my husband is in the army and i'm throwing him a coming home/going away party. any ideas?

Question

he's coming home for two weeks for his homebreak after ait.. and then he's leaving to south korea for a year. i want to make this party really special and memorable. all of his family and friends who he hasn't seen since january will be there and i just want him to have a great time. I've never planned a big party before so i'm not so sure about decorations/food/desserts or anything. any help would be great!

It will be outside.. starting around 2 or 4 and his friends will probably stay throughout the night drinking and possibly a bonfire.

Answer 1

try a sea theme, with sea food ans sea decor.
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1 pound dry fettuccine pasta
2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound large shrimp (30-36 per pound) peeled and deveined1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
Method
Cook fettuccine according to package directions, set aside and keep warm. Meanwhile heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute mushrooms and garlic for 4-5 minutes. Lower heat to medium and add cream; simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and continue simmering for 5-10 more minutes until shrimp are pink. Place warm pasta in a large bowl and stir in sauce. Mix well and serve with additional parmesan cheese.

Notes: This dish is good enough for company, but so easy to make. I buy pre-sliced mushrooms and shrimp that is already peeled and deveined, so it takes mere minutes of prep time and effort for this dish. I've also used cooked shrimp and just tossed them in during the last few minutes of cooking time.

Number of servings: 6

1 (8 oz) package of imitation crabmeat, chopped
1 (10.75 oz) can of condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
1 (10.75 oz) can of condensed cream of shrimp soup, undiluted
1/2 c. of chopped onion
1 tbsp. of butter
2 1/4 c. of milk
1 tsp. of chicken bouillon granules
1/2 tsp. of dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp. of garlic powder
1/4 tsp. of dried marjoram
1/4 tsp. of pepper

Directions
First you want to saute onion in melted butter over medium flame.
Then you can add in the rest of the ingridients.
Now cover with a lid, cooking over low flame approx. 20 min.
Let this heat and serve!

or try something your husband likes! forexample, some people likes sports or food! try something he interests!

Answer 2

I did this a few years ago: New Years Party starts at 7 PM, then my kids will have to be in bed like 9 PM. That way its the Adults turn to have some fun. I am not an Alcoholic, but not having those kind of Beverages especially on New Years is kinda bland dont you think? But then again its your House its your rules. For food, stay with the Kids basic favorites: 1.) Chicken Nuggets - Buy them Frozen by the Bag at your local Grocery Store 2.) French Fries - Enjoyed by kids and Adults alike. 3.) Mac and Cheese - Definitely a Child favorite. You catch my drift right? As with the Adults, just go to your local Deli and ask what kind of Platter do they have for the Holidays. I got myself last year a whole platter of Ham and Cheese Sandwhich which is everyone's delight. And a Shrimp Cocktail Platter, and IF the weather is not that bad, who knows, turn up your BBQ Grill for a BBQ Party! Hope this helps.

Answer 3

look go on to foodnetwork.com, on there it will ask you to choose a t.v show in the drop box scroll down until you find semi-home made with sandra lee,she has some good recipes and they are easy to make. since your husband is in the army I would do an army theme if you want to do a theme.if ya'll drink sandra lee also has a beer buffet you can do. you can also go to wal-mart in the craft section I think it is and look for this science thing that has 4 or 5 glass tube's that comes with a thing they stand in and use those to do shooters in. now as far as your food goes I would do a cook out, you can grill some hot wings and have celery sticks and ranch or blue cheese dressing to go along with that andyou can grill braust ,just go on that site and look for semi-home made with sandra lee and get some ideas it will even have on there back yard bbq or cook out something like that. i don't know what your budget is but get him a home comming gift like something he's been wanting but has not got around to getting. you might can find army table cloths in the party section of wal-mart or what ever you have in your town. simple is sweet and i would keep it that way so you will have time to spend with him.If I was close by to you I would come and help you.

Answer 4

Well, being in the army, I would say go for the obvious and use a theme of America. Do red, white and blue things. It'll be really easy to find decorations, especially if you go around now, since there's tons of stuff with flags and things for 4th of July. . . . You didn't mention if you are trying to be inside our outdoors, but just remember this is all about your husband so even if some of the things are random, I would make all of his favorite dishes, so he can really enjoy it. Relax and have some good home cooked food! As far as desserts, just get one big cake, like a sheet cake maybe, with his name on it, and also in the red, white and blue theme. Then put out some things like cookies or brownies. My friend had a party like this (her fiance was leaving for Iraq for 11 months last weekend) and we did one big cake, with red and white roses with blue writing and little paper American flags. Then for people who didn't want cake, we made cookies, and decorated them with red, white and blue sprinkles and stuff. Really, around this time of year you'll find a lot at any party store or even supermarket. Make sure to have lots of drinks, like maybe a big punch, etc. for everyone to enjoy too!

Answer 5

How about a huge cook out,bbq? It's simple,easy,and I bet he'd love a juicy burger or ribs right about now. Make some potatoe salad,some baked beans,add drinks. Serve cold watermelon for dessert,easy,cheap party fare. If you want add some chips and dip for snacking while food cooks,some pickles,black and green olives,maybe some cheese.Or you could do boneless chicken breast,marinated in Italian dressing overnight,add some garlic,and grill. Amazing,people will love it,and they'll think you're an amazing chef.

Answer 6

Sounds like you will need alot of food for folks to nibble on.

To make it easy on you - let people graze. Make appetizers type things, maybe have a grill for meats, veggies, kabobs, etc... Have a couple different sweet things.

Sometimes, small, locally owned restaurants cater - you can pick up the food already made.

I would focus on having quality food that tastes amazing - even if you have hot dogs and baked beans, make it special.

Decorate with all of his favorite things. Sports team, color, events, pictures of family - anything that shows him you remember.

If you want real specific ideas, feel free to email me.

Thank you for all that you both do for our Country. You are heros in my book.

Answer 7

I agree with Vanity, make all his favorites. It's what he'll miss the most when he's away. Remember to get lots of pics and video too. It's something he can look at from time to time and think back on, especially if there are people there he hasn't seen in a while.

Answer 8

Invite all his friends,relatives;your friends & relatives
Have A BBQ party,pool party or even a jacuzzi party.
You can make his favourite food.(cook not buy.When you cook,you have that sincerity)

Answer 9

Make it a home made food.

Like....Lasagne.

Or Meat loaf.

Answer 10

Get him so drunk that he won't know if he's Coming, or Going!!!!!