Post by UnderProtest on Apr 8, 2015 10:42:37 GMT -5
So, apparently my husband has invited his entire group at work over to our house for a BBQ. Sounds nice, right? Well, remember we live in London and have limited space. He just told me that 27 people are coming. So, including the 4 of us, that is 31 people in my house. WTF?!?!?!? Anyway, commiserate with me and give me menu suggestions. Oh, so 9 of the 31 are kids (who knows what ages).
8 bottles white wine 8 bottle red wine 24 cans of Coke 24 cans of Diet Coke 54 cans of beer (variety)
40 burgers and buns (with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion) 12 sausages and buns 10-16 chicken breasts
Potato salad Pasta salad Potato chips Doritoes Veggies and ranch dip (carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, celery) Fruit salad
Rice Krispy treats Brownies
What drinks are good for the kids? My kids only drink milk and water. And OMG, I had to ORDER ice. This stupid country.
Tagging RockNVoll and scm1011 so they can tell me where in my house I'm supposed to put these people.
You probably didn't mention them, but condiments for the burgers & sausages - mustard, ketchup, mayo. Maybe a relish or two. Pickles. I'd be sure to have extra buns in case someone wants to make the chicken breasts into chicken burgers/sandwiches.
Are these folks expecting a US-style bbq? I think the European concept of a bbq might be a bit different. I'm not sure on that, nor am I sure of what the expectation would be in England, but it's something to maybe look into.
Oh, and do you have outdoor space at your home? I'd assume most of the group will be standing for most of the party, but I'd try to have some meal seating options at least for the children.
Post by illgetthere on Apr 8, 2015 10:52:49 GMT -5
The menu sounds great, but it honestly seems like too much food. If you did 10 chicken breasts, that's two items per person including kids. I'd probably cut the chicken or plan on 1 burger per person. A pack of juice boxes will be fine for the kids
Post by UnderProtest on Apr 8, 2015 11:06:08 GMT -5
So my husband has touted it as an American style BBQ. I do have condiments, but no pickles. I'll add that and some juice or water. I have yet to meet a single vegetarian here so I think I'm safe with all meats. Plus, I have no idea where to find a veggie burger here.
We do have outdoor space, but it is, at best, considered a small courtyard. It's probably 20 feet long by 10 feet wide. We also have a small deck above that can hold 2-3 chairs and opens out from the dining room.
Oh, and did I tell you that my husband is not home to help with ANY of this. He worked until 11 last night, has to go in the office Saturday morning before the party (at 3pm), and oh yeah, the kids are off school too. Shoot me now.
Not to add to your prep work, but could you have a few things in place for them to do? If space is an issue, it may help if you have a table of new coloring books/crayons, or a playdough station, or even an age-appropriate movie that could keep them occupied and not running through a crowded room of adults. Or, if it is supposed to be nice weather, make sure you have a few outdoor things for all ages?
Post by loreleigilmore on Apr 8, 2015 11:23:58 GMT -5
I would add another 24 pack of soda and a pitcher of lemonade for adults/kids
Food is fine. I would also say you are a bit heavy on the meats. Figure 30 hamburgers (and cheese) and the rest then can stay the same for other meats.
You can cook the burgers and brats ahead of time and store in a nesco with some broth and sprite. That might help?
So my husband has touted it as an American style BBQ.
I was actually going to ask this to know whether you wanted to make it a bit more typically British/what people will be used to or whether the idea was to do US stuff I agree people will probably drink more beer than wine, but 2+ beers per adult sounds like plenty to me since not everyone will go for beer. I'm sure the main supermarkets do veggie burgers, although I'd probably just ask the group if anyone has any dietary restrictions before going to buy them.
And as has been mentioned, unless you've already bought the food, I think this is the part where you order as much as possible pre-made - Waitrose has tons of party food, and it's all really good quality. They also will lend you glasses for free, if you don't have enough. Tell your H that the extra cost vs. doing it yourself is still less than a trip to the Maldives!
I would add another 24 pack of soda and a pitcher of lemonade for adults/kids
Food is fine. I would also say you are a bit heavy on the meats. Figure 30 hamburgers (and cheese) and the rest then can stay the same for other meats.
You can cook the burgers and brats ahead of time and store in a nesco with some broth and sprite. That might help?
I would add another 24 pack of soda and a pitcher of lemonade for adults/kids
Food is fine. I would also say you are a bit heavy on the meats. Figure 30 hamburgers (and cheese) and the rest then can stay the same for other meats.
You can cook the burgers and brats ahead of time and store in a nesco with some broth and sprite. That might help?
What is a nesco?
And why am I being told to put Sprite on my burgers?
Post by UnderProtest on Apr 8, 2015 11:33:33 GMT -5
How many burgers would you do? I'm ordering 6oz patties pre made so that should be easy. I HATE feeling like I'm going to run out of food. The chicken was a last minute husband addition. I hope he forgets about it.
emilyinchile There is only a little Waitrose close to us. I may try to get another side dish or dessert at the store though. I feel like I don't have enough sides, but don't know what else to do.
If you want to have a veggie option available, Portobello mushrooms can be used for veggie burgers. Might be easier to pick up a few of those than to worry about finding specific veggie burgers.
I actually don't think I'd cut back on the meat, if it were me. Worst comes to worst, it doesn't all get cooked/eaten, but if I was in England and invited to an "American style" bbq, I'd kinda expect there to be a fair amount of food. (I think you do have that covered.)
