Simple Parties Should Not Be Complicated
-Here are a few suggestions for you to consider if your planning a casual gathering or party. Things to think about as you plan, to help you make confident decisions as you plan. A few suggestions as to what you can serve your guests if your planning a party or open house. I like to serve things that 
I can put out and have back-ups if needed. Usually nothing fancy for me, just good old fashioned good eats. Often you have no idea how many people are going to show up for a party or event such as an open house or pot luck. You want to serve food that is not going to keep you in the kitchen the entire time. Your hot food needs to be hot and your cold food needs to stay chilled. These suggestions are easy to keep hot in a crock pot or in warmers. Cold food can easily be kept on ice or in an ice bath. These ideas are easy to keep hot in the oven or can be quickly heated up. You can keep the chilled items in a refrigerator or cooler, for quick refills if needed. A simple storage container is a large zip lock bag for coolers, if you can.
Keeping it simple is best to satisfy your guests and allow you to socialize. These are some things to guide you as you plan.
- You want to be able to use disposable plates and utensils to help make clean up easier. Will you use thin paper or thick paper plates or plastic plates? You never want to serve foods you have to cut or has a sauce on thin paper plates or really heavy food that cause the plate to give.
- You may want to take into consideration what you will do with your left overs. Can you freeze it or create new dishes from what is left over when the party ends?
- Have a back up plan for a quick solution you can whip up if you run low on your main dish
- Do you want snack foods or a meal? The time of day and how long the event is scheduled to last can help you with this decision.
- How many will attend and what is the age range? Will there be small children attending? Will you have something suitable for everyone?
- There are a lot more vegetarians than there use to be, will you be able to accommodate their needs as well?
- What kind of environment will this food display/buffet be in? Inside, under a roof, outside, in the sun, electricity or not?
- What do you already have that you can use to serve food in, what can you get from friends or family?
- How much do you want to spend? Simple can often cost more.
- How much time will you have?
- Are you going to have others bring dishes to pass, such as aunt Mary’s famous sheet cake or cousin Bob’s potato salad? If so, you will want to make suggestions that will go well with your main course and make sure you will be able to keep their dish heated or chilled if need be.
- What kind of beverages will people be drinking while they are there? If there is alcohol, you will want to keep some food available at all times, as well as coffee.
Once you figure all of this out, you can begin making out your menu, based on these factors I’ve listed. Keep in mind that most attend to socialize and mingle. The food is to be gracious and hospitable to you guest. Having just one awesome food item is usually all you need to make a guest leave very happy they came and had a bite to eat. It can be a salad, desert, main course, beverage or even a cheese ball. Most people like to experience something new or incredibly delicious. If you can pull off one “wow” factor your set. I went to a back yard wedding and had the most amazing taco salad two years ago and I still think about how good that salad was. Too bad it was catered, I couldn’t get the recipe or I’d share it with you. It looked rather simple to make, just needed the dressing recipe.
Food That’s Simple To Serve
Here are some basic ideas you can consider making. These ideas are simple, to Make It Big for parties and gatherings.
- Taco Bar- Here is a great link to help you out with this one, Easiest Way To Feed A Crowd-Taco Bar
- A Sausage Set Up- Polish sausage, kielbasa, brats and hot dogs, nice hearty buns. All the toppings, like sauerkraut, mustard, onions and relish. Scalloped or au gratin potatoes, any cheesy potato will do fine. Can even do a nice creamy mac and cheese. a few chips, raw vegetables and dip and a couple different fruit dish options.
- Sloppy Joe Picnic- You can check out my Sloppy Joe recipe if you do not have a favorite. Serve with several salads, chips, veggies and fresh fruit
- Ice Cream Social- Three kinds of ice cream chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. All the toppings needed and even large cups with straws and some sodas that make great floats. A couple good blenders and milk for making shakes or malts is nice too.
- Chili– Serve with home made breads and rolls, assorted cheeses (grated and chunks) and of course, crackers. Veggies to add to the chili, such as onions, green peppers and tomatoes. Even some assorted pasta or baked potatoes to pour the chili over is an option. Sour cream, assorted raw vegetables, and leafy greens to make a salad with and a couple dressing choices is good too. Have a palate cleansing desert such as lemon pie or peach cobbler to finish off the meal. This can be a rather simple option and great for cool weather.
- Pulled Pork-A few different choices for breads/buns or wraps. Have a couple different coleslaw choices. Even an option to just pull the pork and let guests choose their sauce. Keep the sauce in warmers as well. Fresh fruit like cantaloupe, pineapple, mango, kiwi and dried cherries would be good.
Another way you can do a few pork loins up, is to have the pork sliced and keep moist in a crock pot. This would also work with boneless chicken. Have several different gravies, potato choices, breads and pastas. People will need a place to sit and eat at a table for this kind of food. Have hot veggies, like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and green beans. Fruit salad would be good with this. This would not be considered a really simple choice, however, it will be once it’s all been prepared and heated. - Sandwich Bar- 3-4 assorted meats, a couple lettuce choices, tomatoes, onion, green pepper rings as well as raw vegetables, like carrots, celery, a few different pasta or potato salads. A couple chip choices, a few pickle choices and several dressing choices for the sandwiches. Choice of bread, wraps or buns is a must. Very simple to do.
- The Snack Buffet- Several smaller sized entree items such as bbq or mini burger sliders, wings, meatballs, bbq mini sausages and mini kabobs. You can have assorted cheeses and crackers, along with fruit kabobs and a raw veggie and dip tray.
These are just a few simple suggestions to help you out. Plan ahead, consider your options and get others involved in helping if you can. You would be surprised how many people just love a chance to show off one of their favorite recipes. Have a few people bring desert options, unless you’ve ordered or made a celebratory cake of some kind. Don’t ask them to bring simple things that they can not express their personal tastes. Not much pride can be taken in, “I brought the cheese, sliced it myself”. Much better to declare, “Oh you like that salad, I made that, it was my grandmother’s recipe”. Unless of course they offer to help, if all it requires is them going to the store and picking it up. You have several simple choices to make and a few not so simple, just make sure one of them is to enjoy the company of the people you have invited.