What is the next event you are planning?

[Claire]

Tomorrow I'm going over to a freind's house to start the preliminaries. My next event is going to be a reception for her father's WWII reunion at my house. My husband is a history buff, and we both like her dad (he lives in Colorado, we all live in Illinois). We'll be inviting a few local friends as well to keep conversation flowing. Have NO IDEA how many of the old codgers will show up. As he says (and he's 84) -- "Hey most of us are dead ... You'll mostly be entertaining our handlers." He's unabashedly tickled pink that we want to do this. My freinds who live here will all be expected to bring something to help out (they all actually wanted to throw parties themselves!) Anyway, this is the next party i'm throwing, and I need all the help I can get. Men that age either can't drink any more, or they drink one drink, period. Everyone that age has some kind of dietary restriction. I'm not going there, I'm just making sure there is enough of what we called in Hawaii, "heavy pupus". They get to worry about what they should or should not eat. I suspect their (as he put it) "handlers" (which will be people our age) will be fussier.

I'm thinking for the bar a big bottle each of vodka, scotch, canadian, and rum. One each of red and white jug wines. a case of lite beer, and a huge selection of diet pop and a half-gallon each of oj and cranberry juice.

For food I'm going to buy a lot of things you can pop in the oven. I'll have a cheese platter, and veggies & dip. As I said, there will be a half dozen or so friends who live here and will also contribute. My failing is always desert, and my fall-back position is a trifle.

Whew! Any of you have any ideas?

 

[Yakuta]

Hi Claire how about a warm pie for dessert. You don't have to make the pie crust you can buy it at Jewel (the frozen kind). Make your own filling - I like Apple and Peach and bake and serve with some freshly whipped cream or vanilla icecream.

I also like tiramisu because you can make it ahead of time and it actually gets better ater a day or two. You don't have to make the version with coffee. I like to make a tropical version with pineapple. I dip the ladyfingers in pineapple juice, the cream (made with ricotta and heavy cream) is mixed with crushed pineapple and it's finished with some sliced almonds. It's really good with a cup of coffee.

All the best for your event, it sounds like fun. I have invited 47 people to my house end of August and it is a lot of work. My menu is going to be primarily Indian food since this is an Indian crowd. I am going to make kababs and patties (chicken, veggies and potatoes) and shrimps for appetizers. I will be making roti, chicken makhani, chickpea curry , egg rolls and biryani (it's a rich dish made with lamb and rice) for dinner. I will make lassi for 47 people and some raita too.

Dessert is still a mystery to me as well . I may make something Indian like carrot halva or skip and go for store bought. Given there are so many people I don't want to be overwhelmed and want to enjoy myself as well. It will all be served buffett style.

 

[Chopstix]

Yikes Yakuta! The most I've entertained was 10 people and THAT stressed me out! 47 pax? I'M overwhelmed for you. My hat's off to you.

So for 47 people, how do you plan how much of each dish to cook? When I cooked for the 10 pax, we had a lot of food left over. This despite them saying how good the food was... so please believe that it's because I cooked too much food

 

[Claire]

Oh, I think Indian food is ideally suited for large parties. Hmmmm .... maybe I'll escape my party and go to yours! (seriously, I threw an Indian party last winter and it was a hit, and a lot easier than this will be. The various curry-type dishes were easy to make in advance. One friend is Pakistani, and his wife brought anything individual and difficult. I still have a package of pappadams around here somewhere, which I will fry up and serve wit...... oh, well, I'm boring you. The hardest part for the upcoming party is going to be that the guests will be in their 80s, and my house is NOT handicapped-accessible. That is one reason I'm inviting a lot of younger people ... to help get the half-dozen or so people into the house and back to their cars! Anyway, any ideas for appetizers I can make in advance are appreciated.

 

[Claire]

Yakuta, when I threw my Indian party, my freind brought something that looked rather like a funnell cake, very sweet. I don't remember if she got it from Whole Foods or an Asian grocery (she lives in Oak Park). Most people loved it, but of course, they were eating Indian food for the first time! i'm sure your friends are more discerning. It was extremely sweet -- my cavities hurt just thinking about it -- but everyone else loved it. In this case, I'll either make a trifle or assign desert to a friend. I have an unopened package of lady fingers around here somewhere and think a layered desert of some sort .....

One thing about this party is having no idea how many will show up and what their physical capabilities will be. I've entertained 40 or so people many times, and am a big believer in "do-aheads" AND letting my guests help. In this case, the people I invite from around here are around my age (40-60) will actually sort of be cohosts. I have a standing policy of always inviting anyone who could possibly be inconvenienced by a party (noise, parking).

