Simple Buffet Menu

We usually do things like hot roast beef and meatball sandwiches. They're so easy to do and always a big hit.

Saw this recipe in the Wegman's holiday magazine. It looks very good, and a salad is always a good option. And clementines and pomegranates are out this time of year. Also, how 'bout some mini crab cakes or quiches which you can get in most grocery freezer sections. Pop in the oven and serve.

CLEMENTINE AND POMEGRANATE SALAD
8 clementines, divided
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (1 medium pomegranate)
1/4 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pkgs (5 oz each) spring mix salad

You'll need: Large bowl of water

1. Peel and section 4 clementines, removing as much pith (white membrane beneath peel) as possible. Set aside.

2. Cut pomegranate in half. Submerge in large bowl of water (to prevent spattering); remove seeds from pomegranate. Rinse seeds in bowl of water, removing membranes. Set seeds aside.

3. Make vinaigrette: Juice remaining 4 clementines into second bowl. Add olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk to blend well.

4. Toss spring mix with vinaigrette; arrange on clean serving platter. Top with clementine segments and pomegranate seeds. Sprinkle with Fleur de Sel.

Chef Tip(s): The juice of the colorful pomegranate tends to spatter as you work with it, so wear an apron and work over the sink to avoid stains.

Side dish options:

Macaroni salad and or potato salad

Ramen Noodle Salad

1 lb. bag of broccoli slaw
1 cup salted sunflower seeds
1 cup sliced almonds - toasted until lightly browned
2 pkg. Ramen Soup ( Oriental or Chicken)
crush noodles - DO NOT COOK
Dressing:
Mix these together:
3/4 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
Seasoning packets from soups
Mix everything together and refrigerate 2 hours or more

Strawberry Romaine Salad
1-cup vegetable oil

¾ cup sugar

½ cup red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

1 large head romaine lettuce

1 head Boston lettuce

1-pint strawberries, sliced

1 cup (4oz) shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

½ cup walnuts

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large jar. Cover tightly, and shake vigorously. (Store up to 1 week in refrigerator) Tear lettuce into bite-size pieces. Combine both lettuce, strawberries, cheese, and walnuts in a large bowl. Shake dressing and pour over salad.

Cole Slaw

8 cups very finely chopped cabbage (1 head)
1/4 c shredded carrot (1 medium carrot)
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 c milk
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/4 c buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Be sure that the cabbage and carrots are chopped up into very
fine pieces (about the size of rice kernels). Combine the sugar,
salt, pepper, milk, mayonnaise, buttermilk, vinegar, and lemon
juice, and beat until smooth. Add the cabbage and carrots. Mix
well.

Some options for main dishes:

Hot roast turkey with gravy or hot roast pork with gravy in the crockpot and rolls (serve american and sharp provolone cheese on the side and roasted peppers or broccoli rabe for the pork)

Various flavors of sliced stromboli (pepperoni and cheese, ham and cheese, broccoli and cheese, steak and cheese)

Lasagna or Baked ziti and a Caesar salad

Fried chicken ( you can pick up from KFC or ACME)

A chicken broccoli and stuffing casserole

Two recipes for these:

3 lbs. chicken boil 20 minutes; cool 20 minutes
mix chicken with:
1 cup sour cream
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
Put into buttered casserole dish
Sprinkle top with stuffing mix that has been mix with some chicken stock
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

or

Chicken, Broccoli & Stuffing Casserole

3 lbs boneless chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use 98% fat free)
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, diced
1/2 cup mayo (I sometimes use light or Just 2 Good)
1/4 lb margarine (I usually use less to cut down on fat and calories)
1 bag of frozen broccoli pieces, thawed
1 box of stuffing mix, prepared according to package directions.

