Easy Christmas Party Menu

As promised, here's my easy Christmas party menu for this year's annual neighborhood and friends gathering.

Preparing the Christmas Party Buffet

Feeding 45 to 50 people (without a catering service) is a challenge! How do you make sure everything is ready and set up at the same time?

Here are 5 Helpful Hints:

1. Serve lots of "cold" items with only a few things that need to be served warm.
2. Make as much as possible the day before.
3. Serve no cook items such as cheese/olives/spiral ham/fruit/etc.
4. For the warm items, select something that can simmer in a chaffing dish or crock pot for hours and still taste delicious. 
5. Select naturally attractive ingredients to create a beautiful buffet table. For example, line trays with leafy lettuce and place veggie or fruit on top. Select a nice pineapple as a centerpiece or dramatic flowers. Brussel spouts on the stem (see below) are natural decor for a buffet table.

Dramatic Flowers, Leaf Lined Tray

At this year's party we served just under 50 people. Here's my easy Christmas menu that can be done by one person in 8 hours. (not including shopping.)

Crock pots make serving warm food easy!

1. 6 quarts of Clam Chowder served with French bread (cooked and kept warm in a crock pot)
2. Spiral Cut Honey Baked Ham (Smithfield or Trader Joe's Brand are both amazing) with 50 dinner rolls and 3 types of spreads - no cooking involved
3. 6 different types of French cheeses served with olives, grapes, and fruit spreads. If possible, go to a cheese shop (fromagerie) and have an expert select the cheese for you - more on this later)
4. 4 cups of Hummus with Bread (easy substitute recipe - see below) (made the day before)
5. Salmon Pate (quick style - see below) served on top of sliced French bread (made the day before)
6. Veggie Plate with store bought dressing (made the day before)
7. Fruit Plate with papaya, pineapple, strawberries, and blackberries (made the day before)
8. 75 dinner size meatballs in hot and sweet sauce kept warm in chaffing dish (recipe below).
9. 60 large asparagus tips wrapped in Serrano ham (broiled for five minutes)
10. 4 cups of snow peas - lightly steamed to remain crisp, salted and mildly seasoned, served cold
11. 2 dozen chocolate cupcakes (made the day before)
12. 1 pumpkin cheesecake (store purchased)
13. 3 dozen assorted chocolates (mine where handmade at a candy making class - you could simply buy yours)
14. 2 dozens chocolate covered donut holes (handmade - recipe below)
15. 3 bowls of mixed nuts

Guests Enjoying the Buffet

Drinks:

• 2 pitchers of punch (find easy punch recipes).
• 2 cases of various wines
• 3 cases of beer (could have gotten by with only one)
• A variety of popular liquors for mixed drinks
• 40 cups of coffee

Guests Enjoying Cocktails

Creating a Cheese Platter

Don't have a local cheese shop? No problem, many stores have a nice variety around the holidays. Depending on how large your party, select anywhere from 3 cheeses to 7 or 8.

Select one cheese that everyone is familiar with (a nice cheddar perhaps). Next go for a soft cheese such as a triple cream, brie, or goat cheese. Serve this whole with a spreading knife along side a cranberry sauce if desired. Finally, serve a hard cheese with a bit of bite such as a Cheshire or Gloucester.

Easy Hummus Recipe

2 Cans of Garbanzo Beans
3 Cloves of Crush Garlic
3 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons of Tahini (roasted, crushed sesame seeds) see below for easy substitute
Salt to Taste

Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency is reached. You may need more Olive oil or Lemon Juice depending on your taste.

Opps! I'm ready to make the Hummus and I'm out of Tahini! Well, I was to busy to run to the store for one item. So, I substituted peanut butter. Believe it or not, it tasted great! I'm making it this way more often.

Quick Salmon Pate Recipe

4-6 ounces of smoked salmon for pate
4-6 ounces of smoked salmon for topping
1 large red onion (minced)
2 (8 ounce) bricks of cream cheese
1 (6 ounce) jar of capers, plus 2 tables spoons of caper juice

Place all ingredients in a food processor and plus until creamy. Spread over slices of French bread and top with an addition slice of smoked salmon.

Meatballs in Spicy and Sweet Sauce 

2 bags (approximately 75) meatballs from the freezer section of your grocery store
1 jar of grape jelly
2 jars of bbq sauce (your favorite variety)
2 tablespoons of Rooster sauce (hot sauce)

Put all ingredients in a crock pot or on the stove top and cook until warm throughout. Keep warm in chaffing dish.

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