Ladies I need your help!!! Menu for my first big family get -together at my HOUSE!
GettinHutched
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Ladies I need your help!!! Menu for my first big family get -together at my HOUSE!
Ladies, I am completely lost. I've never had a huge get-together...I've lived in an apartment for years. And this is my FAMILY here!!! My two sisters, their husbands, 4 kids and my mom!!! I'm so flipping out here and I feel so lame that I don't know where to start!!
I was thinking brunch. I've gotta make it simple or I'll flip out...I'm just not Susie Homemaker, what can I say? I was losing my mind trying to decide on curtains today! Just not my thing!
So...any suggestions? Thank you ladies!!!!!!!!!!!
sugarkube4
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Re: Ladies I need your help!!! Menu for my first big family get -together at my HOUSE!
Do you have a BBQ??? You can NEVER go wrong with BBQ'ing!!!!
ETA...
wait.... what's the weather there?
GettinHutched
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Re: Ladies I need your help!!! Menu for my first big family get -together at my HOUSE!
Posted by sugarkube4
Do you have a BBQ??? You can NEVER go wrong with BBQ'ing!!!!
ETA...
wait.... what's the weather there?
oh it's a cold February..then again not sure what the weather will be like a week from now. We don't have a real grill...just a small Foreman and a Cuisinart Griddler.
PegaLega
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Re: Ladies I need your help!!! Menu for my first big family get -together at my HOUSE!
When my ILs would have big GTGs they would do plattered things.
Anti-pasto that other thing with the diced tomatoes and bread
Dinner would be Lasagna, chicken parm....salad-regular salad so people can choose the dressing.
And then a few desserts-a cake, cookies...but they would be store bought cakes, home made cookies
HTH
Mich0621
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Re: Ladies I need your help!!! Menu for my first big family get -together at my HOUSE!
Breakfast is pretty easy because you can make scrambled eggs in bulk, pancakes, meat, bagels, etc. It also won't run a lot of money and it is great for those of us who are kitchen-impaired. Dayna's idea is also great-we do BBQ all summer! You can go to Costco and get a lot of hamburgers and hot dogs, a london broil and salads! We live by the water, so we add clams (our friends clam and bring them and you just grill em' or boil them up with some white wine!
Mich0621
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Re: Ladies I need your help!!! Menu for my first big family get -together at my HOUSE!
Posted by PegaLega
When my ILs would have big GTGs they would do plattered things.
Anti-pasto that other thing with the diced tomatoes and bread
Dinner would be Lasagna, chicken parm....salad-regular salad so people can choose the dressing.
And then a few desserts-a cake, cookies...but they would be store bought cakes, home made cookies
HTH
That is another idea Peg! Or deli platters-meat. cheese, bread, salads.
Cpt2007
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Re: Ladies I need your help!!! Menu for my first big family get -together at my HOUSE!
No worries. You can do it nice and easy.
Are you having a dinner or brunch? Go easy for your first thing-- you don't need to do a Thanksgiving feast.
If you are doing a brunch, think about the basics: Scrambled Eggs Bacon and/or sausage Toast and/or croissants Coffee, Tea, Juices (fruit and vegetable) Fresh fruit Muffins and other pastries You could even get a quiche or two from your local market if you don't want to make one. They can be pretty cheap.
If you want to do a dinner, I would suggest doing a lasagna or baked ziti dish (the ziti is incredibly easy to make: cooked pasta--I use mini penne, mix in some shredded mozzarella, a jar of sauce, poor all that into a buttered casserole dish, more cheese on top, in the oven for 40 minutes at 400 deg and done). You could even pick up a frozen lasagna from Costco. Add to that a green salad, some fresh garlic bread, and then you could make an easy dessert of a cake, brownies or something else. Fresh fruit would be a good healthy alternative too.
those are my initial thoughts for now. Let us know when this is going to happen and we can come up with other ideas depending on how long you have to prepare! No worries!!! We're here for you!
eta for spelling.
GettinHutched
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Re: Ladies I need your help!!! Menu for my first big family get -together at my HOUSE!
you girls are awesome!
hmmm...I am so indecisive and just so unsure!! I'm pretty sure we'll keep it at lunch or brunch...but now I'm thinking brunch might be tough - I can see my family getting out here alot later than planned.
For lunch what should I do? Just order pizza? I love the easy way out! I do it with Dh all the time!! I hardly ever cook and it's AWFUL!
PegaLega
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Re: Ladies I need your help!!! Menu for my first big family get -together at my HOUSE!
Posted by GettinHutched
you girls are awesome!
hmmm...I am so indecisive and just so unsure!! I'm pretty sure we'll keep it at lunch or brunch...but now I'm thinking brunch might be tough - I can see my family getting out here alot later than planned.
For lunch what should I do? Just order pizza? I love the easy way out! I do it with Dh all the time!! I hardly ever cook and it's AWFUL!
I would order different deli finger sandwiched, maybe like a chicken basket, etc.
DNicholes
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Re: Ladies I need your help!!! Menu for my first big family get -together at my HOUSE!
For lunch.....
Buy Assorted Deli Meats Assorted breads
Make (or even buy): Potato Salad Fruit Salad Pasta Salad Cucumber salad is easy to make on your own
Or make a really nice grilled chicken salad.....grill chicken with some balsamic vinegar.....make a huge salad and place chicken on top.
ummmm what else??
GettinHutched
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Re: Ladies I need your help!!! Menu for my first big family get -together at my HOUSE!
oooh thanks ladies!
For the kids though...should I just make chicken fingers and fries? I can't see them eating sandwiches!
Cpt2007
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Re: Ladies I need your help!!! Menu for my first big family get -together at my HOUSE!
Agree with Peggie. A large hero would do the trick, though again, I think you could still do the pasta for a lunch. I'd add in a veggie platter with dip (if they eat that kind of thing), but have some mac and cheese for the kids. Here's a easy recipe for Homemade Mac & Cheese from Alton Brown on the Food Network. Hot dishes are always a good thing for a lunch especially combined with sandwiches. I'd say that cookies or brownies would be a good compliment to everything too.
diva7531
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Re: Ladies I need your help!!! Menu for my first big family get -together at my HOUSE!
OK for a brunch you could do 2 quiches, ham and cheese and spinach and cheese. Sausages, eggs, mini muffins and a honey baked ham, and maybe a penne ala vodka.
Baked brie with jam is easy too, just plop a brie (small) in the center of filo dough or cresent roll and cover with seedless strawberry or raspberry jam, fold over, seal the edges and bake following the directions for the dough + 10 minutes.
