food for an Office Party.?!
Thanks!
Answers: There will be around 50 people. I do not want to buy the food as I promised my bosses I would be cooking.
Thanks!
Wow - lots of people seem terrified to cook for 50 - but I would love it! :)
Assuming you like to cook (or you never would have volunteered for such a thing), Italian or Mexican dishes would be a really good way to go.
For Italian, you could do a lasagna, green salad, garlic bread ... things like that. Filling, impressive, yet reasonable to cook and transport for that many people.
For Mexican, try baked chicken enchiladas, a green salad, quesadillas, etc. Again, will fill people up, has an impressive presentation, but completely doable in one night.
Plus, if you genuinely like to cook, you can play with those cuisines a little ... do a butternut squash lasagna instead of a traditional one, or seafood quesadillas. Here is my favorite "new twist" on mac and cheese ...
2 pints grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lb pasta (like medium shells)
1 1/4 cups mascarpone cheese (from a 1-lb container)
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large shallow baking pan with foil and butter foil. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in pan and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Roast until slightly plumped, 15 to 20 minutes.
Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 12 minutes. Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking water, then drain pasta well and transfer to a large bowl. Add mascarpone and stir until melted. Add reserved cooking water, tomatoes, half of parmesan, 3 tablespoons chives, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and toss well, then cool to warm.
Butter a 3-quart (13- by 9-inch) gratin or other shallow baking dish. Toss pasta mixture again, then spoon into gratin dish. Sprinkle remaining parmesan over top. Bake pasta until golden and bubbly, 18 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon chives.
NOTES:
Can be prepared, but not baked, up to 3 hours ahead and kept uncovered at room temperature.
Serve the freshly tossed pasta without baking it. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan and chives.
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
cooking for 50 people...omg that is alot of work..
just cater it.........................................
The cheapest answer is a big sandwich you know the 12 ft one they sell at the local deli that with some chips, salad, beverages,cookies and brownies would be simple and cheap. Also if you feel you can't cook for the party anymore check some of the local Chinese, Italian, Mexican and even the chain grocer for a catering menu - many of these places have deals you would not believe this time of year and all you have to do is pick it up. Good Luck!
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umm u know what would be easy
a umm dip like a bean dip or
guatamole dip or you could even take
salsa and chips
or u could buy some really nice holiday
cookies and wrap them up in a real nice dish and
say u made then. hope it helps
Monique
Umm, are you doing ALL the food, or is it a potluck and you need ideas?
If you're doing it all, keep it simple...a big crock pot or 2 full of sloppy joe meat, or turkey and gravy to put on a bun. Buy chips and heat some beans in another crock pot. A couple jars of pickles, and some home baked cookies (from a tube, or a mix), and you're good to go.
If you just need a potluck recipe, dump 5 1# packages of little smokies in a crock pot, add 3 cups of chili sauce from jars, and 3 cups of grape jelly. These are always a big hit.
Don't think meals, think appetizers. Olives, Deviled eggs, crackers with toppings,chips and dip,little sausages on tooth picks. In fact, you can spear just about anything with a fancy toothpick and call it an appetizer. Buy pre-packaged drinks. The layout is important, but you can save money by purchasing trays from your local thrift store.
Well thats going to be tricky, it'll take some time considering your probably using one range and there's one oven. I'd go with something easy but filled with flavor. I'd stay away from the giant sandwich, seems a little tacky, if your trying to approach it from a professional view then try something like a surf -n turf, or possibly Asian Cuisine of some sort. Good luck in your decision making and remember you want to pay close attention to flavor, and remember your cooking for 50 people so try to keep spices to a bare minimum. This could make or break you in either way, you cook very well and become noticed more, or you cook horribly and you get dogged.
Lavash , veggie tray, cheese and crackers, Mini crossant sandwiches, fruit tray
a party platter, roast beef, ham,cheese,shrimp, meatball,
cheese and crackers, hot wings ,wings.
Greek Spinach Pie-- this recipe makes about 15 servings, so you would definitely need to make 4 or a 5 servings but everyone would absolutely LOVE you for this one! http://www.recipezaar.com/84770
'Hot Mamas'-- lol. Actually an appetizer but would be great if you served it along with chili or something meaty. http://www.recipezaar.com/98125
Chili-- A few batches of this may work and it would be great with the hot mamas.
http://www.recipezaar.com/94785
Everyone likes cookies. :3
A baked pasta dish such as lasagna, or penne with a red meat sauce and lots of mozzarella and parmesan cheese, a big green salad, some rolls. Lots of appetizer type items such as shrimp cocktail, spinach dip & pesto torte with crackers. Some fresh fruit and killer desserts like raspberry cream cheese brownies, cheesecake and a white cake with a fruit filling with holiday decorations. Just remember it doesn't have to be super fancy just filling and above all taste and look good. The fact that you are cooking is nice at the time of year when everyone' s watch seems to run at double the normal speed. Most of these items can be made ahead of time and you'd just need to finish the pasta in the oven. A shallow hotel pan holds about 20 to 25 full portions of Pasta & two pans will fill up your oven.
One item I find easy to make and can be made as much as 3 days ahead of time is a rolled sandwich than cut into slices.
