Hmmm....4 pm is a tough time to hold the ceremony.
I think I would have the girls ready about 1 hour in advance. Invite folks over for pictures. I would just serve some cheese/crackers, fruit, mixed nuts ect...keep it light,
Then after hold the whole shindig with a buffet of warm and cold dishes.
I held 3 communions here at the house. Amy stayed in her dress until the last guest left...Katie and Drew each got into play clothes the moment they got home.

Good luck!
Susie

Hi Kari, nice to see you posting. I was thinking about you the other day and wondering where you had been :-))

Because of the time of the Communion, I think Susie is on the right track. Actually, I wouldn't do anything before. It's a heck of a lot easier to just invite people over after, take pictures, then enjoy visiting. I would however serve enough food to call it a dinner, then have cake and ice cream. To me it would seem awkward and hard to send people away after an afternoon function knowing they would have to go home and cook a late dinner or dine out on their own. I suspect the time of the communion has been set because most do have a party afterwards.

Nancy

I agree with susie....I don't think many people want cake at 5:30 in the afternoon and then go home for supper.
Your meal should come afterward...in fact I would just have everyone meet you ar church and have the celebration after for supper and cake.
Linda C

We just went through this. Our service was a 1:30. We planned to have everyone back at my house by 3:30 and eat LINNER (lunch and dinner) at around 5 pm. So my FIL stayed at my house through the service (good excuse for him not to have to go to Church) and he baked 2 hams, and cooked a lasagna that my MIL made several days in advance and froze. I made Sol's honey rolls, had a ceaser salad, insalata caprese, and potato salad. And for apps had cocktail shrimp, torta stella (from Costco), and olives. For dessert we had Amish Friendship bread, pineapple upside cake and blackberry cobbler. There were 16 adults and 4 kids.

I think your DH is on the right track with a pan of rigatoni, but perhaps make it homemade? A traditional Italian Christmas often includes a lasagna and is considered "special". For healthier eating, you could make a veggie lasagna. You should definitely have fresh veggies of some sort. I have a wonderful chicken salad recipe in case you're interested, and also an Old Bay shrimp salad. I've done both of these for Baptism celebrations with rolls to make sandwiches if people wanted.

I empathize with you on the timing, as we struggled with both the service time and serving two meals combined.

Good luck!
Nancy

I think susie has the ight idea.

If you want people over before for pictures etc I'd serve some light nibblies and beverages then do a buffet and cake after after the service.

To keep it light ,you could serve poached salmon served cold along with a couple of salads. Sharon's Salmon Quiche with Walnut Crust is another choice. A ham is very lean and can be served cold along with salads. I actually think the dish you were thinking of could work. The aspargus and crab make it "fancy" enough for serving at 6PM.

Let us know whay you decide and give the girls my congratulations.

I also agree, I think a buffet after would be the most convenient for all the guests.

I like the asparagus and crab combo, but SharonCB's salmon quiche is wonderful and reheats well. I still have a couple of slices in my refrigerator, I warm them up for breakfast.

Congratulations to the girls, and good luck to you. It'll be a wonderful day, no matter what you decide.

Annie

Oh boy, now my head is spinning! Thanks for all of the ideas.

Maybe nibblies and photos before going to the church would be a good start. I was concerned about the older folks coming over for dinner at 6 p.m. and driving home but now that you mention it, I think it would be worse to send everyone home without dinner.

My only concern is being able to come home and serve food when I haven't been home for the last few hours. I could have some veggie and dip and salad ready to serve right away while a casserole cooks in the oven and dinnerish food is set out.

With only about 10 people here, should I plan for everyone to sit at the same time at the dining room table or just let them get food whenever they want and sit outside (depending on weather) or eat on their laps in the living room?

Funny that you mention the Salmon Quiche with Walnut Crust because I copied that one and thought it sounded like a winner.

Any other cold food or make ahead ideas are welcome!

Kari

It';s not necessary to have hot food....I would make a stack of sandwiches...maybe chicken salad and some ham...then you could have a baked bean thing in the oven as you leave....set it at 150 to 200 and cover it well and it should be good when you return and then just have a salad...like that broccoli, bacon and sunflower seed salad, or oriental; slaw, or that layered salad with the bacon, peas, settuce and cheese. it sits very well over night in the refrig.
Have the table set and you are ready to pull food out and feed everyone when you get back...
There is a recipe somewhere for several kinds of beans in a tomatoey sweet sauce.. baked...
Anyone know what I am thinking of?
Linda C

I'm not a sit down at the table kind of person when entertaining a "easy" meal. (Plus I don't have the room.)

So I'm all for "buffet" style..grab a plate enjoy the outdoors, the couch or a spot at the table..

At my house I do the spread on the largest counter and the stove top, the littler kids sit around the table, and the adults and teens go where ever.

