[shifuimam]

Sooo I finally got my apartment really clean for the first time since I've moved here. That, in addition to the crazy candy that's made me, you know...not crazy, has motivated me to want to throw a little shindig for my coworkers and friends.

The problem is that I have never once hosted a party. Ever. Therefore, I need some ideas on food. If I were to do something involving 10-20 people (ish), and outdoor grilling is not an option (but I have a good kitchen), what would y'all recommend that won't break the bank? I mean, pizza is easy, but enough for a semi-large group adds up fast (plus there are no good pizza joints up here).

I vaguely remember having a variety of finger food type things at my high school graduation open house, but that was ages ago and primarily geared toward all my mom's middle-aged friends who showed up and showered me with cash.

So...ideas, plz.

[brassplayersrock²]

are they expecting you to throw this party? if not, then don't bother with it.

[shifuimam]

Oh, don't be such a killjoy. It's just something I want to do. I like my coworkers a lot, I have some friends up here, and I want to get everyone together for a night of booze, video games, and cards. I just need to figure out the food part of it before I make my plans.

[zro]

Tacos and beer.

[shifuimam]

I hadn't thought of tacos...taco meat is pretty easy to make, too, and ground beef is pretty cheap. I'll definitely put that on the options list. Thanks!

[Oisín]

In before Mastr–––I mean Phileas.

[Chuckit]

A few ideas that I've liked before: tacos, wraps, sandwiches (good sandwiches, not those nasty shrinkwrapped things they sell beside wheatgrass juice at grocery stores), dippable things such as chips and veggies.

Of course, unless it's a dinner party, it seems like booze and things to do are generally more important than the food.

[shifuimam]

No, I'm planning on hooch and video games (guitar hero and the wii, probably). But you need food to soak up the booze, so I figure I should have at least something.

I think chips, veggies and dip will probably be a definite yes, especially since Aldi sells most of that crap on the cheap. They also sell a lot of Mexican stuff, so tacos seem like a good idea.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

... (plus there are no good pizza joints up here)....

Aren't you up in Lafayette? You have nearly the best pizza place in the world near you. Arni's is amazing!!! Website: http://www.meetyouatarnis.com/

[iMOTOR]

There are a lot of options if you have access to Costco or Sams.

[shifuimam]

I just bought a Sam's membership. I don't want to spend a whole ton of money - I'll probably buy beer there, since I can get a case for a pretty good price, but I'm guessing Aldi will have better prices on taco fixings (shells and seasoning, to be specific) than Sam's.

Also, @Railroader: I'll check out Arni's sometime. I vaguely remember once having good pizza here, but don't remember where it was.

[macforray]

Keep it simple. It should be more about spending some fun times with friends. Finger food is more than adequate. Take a couple of crock pots, one with small meatballs and sauce, add some good Italian bread, grated cheese and voila. The other crock pot can be filled with those little cocktail weenies and a sauce of your choice. I also like to roll cold cuts (salami, ham, provolone) up real tight in large tortillas, put a toothpick in every 3/4" and slice for mini wrap sandwiches. Serve with different mustards, sauces, etc.... There are plenty of cookbooks for this type of thing.

Keep it simple and fun, but just don't buy out of the box stuff. Put your own touch to it, but don't spend more time keeping the food flowing than enjoying your friends.

By the way, "hay" is for horses.

[iMOTOR]

Sams has really good popcorn chicken in the frozen section, also, check out the frozen deserts.

[shifuimam]

I'm planning on asking people to bring a few things - soda, ice, chips, and probably desserts since that's an easy one for other people to do.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Hummus + pita bread(s)
Naan + Plain yogurt/chilis

mmmmmm I'm hungry

[SSharon]

potatoes are cheap, how about scalloped potatoes?

[Laminar]

I threw a New Year's Eve party this year, and it was pretty incredible. I provided little smokies, shrimp, edamame, Christmas goodies (cookies, chocolates, etc.), mixers (Coke, 7up, cranberry juice, lime juice, etc.), and champagne for toasting, and everyone else brought a bottle of liquor. It went over great, I ended up with about 25 people showing up, and after multiple shots, drinks, and a whole bottle of champagne, I was more drunk than I've ever been in my life - it was a blast.

