Holiday Challenge

[islandgirl]

OK here's the challenge: my husband and I are hosting a family pre-Christmas get together. Present at said get-together will be a 70-year-old grandfather who does not like food that is spicy or fancy; 4 couples, all of whom like spicy, fancy food--one is vegetarian; a sister-in-law who will be having a gall-bladder operation AFTER the holidays--until then she can't tolerate anything too rich (cream-based) or with cheese (YIKES!); 6 children, ranging in age from 1 1/2 to 11, with palates ranging from the very basic to the pretty advanced. We are thinking about having a wide array of appetizers, with a main course that mostly everyone can eat (I must have cheese!). We want the food to be special because we don't get together very often as a family, and we don't want anyone to have to stop at McDonald's on the way home. I welcome any ideas, suggestions, expressions of sympathy, etc. Thanks in advance!

[LaraW]

What if you did pasta with an array of sauces? You could do a basic meat sauce for the basic people, a spicy clam sauce for the "advanced" people. You could do a vegetarian sauce, alfredo sauce, etc, etc. Cheese on the side, salad and bread for those who want it, and maybe a veggie.

Would that "fit" everyones tastes?

[lisas3575]

Lara read my mind! I was thinking of a "build-your-own" style something too-- maybe a Hoagie bar with basic plus some fancy ingredients and everyone could make their own sandwich.

If you decide to go the appetizer route, www.allrecipies.com has quite a range to choose from and they're organized by type.

Good luck!

[rosen]

I vote for pasta w/ different sauces. It would be easy to keep the sauces hot in various crock pots. You could also do a couple of different types of pasta shapes. It's easy to keep these hot by draining them & then sit the colanders over pots of hot water...the steam keeps the pasta from becoming a lump. Have plenty of bowls available for those (like me!) that will want to try ALL the sauces. Lots of different breads & rolls, bowls of different cheeses. A huge bowl of mixed salad & different dressings. And a variety of sweets for dessert. This could be very casual & fun! I think I'll do this for one night when all the family gets together after the Holidays!!

[Terrytx]

I vote for the past bar also, and can I come too!

[m4star]

Just an alternative on the sandwich/hoagie idea. You could make up plates with lots of different sandwich fixings. Basic meats and cheeses for the bland folks and kiddies (boar's head makes a delicious rosemary sun-dried tomato ham that simply melts in your mouth). Roasted turkey and veggie spreads for the health conscious (hummus, baba ganoush, pesto mayo, avocado). And then for the really adventurous you could make up some curried chicken salad with grapes and walnuts or have some delicious pate on hand. And your could have a bunch of different breads and rolls.

Then you could accompany the whole sandwich idea with lots of other finger foods (aka appetizers) and mini-desserts (those individual cheescakes, tartlets, cookies, etc). That way everything is small and people can help themselves to what they want.

[Jodi]

You guys are brilliant! We're hosting Christmas Eve dinner this year for Dh and me, my immediate family, maybe DH's parents (they've been invited but haven't decided whether they'll come), and 2 other familes of extended relatives -- 19 people in all -- and a pasta bar is exactly what I'm looking for. I can have fettuccine, bow-tie noodles, and shells (the kids love em!) and serve a traditional red sauce (meatballs on the side), a pink vodka sauce, an and alfredo sauce. I'll make salad and serve garlic bread and be done with it.

Dessert was the only thing I had figured out: assorted mini breads and biscotti.

My life just got a whole lot easier...thanks all!!

[cjm]

This is a great idea for any get-together. I have a questions though, how do you keep the pasta warm and not sticking together? We have both chafing dishes and crock pots???

TIA!

jean

[schuh]

I tried a pasta party once and had a hard time keeping the pasta from getting cold and sticking together.

How about a couple kinds of lasagna? I've got a great recipe with chicken and mushrooms that's rich but not overly exotic that I could post. I've made this for families with new babies and youngsters often like it. Then you could do some kind of cool veggie lasagna for the low-fats, vegetarians and gourmets. Add a garlic bread and salad and you're in great shape!

The benefit would be that you could prepare everything in advance and pop in in the oven and enjoy your company!

[sball]

I have done many Pasta Party's in the past. What really works good is to pre-cook your pasta. Then what I do is set up a buffet table with bowls of precooked pasta, sauces, meats, and cut up veggies. I have a small butane burner and small saute pans. Basically what you end up with is a cooked to order pasta. I put a little olive oil in the pan add the veggies(saute for a minute or so) meat and sauce that the person wants and then I add the pasta!! It's great because people get exactly what they want and they can keep coming for more. If you have a lot of people its fun to have more than one person cooking!

[Molli526]

In tune with the pasta bar, you could also get a Thai Peanut sauce that has a little kick to it. DH and I eat it, with peas and chicken and it is SO good. The brand we use is Bangkok Padang Peanut Sauce.

Not that is close to Italian, but it is adventerous and yummy :)