The Busy Buzz

•    Location

     The first and biggest decision is ~ when and where to hold your Open House.  First thought is your home, however some are now holding their Open House at another location.  Your church or local centers or even a park are viable options and you don’t have to clean your house!

     There are two parts to the when decision 1) a date and 2) the time.

      Some people like to get it done and over with right away ~ we waited a little while and did our Seniors’ OH later, when we didn’t think there would be as many going on.  Breakfast is a newer trend for your OH.  Food typically costs less for this meal and you won’t have trouble with late coming teenage party crashers!

       A week or so before your party, walk through the area during the party times.    Where is shade?  Where is the sun?  Decide where to put tables and chairs.  Will you need a canopy or a tent?   Set out some chairs in a shady area for visiting.  If you need extra tables borrow the neighbor’s picnic tables, check with your church or e-mail me (I’m in Sparta, MI) Our 4-h Club has 8 tables, 24 chairs and a canopy to rent (donation to the Sparta Livestock 4-H Club)

•   Invitations

      Be creative!  Follow your theme and find some fun invites that reflect your Seniors likes.  A western invite for your horse lover.  Or take the school colors and make something on your computer.  www.vistaprint.com has great prices for their printing and you can customize your cards!

      Remember to include all of the needed information . . .W W W W H   Who it is for . . . What it is . . .Where is the party . .  When the party is (date and time) . . . and any extra details such as where to park, bring a swimsuit, dress to play volleyball etc.  And always invite the neighbors ~ they will be less likely to complain about all the cars and the noise!

•    Decorations & theme

     Some Open House parties are quite elaborate.  If you want to go that route check out www.orientaltrading.com for great luau or western themes!  We attended a party where they had clear plastic over the tablecloths and had pictures of the graduate under it.  Very Cool!  We put our Christmas lights in the bushes for fun decorations at night.  And I borrowed lots of hanging flowers from my neighbor, who also happens to be my Mom. 

      We didn’t really have a theme for our last Open House just her favorite colors.  Gr,Bl,Ye&Or  We took mason jars and put yellow and orange flowers in them with a blue ribbon around it.    We also used colored tablecloths from the dollar store. Simple but it looked very nice.  Andicott Floral on Plainfield has gorgeous flowers for a decent price.  They are great to work with but find out when they get their deliveries in and have them hold yours, or your selection may be low.

     I picked all our favorite cd’s and brought my player out to the garage only to have it not work.  I only had jostled the cd’s enough that the door wouldn’t open but we went without music all night because I couldn’t figure it out so plan ahead!

•   Food

      For a great website on food for large groups check out “Growlies for Groups”  I don’t have the site address I just search for it.  Use what you have a lot of , or pick things up on sale ahead of time.  www.allrecipes.com is a great resource for recipes and you can type in an ingredient and it will bring up all kinds of recipes.  You can even increase the servings and it will recalculate the recipe! 

     So, if it is strawberry season, use all recipes to find a great shortcake recipe and increase the servings to 50 or 100 or 150!!

      Everybody likes cake!  But if you have other desserts you won’t need a large decorated cake.  One hot item at our last OH was cookies – chocolate chip and no bakes!!  

      We used a water tank for pops and water but it was too deep and you froze your hand trying to get your drink.  I would suggest using a kiddie pool instead!  And keep it cold.  Punch allows kids to not hit the pop so hard.  Have lots of drinks especially if it is hot!  People always drink more than I expect.

      A really easy way to have a pig roast . . . Go to Sam’s club and buy the large pork loins.  (Even cheaper if you buy them by the case) One large pork loin will feed around 30.  Figure around 4-6oz per person.  Put loins in a foil pan, season to taste – I just use Canadian Steak Seasoning – and bake for 4 hours at 350 degrees.  You can do this a day ahead or a week ahead and freeze it!  It shreds wonderful for BBQ or serve it plain (our favorite)  It’s just like having a pig roast only without all the work J

     Be sure to have freezer containers on hand for the leftovers.  It’s better to have too much than run out!  You can e-mail me at camopant@yahoo.com if you have any questions and I will try to help!  We do about 10-12 dinners and/or pig roasts for family and friends a year ~ serving from 50 EASY to 600 not so EASY but still simple!

•   Help

       Parties are a ton of work!!  The majority of the work falls the day before, the day of and the day after.  Be sure to recruit help ahead of time so you don’t end up in the garage all night like I was!!

