My mother was always the hostess with the mostest! For open houses like these she always had a turkey at one end of the table and a ham at the other. She had assorted small breads and rolls, fancy cranberry relish, and mayos. Then, there could be a salmon mousse, a gelatin mold, a homemade cheese ball, crudités and on another table, finger sweets! A fun idea is to make cream puff shells (they're remarkably easy,) and fill with various meat salads, like chicken, egg, and ham. Water chestnuts wrapped in bacon are showy, and you can split medium shrimp lengthwise, marinate them in a sauce of choice, wrap in bacon and broil! Delish! I know I'm boring, but I still love good pigs in blankets! Now days, small assorted sandwich wraps are fun. The idea, I guess, is to 1. know your guest list- do many not eat certain foods? Are there any severe allergies? You can't cater to everyone, but if over half are say, vegan, you will flop if most of your food is meat based! Also, anything with nuts should be labeled as such! 2. Know your budget- parties like these can get expensive fast! If you have an open budget, go for the sun! But, if not, pick one or two showy things, and splurge, then take it easy on the rest! If you take care of the little things (like serving dips out of hollowed out colored peppers and making deviled eggs, but use a piping bag to fill them!) your party will be a wow! Also, a fun table, set with a theme adds pizzaz! Find unique serving dishes you have and see if a few of them have the same feel. If so, go with it! 3. Finally, plan for things that don't require you to do a lot of last minute prep work! If you can hire help, do! (Even a high school girl who will walk around and pick up dirty dishes and glasses, and refill empty items) This allows you to enjoy the party as well! You will always keep track of what is going on, but if you aren't the only one, you can mingle with ease! Have fun, most of all!
Sorry, I just noticed it's at your office! You'll need to definitely do make ahead items! For 50 people under $200 I wouldn't try to serve dinner, although some people will try to fill up! Little meatballs are a great idea. Do some in tomato sauce and some sweet sauer! Or, do sausage in the tomato! Deviled eggs or a big bowl of egg salad with dinner rolls is nice! You mention fruit, individual fruit skewers are fun! I would consider doing all finger food! It will save on buying the unite sil's. Also, use dessert plates, otherwise, plan on dinner for 50 which I doubt will come in under $200! More like $500-700 I'd say! What ever you do, if you have fun, so will your guests! If you are celebrating your license, maybe get a few bottles of something bubbly, and have a toast! BT w, congratulations!
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