Fill an oval tin ice bucket with hot baked potatoes. Use different containers such as a decorative flower pot to hold shredded cheese, use the flower pot saucers to hold the bacon bits or another condiment.
To disguise the containers of sour cream, butter tubs, use a colorful napkin to wrap the outside of the containers, tie with a piece of raffia or colorful ribbon. Use your imagination for holders for the condiments (flower pots, a hollowed out baked potato sitting on a corn on the cob holder). You could use miniature garden tools for utensils for the condiments of the potato bar.
The table can be set up with a burlap piece of cloth on the table, plastic flower pot saucers could be used as plates.
Enjoy!
By Jose from Tennessee
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
We are having 50 people over for Christmas including snacks and a meal. Each family takes turns hosting, we have had sloppy joe's one year and the next we had lasagna which both worked out great but I want to make something unique that can be kept warm or served cold as there are so many people we all kind of eat when we feel like it. It definitely won't be a sit down meal. Any ideas for the menu and decorating would be much appreciated.
My family does the same thing. Last year I ordered a sandwich tray from the deli, then added chips, dip and pasta salad. It worked well for everyone.
How about trying sliced ham or baked ham. It is good hot or cold. Calico Beans or just plain baked beans are good hot or cold. Serve rolls so they can make sandwiches or not if they like.
We do tacos. You can put the meat in the crock-pot and eat whenever they choose. We all bring the "fixings" and desserts of our choosing. One year we just did the "bring what you want" and had a variety of some very interesting food! We have also done pizza which works out well. People like that hot or cold. Meatballs in the crock pot works well also and serve breads and potato salad or whatever side is your favorite. We have done just about everything. We had done bbq chicken, but that was when the family was much smaller. We always have so much food after everyone brings their "favorites" and "specialities" that we could just feast on those types of things! Another 4 months and we will be planning this years Christmas party!
We usually make up salads, and subs with different fillings of meats, veggies cheeses etc. Everyone gets what they like and enjoys it. Hope this helps. Enjoy.
How about borrowing a couple slow-cookers, and having some stews and chowders? Then add in other family favorites buffet style.
You also asked for decorating ideas. How about involving some of the children in helping you? They can go outside and find small branches which they can use a can of spray snow to make seasonal ( this can be done in the garage or carport w/ adult supervision) and then they can go on a scavenger hunt for nuts, berries , acorns, or pinecones that they can glue onto their branches.
How about pulled pork? If you have it hot it can be a main course and serve with spuds or tater tots and coleslaw. When it is no longer hot, serve it on rolls with the coleslaw on the sandwich. We did this for an occasion and have been asked to do it over and over since that time. People just love it!
You could consider a potato bar. Foil wrapped baked potatoes can be baked in the oven or in a roaster, and for the toppings, you can include chili and/or barbeque, grated cheeses, onion, olives, bacon bits, mushrooms, sour cream, butter, and anything else that strikes your fancy. (And leftover potatoes will make great home fries during the holidays.)
Another possibility is a fajita bar. Precooked strips of seasoned beef and/or chicken, cooked onion and peppers, raw onion, pico de gallo, guacamole, grated cheeses, maybe some shredded lettuce, refried beans, and soft (flour) tortillas. (I would also put out peanut butter and jelly for the little ones. A pb "roll up" is a fun "sandwich", too.) On the side, you could have tortilla chips and appropriate dips.
In my husbands' family, we have a big "pizza party". After all, it is not about the food so much as the holiday and the family. It is nice that no one has to fuss overmuch, and all can enjoy.
Along the lines of borrowing the crock pots, I like to do chili at my Fall Bunko parties. Can cook all day and still be good! Then have cornbread, oyster crackers, Fritos, etc.
My family has done a potato and soup/chili bar and that worked well.
Also consider dips and chips along with crudites. Hummus is easy to make and healthy, marshmallow fluff and cream cheese blended are great for fresh fruits, and tomato or corn salsa could be used either for tortilla chips or the potatoes.
