topic Re: IDEAS PLEASE!, in Recipes

IDEAS PLEASE!,

Patz822 — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 15:18:27 GMT

Hosting a party for 10 in two weeks. Starting to think of my menu. I’m gonna

do a buffett. Not finger foods. Tired of the same old, same old. Thinking of

a soup in a crock pot—something easy. A comfort food casserole perhaps?

Out of ideas. Appreciate any help! Oh and I wanted to make a drink in

my beverage dispenser. Clueless on that. I usually just do water with fruit.

Thanks for your ideas!

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

BeccaLou — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 15:23:08 GMT

Is this fancy or just a comfortable get together ? Why not Onion soup & Gourmet Grilled Cheese. With ham and different kinds of chesses. I think that would be fun.

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

Sooner — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 15:33:36 GMT

A pot of white chicken chili for something lighter after all the eating, and mini rolls with good deli ham, beef and chicken slices, different cheeses, and a try of veggies like red pepper slices, onion slices, etc.

Put out dejon mustard, spicy brown, regular, mayonnaise, and maybe a sandwich spread. Then have some lighter desserts like cookies.

That way people can pick and choose and have some plastic containers (disposable!) to send leftovers with the unwitting "clean up crew."

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

LUVNLIFE — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 15:38:11 GMT

Check Pintrest or Taste of Home is all tried & true. Check soups and casseroles. Maybe tortilla soup and a pan of enchiladas.

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

sophiamaria2 — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 15:48:12 GMT

paula dean has a hot chicken salad casserole that everyone always seems to love

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

IamMrsG — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 15:49:53 GMT

For any buffet, I'd consider the ease of eating. For soup, I'd think of somethng that could be sipped from a cup, e.g., tomato soup. Here are two recipes that I can attest to.

Tomato Soup
Recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond | Show: The Pioneer Woman | Episode: Elevate This

Three 10.75-ounce cans condensed tomato soup
1/4 cup sherry
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 Tablespoons pesto
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
½ cup diced fresh tomatoes
Drizzle of olive oil
A few fresh basil leaves, chopped, for garnish

Add the soup to a pot with 3 cups water and heat over medium heat according to the canin structions.

When hot, add the sherry, cream, pesto and Parmesan. Stir and heat through.

Serve up the soup in bowls and sprinkle on the tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil, more grated Parmesan and some basil.

Roasted Garlic and Four-Cheese Pull-Apart Bread
Recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond | Show: The Pioneer Woman | Episode: Elevate This
Total:1 hr 55 min Active: 10 min Yield: 6 to 8 servings Level: Easy

8 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup grated mozzarella
½ cup grated fontina
½ cup grated Parmesan
½ cup grated Romano
2 teaspoons chopped chives
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 round artisan or sourdough loaf
1 stick (½ cup) salted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 375º F.

Put the garlic cloves on a square of heavy foil, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Wrap it up and bake until the garlic is golden, nutty and mushy, about 1 hour. Let cool. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Mix the garlic together with the 4 cheeses, chives, crushed red pepper flakes and some black pepper in a bowl.

Cut the bread in strips in one direction, being careful not to cut all the way through the loaf. Rotate the bread 90 degrees and cut in the other direction. Stuff the cheese mixture in between the rows. Drizzle the melted butter all over the top.

Wrap in foil and bake for 25 minutes. Open up the foil and bake until the cheese is hot and bubbly, another 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

firestorm — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 16:37:45 GMT

I would love to attend a sushi bar buffet. Lots of fresh sushi, maybe even fresh shrimp & oysters. Miso soup. Rice of course.That's just me

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

DiAnne — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 18:01:10 GMT

How about a soup buffet? Three different kinds of homemade soup so there is a choice, a couple of kinds of rolls and some fresh fruit. For dessert you could make a couple of trifles in different flavors.

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

Imaoldhippie — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 18:08:57 GMT

How about chili and cornbread and decorate in a western theme? You could fix a small pot of spicy/hot and regular chili.

