Entertaining big crowd for the first time, please help!

[jinjer]

I'm going to throw an engagement party at my home for a friend. I've hosted a couple of holidays at my house before, but I had help cooking. This party will be more people than I've ever had over at one time, probably 25.

Do you guys have any recommendations for a good meal to prepare? I've looked at pinterest and I'm still lost, plus you can never tell how hard it will be from a blog. I am in desperate need of the most simple yet delicious dinner and dessert.

I want it to be special, I'm so scared I will screw this up

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!!

[mbcdefg]

Are you going to have everyone sit down at the table together while you serve a plated meal, or will you do a buffet?

Will you have any guests with allergies? Vegetarians/vegans? Other dietary restrictions?

I would look for something that you can prepare in advance (that morning, or even the day before) and then just stick in the oven. Pasta is easy, cheap, and most people seem to like it - plus it's very easy to prepare the day before and stick in the fridge until you're ready to bake it. You could do a few pans of lasagna or baked ziti. Meatballs or sausage can be prepared as a side dish. Serve with green salad and fresh bread.

Or you could make a roast - roast beef, roast chicken, or even turkey. Maybe a couple of beef tenderloins or pork tenderloins and just roast them whole, then slice it off and serve. Prep it early in the day, stick it in the oven a couple hours before guests arrive, and let it rest while you finish/warm the side dishes. Serve with mashed potatoes and vegetables.

I think the pasta would be the easier and more cost-efficient option - and it's a bit easier to eat than meats if you're not having everyone sit at a dining table - but I'm just throwing it out there.

If it's casual, you could buy or make a few pizzas and serve with green salad, garlic bread, and fun apps like chicken wings, fried calamari, coconut shrimp, etc. Pizza places usually cater for a good price - chicken parm/marsala, sausage and peppers, etc.

If the grill is an option, you can do hot dogs and burgers, sausages, etc. Or even steaks (maybe fish, too) if money is no object. Sides: potato or noodle salad, or baked potatoes; fresh green salad, corn on the cob, fruit and vegetable platters, etc.

Would you rather do finger foods and treat it like a cocktail party? I throw a Christmas party every year for about 40 guests and this is the route I take. It's a mix of homemade apps (caprese bites, pigs in a blanket, deviled eggs, etc.) and storebought frozen apps, plus heartier food like pans of mac & cheese, sliders or a party sub from the deli, etc.

Decide what you want to make yourself vs. what you want to purchase (or delegate, if anyone has offered to help you). Don't attempt to do every single thing yourself, otherwise you will go nuts. If you do the pasta menu, for example, you can buy bagged salad and just dump it into a pretty serving bowl; and you can get a big bag of dinner rolls from Costco or just slice up big loaves of Italian bread from any supermarket. Pick up a congratulatory cake at Costco, too. Then all you have to do yourself is the pasta, and you can do that in advance.
Easy peasy. 

Little touches can fancy up a menu, too. I've made a roasted garlic herb butter for Thanksgiving - it's very easy and I can do it a day or two in advance. Use a pastry bag to pipe it into little rammekins, and store in the fridge until the day of the party. It's a simple little touch that looks elegant. Fresh flowers, cloth napkins, etc.

Have some easy apps to put out as soon as guests arrive, so that you don't feel pressured to hurry up and get the meal on the table. Cheese and crackers, cold cocktail shrimp, veggies and dip, spanakopita, etc. DIY or storebought.

I keep a lot of lists - grocery lists, stuff I need to make in advance vs. the day of, and I categorize things to be a bit more efficient (example, if two dishes require shredded cheese, then I'll make them at the same time so that I'm not going back a second time to grate cheese). I also time out what needs to go in the oven at what time. And I set out my serving dishes in advance and use scrap paper to label what will go in what dish, so that I get it all right and I'm not lacking for a proper serving dish or utensil.