Veggie or fruit pizzas are delicious and easy to make (or buy at the deli!). Chicken satay can be made ahead of time and kept warm, and you could serve a crock of Tom Ga Kai (Thai chicken and coconut milk soup) alongside some pre-cooked rice.
For decorations, it might be fun to dig up some pictures from family gatherings past and use them as mementos or place some of the best ones in inexpensive holiday frames. Thrift stores or dollar stores are great places to buy these.
Red and white carnations arranged on the table are fragrant and durable. Gather items of like colors - both Christmas themed and not - and arrange similar things in groups, accenting with the non-holiday items that pull colors from them. For example, create groupings of snowmen or Santas or snowflakes.
Hey how about making a homemade chicken corn soup when my mother-in-law was alive she lived near the King Frost Parade in Hamburg and the family would all get together that is when we met the nieces and everybody else some body would bring stuff to eat and it was great. I always loves my husband's niece's homemake chicken corn soup and my sister in law would bring barbecue and the rolls and I make a homemade desert the one year I made a pumpkin cheese cake.
If anybody wants the recipes ask whats her name can't think and she will e-mail me and I will e-mail them to her. I loved her soup it was great. Also how about chicken corn pie. Hubby's family loves the corn pie but always put chicken in it like a whole meal.
As for decorations family photos like some body said and go to dollar store and just pick up a few things and if you have a big glass bowl or basket had pine cones and bulbs and if you want to you can spray the pine cones silver and gold and add green things and tie a red bowl and it will be cool or how about a glass bowl with water and floating candles that are lit cool too. Just a thought. Also remember somebody always brought the deer ring bologna that was great.
My Christmas open house always has the same menu:
Shrimp/ cocktail sauce
Oyster Stew/oyster crackers
Caesar Salad
Cheese Platter/French bread toasted
Creme de menthe anglique which is a cake with marshmallow whipped cream creme de menthe frosting drizz;ed with dark chocolate
This has always worked for crowds large or small
Good luck. If you need recipes, you can contact me at teddybear_maxwell AT hotmail.com
Thank you for all the great ideas. Crock pots are an awesome idea so i have time to get all the munchies ready. I appreciate everyones thoughts, ideas and input
My family has done several different things over the years from barbcue to pizza to deli trays and sandwiches. But, my favorite is snack foods as a meal. We do all kinds of snacks such as cheese sticks, meatballs, hot and cold dips, cakes and pies, mini sausages, sausage balls, ham spreads, cheese balls and crackers, and quiche. Last Thanksgiving, I actually made a cornicopia out of bread sticks and stuffed it with veggie sticks and dip. People also tore off pieces of the bread and dipped it into the dip too. Not really a Christmas item, but get creative. Do some internet searches and you will find some really cool recipes.
My daughter and I are planning a 'tea party' birthday party for her in April. Since we are in a cold part of the US, we will probably still have snow on the ground or at least have temp's not favorable for a 'garden tea party', so we will be doing the party indoors.
The girls in my family have a tea party every year on grandma's birthday. We have special tea cups, little sandwiches and little truffle cakes. We all have to wear a fancy hat and dress up. The young girls love it. We wear gloves and fancy dresses and every one goes home with a small gift. We have it at a different ladies house each year. It has become something we all look forward too!
How very fun!
Ask the girls to come dressed up, either for real, or play. Gloves and hats and their best dress. They can bring their doll or teddy bear perhaps ?
Serving the "party" food on real glass/china plates and cups, real silverware and cloth napkins and table cloth will make it a special "grown-up" treat.
A fun craft idea might be to make lovely hats with paper plates and ribbons and glue on paper flowers.
Any food cut in pretty shapes works when served on paper doillies or a silver footed cake stand. And any fruit juice with 7-up or ginger ale makes a nice punch------ and there are lots of kid friendly teas on the market ie: peach or apple spice??
Don't forget to check second-hand stores for teapots and cups and saucers.
Moms who come might like a nice cup of tea when they let the girls do their hats.
