Desperate Non-Housewife

[cjsmith]

How did I get myself into this?

In two and a half weeks I'm hosting anywhere from thirty to sixty people (RSVP percentage is still low). There will be a lot of "walk around and talk to people" going on as I do not own anywhere near that many chairs. The start time is advertised as 7pm. I have NOT specified pot luck, and it's a bit late to change my tune. There will be wine. That much I know how to do.

WHAT DO I FEED THESE PEOPLE?

I do not "cook". I can make a basic meal, but it ain't party food, and in general it will impress no one. Plus I'd like to be able to enjoy myself; last time I "cooked" for guests I spent all day and evening in the kitchen and merely heard rumors later that others had had a good time. So I'm looking for something requiring no or little or simple preparation, and something that can be fully prepared well ahead of time.

- They'll be mingling and carrying both food and drink. Finger foods?
- Some may arrive as early as 7. Something substantial?
- It'll go on all evening. Foods not requiring heat or chilling?
- There are a LOT of people. Foods I can distribute over several tables throughout the place?

Any ideas meeting these basic criteria are very welcome. :)

edit: Likely closer to 30 people. If all our maybes and nonresponders show, we get 40; if our nonresponders all bring guests, 50 tops.
edit2: The party was billed as an "informal gathering", holiday, no gifts.

Comments

Cooking for Lots

[mama-hogswatch.livejournal.com]

I actually LOVE to cook and wouldn't consider making a "perfect" meal for 30. Good lord, you're right. You DO want to enjoy your party. (AS far as "impressing people".... Jesus, they came to see you not admire food, didn't they?)

Cooking a whole meal for 30 people is a lot of cooking even for a professional. If it were me throwing the party, the menu would look like this:

• Veggie tray with veggies bought already cut up and arranged pretty around a bowl with some sort of dip. Ranch is always good, but dill, onion and cream cheese whipped together is great if you must be "impressive".
• Cheese and cracker tray. This is simple and quick to do. There are a lot of fancy cheeses around that make this look "impressive" if you must. I'm very fond of a mozzeralla and prochutto roll. It looks GREAT and is easy to slice up.
• A fruit tray with some sort of yogurt dip.
• Depending on how substantial I wanted to make the food, I have no problem going to a warehouse store and buying one of the packages of h'ors d'oeuvres in phyllo dough. This does require cooking, but if you have a timer you don't have to pay THAT close of attention. The instructions on heating are on the box.
• Some sweet stuff. You could make cookies, but bakeries make some cool ones.
• An array of drinks and if you don't own an ice bucket, you can make one by taking two bowls of graduated sizes, packing larger one with paper towels and nesting the smaller one inside. You can use salad tongs for ice tongs if you don't own any.
• If you arrange the napkins in a fan shape, the party automatically looks more impressive, even if you didn't spend THAT much time on setting it up.

A spread like that is a perfect party spread, will make everyone happy and you won't drive yourself nuts getting it together. Any of the trays can be split up on festive plates or even holiday paper plates, arranged prettily and set about the room.

This is very close to exactly what I do when I throw a party.

Re: Cooking for Lots

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Yeah, a sit-down full meal for 30 is more of a pain in the rear, especially if 30 might be 60 on short notice and they won't all just eat meat loaf like we did in college. (I lived in a group of ~30 where we ate together. I can do that... for the palates of college students.)

I have no idea about impressing people. I would be surprised if, when everyone shows up, I know half of them.

I LOVE this "meal spread". This is excellent. (I particularly appreciate the tip about the napkins in a fan!) Here's a dumb question: will all that (dips & cheese & veggies & drinks) fit in one fridge, or do I make the grocery run within a half hour of the party? OK, yeah, it will, as long as it's not prearranged on platters... right?

Ice. Wow. Never thought about ice. Thank you.

Re: Cooking for Lots

[inflectionpoint.livejournal.com]

I've scanned the comments and they all look pretty reasonable. Good luck with taking on a new challenge. This could be good fun indeed.

I assist at a private party that usually has about twenty folks, and have helped with larger gatherings...

Start with a plan like Noel has outlined. That lets you look at shopping trips - probably one Trader Joes's run, and one run to a grocery store or such.

Then you need to get a better head count, closer to the date of the party. Perhaps two or three days before, so plan final shopping to be done closer to the party. (This is shopping for perishables, things that you won't eat yourself, and extra things. The shopping for things like soda, frozen things that you will eat, if guests don't eat them, dishes and plastic silverware and cups, cookies, etc... can be done earlier. Shopping for cheese, cold cuts, fresh fruit that you are prepping can also be done about a week ahead of time.)

Then the last minute shopping is done two or three days before the party. Figure the head count is about right - some folks will show up without telling you ahead of time, and some may have to cancel. It is likely to even out.

It is useful to plan the shopping trips out like this, because it lets you plan the other things that need doing - vaccuming, tidying, any furniture moving that needs doing, and all that good stuff. Also, planning out the time needed lets you see when and if you need minions to take on part of cleaning, shopping, etc...

If you have minions/partners/elves ask them to assist and tell them what needs doing. It is often good to have a minion who is in charge of kitchen stuff - they can put hot food into the oven, fill trays up, and clear up old platters as they are empty. I wish I could be there to do that, that is actually something I enjoy doing a lot.

Re: Cooking for Lots

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Oo, good planning tips. Thanks. I do have one minion who has basically told me "If you deal with the food I will deal with EVERYTHING ELSE" (and he's making good on it, too). So the cleaning, the furniture repair (I wish I were kidding), the furniture moving, the hiding of clutter, the decorating, the invite/RSVP list, etc are all stuff I don't need to deal with. PHEW!

Re: Cooking for Lots

[inflectionpoint.livejournal.com]

Also, one thing I learnt from friends who have large gatherings regularly...

Very clearly labelled containers for trash, compost, recycling, or whatever the correct divisions are for your area. Nothing is less fun than sorting through trash later to fish out recyclables.

Again, this is a place where a minion can help. They keep a discreet eye on the trash situation, and fix any mistakes before things get out of hand.

Good luck and have fun!

Re: Cooking for Lots

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Ooo, good thinking. I had already thought of trash cans available near each food table, but I hadn't thought of the recycling.

Re: Cooking for Lots

[mama-hogswatch.livejournal.com]

Fit?

Yeah. It'll fit just fine. You may have to get creative, but blocks of cheeses stack, after all, and the phyllodough h'ors d'oeuvres stay in the freezer.