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Request: party planning checklist

Dear ones — does anyone have a shopping and check list for planning a reception — say for fifty adults — that you would be willing to share with me?

This entry was posted by Scott Wells on Thursday, 28 June 2007 at 11:55 am and is filed under Church administration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 Responses to “Request: party planning checklist”

  1. Lizard Eater responds:
    28 June 2007 at 12:09 pm

    a) How much cooking do you want to do?
    b) Will you have access to an oven?
    c) Cocktails, finger foods, sophisticated, fun, what?

  2. Scott Wells responds:
    28 June 2007 at 12:15 pm

    a) As little as possible.
    b) No.
    c) Finger foods, skewing sophisticated. For a Washington DC nonprofit open house. Hypothetically.

    Thanks.

  3. Chalicechick responds:
    28 June 2007 at 1:36 pm

    Will see what I have of my old event stuff.

    My favorite pseuo-classy appetizer is tortellini, whole mushrooms and cherry tomatoes skewered on a satay skewer and marinated in italian dressing.

    Lettuce wraps filled with peanut sauce, water chestnuts, etc are also good. Put a sign up that they contain peanuts.

    IMHO, you can’t go wrong with a carved-out watermelon full of cut fruit and/or cheese.

    I also like hollowed out cherry tomatoes full of tuna salad. (But make sure to label it non-veggie.)

    Chocolate fountains are still very big, though my favorite dessert is an artful arrangement of graham crackers, marshmellows and chocolate bars surrouding a flaming can of sterno with bamboo satay skewers so people can make Smores. A little messy, but people love that and it makes quite the centerpeice.

    Of course, a cake decorated with your organization’s name or something is the classic. Costco’s cakes are quite good and mucho cheap.

    And that all is assuming a summer reception. If you need fall recipies, email me.

  4. Lizard Eater responds:
    28 June 2007 at 4:21 pm

    Ditto on the tortellini skewers. They give good color and are easy to do.

    Other ideas:
    * curry chicken salad in baked wonton cups
    * salami/pesto cream cheese wedges

    Themes are good and make it easy to plan. Like a “50’s cocktails” party or “tea party” (for the latter: tea-based cocktails and then typical tea party foods — cucumber sandwiches and such)

  5. Katharine responds:
    5 July 2007 at 12:40 am

    While I know you’re an absolute expert at getting the most for the least, I need a budget ballpark in order to make anything resembling a useful suggestion.

    • Tasteful cheese platter
    • Marinated mushrooms
    • Caprese salad on a stick (mini mozzarella, basil, and cherry tomatoes)
    • Shrimp cocktail is ridiculously in around here again; don’t know if it’s as big in DC
    • Asparagus wrapped with a little love knot of prosciutto
    • A twist on salsa — something like a summer cucumber and melon salsa can be very refreshing
  6. Katharine responds:
    5 July 2007 at 12:43 am

    One more — I think the yummy ginger roulade at my wedding was simply a flatbread like lavash, spread with a cream cheese, a layer of pickled ginger, rolled and carefully sliced. It’s a little unusual but still very approachable.

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