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texasgirl

Master Chef
Joined
Apr 16, 2005
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Location
North Texas
My sister is turning the big 50 on the 29th of December, so, my niece is going to have her party with New Years Eve. She has asked me for ideas.
I need ideas for finger foods and dips. We can't afford to buy a bunch of briskets and stuff like that because there is a VERY good chance of upwards of a hundred people there:ohmy:
My sister and bil are in a Harley group, so, they are being invited too.
Then you have my family and bil's family.
She doesn't want to just do hot dogs as the 50th is a milestone.
We need stuff that are not going to break the bank and that are not real time consuming to make as we both work.

Any decorating ideas are welcomed too:)
We're already planning on black and orange theme {Harley colors:huh: } Plus, black is the normal for over the hill.

Thanks in advance for your help!!
 
hmmm, is this going to be a nice birthday party (don't pick on your sister), or a "people-rolling-in-fits-of-laughter-for-years", "I-can't-believe-she-pulled-that-off" over the hill party? My mom turned 50 in February, and I am the QUEEN of ornry.... but they made me be nice. :mad: And it totally would have been a fair trade because I turn 30 next year and she could have got me back.....
 
Do you have a COstco? or Sam's? Use 'em! Big bags of things like chicken wings, etc. for a decent amount.

Veggie platters with dips and chips

Tortilla 'roll ups' with different spreads and cheese in them.

Give me a bit and I'll post a few recipes if you like.
 
Shannon, it's going to be a bit of both. I thought of putting tombstones in her yard made from wood with some kind of over the hill sayings on them. But, we also want it to be a party that will make her see how much we love her too. She is the oldest and although we were all grown and married when my mom died, 13 years ago, she still felt she needed to be the "mom" figure for us if we needed her, and believe me, she has been there for the rest of us 3 no matter what.

Marmalady, we thought the same about going to Sam's.
That is probably what we will do as far as the meat. We were wanting to make stuff to so that it's also personal.
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f7/hot-wing-dip-1544.html?highlight=wing

My sister loved it when I made it before, except, I use real chicken and not canned.
I am definately making this
 
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We did something for a friend that I wouldn't suggest being done. We used a chest type locker mounted on a table and made a blanket of flowers on top. He wasn't amused by that. The rest of the party was great. We decorated with black balloons and had a picture of the grim reaper on his cake = which he loved, but the mock casket wasn't funny at all to him.
 
I was going to have all the lights off, and when she walked in, fog machine, strobe light flashing on a grim reaper, and halloween sound effects (door creaking, screams, chains, etc) and then a strobe light would shine on all of the guests gathered. Decorating of course black and silver. Festivities: walker soccer, wheelchair race, bedpan golf, swiper diaper... I am sure there was more I thought of.

I was going to suggest a bulk store also. I have seen frozen meatballs that you could probably bake and throw some bbq sauce on. If there is going to be alcohol, a lot of people may just want to munch. Sandwich shops sometimes have good deals on platters, and may give you a discount for large orders and the courtesy of calling in advance. Do you know any caterers that would let you borrow some supplies to keep food warm?
 
check it out! www.harley-davidsoncafe.com/ Cool site for maybe just some brainstorming ideas! There is even a HD cookbook www.shop.com/op/aprod-p26559645 !!! that would be cool if you could make some recipes, and also present her with a cookbook. Also, in searching, I found a few copycat recipes from the cafe. Just a few more ideas I thought of! Also, do you know any nice cattle farmers (besides my dad hehe)? Sometimes they will give you a good deal on meat, too!
 
ironchef said:
Two questions: How many people will you have to help you prep and how much cooking and storage space do you have?

Well, truthfully, it'll probably just be me and my niece.:wacko:
All my other sisters live too far to come out before the party.
We'll be making stuff at our own houses to take over there. We'll have all day Saturday to cook stuff. Sunday, we're having my bil to take sis away so that we can decorate.
 
Oh you're going to be transporting the stuff....that's even another challenge considering the amount of people you're preparing for. You don't want to do anything that you'll have to pan or deep fry because it's going to take too long since you'll be doing things in batches. If you'll have access to a big grill, I would utilize that as well as focusing on items that you can bake/roast in the oven + salads. Here are some ideas that maybe you can use. To cut down on prep time, buy bottled salad dressings/marinades on sale and use those rather than make your own.