Post by UnderProtest on Apr 8, 2015 11:52:37 GMT -5
Please tell me specific green salad ingredients. And make it easy.
He did want to do corn on the cob, but first, its a pain and messy and second, its actually hard to find corn on the cob, especially this time of year.
RockNVoll Ohhhhh, good idea about the sectional. I also thought about bringing the kids little table down, but didn't know where to put it.
It went from 21 people to 27 people in literally 5 minutes today. I want to strangle him. I was venting to you, but it was just about his medicine stealing ways, not his incredibly crappy planning and leaving everything to me ways. This requires in person scotch drinking venting.
Post by emilyinchile on Apr 8, 2015 11:54:41 GMT -5
Lettuce, sliced almonds, craisins, goat cheese. Dressing is olive oil, balsamic, dried basil, salt, pepper. Super easy - you can buy almonds pre-sliced even - seems fancy (because non-veggie ingredients), and people love it.
Post by emilyinchile on Apr 8, 2015 11:58:08 GMT -5
Oh yes, my post should also say that buying in a bag is preferable, but since you asked for a recipe, I gave you one. You live in England, land of infinite and delicious prepared meals, take advantage of this!
RockNVoll He isn't inviting more people, he just gave today as the deadline to RSVP and apparently people waited until the last minute.
Bagged salad it is. But I'll add some stuff.
Well then WTF to letting people RSVP up to three days before? He owes you so big.
Because no one in this country can plan. I really don't know how many people will actually show up. About half the people bailed on his birthday gathering (but I blame that on the host).
Post by UnderProtest on Apr 8, 2015 12:47:45 GMT -5
Oh, and any suggestions on how to deal with trash? We only have one big trash can (think normal US kitchen trash can) and a much smaller one for recycling. I'm sure we will need something else with all the wine and beer bottles, but I don't want to buy anything. Any suggestions?
scm1011 Thanks for mentioning vegetarians. Apparently we do have one coming.
The menu sounds great, but it honestly seems like too much food. If you did 10 chicken breasts, that's two items per person including kids. I'd probably cut the chicken or plan on 1 burger per person. A pack of juice boxes will be fine for the kids
I would absolutely not plan on people coming to my house and ONLY eating 1 burger per person. I would definitely have at least 2 main items per person, even though some are kids, because leftovers aren't the end of the world.
Veggie burgers are really easy to find in the UK, but I wouldn't worry about it if you haven't been told. I have either brought my own veggie meats to BBQs or eaten the sides before, which seem fine.
The menu sounds great, but it honestly seems like too much food. If you did 10 chicken breasts, that's two items per person including kids. I'd probably cut the chicken or plan on 1 burger per person. A pack of juice boxes will be fine for the kids
I would absolutely not plan on people coming to my house and ONLY eating 1 burger per person. I would definitely have at least 2 main items per person, even though some are kids, because leftovers aren't the end of the world.
Really? I frequently see people get a burger and a hot dog or something similar but I don't know that I see people grab two burgers. I also see kids just eat 1 hot dog (or sausage) or people just get a piece of chicken which would cancel out the random person that does grab 2 burgers along with all the sides that are available.
I would absolutely not plan on people coming to my house and ONLY eating 1 burger per person. I would definitely have at least 2 main items per person, even though some are kids, because leftovers aren't the end of the world.
Really? I frequently see people get a burger and a hot dog or something similar but I don't know that I see people grab two burgers. I also see kids just eat 1 hot dog (or sausage) or people just get a piece of chicken which would cancel out the random person that does grab 2 burgers along with all the sides that are available.
Yeah, but she's not getting a ton of sausage. So if someone wants a sausage and then... something else, they will probably have a burger or half a chicken. Though I suppose some people might not like sausage and prefer burgers. Or be low-card and eat two burger patties with no buns. I don't think it's THAT unusual.
Really? I frequently see people get a burger and a hot dog or something similar but I don't know that I see people grab two burgers. I also see kids just eat 1 hot dog (or sausage) or people just get a piece of chicken which would cancel out the random person that does grab 2 burgers along with all the sides that are available.
Yeah, but she's not getting a ton of sausage. So if someone wants a sausage and then... something else, they will probably have a burger or half a chicken. Though I suppose some people might not like sausage and prefer burgers. Or be low-card and eat two burger patties with no buns. I don't think it's THAT unusual.
Ok, I think we are on the same idea. I agree people might get two things; I didn't mean only 1 burger as the only meat. I meant that it would probably average no more than 1 burger per person (plus another item). 2 burgers with no bun is a definite possibility though.
Oh, and any suggestions on how to deal with trash? We only have one big trash can (think normal US kitchen trash can) and a much smaller one for recycling. I'm sure we will need something else with all the wine and beer bottles, but I don't want to buy anything. Any suggestions?
scm1011 Thanks for mentioning vegetarians. Apparently we do have one coming.
Do you have any laundry hampers you can use for the recycling or see if you can get some large-ish cardboard boxes?
Oh, and any suggestions on how to deal with trash? We only have one big trash can (think normal US kitchen trash can) and a much smaller one for recycling. I'm sure we will need something else with all the wine and beer bottles, but I don't want to buy anything. Any suggestions?
scm1011 Thanks for mentioning vegetarians. Apparently we do have one coming.
Do you have any laundry hampers you can use for the recycling or see if you can get some large-ish cardboard boxes?
Eehhh, no laundry hampers that I would want to use for recycling, but I might get some cardboard boxes with the wine delivery.