********* Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 (edited) My dsd graduated highschool last night (woo hoo!). Dad and I are throwing her an open house/18th birthday party in three weeks. Dsd is ovo-lacto vegetarian. I'm trying to respect/acknowledge that by having an all vegetarian feast. Not that dsd would be offended if we had meat products; I just figure the shindig is for her, and wanted to honor her in this way. We are expecting around 45ish people. Here's what I have planned so far: Beverages (2 liters of pop, tea, lemonade, bottled water) big fresh veggie tray (things like cucumber slices, carrots, celery, brocolli, cauliflower) Ranch dip and hummus for the veggies big fresh fruit tray (berries, orange slices, grapes, melons, pineapple) big lettuce salad with no meat (fil's new wife really wanted to bring something, so I thought of this on the spot, lol) cracker and cheese platter my family-sized crock pot of yummy homemade mac and cheese rice krispy treats (made with marshmallow fluff) chocolate dipped strawberries and chocolate dipped pretzels sheet cake from Costco I feel like I need one more hearty dish; something warm and filling like the mac and cheese. What do you think? I only have one crock pot, but I'm sure I could borrow one for the day for a second dish. I'm going to have a second crock's worth of mac and cheese on hand to refill it with if/when it runs out, but I'd really like to have a second warm crock-pot option. Any ideas? Suggestions of other things I've forgotten? We don't do big parties 'round here often, and I want this to be nice for dsd. Bread? I make a *delicious* (if I do say so myself, lol) dinner roll that dsd has always loved. Would a big basket of rolls with butter be a good addition? ETA: One more question; where can I find good disposable containers to send people home with leftovers? Edited June 1, 2012 by bethanyniez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 What about a vegetarian chili? With your yummy rolls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Peach Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I second the chili and I'd do the rolls, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Veg chili? Quiche (big or mini)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 Ok, the chili is a fantastic idea. If I knew how to make chili. :blushing: It's just not something I've ever made. Like, ever. We're very midwestern here, lol. I'd hate to try a brand new recipe for a party, but I would if not for the fact that I can't eat beans (texture issue), so I wouldn't really even be able to taste the chili and see if it's 'good', you know? Sigh. Maybe fil's new wife makes a good chili? :D Someone just pm'd me a suggestion of some sort of rice-based dish; any ideas there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 (edited) Chili is soooooooo easy. Seriously you just dump everything in the crockpot and it cooks itself. (Ok, you might have to saute some onion and peppers first.) Here's a simple one from Betty Crocker or you could Google something else.:D ETA: Oh, I missed the part about you not eating beans, but you could sample the rest of it without getting a bite of bean if you want. This recipe calls for corn, tomatoes, onions, green pepper, etc. so you could take a bite with that and pick out the beans. My mom will sometimes eat chili and pick around the beans. Edited June 1, 2012 by AndyJoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Dsd is ovo-lacto vegetarian. I'm trying to respect/acknowledge that by having an all vegetarian feast. Not that dsd would be offended if we had meat products; I just figure the shindig is for her, and wanted to honor her in this way. Have I mentioned lately how much I respect you? I'm sure your step-daughter will appreciate you honoring her choices this way. She's lucky to have you in her life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Peach Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 How about veggie lasagna? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 Have I mentioned lately how much I respect you? I'm sure your step-daughter will appreciate you honoring her choices this way. She's lucky to have you in her life. Aw, thanks! I really do try as hard to be a good stepmom as I try to be a good mom. And I'm gonna miss having her around! She's going off to college in mid August. She'll still be in state, but 3 or 4 hours away. Pout. My little boys are already missing her not being around as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 The menu looks wonderful. But it's 2 liters of soda plus all the other things, not 2 liters total of beverages, right? Because for 45 people you are going to need a lot of drinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa R. Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I saw you listed a Costco sheet cake. We just had one of these for ds's graduation. Dd had an even larger group and we ordered a white and a chocolate from Costco for her. I am a huge chocolate fan and will order it every time when given a choice. So, from a chocolate lover like me here is my advice: order the white. Costco makes a *fantastic* white sheet cake. It is not your typical white cake. (The chocolate is good, too, but not as good as the white. