50th Anniversary party

[snowangel]

We're hosting, with Paul's sisters, a 50th anniversary party for my in-laws.

On a June Sunday afternoon at 2:00 pm. Post lunch, but need some food ideas.

They can be labor intensive, but not on the day of, because I will need to help everything move along, and most of the "hired help" will be teenagers.

This is a very midwestern group, and I am thinking of things like a cheese, cracker, olive plate; perhaps some of those great spinach/feta/phyllo triangles from Bill's Imported foods, etc. A bowl of shrimp, which always impresses this type of crowd. ???

Nothing fancy. Nothing too outre. Finger food. Elegant and simple.

We will also serve wine, beer, lemon (or lime)-ade. I'm not in charge of a cake (which I think should be tiers of petit fours, but what do I know).

[suzilightning]

snowangel-

congrats to your inlaws.

relish plates are great.

can you do the filling for deviled eggs beforehand? plate up the whites and cover them with plastic wrap. plastic bags with the corner cut off for filling.

otherwise egg salad sandwiches. ham salad sandwiches. chicken salad sandwiches. can you sneak in some watercress or greens?

for the kids pb&j.

mini beef sandwiches made with filet, greens, mustard and small rolls or larger rolls that are hollowed out cut in quarters.

fruit bowl?

[racheld]

Indoors or out? Open House drop in, or come at 2 & stay? How many?

[snowangel]

40 people. It's an "open house" but people will come at 2 and stay until about 5.

I'm curious, since this is not meal time, but between lunch and supper, how much food we will need.

There will be no kids, other than those we are paying to help us.

[maggiethecat]

Make lots. I know it's a between meals kinda thing but never underestimate the appetites of people presented with really good food. (Me, for example!)

I'm with Suzi on the tea sandwiches--check out Martha's "Hors D'Ouevres" for a brilliant treatment of the subject, and general inspiration. If you use good bread, which I know you will, they can sit in a fridge overnight without going soggy.

Deviled eggs a la guajolote, with bacon garnish and a little bacon fat in with the mayo. And check out Mayhaw Man's blue cheese dip on his recent catering thread.

Petit fours: Perfect!

[suzilightning]

martha rose schulman's hors d'oeuvres book. potted shrimp? i have several cheese recipes that can be used as spreads for bread or crackers or as filling for celery or endive. will pm you if you like.

i agree with maggie - i'd rather nosh than eat a regular meal(many is the time our new years eve celebration has been homemade pigs in a blanket, spanikopita, and sweet and sour meatballs). hmmmmmmm pigs in a blanket? sweet and sour meatballs... middle america?

hold our for the fruit basket with the sour cream and brown sugar dip.....

have a good time

[KatieLoeb]

I don't know about you all, but if I know I'm going to a party in the afternoon, I skip lunch and come hungry!

[chow guy]

I did a very eclectic finger food /open house for 45 guests for my parents 35th. After considerable work and expense I discovered the menu was a little too sophisticated (carpaccio, sushi etc.). People said nice things and all, but finger sandwiches and more familiar foods would have been a better choice. In the words of professor Hill from" The Music Man", " You gotta know the Territory".

I would say keep it simple, and make more food than you think you'll need (the 2-5 time slot means most people won't eat lunch and if they can get away with it... dinner as well).

Congrats to your in -laws and most of all have fun.

[Pam R]

I'm thinking what you all are calling 'tea' sandwiches are what we know here as 'party' sandwiches (or not). In which case they are always popular here all the time.

My favorite thing to do when entertaining like you are (not a meal time, noshy type things) is to get a great assortment of breadsticks, crackers, pitas, taco chips and other things that are good for spreads and dips. Then prep a bunch of crudite - carrots, celery, peppers, cucumber, cauliflower, blanched asparagus, grape tomatoes - whatever you like. Then have a bunch of spreads and dips - hummus, babaganoush, spinach dip, salsa, a bruschetta mix, 7-layer dip, green goddess dip, etc. Add some great olives, cheeses, roasted peppers or other veggies. If you want to do some cold cuts that would work too.

