I agree that because the party is at supper time, you need to provide enough food for people to make a meal. But you can do that with appetizer-type food; just make the pieces big and serve plenty of them.

I would add a "signature cocktail" to the beer and wine; it's a bit more special, but still much cheaper than full bar. We made a white peach sangria for a party that was a big hit, and it was probably actually cheaper than the wine.

How many people are you planning to have? You wrote that you want "everyone" to come. You wrote that you have never thrown a party before. So if the group is large, unless you are planning on having a caterer or restaurant do a lot of the food, I would actually stay away from a menu of lots of different fancy appetizer and stick to the simpler BBQ menu. A large group + no experience + an ambitious menu = frazzled hosts = a spoiled party.

Keep it simple and all your guests -- and YOU -- will have a great time.

Congratulations on your new home!

Hi,

I'm usually on other forums, but saw this post and thought I'd offer just a comment.

DW and I usually have a small group (six guests plus the two of us)for sit-down dinners. Whenever we have larger groups (say, anything over 15 or so), we found ourselves so busy running back and forth to the kitchen, bringing food out, getting more beverages, etc., etc., that neither of us were very good hosts in that we barely had enough time to spend with our guests. We finally decided to cater the last few, but the cost was mind-boggling. I'm sure others have found ways to handle this challenge much better than we did, but as gellchom pointed out, try to keep things simple. Your guests all will want to chat with you, have you give them a tour, etc. Managing the food and beverages for a large group can be a full-time job in itself.

Congratulations and good luck!

You said you want to do a lot of appetizers. I agree with gellchom though, that you should stay away from a menu of lots of different fancy appetizers. Doing simple appetizers which can be made ahead is the way to go. Make a lot and store extras in the fridge (or on warm in the oven or on the stove as appropriate) so that they can be easily replenished.

So, the veggie, fruit and cheese trays are perfect. Just make sure to have extras of each on hand for when they run low. Same with deviled eggs & shrimp.

In order to make the appetizers more hearty I'd have two warm meat items. Meatballs in a sauce is very easy, and you can either make the meatballs in advance yourself or buy them frozen. A simple delicious sauce I can recommend is a mixture of ketchup & beer. I've served that a few times and it's a big hit. You can do chicken skewers with spicy peanut sauce. Or little smoky sausages in BBQ sauce. Etc.

Make everything ahead of time. Use a chafing dish or warming tray or crock pot to keep the warm things warm. Don't serve anything that has to be eaten hot right out of the oven. Serve things that can be easily stored while waiting to be put out. Don't serve too many different things.

Some other simple things to put out are a couple of dips with chips. Serve crackers with the cheese. Small rolls or some kind of bread will also help fill people up.

Remember that the point of the party is to enjoy your guests and show off your house. Congratulations!

Making a meal for 30 to 50 of just appetizers is a lot of work!!
I would make a few appetizers of the "fancy" kind, that is fairly labor intensive, then serve "real food" to fill them up.
A couple of my favorite 'real food" items are shaved ham, small cocktail buns and nice sour dough rye, with some grainy mustard, spicy Australian mustard and perhaps a cranberry mustard.
Add another platter of Italian beef and perhaps some onion rolls and you have your "dinner.
I would suggest a cheese tray, a fruit tray, veggie tray with a couple of dips.....the 2 sandwich items and breads/rolls. Condiments and maybe a couple of specialty things like the brie or the devilled eggs, a tray of cookies or bars and you have a dinner served standing up from little plates.....and nothing is touchy as to serving immediatly out of the oven and all will hold well on a buffet table.
Good luck.
Linda C

Hello,

My sister in law had just finished her housewarming and most of the food she served are finger foods which are prepared in the buffet table. Also she made a dessert and beverages too. Its just a simple house party and still needs a lot of work.
Congratulations and Good luck!