[Paco500]

It's very low-rent, but people will love it.

Melt a brick or two of Velveeta in the microwave, add it salsa to taste. Serve with tortilla chips. If you want to get fancy, you can ever throw in seasoned, browned ground beef. If you've got a crock pot to keep it warm, great.

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

Hummus + pita bread(s)
Naan + Plain yogurt/chilis

mmmmmm I'm hungry

I'm a great dip fan. If you can get stuff like : humous, tsatsiki, taramosalata, cheese dips, salsa etc then raw veg is great : carrot sticks, cauliflower, brocoli, cucumber. French bread (baguettes) are good as well. Variety of nuts is always a winner with me, serve at the beginning of the evening with the first few drinks, people will drink more and chill out better. Oh yeah, my wife likes olives and a good deli should have a pretty good selection. Toothpicks, you need toothpicks !!

The next thing that you have to think about is music.

[Doofy]

Show up naked. Bring beer.

Oh. And dips and mushroom vol-au-vents. Yum.

[andi*pandi]

ideas:

veg and dip platter, or green salad

hummus and pita pieces platter (can also have the veg if you don't like dip)

cheese, pepperoni, and triscuit platter

chips and salsa (guac if you want to get fancy, mmm guac)

fruit salad for those who want to pretend to be healthy

pasta salad (easy, cheap, and tasty)

hot h'ordouvres (eff it too early to spell) like mini-quiches, spinach pie, stuffed mushrooms, Sams should have these by the bag.

some kind of main hot dish, like meatballs, lasagna, chicken wings, or yes tacos. Tacos could get messy though. Do you like your rug?

[shifuimam]

I hadn't thought about various frozen chicken products...popcorn chicken and wings sound easier than tacos, for sure, and they should be easy to make.

This is helping a lot - thanks guys!!

[Andrew Stephens]

Can't you farm the party organising out to your new army of partygurl followerz. Bet they know how to par-tay hard.

:cool :

[/stir]

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Andrew Stephens 

*faints*

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by Paco500 

It's very low-rent, but people will love it.

Melt a brick or two of Velveeta in the microwave, add it salsa to taste. Serve with tortilla chips. If you want to get fancy, you can ever throw in seasoned, browned ground beef. If you've got a crock pot to keep it warm, great.

Seconded.

Wait, how many bathrooms do you have?

[shifuimam]

Originally Posted by Andrew Stephens 

Can't you farm the party organising out to your new army of partygurl followerz. Bet they know how to par-tay hard.

:cool :

[/stir]

Hah...I'm trying to ignore that current trend. It's a little bizarre when barely-13-year-olds suddenly think I'm the shizzle because of some posts on a message forum.

Then again, I am awesome...

[turtle777]

I used to make 2 gal of Margarita and serve it in a watering can like this:



It was always a big success

-t

[iMOTOR]

Never realized turtle was such a playa.

[dcmacdaddy]

APPETIZERS
--Warmed pita (whole wheat) with Hummus (plain or extra-garlic) and Baba-ganoush (sp?)
--a bag of frozen mini-peas sauteed in a very little bit of butter, top with a dash of salt
(You want the peas to be just a bit browned so they crunch when you bit into them. I usually put the peas in the middle of a platter with two or three mounds of hummus around it and one mound of pita pieces. This way, your guests can grab the pita, dip it in the hummus, and then scoop up some peas.)
--Smoked salmon with capers and water crackers is a basic party staple
--a fresh vegetable platter (broccoli, carrots, green/red/yellow peppers) with some kind of dip
(If I have time will make a peanut sauce--peanut butter mixed with olive oil, brown sugar, and a few pieces of crushed garlic--but DON'T buy one of those pre-packaged dips from Marzetti or Marie ???, they are utter crap.)
--Black bean dip and corn tortilla chips
(The dip is usually just a few cans of blacks beans brought to a boil with some chopped garlic and onion thrown in after the beans come to a boil and get mashed. Throw in some kind of pepper/spice and, if you are daring, a tiny bit of mint, and top the dip with chopped basil.)