Our communions were 10 am!!! When Amy made her communion there were 5 classes of second graders so they split them up and had one at 10am and one at 1 pm. We scored the early one.
I used the crock pot for the Italian Pork as well as the wedding soup. Just set them to low when we left. We also had all the coolers filled...folks were more thirsty than humgry and for those who weren't comfortable with the whole church experience-we had wine chilled and ready to go.
I rounded out the meals with salads, shrimp cocktail, antipasta and nuts. The dessert was always the obigatory sheet cake along with the childs fave dessert.

For take away gift or "party favors" I had the kids make little prayer cards on the computer which I had laminated. I placed each card in a white cello bad with a wrapped homemade muffin and 2 tea bags and some white peppermint sticks. It was meant to be a little snack after you went home.

The only other advice I could give is to not fuss too much over the the whole getting ready thing. If the hair doesn't go just right don't fret. Also consider going to a portrait studio a few days later for photos. The girls will be more relaxed....you'll be more relaxed and you'll end up with beautiful pics. Just remember with all things of faith, bring your own props!! Sears studio doesn't have bibles and rosarys laying around LOL!!

Congrats!
Susie

A couple salads, soup and breads is a lovely supper. Just come home and heat up the soup and rolls/ bread. If it is really older people then sit down is better. Eating on your lap is harder for older people. If they really are middle aged, it doesn't matter!

I would suggest something that you can have in the crockpot like bbq beef or pork sandwiches or taverns; some nice fresh fruit, vegie tray, etc. My nephews is next week and he got to pick the menu which is enchiladas that his mom will make, freeze and then bake while we are in church.

I always hate the crazies when you come home from an event and all the people hanging out while you get the food prepared. So my girls have always loved BBQ pork sandwiches and always pick that for their special events.

Enjoy Deanna

Kari -- Enlist a neighbor or friend to come over during the service to stick stuff in the oven if it needs to be hot, put it in serving bowls at the last minute if it needs to be cold, etc., so that everything will be waiting when you get home from church.

You know, the older I get, the less reluctant I am to holler, "HELP!" :) There was a time when I felt like I just couldn't impose like that. But now I realize that most people are genuinely pleased to lend a hand when you're in a crunch. Afterwards, take their family a wonderful home-cooked meal as a 'thank you'.

If you're new to the community and really don't have anyone to call on, or if you're just uncomfortable asking, contact the parish secretary. I guarantee she can give you the names of a couple of extremely dependable teenaged girls who need to earn a little extra money.

As far as the arrangements go, I definitely agree that if most of your guests are older, seated is better.

Hope this very special occasion turns out beautifully!

sm

Kari, you have brought back memories of my own First Holy Communion, even though it was more than 40 years ago! LOL! It turned out to be on Halloween and we had to "get special permission" for the class to be able to go out trick or treating! Our Communion where always held in the morning 9 or 10. My parents and grandparents had a breakfast before we went to the church for them and my God parents. I remember them up all night preparing for that and then we had a buffet of ham, potato salad, cole slaw and snow flake rolls,cake and ice cream for my other relatives later that day! Since your timing is later I agree with everyone else and have the buffet after the Communion. What a special day! Thank you for the memories! Gina

That's a difficult time. Have everyone back to your house and put out some rolls, rye bread and cold cuts. Coffee and soda. A help-yourself buffet. And congratulations to the girls-don't they grow up quick?

You all have so many good suggestions! I'm hearing some "keep it simple" ideas that sound very workable.

In the meanwhile, one DD has had a fever w/ cough for 8 days. The other one got the stomach flu. I've barely been out of the house lately! And the only thing I've been cooking is soft noodles and chicken broth.

For the first communion party, I may consider something in the crockpot with cold salads and perhaps a lasagna to heat up. I have a friend (who ironically is Jewish)that I may invite to help. She's helped out at my girls' birthday parties. Otherwise, my neighbor may be able to come over.

Our family is small because my DH and I am the only ones on either side of the family with children. My girls were born just before my 40th birthday. None of our extended family live in our area either. Of the 8 adults we are inviting, only one is under the age of 50.

About a sit down dinner, DH says "Isn't everybody going to be eating at the same time anyway?" He thinks it is a no-brainer to have everyone sit at the dining room table at the same time.

I'm going to try to put together a menu now!

Kari

Hello all - I'm thinking about serving lasagna at my daughters' first communion dinner. However, I don't have a single lasagna recipe and this is why --

For the communion dinner DH says: "Why don't we have lasagna?"
I say: "Because you hate lasagna."
DH: "Not anymore."
I say: "Did you ever wonder why I never served lasagna in the 21 years that we've been married???"
DH: "No,not really."
Me: "Because you said that pasta and cheese should never be eaten together." (Strange idea for an Italian-American I always thought.)
DH: "Well, now I think it is OK."

Now that it is OK to serve pasta and chesse together in the same dish, it is time to make lasagna!

Does anyone have a great lasagna recipe??? It cannot be too hot/spicy for some of our family members with sensitive taste buds. Ideally, it should be a recipe that can be assembled a day in advance.

Thank you in advance, Kari