Luncheon Menu ideas?!
Answers: We are having a Baptism luncheon for our baby girl. Everyone is coming over after the church service, so we will all be dressed up. I was going to serve something easy for a big crowd, like Italian beefs or fried chicken or something like that .... but have been told that since everyone is dressed up, I should do food that is easier/cleaner to eat. Any ideas you can help me with? There will be about 25-30 people. I wanted something that I can make the night before (or heat in my crock pot) if possible, so I can talk with everyone and enjoy the party. Thanks for your help!
You could do finger sandwiches, ham salad, egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, etc. [the salads can be made day before and refrigerated] then use a variety of breads, make each sandwich then cut in 1/2 then 1/2 again [making 4 triangles] Can be made fancy by sticking a frilled toothpick through each triangle. A cheese and variety of crackers platter, you can add sliced pepperoni or chunks of ham, smoked sausage. A vegetable platter with ranch dip, Buy a bunch of fruit and cut up in chunks, and do fruit platter, everybody loves fruit. A variety of chips with 2 or 3 kinds of dips, add plates of assorted pickles and assorted olives. your cake and WAH-LAH, a quick and easy buffet.
Its your luncheon and you should serve what makes you comfortable. Fried Chicken is perfectly acceptable. Its a finger food and people could walk around with it. Good Luck
How about spiral sliced ham or a cold-cut platter (easy to make yourself)? Potato salad or deviled eggs, good rolls or bread for sandwiches. Fresh veggies and low-fat dip, cheese and crackers. If you're not having a store-bought cake, a double-recipe sheet cake made at home is delicious and doesn't take a huge amount of time. Fruit salad is easy. They're all things that are crowd pleasers, and can be fixed the night before. We have a HUGE family, and get-togethers usually involve some combo of the above items. Also, none of that is so messy that people will worry about their church clothes! The spiral-sliced ham can be a bit expensive, but so nice to not have to carve it yourself! Have fun, and congratulations on your recent arrival.
These are all crockpot recipes:
Roast-- http://www.recipezaar.com/27208
Pork Chops-- http://www.recipezaar.com/45940
Jambalaya-- http://www.recipezaar.com/41705
Turkey Breast-- http://www.recipezaar.com/25518
Chicken and Noodles-- http://www.recipezaar.com/106261 Beef Brisket-- http://www.cookingcache.com/crockpot/cro...
Enchiladas-- http://www.cookingcache.com/crockpot/cro...
Hope these work for ya!
Definitely keep it to finger type of foods or something a person can hold a small plate in one hand and eat with the other. Macaroni, potato or pasta salads are good. Cheese and crackers (maybe meat if you'd like to add). Vegetables and dip. Fruit. You can also do smoked weenies (mini ones with a great sauce -- goes great in the crock pot) or BBQ meatballs where people can eat them with a toothpick or fork. Spread ham slices with herb and garlic cream cheese and roll with a slice of dill or sweet pickle or asaparagus in them -- easy finger food. All of this you can put together the night before and it will be easy to pull out of the fridge and leave on the table. Best wishes and have FUN!
Congratulations!
Although it may not sound like the best idea at first read, I think Stuffed Shells are a good way to go. You can get everything ready the day before. By serving them in disposable bowls, they will be able to eat them easily with just a fork to cut through (if you have people standing and eating).
It's pretty easy, stress-free work to get stuffed shells ready.
Buy 3 Boxes of Jumbo Pasta Shells
3 Jars Tomato Sauce
3 Large Containers Whole Milk Ricotta
Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese - enough to cover the
entire top of all three pans
3 Aluminum Foil Pans
3 Large Eggs
Parmesan Cheese (for sprinkling)
(Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil if you'd like)
Day before:
-Boil all of the pasta - will be necessary to do in batches so all of the pasta cooks evenly (don't overcrowd pot). Slightly under cook pasta, as it will cook longer in the oven the next day
-Strain well, but do not rinse pasta and place ideally on a large sheet pan to cool evenly, a bowl will work fine alternatively
-As you are boiling more pasta, you can add all of your ricotta to a large bowl
-In a separate bowl lightly beat eggs
-Add eggs to ricotta ( You really want just the right amount of egg, or the cheese could become too runny. Add the eggs slowly, and if it seems as the the ricotta is becoming too wet, don't add more. If anything add a little less).
-Add 2 1/2 tbsp. salt and 1 1/2 tbsp. black pepper (and parmesan if you'd like) to the cheese and mix thoroughly
-Take basil leaves which you have stacked one on top of another and roll into a log (length-wise). Make thin cuts across the basil bundle to create basil "streamers" (chiffonade)
-Add basil chiffonade and fold in, so you don't bruise the basil any further.
-Take your pans out and put a thin, even layer of tomato sauce at the bottom of each pan, so they aren't even tempted to stick
-Once the pasta is all cooked and cooled, you can roll up your sleeves and start stuffing your shells, being careful to give them all their fair share, but not to overstuff.
-Once all the pans are filled with your hard work, cover them well and place in the fridge on the bottom shelf as this is the coldest part of your ice box, besides the bottom drawers.
Next day:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Put your whole milk mozzarella in the freezer about 15 minutes before you want to cut it, as this soft cheese will be much easier to cut
Top your shells with the tomato sauce
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese
Cut the cheese...yes, I said it, and place on top of the shells
Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil-sounds a little nutty, but will help brown.
Heat in over for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melty.
I like mine a little crusty, so I'll put it under the broiler for a few.
Be careful, you wouldn't want all that hard work (and your dinner!!) to go up in smoke.
Hope this helps.