Set up a table with everything. I like to use boxes and things under the tablecloth so that things are on different heights - makes it look impressive. Have everything in the fridge in lovely bowls or on platters. Then just before people arrive, or once they start coming in, the stuff just needs to be put on the table and the 'hired help' can just check on things and refill as needed. Maybe they'll slice some more breads.

It involves some prep work (unless you have a great place where you can pick up the dips and spreads), is enjoyed by all and is relatively work-free (and stress free) once people arrive.

edited to add that I forgot desserts!!

I'd stick to the finger food idea, what we call 'dainties' here (but I heard in Toronto that dainties means underwear, so I don't know what these things are called elsewhere) - butter or pecan tarts, little eclairs, cream puffs with different fillings, little chocolate cups filled with mousse, or even just some good truffles.

And an anniversary cake!

Edited May 20, 2005 by Pam R (log)

[rjwong]

snowangel,

First, congratulations to your in-laws.

How about some peanuts, cashews, etc.?? Those always go well at parties.

And some aram(?) sandwiches? This is where you take a large piece of lavash bread, layer it with meats, cheeses, etc. & then roll it up and slice them. Perhaps it called something else where you live.

Also, were you planning to have some cooked selections, namely, meatballs, chicken wings & drumettes, egg rolls, taquitos, etc...? I don't know whether you & your SILs want to go in that direction ...

[mizducky]

Everyone else has pretty much hit everything I would have suggested, except for this: do the guests of honor have any favorite foods that really warm their hearts? Coming up with a finger-food version of one of their faves would be a really lovely gesture.

Otherwise--homey stuff all the way. I bet that however many devilled eggs you might decide to make, they will *all* be inhaled.

[SushiCat]

Just had to add this - although many of my points have been made. I did a lot of prep for my in-laws 50th several years back, and just recently someone commented lovingly about one of the dishes. In our house it is called 'odd flavor chicken' Some internet recipes call it millionares chicken (PM me if you want me recipe). It is easy and always loved and better than wings because it is toothpick friendly and therefore can be eaten while walking aound holding a drink.

I also made some great crostini last year for new years, they were steak that stretched very far ... a mango relish on top, very easy and all done in advance - the only relatively last minute item was the grilling of the meat, but that could have been done much earlier if the need had been.

I second or third or whatever the dips and cruditee type idea, I have an arsenal of things like humous or white bean dip etc. and these are always well received.

And if you need anyone else telling you to make lots - I'll oblige. Nearly everyone will arrive hungry and plan to eat enough to not need dinner!

Plan something fun for yourself and the other 'kids' some stress relief like a bike ride or something cause you will likely need to refresh - enjoy and happy golden to the lucky couple!

[lamb]

Susan,

I had my parent's 50th at a restaurant, so really can't give any food related tips, but wanted to chime in on a favor idea. I took an old wedding invitation that my mom still had and scanned it. Bought inexpensive side-by-side frames and put a copy of the wedding invitation and a copy of the 50th party invitation in and gave out to guests. It was a nice touch to a lovely day. Congrats to your in-laws.

[suzilightning]

ok snowangel

how did it go? anyone get drunk? fights? were the police called? (you know i'm just kidding about this - right? after all it isn't poughkeepsie or anything)

your food was wonderful as well, i'll bet.

[racheld]

I'm seconding suzilightning: How did everything go? All the lovely people and the glorious food and the entire aura of the afternoon...did you take some of the suggestions to heart and make the dishes? How did your folks enjoy the day?

After having done all the prep and cooking and decorating and serving and cleanup for hundreds of parties, I'm a sucker for a Recap.

IMWTk.

Edited July 22, 2005 by racheld (log)

[snowangel]

I know I'm late with a report, but I've had trouble downloading photos from my camera (lame excuse, since I only have one pertinent photo). It was a magical afternoon. I know for a fact that my in-laws were very impressed. I did all of the food (well, almost), and my FIL, with whom I've had a very cantankerous (sp?) relationship had tears in his eyes when he thanked me.