 

[SizzlininIN]

We're just thinking of having another cookout like we did on the 4th of July only this time we'd supply and cook the meat and ask everyone else to bring a side dish. We're wanting to have a last get together for the summer before the kids go back to school. We'll decide by next week......kind of depends on what the weather forecast has in store. I'm not sitting outside in this type of heat.

 

[Yakuta]

Hey Chopsticks yes it is overwhelming to say the least. I can take the easy way out and cater (that's what my husband wants) but I like to cook and nothing can compare to home made food.

As Claire stated Indian food caters well to ahead of time prep. I have already made three appetizers (130 or so a peice). I will buy pre-cooked shrimps and then rinse them and coat them in some light dressing and then serve them on skewers (that will be my version of semi-home made ).

I have also made atleast 50 roti breads and frozen them as well. I have to make 50 more. The rest I will cook the day before the party and only one dish, lassi (yogurt drink), punch and salad the day of the party.

Thank God for the large freezer and a seperate 36 inch refrigerator I have that I can take some stress off of entertaining.

Claire, the sweet you refer to is called Jalebi. I can't stand it, it's so sweet. Not all Indian desserts are like that. I may also be making a raspberry trifle with ladyfingers for my dessert. The other one will be bought at SAMS

My appetizer suggestion to you would be stuffed mushrooms. They are easy to make and you can stuff them with anything you like. I also like to make traingles stuffed with cheese, veggies and chicken using Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets. I cut the sheets in to squares, stuff them with whatever my heart desires. Fold them into traingles and freeze them. You can then place them in the oven and you have a nice and hot appetizer in no time.

You can also use the pre-cooked shrimps as I am planning on to make an appetizer. I will most likely make a sauce - with dark soy, brown sugar, red chilli paste and garlic. I will make it nice and thick and finish it with cilantro and green onions and then just dump the shrimps in it to coat (so I don't over cook it). I will insert a toothpick in each of them and viola done.

 

[mudbug]

Claire and Yakuta: both bashes sound like great fun. I know the two of you are well up to any challenges that might arise.

The only suggestion I have is for Claire - make sure you have plenty of Glen Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and Andrews Sisters music to lay on.

 

[Chopstix]

My next event is a sit-down dinner for 6 people. I'm planning:

Arugula Salad with pears, gorgonzola, glazed walnuts in balsamic vinaigrette
Pan-fried fish filet with 2 sauces (lemon capers and Hazelnut butter cream)
Ox tail Menudo Sulipena (a Spanish recipe)
Spaghettini in olive oil, garlic and parmegiano
Creamed Spinach with mushroom in white wine
Dessert: Stacked Profiteroles with whipped cream and chocolate syrup

(One of our guests is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. Talk about pressure!)

 

[Chopstix]

Yakuta, would you care to share your sweet lassi recipe? Thanks! That's the drink I always order at Indian restaurants.

 

[Claire]

Mudbug, I have to laugh. I have about 200 CDs, and easily half or more of them date to WWII, so I have it made in the music dept, all I have to do is program the player. I've always joked that if you looked at my music you'd think I was 90. Yakuta, I agree that it was too sweet for me. And trifles are so darned easy to make and can be made in advance. I happen to have a package of lady fingers that I need to check the sell-by date on, but have also made trifles with angel food cake and/or pound cake.

If I were in your position, though, I'd make a dish or two myself but take up your husband's offer and have some of it catered. Especially those individual-type appetizers and anything fried (I hate frying!).

 

[Half Baked]

Labor Day party for 30 friends and family and I'll be serving the usual:

Ribs
Grilled chicken breasts
hotdogs and hamburgers
sausages
potato salad
slaw
corn on the cob
baked beans

and I havent decided on the desserts yet.

Mr HBs family are such picky eaters that it's not fun to cook for them. My fam and friends are always up for all cuisines and experiments.

 

[Yakuta]

Hi Claire at some point I will resort to catering. I called someone who caters to inquire about the cost for eggrolls. She quoted me a 1 a peice. I asked a couple more people I know who cater and they quoted the same. At a 1 a peice it would cost be just 120 dollars for the eggrolls. I just could not digest that cost. Even with the best ingredients it costs me less to make them. I guess it's labor intensive and hence the cost.

I hate to fry as well but I it's now all done and I am happy that I saved atleast 75 dollars on eggrolls that I can splurge on other things. I don't even want to imagine how much they would charge for other items cause it's all super labor intensive (almost all Indian food is).