Grill:

Pork Ribs - Dry rub or marinade
Pork Loin - Same as ribs, cut into steaks then grill and slice
Veggies - Asparagus, Peppers, Onions, and Zucchini are fairly quick and easy. Just toss with salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic
Shrimp - Get the ones with the shell still on, marinate in Italian Dressing or Olive Oil, lemon, salt and pepper
Tri-tip Steaks - Dry rub or marinade, grill and slice

Hot Stovetop Items:

Chili
Stew
Curry
Stroganoff

Hot Oven Items:

Baked Chicken Wings/Drumettes
Casserole
Baked Pasta
Mac 'n Cheese
Ham

Salads:

Potato Salad
Pea Salad
Pasta Salad
Macaroni Salad
Corn Salad
Veg. with Dip
Mixed Greens w/ assorted dressing and croutons
 
texasgirl said:
My sister is turning the big 50 on the 29th of December, so, my niece is going to have her party with New Years Eve. She has asked me for ideas.
I need ideas for finger foods and dips. She doesn't want to just do hot dogs as the 50th is a milestone. We need stuff that are not going to break the bank and that are not real time consuming to make as we both work.

Any decorating ideas are welcomed too:)
We're already planning on black and orange theme {Harley colors:huh: } Plus, black is the normal for over the hill.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Texas are you making the birthday cake(s) or ordering? Do you need ideas in that dept & for beverages?

Re finger foods - Call around for prices from catering companies in the yellow pages. It may be less costly and time consuming than cooking for a large crowd - like party trays (hors de' houvres, deli platters, meat/cheese/fruit/seafood quiches etc.) -- or pick up platters from a local deli.

This time of year, the supermarkets are offering lots of party trays to pick up. Or deli/meat/cheese/antipasti trays or shrimp on ice can be made at home. Buy the disposable foil trays, arrange shrimp etc on the trays w cocktail sauce in the center and get bags of ice.

In the dip dept - you could buy or make mushroom pate, artichoke dips, cream cheese-based dips, etc., and assorted crackers and chips. You could arrange fruits on party pics like kabobs and have a strawberry-yogurt type dipping sauce. Or maybe a chocolate fountain for dipping fruits/nibbles.

Beverages - Don't know if you can swing champagne - so I'd go with Sangria or egg nog (this time of year), sparkling cidar. If you have a trader Joe's around - they use to sell "Two Buck Chuck".

The Chinese combo take out places are great for party food - the kind that offer one main dish (i.e. the orange sesame chicken we spoke about, beef & broccoli, etc.), fried rice and a noodle dish for about $4.00 a plate. Call the take out place and they will give you prices for making up big trays. Or check out their prices for i.e. egg rolls, dumplings, paper wrapped chicken, etc.

Re decorating - Can I talk you out of a black theme? :mrgreen: I'd go with something festive for this time of year - like a winter wonderland in all white or white and silver. I saw an idea that was used for Oprah's 50th, if you like.

If you'd like something more substantial in the food dept, but not a lot of work:

GO Pasta: Homemade or storebought ravioli and sauce of choice. A friend made fettuccine alfredo and another fettuccine in a red sauce for her wedding (as funds were limited). Ziti or lasagna is another thought.

This time of year is ideal for turkey, ham, duck. Some markets offer - Buy one and get one free. You could do a buffet and have the turkey (etc.) sliced, mashed potato platter and a veggie platter, etc. - rolls, salad, fruit and think you can rent a huge coffee machine, where people can serve themselves.

Here are some more ideas:

http://www.restaurantfoodsathome.com/asp/categories/appetizers.asp
 
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:):)This is a great list of ideas.
It makes me want to run out and buy invites
and throw a party!


Have a great time Texasgirl!!!:):):)
 
pdswife said:
:):)This is a great list of ideas.
It makes me want to run out and buy invites
and throw a party!


Have a great time Texasgirl!!!:):):)

Same here, pds. :) :chef: :)
 
Well...it's Novemember
the holidays are here and it's
a great time to throw a few.
I just have to get Paulie to agree... he's not a
party giving kind of dude. lol
 
Have a great time and take lots of pictures :)

(I just threw these in for fun - cream cheese/olive penguins w carrot beaks n feet LOL.)

 
Those are really cute. My grandkids would love looking at them, but wouldn't eat them. I'm sure the grownups would, tho.
 
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