I'll never forgot a birthday party I went to as a child. Me being the "creative-artist-type", even as a child, I was in my glory! ...They had all kind of food & treats like marshmallows, chocolate chips, pretzels, gram-crackers, vanilla wafers & the like with a "paste" made from sugar, corn syrup or icing... & We were asked to "Create" or "Build" fun things like snow men, butterflies & people or whatever from these food & candy items.... This was so much FUN! ... They sat all of us kids around a big table with bowls of these things in the center & gave us each a paper plate & a small bowl of the "Glue" (which was icing & the like) ... After we finished we had to let our projects sit to dry (while we played games) so we could take them home.... The hardest part was getting our projects home (to show our moms) without eating them! ..What a special treat! ... A Child's Birthday Party I'll never forget!!!
** One more thing: For those of you who are sending invitations to your child's birthday party, Think about asking them NOT to bring a gift... (This is what my daughter does) That way, those with multiple children in the family that go to a lot of parties or those with low incomes, or have a parent who has recently lost their job can afford to come!... This is SOOOO very important in these days of layoffs & hard times! ... I raised 4 children on a "shoestring" & can remember sometimes telling my kids they couldn't go to a party because we couldn't afford to buy a gift... (That was in the days BEFORE dollar stores) ... OR if you are a parent on a super-tight budget, You can do what my daughter did: Get a bag & fill it with 5 toys from the dollar store... She recently did this & it was the birthday girls favorite gift!
I take my girls to a lovely little Victorian Tea Room for a special treat. They really love the part of dressing up in gowns and hats and then being served on fancy china. Their favourite food is the scones served with fresh strawberry jam and clotted cream - (I use whipped cream at home) Each child gets their own little fancy bowl of jam and another for the cream while the scones - shaped like tea pots at this shop - are presented on a china plate.
There is a menu with fancy little sandwiches as well but the girls have never wanted them.
As for a cake, I have done one with icing only and then provided candies etc. to decorate with. Each child gets a picture of the completed cake to take home in their goody bag.
go to www.teahousetimes.com they have ideals for your childs tea party. Also see if you can go to disney and they might have things to like to make punches and stuff or just put hot coco in the tea cup with a mini marshmallow. Just a idea
Do up your room with a Victorian Theme. Get variety of tea's from all over world, and use china tea cups from all over as well. Borrow or go to second hand stores to purchase. Get everyone to dress in the era. Prizes for best dressed etc. Food do party type sandwiches little squares. Keep it simple but displayed on Victorian tiered plates. I did this for a perennial party I host every year. We also competed with garden articles handmade that coordinated with the same theme. "t time" enjoy
I need some ideas on food and snacks for my pool party. It's Hawaiian themed. Decorating, too. Thanks!
Peri from Los Angeles, CA
A real easy one is to wrap pineapple chunks with very thin ham. Any tropical fruit in chunks served speared with frilly toothpicks. Look up Hawaii on the computer and find out the local foods and adapt them to the pool party. There is also a very strong oriental influence in there, so egg rolls or spring rolls would be nice, too. Chinese and Japanese appetizers with tropical fruit would be nice. Hope this helps a little. Would love to be there!!
i marinated bite-size chicken chunks in bbq sauce
then placed them on a skewers with fresh pineapple chunks.
cook on grill for 8 to 10, making sure chicken is cooked.
DELICIOUS.
I just copied this recipe today from Tried N' True recipes and it sounds like it would be ideal for your party. It sounds yummy!
FLUFFY FRUIT DIP
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
16 oz. marshmallow cream
2 T. almond extract
Combine all ingredients and beat on high until well
blended. Add more extract to taste. Serve with
your favorite fresh fruits. For best results, cool in
refrigerator for an hour before serving.
fruit pizza, is always good for summer parties.
one roll of sugar cookie dough
8oz cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 C sugar
spread cookie dough into a pizza pan and bake by directions. cool.
mix cream cheeese, vanilla and sugar, spread over baked dough and add your favorite fruit.
I use: kiwi, strawberries and blueberries
Try cookies or brownies.
I have no idea what to serve at my party. It's my birthday and I can't have pizza or anything too fatty because my parents are weird like that. So what should I do?
Isabel, Hi!