I've referred back to these party-planning posts from Annie's Eats several times:
www.annies-eats.com/2010/04/25/foodbuzz-24-24-24-theres-no-place-like-one-home-celebration-dinner/
www.annies-eats.com/2010/11/15/thanksgiving-prep-series-part-3/

Also, pagas throws some lovely dinner parties:
sotastysoyummy.blogspot.com/search/label/party 

[pagas]

I hosted an engagement party years ago with a similar crowd.  I served three baked pastas: lasagna, baked penne with roasted vegetables and baked chicken & broccoli alfredo.  The only side I served was crusty italian bread and a big salad.  I served an antipasto platter to start (meat/cheese/olives/marinated artichoke hearts/crunchy breadsticks.)  A friend brought Italian cream cake for dessert.  I made the pastas in big pans beforehand so I only had to bake them for the party.  Are you doing it all yourself?

[magdala]

Do you guys have any recommendations for a good meal to prepare? For a crowd, I generally go Italian.

Antipasti Platter, Spring salad, Israeli Salad, Chicken from the Venetian Ghetto, Italian Bread, Engagement cake.

Order the Antipasti Platter from your local Italian grocery. Usually they serve 10 to 14 so I would have two platters, but double check when you order.

Spring Salad: Two bags baby spinach. 1 quart strawberries, 1 cup broken pecan pieces, poppy seed dressing. Wash and Dry spinach, wash, hull and slice strawberries. Combine in pretty bowl. Heat a nonstick fry pan on high heat for two minutes. Add pecans and swirl in pan for one minutes. Keep the pan moving constantly for that minute or the pecans will burn. Add pecans to bowl. Add 1/4 cup dressing and mix well. If it seems a little dry, add more. Add the dressing just before serving. Paul Newman is a good brand of poppyseed dressing

Israeli Salad: Wash and slice an English cucumber. Wash, stem and halve a quart of cherry or grape tomatoes. Combine in pretty bowl. Toss with an olive oil vinaigrette just before serving.

Chicken from the Venetian Ghetto: italian.food.com/recipe/nigella-lawson-tagliatelle-w-chicken-from-the-venetian-ghetto-222687. Tagliatelle is a wide linguini pasta. Sultanas are golden raisins. I would double it for that sized crowd.

Order the bread and cake from the good bakery. I would have two butter dishes on the table.

I want it to be special, I'm so scared I will screw this up You won't screw it up. These are easy recipes that are a little different. Because they are a little different, people won't be afraid to try them but will remember them.

[writingwithheld]

I agree with Italian baked pastas. As an added plus, lasagna/stuffed shells/stuffed manicotti freeze really well as long as they aren't a cream based sauce. I traditional meat lasagna with red sauce can be made weeks ahead and frozen, making the day of really easy with bagged salad, bread, and a purchased dessert.


If you are ok with more casual, you could purchase roast or fried chicken and do sides like macaroni salad, potato salad, and vegetable salad. Most could be done the day prior as well. There are also many great make ahead mashed potatoes that you can just bake in the oven on the day of, which might be a little classier than potato salad.

My best advice is to BUY at least dessert and/or apps and practice the recipes that you will make a few weeks ahead so you can make sure things turn out and you'll know if they will sit well to be made ahead or frozen. Also, write out a schedule of how the prep will go to make sure you have enough time and oven/stove space for everything.

It will already be special because you are willing to put so much effort in to show your love and support of a friend. Things will be great and no one except you will notice if something is different than you planned it!

[dearprudence]

I think the biggest issue for a crowd of that size would be a food that's easy to prepare for a large group, but still be easy.

Pasta/Italian dishes are fabulous for this, but I always consider them a little informal, so it depends on the formality of your group. If informal, something like make your own tacos is also really easy to do for a large group and is often done at parties around here (meats, rice, beans, tortillas, and "toppings" such as guacamole, salsa, cilantro, onions, etc.)

If you want something a little more formal, I would roast chicken. Not a whole chicken, because the carving might be more work than you want to do with guests present, but you can easily cut whole chickens into 8 pieces (or have the butcher do it for you if you're squeamish) and then roast them in large pans which makes serving easier. Then wild rice and a green vegetable (you can roast broccoli, asparagus, or even zucchini in the oven at the same time)