Ideas for Small Group Menus

What about a soup/baked potato bar type theme. We did this at the preschool I work at and it worked out really well. The potatoes and soup keep warm and everyone can make and enjoy what they want.

Have fun!!!!

sandwich night
salad night (chicken salad, tuna)pasta salad
bbq night
asian night

I saw this mentioned before but the baked potato bar is awesome. I am a was in charge of food at a small church for about 3 years and this was the easiest to do. It does take a while for all the potatoes to cook but it is not a lot of work. The items on the bar were
cheese
sour cream
salsa
bacon bits
black olives
chives
chili
brocoli(sp?) cheese soup
chopped ham
cream cheese
butter
steamed veggies
ground beef and gravy

You could also do king ranch chicken that is super easy to make.

You could do a veggie plate night and have everyone bring all their favorite veggies.

Red beans and rice is good

I hope this helps.

Hi, I have a few menu ideas for you. Try a salad night and everyone can bring different types of salads. Someone could bring a fruit salad, tuna salad, pasta salad, leafy salad etc. You might also try a breakfast night and people could bring in eggs, pancakes, biscuits, sausage, bacon or even fruit. Look at the Food Network website. There are some really good ideas there. Hope this helps.

K.

hi P.!

my small group has done the same stuff! :) but we have some other themes we like:

salad night: everyone brings a different salad to share... someone might bring a green salad, someone might bring chicken salad, someone a fruit salad. its really yummy and and fresh. a good change.

burgers

homemade pizzas

breakfast/brunch: the host usually makes some egg casseroles or quiches and then people bring pastries, mimosas or orange juice, fruit, etc...so yummy! and something different.

chili night... mmmmm. make sure you have sour cream, cheese, and plenty of fritos and cornbread. we usually make regular chili and some chicken chili.

hope this ideas help!
S.

1. I have heard this idea for a different sort of party (beer) but it could work for food too :) . Everyone bring a dish that starts with the first letter of their last name (or first, whichever).
2. You could do a color theme - like red, white, and blue foods or just green foods or purple foods. Makes everyone be creative.
3. Have people bring their fave dish their mom made when they were kids.
4. Try to copy a restaurant menu item (Red Lobster's cheddar biscuits is an easy example). It's fun to see if people can guess what it's supposed to be.
5. Crockpot recipes only one night.
6. Vegetarian dishes.
7. Chili night.
I agree with the other posts, salad and breakfast themes are always yummy and easy to get creative with. Hope this helps and have fun!

A Salad
Casserole
Hamburgers and Fries
Breakfast
Nacho
Chicken and potato
BBQ

You could set up these as Buffets or alternate nights.
Have everyone bring a small version of their favorite dish.
On Hamburger and Chicken nights have someone bring the meat and everyone else provide.
HTH

Meditteranean - Hummus, pitas, greek salads, roasted peppers...

Or, how about breakfast for dinner? French toast, eggs, pancakes, egg casseroles, hash browns - something different and fun.

A picnic theme - potato salads, egg salads, sandwiches, chips, fruits....

How about a late summer grilled dinner? People can bring their own hamburgers or hotdogs and a large side dish based on a sign up sheet, like fresh corn on the cobb or sliced onion, tomatos and lettuce.
Little more work and alot more fun!
Good luck!
C. S.

dips and/or appetizers
If there is enough of them, everyone can get really full!

Italian night
1. Mexican - host provides taco meat and everyone brings toppings
2. Breakfast - everyone brings favorite breakfast food
3. Home Cookin' - like fried chicken, green beans, potatoes, etc.
4. Homemade Pizza night - host provides crusts and everyone brings toppings
5. Grill out night - burgers, hotdogs, and homemade ice cream
6. Healthy night - soups, salads, humus, pita chips, fruit
7. Italian night - spaghetti, lasagna, salad, breadsticks, pizza

We've done salad nights too. Pasta salad, fruit salad, pot. salad... it's really amazing what all people brought for that. Of course, the ladies usually enjoy that more than the men but it could be a nice change especially while it's so hot!

S.

How about Spanish "Tapas" ? It's perfect for a group-large or small and there are tons of simple recipes out there for this kind of party.