ENTREE
--Chicken skewers in some kind of marinade/sauce
--You should be able to buy bulk packages of chicken strips.
Put the strips on bamboo skewers, soak in a marinade (or coat in a sauce) and then throw in the oven (400F) for 10-12 minutes (turning once after 5-6 minutes).


I'll add to this as I think of other things I have made for parties of my own. Good luck and have fun!

[shifuimam]

I don't think most of the people attending have refined enough tastes to like hummus (although I love it). I'm keeping it simple and all-American this time around - cold cuts and cheese, vegetables and dip, chips and salsa/dip, and wings (or some other precooked frozen chicken product from Sam's Club). Plus a few desserts and a couple kinds of beer. And, of course, booze...because no party is complete without liquor.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys! I'll probably go a little more adventurous for my next get-together.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by shifuimam

And, of course, booze...because no party is complete without liquor.

This is the kind of attitude that completely ruined my cousins 10th birthday party.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Oisín 

This is the kind of attitude that completely ruined my cousins 10th birthday party.

To be fair, who hasn't passed out in a pool of their own vomit in a kiddie pool at one time or another?

[shifuimam]

lulz...don't worry, this is an all-adults party. I'm going to be the youngest person there, in fact. I don't expect anyone to get hammered, but people might like a rum/vodka and coke or something. Plus it's a chance to get rid of my excess gin (I hate gin, so I have no other way of getting rid of the two bottles I got for free).

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

To be fair, who hasn't passed out in a pool of their own vomit in a kiddie pool at one time or another?

Ugh, how vulgar. I wouldn’t be caught dead passed out in my own vomit in a kiddie pool.Can one be passed out and dead simultaneously?
I only pass out in other people’s vomit in kiddie pools.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by shifuimam 

Sooo I finally got my apartment really clean for the first time since I've moved here. That, in addition to the crazy candy that's made me, you know...not crazy, has motivated me to want to throw a little shindig for my coworkers and friends.

Shindigs require a Firefly marathon. So I'd recommend lots of strawberries and Mudder's Milk.

[andi*pandi]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

Shindigs require a Firefly marathon. So I'd recommend lots of strawberries and Mudder's Milk.

[zro]

Oh, and be sure to stock up on KY. Wouldn't want to run out of that.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

Shindigs require a Firefly marathon. So I'd recommend lots of strawberries and Mudder's Milk.

A gathering is brie, mellow song stylings. Shindig: dip, less mellow song stylings, perhaps a large amount of malt beverage. And hootenanny? Chock full of hoot, just a little bit of nanny.

[Rumor]

Pigs in a blanket!

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by Rumor 

Pigs in a blanket!

And its classical accompaniment: Devils on Horseback

[andi*pandi]

was it this weekend? how'd it go?

[shifuimam]

No it's not for a few weeks. It's hard to schedule something when everyone is available simultaneously.

[ghporter]

What about the ever popular "pot luck?" You set up the chips, veggies, etc., and ask your invitees to bring various and assorted stuff. One of the best types of parties I've ever been to has been an ice-breaker party where, without organization, everybody brought "something." I got to try some Turkish dish made from eggplant (I hate eggplant, but this was good), some really tiny spring rolls that were like ambrosia, and pistachio baklava. I think I was really imaginative for this one: I brought a pumpkin ice cream pie.

[shifuimam]

I work with a bunch of people who would likely bring boring (e.g. not international) things. Everyone's bringing something, but I told them generally what to bring (e.g. "dessert"). I think we'll be fine on the food this time around - I definitely want to get a little more creative next time, though.

[Oisín]

I got to try some Turkish dish made from eggplant (I hate eggplant, but this was good)

Baba Gannuş?

[moonmonkey]

Originally Posted by Oisín 

Baba Gannuş?

Yes sweet cheeks?

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Oisín 

Baba Gannuş?

I guess it's `Sleeping Imam', Karniyarik. It's very good.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by moonmonkey 

Yes sweet cheeks?

Okay, that made me