Hi ladies....looking for some ideas for food for my daughter's 4th birthday party. we will be having about 50 guests. I'm getting tired of the same old stuff i usually make for the kid's parties....italian beef, rotini lasagna, chicken, cheesy potatoes, broccoli rice casserole.
any ideas for easy recipes to feed a crowd? thanks for your input!
it will be a princess theme (sleeping beauty will be coming) but the food doesn't necessarily have to be theme oriented--anything will do
What is the theme of the birthday party? I have lots of ideas and you could even go with a fall theme menu. I've planned lots of family parties and totally understand getting tired of the same ole, same ole.
I have a great recipe for chicken teriyaki if you're interested. The original called for whole breasts, but we always do smaller pieces of chicken for parties -- that way people can take how much they want and you get more sauce per piece of chicken ;) You could also do a spread of salads - pasta salad, Jello salad (I have a delicious recipe for a strawberry one), warm German potato salad . . . yum, I'm getting hungry just typing this :)
I like to make a crock pot of meat balls. You can call them magic meats balls :) I also make a parge platter of veg to set out and be snacked on. I also have a fruit platter so the kids can snack. i keep it simple. You can make homemade french fries by slicing and baking the potatoes, toss with some oilive iol and some herbs and you area set! Super easy and low stress/maintainence for your party!
A. J here are some ideas that may or may not work for you. pizza, wings, a veggie tray, fruit tray, a pot of chili with the hot sauce on the side for the people who do not eat it hot, Meatball sandwiches, hot turkey sandwiches, Potatoe salad, macaroni salad, pasta salad. Good luck.
What about using a slow cooker or crock pot? There are several good ideas for one dish meals that would fill your guests and make the party easy on you at the same time.
I really like the idea of having little stuff, you know, kid-sized...mini dogs with crescent rolls, mini cupcakes, mini sandwiches, mini meatballs, etc. That was a really cute idea!
Although I'm assuming no all 50 guests are kids--so maybe a crock pot/roaster full of meatballs & good Italian rolls?
A few times in the past year for larger parties I've done roasted ham, turkey and beef sandwiches on fancy rolls and with a variety of condiments and toppings. I baked the meats a few days ahead, sliced them and froze them. The day of the party I just needed to thaw and heat. I served them with easy salads and sides. Two easy sides I've done recently are glazed carrots and green bean and tomato salad which can be served warm or cold. If interested you can google any of these or send me a message and I'll send recipes.
chicken nuggets, pierogies (big hit at my last party), hotdogs, meatballs, tomato pie, hoagies (cut small), baked beans. these are all the favorites to both the kids and adults at our parties!!
Good luck finding something new!!
S.
Maybe do a mexican theme...Fajita and taco bar, salad with black beans and corn, dip station with queso and different salsas. Moe's can cater it if you want to make it really easy-they do a great job and they come to your house with the food too.
You didn't mention meatballs... i know that is a staple for most parties but homemade they are amazing. What about mini kaiser sandwiches with egg, chicken and tuna salad? Another thing that is easy is a ham, you can serve it cold or warm with potato salad or mac and cheese. One last idea is to do your own lunchmeat tray. When i take the time to roll them up and make a nice tray it is a big hit. It saves a ton of money to buy the lunch meat and do it yourself. You can put out little bowls with all the classic condiments and hot peppers for the adults. I love coming up with menu ideas as you can see :) have a great party and feel free to message me if you need anymore ideas.... or a wonderful, easy homemade meatball/sauce recipe.
PS. I just made chicken parm for my dinner party last friday, everyone loved it and it was nice and easy.
What about turning it into a BBQ- that's what we usually do- we do burgers and sausages or hot dogs on the grill, baked macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, potato salad, chips, etc. everyone usually loves it and almost everything can be done beforehand.
Since it's a princess theme it might be fun to do fancy finger foods, like cream cheese sandwiches, and mini hot dogs on a toothpick. You could have a good mix of adult food and kid food that way and serve it on inexpensive or rented platters.
We have a chocolate fountain that was a big hit at one party, that might also go along with your theme.
Our favorites are: vege pizza, bbq chicken pizza, pasta salad, vege and fruit tray, along with burger and hot dogs on the grill.
We just had my daughter's first birthday party with about 70 guests. We did a BBQ. Made a pasta salad and baked beans ahead of time, then my hubby grilled burgers and dogs during the party. We had lettuce, tomato, and condiments set out. We also got a couple 2 foot hoagies from Wawa (turkey, ham, tuna salad, etc.) The hoagies are cut innto 2 inch slices so people can have a piece of hoagie with a burger, or just take a couple pieces of hoagie. We also got 2 large Chick Fil-A chicken nugget trays. Kids and adults both love the Chick Fil-A nuggets- they always go quickly. Good luck!
