I just did the math, and we will be saying goodbye to our son in 55 days, as he enters USAFA. I guess it’s time to nail down the grad party menu. Here’s what I’ve got so far for a lunch time open house. Please share your menus, tips and ideas to make it memorable. (And easy…I’m recovering from foot surgery and will just be at the 8 week mark on party day!)
Main course
Chipotle burritos (steak and chicken). They are HUGE. Thinking of cutting them in half to avoid waste…is that ok?
Chips, Salsa, Guacamole
Green Salad with fun veggies/cheese/croutons/bacon bits
Fruit Platter
*can I skip rice and beans? We have no known vegetarians…or is there some other side I can add? Prefer a room temp side.
Dessert
Cupcakes (making a cupcake stand out of various sizes of foam board)
Candy buffet (m&ms, sour balls, smarties, licorice, taffy) with cellophane bags/ties
Drinks
Water bottles, San Pellegrino/sodas, iced tea
Minimal decorations, maybe a balloon bouquet and some simple flowers in mason jars.
Any other ideas? This group is usually do full of great advice, so thanks in advance
Definitely cut the burritos in half. We had a bunch of them donated for After Prom one year and even cut in half, kids couldn’t finish them and we had so many left!!!
Do the burritos already have rice and beans in them?
Oh yum!! I love corn/tomato salad! Fantastic idea!
Yes, burritos have rice and beans already. I am trying to not do what I always do, which is start with a simple menu, and then start adding things at the last minute out of fear of not having enough. Then I have way too much of certain things, while others get mowed down and there’s nothing left. My Germanic upbringing dictates that there be ample servings (but not too much) left on the buffet so that I know no one went without. Crazy, right?
I think we will have 50-60 people. If everyone comes it could be 70! (We have a large ish family… 23 all told)
Cutting the burritos in half sounds like a good idea. I can see the young guys eating 2 halves but most folks will go with one, especially with the rest of the menu.
With rice and beans in the burritos you definitely don’t need extra or even another side with the other items you have planned. Do like the suggestion of a corn salad. Here’s another recipe that has always been well received in my house: http://www.closetcooking.com/2012/08/esquites-mexican-corn-salad.html
We’re doing a pasta theme (to keep expenses down lol). Mac n/ cheese, baked ziti, lasagna, meatballs, salad, rolls. We’ll start with the usual veggie and cracker/cheese/fruit platters and end with a dessert table or candy bar including a nice cake. We are expecting somewhere around the 75 mark. My gift to D was a photo booth, she was very excited when I told her last night!
All sounds great. Another vote to cut burrito portions in half. Mexican yellow rice as side if you want (it tastes good warm). If you add anything add some extra fruit (not in any mix–say pineapple maybe) but it sounds like you are totally prepared.
Definitely, would also vote to cut the buritos in half. Sounds like some lovely parties are coming up! Things sound very nice! I like having a veggie tray (fresh carrots/celery/broccoli/cauliflower/pickles/olives/bell peppers/cucumbers & if you have energy, steamed, broiled or grilled veggies), if it’s not too much extra work. Personally, I enjoy munching in veggies and I know a lot of other people do while they mingle and it’s finger food, so easy. It does with salsa and guacamole, so that would not require adding an extra dip.
Chips, popcorn and/or pretzels are nice for folks to be able to munch on and pretty inexpensive, especially if you buy big bags from Costco or Sams or similar. Nice to have variety and chips ARE nice to have available as an option, tho I try to stay away and one take a few (or better none).
Blasphemy, @BunsenBurner My family would revolt if I pulled chips/guacamole from the menu! But I do love jicama. Is there an easy way to peel it?
The popcorn/pretzel idea is great too. I think I’ll grab the big plastic bucket of pretzels and the big bags of Skinny Pop (totally obsessed with it…can it REALLY be only 39 calories per serving and taste so good?) I’ve got some wicker baskets and will strategically place them around the venue.
I think you can use a regular vegetable peeler to peel jicama. I believe soaking it in a little orange juice concentrate would help prevent it from browning due to oxidation. I don’t use jicama much any more but did when I lived in OR & CA. When it’s nice and chilled, it’s very refreshing. Yes, wicker baskets lined with a paper towel or something with pretzels, chips and popcorn, as well as baskets of veggies will add a festive air.
All the recipes I’ve recently reviewed online suggest that paring jicama with a small knife is easier than using the vegetable parer. They recommend squirting it with lemon or lime juice, but orange juice concentrate also works, depending on the flavor you prefer. All of them should help keep the jicama from discoloring.
If there are family-run taquerias around, they may have tacos and burritos with more varieties of fillings like tongue, tripe, chile relleno, chicken mole, etc…
Delete the bottled water and just put pitchers of chilled water out. It is not like the US is an unsafe-to-drink-the-water place.
@shellz ~ yes, I rented a photo booth. It hit my email from Groupon last November so I got it half price In the meantime, I lost all my paperwork and email and couldn’t figure out who I rented it from. Spent a couple hours last week calling places, finally finding the company, who had us scheduled in, yeah!!! I also had invites printed back then at half price and surprised D with them on Monday after she had made her Skidmore decision. I had “Food, Fun, and Foto Booth” printed on them…she loved the surprise of a photo booth.
@NEPatsGirl…how fun!! We went to a wedding a couple years back when the whole photo booth thing was just taking off, and it was so unique! We had a ball and I’m thinking the bridal couple had some fun pics to enjoy along with the traditional ones.
As to the suggestion of not using bottled water, it’s more about convenience this time around. We’ve all but given up on them at home, but for the party we are going to need to make things as easy as possible. My lack of mobility and the large numbers dictate some concessions
We had originally considered hiring a “taco lady” but the insurance policy required by the clubhouse on top of the rental fee (and my sons love of Chipotle!) made that a little less attractive. There’s nothing like freshly grilled carne asada street tacos with homemade hot salsa…yum.
My family would revolt if I pulled chips/guacamole from the menu! But I do love jicama. Is there an easy way to peel it?