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 Chili is soooooooo easy. Seriously you just dump everything in the crockpot and it cooks itself. (Ok, you might have to saute some onion and peppers first.) Here's a simple one from Betty Crocker or you could Google something else.:D ETA: Oh, I missed the part about you not eating beans, but you could sample the rest of it without getting a bite of bean if you want. This recipe calls for corn, tomatoes, onions, green pepper, etc. so you could take a bite with that and pick out the beans. My mom will sometimes eat chili and pick around the beans. Well, I believe you that it's easy. I mean, I make a good chicken noodle soup, I know soup/stew isn't hard. It's just that I feel a bit out of my element making chili. I serioulsy might call my fil and see if his new wife makes chili. She was so sweet at the graduation last night; she really wanted to help me with the party. My own mother hasn't asked if I need help. And I know that when I offer help to someone, I always feel great when they take me up on it, so I tried to come up with some ideas on the spot for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 I saw you listed a Costco sheet cake. We just had one of these for ds's graduation. Dd had an even larger group and we ordered a white and a chocolate from Costco for her. I am a huge chocolate fan and will order it every time when given a choice. So, from a chocolate lover like me here is my advice: order the white. Costco makes a *fantastic* white sheet cake. It is not your typical white cake. (The chocolate is good, too, but not as good as the white. We did order the white. Dsd didn't have a preference, and since my dh can't have chocolate because it aggravates his gerd, we went with white. I LOVE me some Costco cake. Serioulsy. (And my fellow weight loss group ladies will understand when I say that I will be sending most of the leftover cake home with others so that it's not sitting around, begging me to eat it, lol.) Oh! On that note, where can I get good 'take some leftovers home' containers from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTwinsMom1 Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 (edited) For leftover containers I really love the throw away gladware containers you can get at walmart or any grocery store. They are cheap like 2$ or so for two or four bowls, or rectangles, and they are sturdy enough to reuse if they wanted to, but cheap enough that throwing them away does not feel too horrible either. Here is what I am talking about: http://www.glad.com/products/food-storage/containers/ They are usually on the paper plate aisle at the grocery store and sometimes in the homewares section of walmart, but they generally run about 2$ for a set. Edited June 1, 2012 by TheTwinsMom1 spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 If you don't want to do chili, you could do a baked potato bar for an extra hot dish. Various cheeses, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and scallions all make great toppings. Actually, I really like chili on baked potatoes. :D Another simple dish is 7 layer dip (Costco probably has this or it's easy to make) with crudites and various types or tortilla chips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 If you don't want to do chili, you could do a baked potato bar for an extra hot dish. Various cheeses, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and scallions all make great toppings. Actually, I really like chili on baked potatoes. :D Another simple dish is 7 layer dip (Costco probably has this or it's easy to make) with crudites and various types or tortilla chips. I did think of seven layer dip. She'd like that. I also toyed with the idea of scrapping all the plans I have right now and doing a mexican/taco bar. But I dunno. Stress much, Bethany? Lol. I just want it to be nice for her. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I do a three bean chili (black, kidney, pinto) with mushrooms chopped fine in the food processor to give it that meaty feel. It also has Rotel, tomato sauce, fresh onion and fresh green pepper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Double post. How odd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I did think of seven layer dip. She'd like that. I also toyed with the idea of scrapping all the plans I have right now and doing a mexican/taco bar. But I dunno. Stress much, Bethany? Lol. I just want it to be nice for her. :001_smile: You could do the Tex/Mex thing with the chili, the 7 layer dip with chips, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, olives, sour cream, Mexican rice, tortillas, and spicy black beans as the taco fillings. Oh, and cheese. Lots of cheese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 You could do the Tex/Mex thing with the chili, the 7 layer dip with chips, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, olives, sour cream, Mexican rice, tortillas, and spicy black beans as the taco fillings. Oh, and cheese. Lots of cheese. :iagree:Yum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Your meal sounds lovely. My thought is that a 2nd crock of mac n cheese would go further than adding in a 2nd choice. People will take some of each if you have 2 options. So if you just need more food, make more mac n cheese. Chili or some kind of baked beans would be a good choice. IMHO over the years we decided to go with all beverages in cans or bottles. 2 liters, glasses equals messy. Pitchers means someone has to refill them. This time of year stuff goes on sale very cheap and it was just easy to throw it all in a cooler with ice and have it be very self serve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 This is a very good and easy veggie chili I take out the hominy ('cause I hate it) and add a bag of the southwestern veggie mix (corn, pablano peppers and beans) http://allrecipes.com/recipe/vegan-mexican-stew/detail.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I would add something like pulled pork or chicken sandwiches (on small buns). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baileygirl Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 What time is the party at? If during a mealtime I would probably do something like cheese lasagna or baked ziti (or both and not do the mac and cheese), with your rolls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 The party is from 5:30-8:30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Or baked beans. That always seems like a summery dish to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilymax Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 If it were me, I'd probably lean toward doing the burrito/taco bar--but that is my go-to when I'm planning big parties! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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