 

[Claire]

Yakuta, I always look at the price of catering and give in and cook. BUT luckily all my friends believe in the concept of potluck, so I don't have to do it all. Where I have bought the bullet on occaision is to hire someone (usually a young, broke, person) to pick up and serve. It is very nice not to wake up to a huge mess.

 

[Constance]

Jan, there's something to be said for the old tried and true. I think your menu sounds delicious.
We've done some entertaining, but we haven't had a big whing-ding for some time.
That's getting ready to change, though, because our son and his fiancee are coming up from Florida for two weeks in September. We'll be having a double celebration: Chris's 40th birthday, and the new grandchild that's on the way. I'm not sure how many will be coming, but it will be in the area of 20-30.

Kim's planning on smoking some meats, and Chris will help him with that, plus helping me with lifting heavy pots and such. I can't do all the preparations I used to, but my daughter and Melissa will help, and my friends will bring things.

Here's the tentative menu:

Hors d'ouevres: undecided, nothing too heavy

smoked turkey, pork butts, maybe a pork loin, and brats
buns and assorted breads for sandwiches
my homemade BBQ sauce and other condiments
Carolina Spicy Slaw, potato salad, pasta salad
Killer Baked Beans
deviled eggs

Desserts: Double Chocolate Gooey Buttercake, refrigerator cheesecake

 

[cjs]

Claire, I've found from catering parties for 'olderly' folks and my relatives, that the older we get the more we crave sweets!! Here is a cake recipe that I have to make each time I go to my mother's - she and her friends can devour the entire cake at one sitting!!!

APPLE CAKE WITH CARAMEL SAUCE
Recipe By :a Chef's Journey via Margaret's D-I-L, chef at J's Winery
Serving Size : 12

1 1/2 c Wesson oil
2 c sugar
3 eggs
3 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsps cinnamon
3 c coarsley chopped Granny Smith apples, UNPEELED
1 c walnuts
2 tsps vanilla
CARAMEL SAUCE:
1 c butter
2 c light brown sugar
1 c heavy cream

Preheat oven to 325°.

Butter & flour a 10" Bundt pan.
Using an electric mixer, blend together the oil & sugar in a large bowl.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Sift flour, soda, nutmeg & cinnamon into egg mixture, beating thoroughly.

The batter will be very stiff.
Fold the apples & walnuts into the batter with a spatula, then stir in the vanilla.
Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 1 1/4 hours, or till a pick inserted in cake comes out clean.
Place pan on a rack; let cool for about 1 hour.

TO MAKE CARAMEL SAUCE:
Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium heat.
Stir in brown sugar.

When sugar dissolves, add the cream, whisking to form an emulsion.
Gently turn cake out onto a plate.
Pour about 1/2 cup of the warm sauce over the cake to form a glaze.

Serve immediately, with a little of the remaining sauce spooned over each slice, or let the cake cool completely.
The sauce keeps well in frig, but it should be reheated before serving.
------

The cake can be made ahead (frozen also if desired) and just whip up the caramel the day of.

Your party sounds like a lot of fun - I hope someone has a tape recorder going - what a lot of stories and history you all will be hearing!!

 

[chefbren]

nice menu, chopstix.

as to dessert suggestions for the elderly, how about an assortment of bite-sized things? I know my Mom who is in her 80's, can't eat as much as she use to and she likes small portions of everything so she can taste more.
petite fours, brownie bites, you can make sheet cakes of several flavors, cut the top off, cut in small rounds and "glue" them together iwth iceing, letting the colors show on the sides, tassie cups, palmeirs(okay, thats bigger than a bite, but light)

 

[licia]

The next big event we have is in November. We have our SS class out for a cookout in the pasture. We have a bonfire (now in a firepit) and have chairs all around the fire. We set up a buffet of grilled food, salads, desserts, etc to the side. This year we will have walking tacos along with the grilled food. We decorate with hay bales, quilts and torches. We usually have around 50-60 people and have a wonderful time.

 

[Half Baked]

Gosh that sounds like a great time, Licia.

 

[Claire]

cjs, thanks for reminding me about sweets. It's an area I tend to neglect. One reason older people like sweets more I think is that when you quit either/or alcohol/cigarettes, the result is often a sweet tooth. Anyway, I don't bake, but as I mentioned, I have a few local friends who will be invited to help me out with the reception. I really don't know at this point if it is actually going to happen. My house is NOT handicapped-accessible. If we do have this reception, I need to invite a few very strong people to help get folks from their vehicles to the house. We'll see.