Good for you for thinking to provide 'healthy' snacks. Your parents are pretty smart, I think (although it might be a few years before you appreciate the fact).
Baked pretzels, available in the junk food section of your grocery store, are very tasty (they come in either sticks or traditional pretzel shapes. Serve with mustard for a bit of variety.
Fresh vegetables (carrots, celery, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, broccoli spears and cauliflower florets are also ver nice. To keep them from being too boring, make an easy sauce using a low-fat ranch dressing (but if you want something else, e-mail me and I'll send you and easy recipe: wordswork@telusplanet.net).
Make your own nacho chips (buy pita bread, sprinkle them with a few spices, bake them at 250 degrees F for 5 minutes and then cut them into wedges) and serve those with no-fat salsa (just read the labels on the salsa jars at the grocery store).
Baked crackers are also available at your grocery store. Serve those with baked salmon tips (spiced pieces of salmon).
Shrimp with cocktail sauce has virutally no fat (again, pay attention to the label on the jar of sauce).
Fresh fruit is always nice and contains virtually no fat (don't use coconut).
If money isn't a problem, add smoked salmon, sushi rolls (some contain no fish whatsoever) and lobster bits.
Years from now? When you and perhaps your friends start worrying about your weight? Your friends and you might like to know about some of these things.
Again, feel free to be in touch if you require additional suggestions.
Have fun at the party, and Happy Birthday!
Cheers,
Rose Anne
shish kebab (spelling??) it might be fun for everyone to build their own. provide several types cut up veggies and maybe two kinds of meat (lean of course) you could have two or more kinds of dipping sauces. there is a thai peanut sauce that is great for dipping. do an internet search and youll probably get a million ideas for kebabs and sauces.
you could do a fondue for dipping fruit for desert. chocolate dipped strawberries are almost decadent and they don't have a lot of calories or fat. well...unless you dip them repeatedly till they are like dipped candles wiht an inch of chocolate!!!
then fill in with a lot of games or dances so the whole party isn't just about food and voila......success!
I need some quick food ideas for a bonfire birthday party. My daughter is turing 16 and is having a boy/girl party. I need ideas for stuff they could do and food. Help!
By guest
What about the standard 'weenie roast' idea. Get some long sticks or buy the long metal roasting forks (Walmart camping section) and get some hot dogs and marshmallows (and graham crackers & chocolate bars for Smores). To shake it up a bit, try some of the fancy flavored dogs like the ones with apples or cranberries in them. I have even had roasted tofu - get very firm tofu, cut into large cubes or rectangle and soak for several hours/overnight in a tasty marinade, put securely on the roasting fork (use both tines for secure hold) and toast. You can also roast/toast baby carrots, small potatoes, onions, apples and other firm foods. The smoke and the fire add flavor dimensions that you would not have thought were there. The kids have fun with fire and food. Just be sure to have several buckets of water around for emergencies.
Does anyone have any ideas for party foods for 3 year old birthday parties? My niece will be 3 at the end of january and is having a Dora party and my son will be 3 in June and having a football party (I thought tailgate foods would be cute). Also, any idea for 1 year old party would be greatly appreciated. I have another son that will be 1 in june with no party plans yet.
For our VBS this year I made a Watermelon Guy. Cut a watermelon in half, take a melon baller and ball the contents, I used a seedless watermelon. Cut up other fruits such as cantaloupe, honey dew, wash and cut stems off strawberries, grapes, etc. Turn the half watermelon upside down so it sits on the platter. use a square piece of fruit, I cut a cantaloupe piece to make eyes, use a wooden skewer, then put a grape in the center. use other fruits for nose and mouth. Then skewer the rest of the fruit for his "hair." Very cute.
Then we made "aquariums". make jello, let it get a little firm and add goldfish crackers and let harden. I used blue jello.
Another great thing is making your own ice cream creations. Just have lots of different toppings and they can have a ball.
You can also take food and take cookie cutters and cut them out in cute shapes. Cheese, bread, sandwiches, etc. can be cut into cookie cutter shapes.
This is a page about setting up a chili bar. A chili bar is a tasty addition to the menu for your next party or family get together