The menu: little mozarella balls with grape tomatoes and an assortment of olive-oil/herb marinated olives; assorted marinated veg (asparagus, mushrooms, green beans, artichoke hearts); pita, hummus, tabbouli; a greek salad. For dessert, I got a Norwegian grooms cake (they had one at their wedding) and since it was high local strawberry season, I ordered a huge mess of pre-picked ones from the local You-Pick-'Em place. Beverages: Raspberry lemon ade, Lemon Solistice iced tea (tea from the TeaSource, wine (Black Box, given this crowd and it was perfectly acceptable), bottled water and assorted beer.

The main food table. I neglected to get a photo of the berries and cake

.

My SIL has a friend who owns a huge tent, which we borrowed. We borrowed tables and chairs from the school where she works. She had a friend who had the serving dishes and table clothes for the tables. I really should have taken more pictures. We had flowers (farmer's market) on each table in mason jars that the kids had painted with silver paint, and we adorned them with that silver lame ribbon that I've had for longer than I can remember and never had a use for. My two SIL's and I both needed more wine glasses, so we went together to IKEA and each bought 2 dozen, so all beverages were served in wine glasses. I borrowed dishes and flatwear from our church.

The weather was perfect. Mid 80's, sunny and dry. We were glad we had the tent. Guests arrived at 2:00, as per the invite. We expected people to leave at about 5:00, the last one left at 6:00. We sat down with the family remaining, had a drink and a nosh, and then off they went. We got down to business, got the tables and chairs down and loaded up, folded up the tent. The kids washed what dishes didn't run through the dishwasher. The kids involved were Peter (mine) and my SIL's four kids (two per SIL). It was fun watching the kids, now old enough, be helpful and wonderful with the guests.

Total cost: $9.00/head, and it would have been less had we not had too much food. But, this is the midwest, and if you don't have way too much food, well...food equals love.

This party was such a success that the givers of the party have received a total of 18 thank you notes for hosting the party. That's per sibling.

My folks celebrate their 50th next year, and I would not hesitate to do something for them. I kept very good notes about how much of everything I purchased and how much was leftover. Outside of the cake (which was made by a co-worker of my husband's), tabbouli and hummus, everything else was purchased from costco or TeaSource.

[suzilightning]

so very, very nice, snowangel. the picture was well worth the wait.

[racheld]

Perfect Sunday Summer afternoon---shady lawn, old friends, lovely food, a white tent and tablecloth shimmering in the breeze, a reason to celebrate---you put it together perfectly.

The table is beautiful. And the spare squareness of the serving dishes adds to the round abundance of the beautifully-prepared food. Just superb.

And what does a Norwegian groom's cake consist of/look like?

[snowangel]

Here's a picture of a Norwegian wedding cake. It is of a cookie like texture, and eaten layer by layer. Bottom layer first, and upwards. The layers are broken into pieces about 2" long. The one we had didn't have nearly as many flags on it!

When Paul brought it home, it was in two parts -- top and bottom, and they fit together very easily with a bit of twisting. The layers are "glued" together with the icing swirls.

It makes for a light and impressive looking dessert, and the pieces are great dunked in coffee.

[racheld]

Beautiful and interesting. I love seeing traditions which are carried on by the descendants or adopted after many years.

From the bottom up? Lift off all but the bottom and take it out? And repeat lifting every time? I never would have thought to serve it that way.

[snowangel]

I have not a clue as to why you start at the bottom. Perhaps it is like saving the top of a wedding cake and freezing it to eat on the first anniversary (side note: my MIL found ours in her freezer after our 20th anniversary; we gave it a Monty Python send off from a 2nd floor window). Perhaps it is like that old wives take from my grandmother -- eat the point of the piece of pie or cake last and make a wish on it.

Yes, lift and eat the bottom, all the way up.