Dinner Party--Buffet Style--Help??

Question

Hi,

It's my turn to host a ladies night dinner party. Every month, our neighborhood ladies get together at someone's house for dinner. It's usually from about 7pm-10pm. Although it's not considered "formal," the ladies tend to get kind of dressed up (Skirts, heels, makeup).

I can't figure out what to serve. Most of the things I can think of are hot dishes and I'm not sure how to keep things warm for those 3 hours. Chafing dish? Crockpot?

Any menu or party ideas that are kind of fancy? I'm a casual jeans and t-shirt kind of person so I'm kind of lost when it comes to upscale buffet style dinners at home.

Thanks.

Mari

Answer 1

Appetizer: smoked salmon fillet with sour cream mixed with LOTS of fresh dill and chopped capers on pumpernickel bread

Main dish - grill boneless skinless chicken fillets on the barbecue - marinate these in rosemary, lemon, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and a dash of hot sauce overnight before grilling.

vegetable 1 - oven roasted or grilled asparagus or broccoli spears - again use the same lemon and garlic marinade as the chicken - reserve the vegetable marinade as a dressing.

Vegetable 2 - big tossed green salad with light vinaigrette dressing

Starch - Pasta with Basil Pesto sauce tossed with halved cherry tomatoes.

Hot rolls

coffee / tea

Dessert: Angel food cake topped with fruit compote of fruits in season and whipped cream.

Answer 2

Depending on the size of the party, you can rent chafing dishes and get half pans(2 half pans fit into 1 chafer) that way you don't take up alot of space.
An easy dish that is cold is antipasta. Inexpansive and rather easy to make. I would do a little of the following-
chicken dish
fish dish
veggies
starch- cheesy potatos??
pasta(cold)
maybe a fruit salad(always yummy in hte summer heat)
if you do apps. remember that each person usually has 2 of each and use that as a guideline

good luck and have fun with it!!!!!!!!!

Answer 3

Make some Spaghetti, Chicken fried or baked!!! Make some kind of salad pasta or lettuce!!! Have deserts that way you came serve the food hot and then for the remaining hours your guest can decide if they want desert!! Have game Im sure that these ladies dont wanna eat for 3 hours!!

Answer 4

to keep things hot use a crockpot, depending on what you have, and to make it kinda fancy get some kind of flower arangment for the table and maybe a pretty table cloth, oh i forgot glas dishes keep things hot for a long time to,some times if you cook a cake and leave it in there it will over cook.

Answer 5

Make "mountains." This is a great buffet-style dish and most all of it can be made ahead!

Make some spaghetti noodles, crush some tortilla chips. Put out canned chili, taco meat, spaghetti sauce, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheeses, anything else you can think of...buffet style.

Let your guests pile it on! This is good stuff, and people like it!

Answer 6

I would suggest you to order food from nearby restaurant or togo. It will save your time of cooking or buying recipe. I suggest you to order appetizers. Crab cakes will be a great choice. Fried squid with camari sauce, choices of soup. For food, buy chinese food. There are not expensive at all, and they gave you a giant amount too. Get fried rice or those chow min with at least two meal; like orange chicken or shrimp broccoli. Sometimes those sea food dishes are quite costy, so you could even buy plenty of Chinese dishes, but I gave you two ideas, since it could be very borning just to serve on Chinese.
-Good luck

Answer 7

First start with a theme. Like mexican night, greek night, italian night, tropical night/hawaiian etc..... Then from there look for recipes. Go to foodnetwork.com. Type in the party type you want and it will bring up several recipes for you to choose from going from simple to complicated. What is nice is you can choose if you want finger foods verses sit down meals. With this being the hotter months, you can also choose from a lighter venue verses a heavier venue for the winter. Good Luck. I love to plan parties and if you need any help on meal specifics or recipes please email me. I will put something together for you and send it back.

Answer 8

I PROMISE EVERYBODY IS GOING TO LOVE IT AND ITS EASY TO MAKE, SERVE IT WITH GARLIC BREAD!!!!

Pasta matriciana

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

3 quarts water
3 tablespoons Bertolli Extra Virgin(tm) or Bertolli Classico(tm) olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
1/2 cup chopped onions
6 ounces sliced bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup chicken stock
4 tablespoons chopped basil
1 pound pasta: penne, ziti, or rigatoni
5 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
Bring pasta to boil in large pot. Heat the Bertolli(tm) olive oil and the garlic in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until the garlic starts to brown, about 2 or 3 minutes.


Add the bacon, onions, and red pepper flakes; cook until bacon begins to brown and onions soften. Pour in the red wine and stir up any brown bits that might be clinging to the bottom of the pan. Boil until the wine is reduced by half.


Add the tomato sauce, chicken stock, and chopped basil. Bring to a boil and simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Drain well, then return to the pot. Pour sauce over pasta and cook, stirring, 3 minutes over medium heat, until the sauce is absorbed. Add the cheese. Toss well and serve.

Answer 9

Why not do 2 different soups, maybe minestrone and creamy potato cheese, serve with a salad bar. Soups can stay warm in a crock pot. Serve with a few different breads/rolls. Relax and have fun!

Answer 10

you could use either of those to keep your food hot....but who says it all has to be hot......try some cold main dishes like pasta.(putanesca) or meat salads and different kinds of crackers and savory breads....meat and cheese trays, veggie trays, spring green salads, lettuce salads.......dips (no mayo if going to be set out for 3 hours) but you could also put one bowl down in another with ice......and for fun ask them all to bring 3 different recipes with a story behind it (one for each of the meal, main dish, side dish, desert, or salad...you could all then exchange recipes or someone who is computer savvy could print out small cook books for all those in attendance