Boil chicken until no longer pink. Cut into bite sized pieces.
Add 1/2 - 1 bag of thawed broccoli pieces and toss to evenly distribute broccoli.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Fry onion pieces and celery in butter -OR- place in microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for about 3-4 minutes until softened.
Combine cream of chicken soup with softened onions, celery and margarine. Mix well.
Pour mixture over chicken pieces and toss to coat.
Place chicken mixture in a greased caserole dish, or dish sprayed with PAM.
Top with prepared stuffing.
Bake at 350 degrees until brown and bubbly, for about 25-30 minutes.

This goes well with a ceasar salad. It also reheats well in the microwave.

A taco bar...provide seasoned ground beef and bowls with fixings and people can make their own tacos

Maybe crockpots with two different kinds of soups served with warm crusty bread and a salad:

Missy's Hearty Tomato Soup

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
2 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups milk
2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) condensed tomato soup
2 cans (16 ounces each) chopped tomatoes

Heat butter in 3 qt saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic in butter about 2 min; remove from heat. Stir in paprika, basil and cream cheese. Gradually stir in milk and soup. Beat with hand beater until smooth. Stir tomatoes into soup. Break up tomatoes. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently until hot. Makes 8 servings about 1 cup each.

and

Missy's Baked Potato Soup

12 slices bacon
2/3 cup margarine
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups milk
4 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 green onions, chopped
1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions
1 Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium
heat until browned. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
2 In a stock pot or Dutch oven, melt the margarine over
medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in potatoes
and onions. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
3 Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Mix in bacon,
cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking,
stirring frequently, until cheese is melted.

A good appetizer is Lil Smokies with grape jelly and chili sauce in the crock pot.

le.

here are some ideas...
mini meatballs - you can do this with ground beef or ground turkey.. make mini meatballs and cook in a sauce of half heinz chili sauce and half jellied cranberry sauce (proportion wise - for each 1 lb ground meat, use 1 bottle chili sauce and 1 can cranberry sauce.) It sounds gross - but together it all tastes great and is really easy - sweet and savory. serve with toothpicks.

or make meatballs in red sauce - serve with rolls and provolone cheese for meatball sandwiches.

Greek pasta salad. 1 lb pasta, 1 lg can artichoke hearts, drained, cherry tomatoes, halved, 1 green pepper, pitted greek olives, greek salad dressing, feta cheese. cook pasta, toss with the dressing and veggies. sprinkle feta cheese on top. substantial enough for dinner for any vegetarians in the crowd - esp. if you use whole wheat pasta.

wintry salad:
salad of mixed field greens, tossed with sliced chicken breast, either pecans, shelled pistachios or toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, gorgonzola cheese dressed with Gerhard's champagne salad dressing.

Baked ziti or lasagna can also be made beforehand and heated when you get home.

Good luck!

a variety of cheese chunks; fruit tray

A Brisket in the crockpot is very easy and can cook while you are at work. I'll see if I can dig up the recipe I used last party. One of the things we do that makes life much easier, is to get some hors d'ourves (English degree and I still can't spell that one!) from Costco or Sam's. These are things that you can just pop in the oven and put out within 15-20 minutes. Sam's used to have Yakitori chicken skewers. They were the biggest hit at our parties. I would also look for quick and easy stuff on the Food Network site. Sandra Lee has her Semi-homemade show and she has loads of hints and recipes. online.

Have fun and good luck.

M.

Sloppy Joe's can be cooked in the crockpot all day and Chilli can as well. Chilli is an excellent winter food and if you have an assortment of breads that will be great for dipping. If you are already making chicken fingers for the children you may want to consider buffalo chicken fingers for the adults or just bake the chicken fingers and have a variety of dipping sauces that are more adult orineted. Sweet and sour, barbque, hot, asian etc...

also, if you have the chicken fingers just buy a big bag of mixed greens and different dressings.

A really easy and great salad:
Fresh Strawberries sliced
Baby Spinich
Almond slivers
Red onion sliced
Poppyseed Dressing

Just mix them all together and serve.

Hope this helps