Then some thing cool for dessert such as hot fudge sundae's.

Fix lemonade as a drink for non alcoholic and maybe some mojito's if alcohol is wanted.

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

SXMGirl — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 18:14:57 GMT

@Patz822, you are very brave to be hosting a party with so who do not eat certain foods. I would pick a theme, plan both vegetarian (like veggie chili or lasagna) and non-vegetarian. While you don't want finger foods, I would have an antipasto tray and a nice tray of mini desserts. If you belong to one of the big box stores, I would pick up some trays for appetizers and desserts. Since I prefer Costco, I would probably also pick up some large prepared meals, put them in my own servicing dishes, and call it a day. I like to cook, but at some point, I take advantage of whatever help that I can get.

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

firestorm — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 18:20:46 GMT

Oh, no finger food. Ok, so forget sushi. sxmgirl makes a good point about all the different diets. But if you know your guests you can plan around.Buying trays of prepared food is a non-starter for me. Who wants this?

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

house_cat — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 18:21:45 GMT

Wow! These are great ideas! I'm taking notes!

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

Misplaced Parisian — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 18:27:00 GMT

I'm a veggie girl so I vote salad....perhaps a mix of various lettuce with different things to add (tomatoes, cucumbers, sunflower seeds), etc.

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

LdyBugz — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 18:33:49 GMT

@Patz822 How about a baked potato bar? You can put out different toppings like, cheese, sour cream, chopped up ham, broccoli, chili, bacon, or whatever strikes your fancy. Your guest can then build their own potato to their liking.

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

deepwaterdotter — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 19:25:28 GMT

@Sooner wrote:
A pot of white chicken chili for something lighter after all the eating, and mini rolls with good deli ham, beef and chicken slices, different cheeses, and a try of veggies like red pepper slices, onion slices, etc.

Put out dejon mustard, spicy brown, regular, mayonnaise, and maybe a sandwich spread. Then have some lighter desserts like cookies.

That way people can pick and choose and have some plastic containers (disposable!) to send leftovers with the unwitting "clean up crew."

I love this recipe for White Chicken Chili this time of year:

1 tbsp oil

1 onion, chopped

1 tbsp minced garlic

4-oz can chopped green chile peppers

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 cups chicken broth

3 cups chopped rotisserie chicken

3 15-oz cans cannellini beans

1 15-oz can corn

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack

Puree 1 can of beans in blender. Cook onion in hot oil in big saucepan until tender. Mix in garlic, chile peppers, cumin, oregano, and cayenne until tender. Stir in broth, chicken, corn, and beans to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Gradually stir in cheese off heat until melted.

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

Sooner — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 19:25:07 GMT

@LdyBugz wrote:
@Patz822 How about a baked potato bar? You can put out different toppings like, cheese, sour cream, chopped up ham, broccoli, chili, bacon, or whatever strikes your fancy. Your guest can then build their own potato to their liking.

@LdyBugz That's the winner to me!

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

Mom2Dogs — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 20:19:14 GMT

My friend did a baked potato bar recently...it was a big hit.

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

Mothertrucker — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 21:09:08 GMT

I recently hosted a party for about 14 and 4 of them were Muslim and eat no pork! I labeled everything with tiny little chalkboards so there would be no problems (unbelievable how many of my recipes have bacon in them!) It was a big success! A sangria is good in your drink dispenser and looks so pretty, you could do a "winter" one with white wine and sliced pears and apples if you like..

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

Mombo1 — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 21:20:13 GMT

I just made mini quiche at Christmas. It was a big hit. The recipe was for a crustless spinach, egg and cheese quiche made in a casserole dish. I used muffin pans instead for individual servings. Easy to make and easy to serve. Recipe from Panera Bread.

Re: IDEAS PLEASE!,

LdyBugz — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 21:21:38 GMT

@Sooner Thx! I think a baked potato just might be dinner tonight! I'm really craving one now!

@Mom2Dogs, Thx, good to know! 👍