Emergency: need help pulling together a last-minute party menu

[Anonymous]

Due to several last minute RSVPs find myself needing to rethink tomorrow’s party menu. Expecting about 30 people, a third of which are kids, and am inviting neighbors to stop by so might have a few extra guests.

What I have so far:
Meatballs
Wings
Shrimp with cocktail sauce
Christmas ham
Pernil (Puerto Rican style slow roasted pork shoulder)
Winter salad with arugula, pomegranate, and goat cheese with a honey-lemon vinaigrette
Turnip greens
Sweet potato casserole
Charcuterie board for grazing: two nice cheeses, speck/jamon serrano/prosciutto, crackers, tomatoes/cucumber/carrots with ranch for dipping, some kind of pepper jam, peanuts, dates, raisins
Potato chips

Coquito
Wine and beer
Spiced apple cider (rum optional)
Mulled wine

I am lost on dessert.


What am I missing?

[Anonymous]

Looks great! Don’t change a thing.

As for dessert, people are tired right now with cookies. I would not go overboard. You could literally make a couple of batches of brownies, sprinkle some crushed candy canes on top, slice them and call it a day.

[Anonymous]

Your menu looks great. Make some gingerbread or Rice Krispie treats and cut into squares. Aldi has mini creampuffs and eclairs you can defrost and plate. Or do sugar cookies with sprinkles and tell the people who are “tired of cookies” to get over themselves.

[Anonymous]

Fruit plate

[Anonymous]

I’m not even kidding, if you’re worried about quantity and there are a lot of kids pick up a platter of chicken nuggets from chick fil a, pollo Campero or Popeyes.

[Anonymous]

Buy dessert! You shouldn’t be making dessert for a dinner for 30 that’s tomorrow. Just go buy a cake and ice cream.

[Anonymous]

Seems like plenty, both in terms of quantity and in terms of variety. Pickup some desserts at Costco; they're always good.

[Anonymous]

You need another protein. Run to Costco and get quinoa salad or make a warm quinoa dish.

[Anonymous]

That looks amazing!

Maybe some kind of vegetarian protein/heavier item, if your crowd is like mine with several vegetarians. Like you could buy a quiche or mini quiches, or if you have time do deviled eggs. A friend of mine spices tofu, coats with panko, and fries it, which is delicious but probably more than you want to take on if you haven't done it before.

Or pp's quinoa idea could work.

Maybe leave the goat cheese on the side of the salad or have a plainer version for the kids.

You could buy some freezer Mac and cheese as another veg and kid friendly option, though maybe that's too much cheese.

[Anonymous]

I also think you need another protein because two of your big ones are pork. We don’t have too many vegetarians in my crowd, so I wouldn’t do a quinoa dish as someone upthread suggested, but we do have several people who don’t eat pork. Some kind of beef (steak bites?) or maybe a salmon platter (smoked, candied, etc).

Of course, you know your people so choose accordingly. Maybe they all eat pork in which case it’s perfectly fine as is. If you have got vegetarians, PP’s quinoa suggestion might work.

Overall it sounds great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You need another protein. Run to Costco and get quinoa salad or make a warm quinoa dish.

There are five proteins. Why do they need another one?

[Anonymous]

Put out a plate of tangerines and let people peel. It is easy to do and makes the rooms smell good

[Anonymous]

Lose a protein, do Mac and cheese, CFA nuggets, and a brownie platter

[Anonymous]

Costco cheesecake

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lose a protein, do Mac and cheese, CFA nuggets, and a brownie platter

Dear Lord No ! Most disgusting food on earth.