You'll need:
-3 loaves of a uniformally shaped french loaf (about 5-8 inches in diameter)
-6 bricks of plain cream cheese
-fresh herbs of your choosing (I like parsley and chives)
-thinly (and freshly) sliced smoked ham
-dill pickles
-2 red bell peppers
-plastic wrap
Start by softening your creams cheese and finely chopping your herbage. Your making a compound or flavored cream cheese. Yes you can buy pre-flavored cream cheese but the fresh stuff taste a lot better to me.
Slice your bread length wise but leave a spine (i.e. not into two separate pieces, kind of like they do for a subway sandwich). Pull a little of the soft innards of the bread out (save for meatloaf for a later date).
Carefully spread some of your cream cheese mixture into the entire loaf of bread. Laydown 2 layers of your ham relatively flat. Alternate until you have at least 6 layers of ham down and then spread 1 final layer of cheese.
Quarter your dill pickles and cut your pepper into thin strips. Lay your pickle down the center of the load end to end and lay down 4 rows of red pepper also end to end.
Here's the tricky part, rolling your bread. Depending on how long your loaf is this might be easier with two people. Laydown a piece of plastic wrap about 2 times the width and 1 1/2 time the length of the bread. Place the loaf on center and with your fingers on the edge of the bread start to roll the sandwich away from you and into itself. The key is to roll it nice and tight without letting any of the veggies/ham fall out. Once you get to the other end you should have some cream cheese oozing out. Wipe it down in one long stroke to get rid of any excess. This also allows the cheese to act like a kind of seal.
Roll the whole sandwich very tightly in the plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about 1-2 hours until it gets nice and firm. After that transfer to the fridge where it can sit for up to 3 days before use.
When ready to use simply cut into slices anywhere from 3/4 to 1 1/2 inch thick and assemble on a serving platter. You can sprinkle the whole platter with the same finely chopped herbage.
Enjoy.
Sit down:
Recipes for groups:
http://members.tripod.com/~lotsofinfo/
You'd vary wheat and starch dishes for a balance with green things mixed in for variety. Hot and cold depending on ability to keep each.
Meat loaf/chicken loaf
Cream potatoes/Potato salad/pasta salad/vegetable tray
Slaw/pea salad/Green beans
Buttermilk biscuits/yeast rolls/corn bread
Cake/cookies/fruit salad
Opt for 2-3 types of soup with a variety of crackers/breads:
Chili
Cream of chicken
Vegetarian
Beef stew
Have variety of desserts that you like to make. Pound cakes,
sheet cakes and bar cookies can be made ahead of event and frozen if you pick the right types. Just take out of the freezer and transport. They'll thaw in time to serve.
Choices depend on options: sit down or stand up, plated or finger foods.
Or just casual: You would mostly want to do things that can be made ahead, don't have to be kept warm but can be kept cool or at room temperature until ready to serve.
Depends on your cooking experience/specialties; whether main meal or just fill in until dinner time. Make things your family/friends rave about or ask for you to give them the recipe so that they can make it.
Don't need enough of each for everyone because everyone will pick and choose what they like to eat. Variety of desserts better than just one that's enough for everyone.
Pretty plates or throwaways; dinnerware size:
Ham/cheese toothpick kabobs (1 pound sharp cheddar cheese and 3 deli slices smoked ham cut about 1/4 to 3/8 inches thick)
Marciano cherries/pineapple chunk toothpick kabobs (about 16 ounces each)
Chocolate dipped fruit or confection dusted strawberries (1 quart)
3 navel oranges, peeled/sectioned in a wreath around strawberry/banana yogurt dip
Banana pudding (use recipe on Nilla vanilla wafer box,
Punch bowl cake (various recipes), brownies (or chocolate iced sheet cake), coconut cake (frozen coconut topping better than flaked)
Veggie tray with (1 head)cauliflower, (1 bunch) broccoli, (1 bunch)celery, (1 pound, make sticks) carrots,
bell pepper strips, radishes--various dips (Thousand Island with bacon dressing thickened with thick mayo) Note: marinate vegetables separately in light Italian water/olive oil base. Italian seasoning, olive oil, salt, vinegar (extra light for celery), water.
If you place each separately in zip lock bag won't bleed color)
Spinach dip and crackers/sweet bread
Zucchini chips (do the marinate thing) with fresh salsa
Nuts, shelled
Sausage balls
Sugar cookies
Ginger Bread cookies or muffins
Plain cold oven pound cake
Brown bread bits with cream cheese and hot pepper jelly
Potato salad balls in tiny cake papers
Deviled Eggs
Small ham biscuits or ham on dinner rolls
Homemade chicken salad on kaiser rolls or hoagie buns
(Brush bread with melted butter to retard mayo seepage into buns)
something easy for 50 people - taco bar
make all the meat (you can do beef and shredded chicken) and have it in a crock pot, get hard and soft shells, have topping like lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, black olives, jalapenos, sour cream, taco sauce. also make big batches of re-fried beans and Mexican rice in some other crock pots. make taco dips for appetizers, or you can order those from the grocery store premade to save you some work. make something sweet for dessert, maybe some type of Mexican cake or something?
