Food to make for a small buffet...?

Question

It's my Mums 50th next week and we're having a small family gathering for about 10 people. What's easy to make and won't take a lot of time as im working flat out next week? (the joys of Christmas!!)
Thanks :)

Answer 1

I would go to your local grocery store and look in their freezer section. they have allot of pre made specialty appetizers. bake a couple batches of cookies and of course a cake.

Answer 2

Take a couple a packs of small chicken thighs and a jar of almost any Chinese sauce from your local supermarket, put them all in a bowl together to coat the chicken well..skin it first if you want to..and then roast on a rack aver a roasting dish for twenty five to thirty-five minutes at 175c; serve warm or cold.
Cut celery and carrots into sticks and serve with raw broccoli and cauliflower florets, spring onions and even sliced apple and pear on a platter with a bowl of sour cream dip..easy to buy or make.
Get some nice, thinly sliced ham and make a pile of sandwiches, cut the crusts off and then cut the sandwiches into triangles and heap up on a plate with a little greenery..water cress or shredded lettuce..cover with cling film and keep in the fridge over-night if you want to make them early.
You can not go wrong with good quality pork pies, a couple of wedges of popular types of cheese and a bowl of strong old-fashioned pickled onions. People might start by looking down their noses at this arrangement but they always end up finishing the lot!
Picnic eggs are always nice but if you want to make something a little bit different then buy some god scotch eggs, cut the meat shells in half or even into quarters and then take the eggs and mash them with enough mayonnaise to make them them fairly smooth, a touch of salt and pepper and , if you like the idea,add about a quarter of an onion really finely minced to the mixture and spoon it back into the shells.
For a hot dish..it is winter after all, a bowl of chili with platter of soft bread rolls or else a pasta dish such as macaroni cheese or macaroni bolognese..but make sure it is a pasta shape that wont be messy or difficult to manage.
It is the wrong time of year for many salads but a bowl of thinly sliced tomatoes and onion..with garlic if you can..is always delicious and so it a simple beetroot salad..a large jar of beetroot..not sweet pickled..chopped up with a finely diced onion and then dressed with two or three tablespoons of mayonnaise..more if you prefer.

Answer 3

If you can, then have the other members of your family help you with the menu and bring dishes to share. If that can't happen, then keep your menu simple and easy to prepare a day in advance if possible. Here are some ideas:

1. Baked ham, scalloped potatos, fruit salad, fresh green beans with almonds, and hot rolls.
2. Pork Roast (rub a 4-5 lb. roast with a mixture of kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and rubbed sage. Bake in 350 oven for 1 1/2 hours. Add white wine to pan as needed and baste. Deglaze with more white wine and add a little mustard to the sauce to spoon over slices.), mashed potatos, peas and onions, and warm french bread.
3. Spaghetti Bolognes with sausages and peppers, green salad, garlic bread. (make the sauce the day before)
4. Lasagne, chopped salad, garlic bread
5. Swedish meatballs over egg noodles, green beans, fruit salad.

Or, order takeout from your favorite restaurant!

Answer 4

Oreo Balls-
1 package of Oreos (Crushed)
1Package of Cream Cheese (Softened)
-----------------
Mix together and made 1/2tbs size balls
Chill for 2-3 hours and melt white or dark chocolate or both pour into baggie and snip the very end of the corner and drizzle over the balls. Looks like you spent A LOT of time on them and they are AWESOME!!!

I make them every Thanksgiving and Christmas and the whole family makes me put them on the table the minute I walk in the house!

Answer 5

You could make a potato salad and a garden salad,a cheese board,quiche,you could do some homemade sausage rolls chicken drumsticks,maybe some cold meat(ham), coronation chicken,blinis are really easy to make with smoked salmon,cream cheese and chives. You can buy ready made puff pastry cases that you could fill with prawns and seafood sauce etc All these things are really easy to do and are reasonably quick to do!

Answer 6

If you buy some ready made puff pastry and use a cutter to cut out pretty shapes, you can fill them with anyting, I like to make ones with a tiny bit of pesto spread on the bottom, a cherry tomato and a tiny bit of mozzarella, or prawns with thousand island dip and a bit of lettuce.

Answer 7

how about some of those stuffed breaded chicken breasts (they have them in the freezer section) like broccoli cheese or chicken Kiev - a nice fresh garden salad - fresh bread or rolls - mashed potatoes (they have premade mashed in the refrigerated section you just heat it up in the microwave) - and of course some kind of dessert, what about cheesecake!
only thing you'd have to make is the salad and cut up the bread! when we have a big gathering of family we order out lasagna from this awesome Italian place we all love, maybe your mom has a favorite spot to cater your party?

Answer 8

a few ideas

coleslaw - make it yourself a couple of days before shread cabbage, lettice, carrot and apple and mix with mayo and salt and pepper
carrot and cucumber sticks and dips
Cibata bread
Parma Ham and other meats
Cherry toms
pickled onions and red cabbage
selection of cheese
prawns

Answer 9

Fruit and vegetables salad, easy to prepare and healthy...

Answer 10

a great side dish is cous cous .....quick, easy and can be mixed with vegs or/& meat or buy packets already flavoured.