     You might even consider hiring someone to keep things full and do the running for you during the open house!  Or hire a cleaning service for the day before or the day after!!  This way you can enjoy more of your child’s special day and enjoy less stress!  If you do, and you are in the North West Grand Rapids are consider   www.CamouflageConcierge.com  my business.   “Working in the background…   For YOU!  Like a concierge at a fancy hotel who gets things done for you so you can relax and enjoy your vacation, Camouflage Concierge will get the busy work done for you so you can relax and enjoy the luxury of MORE TIME!!

•  Activities

     One Open House we went to was at a park.  There was a playground for the kids, bocce ball and croquet.  At ours we had volleyball, a bean bag toss and the ladder game.  When the kids have something to do, the grownups get to visit a little longer J

     We even had a party after the party where my daughters’ friends were invited to play volleyball, have leftovers, enjoy the campfire and see the fireworks!

How Much Food?

Here is a guide to help you estimate your food quantities for either a buffet or a sit-down dinner.

For individual meats, fish, poultry:

5 – 6 ounces per person

If the cuts of meat have bones in them, consider adding more weight per person

For multiple meat meals and buffets:

4 – 6 ounces per person

For pasta dishes:

For a sit-down dinner, a pound of pasta will serve 4-6

For a buffet, a pound will serve 8-10 people

For vegetables:

With a premixed salad, estimate one handful per person

One head of lettuce will feed approximately 5 people, 4 medium heads will serve 15-20 people

For appetizers:

Estimate about 10-12 items total per person.

Make 3-4 of each item per person, keeping in mind that everyone may not take all of the items

For desserts:

Calculate one full portion of dessert per person

For multiple desserts, people will taste smaller portions of each item

A normal cake will serve approximately 10, but 15 will be fed if you are also serving pie

Doubling Recipes

http://www.reasontoparty.com/quantities.htm

PLANNING FOOD FOR A CROWD

Use this handy guide when planning food for those special celebrations, family reunions and summer get-togethers.

MEATS AND CHEESE

(Allow 2 to 3-oz. meat or cheese per serving)

3 to 4 lb. ham, turkey, cold cuts = 24 servings

l 1/2 to 2 1/2 lb. cheese = 24 servings

HAMBURGERS

(Allow 1/4 lb. per serving)

6 lb. ground beef or turkey = 24 servings

BUNS

(Allow 1 1/2 sandwich or 1 burger bun per serving)

3 dozen sandwich or dollar buns = 24 servings

2 dozen hamburger buns = 24 servings

FRUITS

(Allow 1/2 cup per serving)

18 1/2 lb. watermelon = 16 cups

4 lb. pineapple = 5 cups

3 lb. cantaloupe or honeydew = 4 cups

1 pint berries = 2 cups

1 lb. grapes = 2 cups

4 kiwi fruit = 2 cups

VEGETABLES

(Allow 4 to 6 pieces per serving)

2 lb. broccoli or cauliflower = 32 florets

1 lb. carrots = 65 sticks

1 3/4 lb. celery = 100 sticks

1 pint cherry tomatoes = 25 tomatoes

1 1/2 lb. cucumber (3 medium) = 50 slices

1 lb. zucchini (2 medium) = 50 slices

DIPS

(Allow 2 tablespoons per serving)

3 cups dip = 24 servings

CONDIMENTS

(Allow about 1 teaspoon per serving)

1/2 cup mayonnaise = 24 servings

1/2 cup mustard = 24 servings

1 quart pickles = 24 servings

BAKED BEANS, PASTA SALAD OR POTATO SALAD

(2/3 cup per serving)

1 gallon = 24 servings

CHIPS

1 1/2 1b. = 24 servings

CRACKERS

1 1/2 1b. = 24 servings

COFFEE

(Allow 3/4 cup brewed coffee per serving)

1 to 1 1/2 cups coffee and 18 cups water = 24 servings

ICED TEA, LEMONADE, MILK OR WATER

(Allow 1 cup per serving)

1 1/2gallons = 24 servings

PUNCH

(Allow 1/2 cup per serving)

3 quarts = 24 servings

From: Recipelink.com

Source: Recipe booklet: Grilling, Picnics and Camping, Pillsbury Classic Cookbook, May 1998, #207

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