Need help with party lunch- make ahead ideas

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

I am hosting a baptism/second bday party for Nick with approx 30 people.
It is around noon. I am not a natural hostess and this type of thing stresses me out. Does anyone have any simple/make ahead ideas for a lunch?
Susan

#1 Nick 11-18-04
#2 Kate 04-26-06

[ctmom]

how about a brunch? You can make ahead a spiral ham and/or turkey breast, or even order a cold cut platter from a local deli. Bagels, cream cheese, lox etc., mini quiches, or make a few different quiches the day before and reheat, coffee/tea. Some sort of rice or orzo salad goes well with this also. There is also a great thread posted about holiday brunch recipes...

HTH!

Mary
dd#1 2/01
dd#2 12/03

[wencit]

Hey Susan,

I second the idea for a brunch. That way, you can mix and match breakfast and lunch ideas to suit your fancy. :) I'm hosting a baby shower for 30 people at 11AM in a month, so I understand your stress. I've never hosted a party this big before. Some people have weddings of this size!

Anyways, here is my menu: fruit platter, pastry platter (assorted muffins, croissants, breads, and pastries), cheese & cracker platter, 2 sausage/cheese/egg casseroles, 2 bread pudding casseroles, bacon, bagels & schmears, quiche, cookie platter, and cake. I am also possibly thinking of having something warm in the crockpot like BBQ meatballs or a hashbrown mixture that was posted in the "tried and true recipes" thread. If I wanted to add more "lunchy" items, I would probably do a soup (easy to make ahead of time and reheat) and/or salad.

I confess that the only homemade items I will be making are the sausage/cheese/egg casserole and the bread pudding casserole. The other items I will pick up from various sources (i.e. Whole Foods, Noah's, and Costco). But that's only because I work FT, and the time saved is worth the cost to me. Otherwise, I would buy these things and assemble them myself.

Good luck, and HTH!

[boolady]

When I helped my best friend with the menu for her son's baptism luncheon, we also did brunch. We made a turkey breast, broccoli, mushroom, and cheddar strata, sweet potato casserole, tossed salad (mixed baby greens, grape tomatoes, red onion, etc., plus sliced strawberries, mandarin orange segments, toasted almonds, and raspberry vinaigrette), fruit salad, etc. She had bakery rolls and condiments for those who wanted to make sandwiches with the turkey, and had a few nice desserts, some homemade, some bakery. It worked out very well and didn't take that long to do-- we made everything the day before. Good luck!