Pool party menu

[Anonymous]

Hi there. If you were to attend a pool party, what would make you go "wow" and feel the hostess had gone above and beyond? I'm not asking anyone to bring anything, so I need to keep it easy. Think traditional American, 16 adults & 15 kids. If I have to keep it to dogs and burgers for the kids, I will. But would love to do something a little different but easy for adults. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Have a variety of brats and/or chicken sausages for adults. You can pre-cook onions and peppers and bring a bunch of mustards for the tops. Or, turkey burgers that you loosely form in advance with cheddar, BBQ, and other things to make them tasty. Personally, I prefer a brat on a bun over a hockey puck of a burger.

A non-mayo potato salad and a barley or lentil or couscous salad are easy to make in advance and transport and beat a ho-hum pasta salad (and I love pasta salad). Something salty -- even chips and salsa fresca (I use store-bought then add extra lime and cilantro to brighten the flavors -- put in your own bowl and people will think you chopped everything yourself).

A fancy (non-) alcoholic fizzy drink that is citrusy and refreshing.

You can also parboil chicken and finish it off on the grill. Or buy a bunch of seasoned pork/beef from H Mart and build a menu that skews that way -- coleslaw, kimchi, grilled bok choy, etc. Those thin sliced meats grill super quickly.

[Anonymous]

Kebabs are nice!

[Anonymous]

Glazed chicken drumsticks and/or ribs - super easy to prepare, a bit longer to cook but just plan accordingly. Also a lot more tasty and less dry than most barbecue meats. Serve with couscous-orange salad and homemade coleslaw, both very easy as well.

[Anonymous]

Bacon wrapped scallops on the bbq is always a good one. As is grilled peaches.

[Anonymous]

Good sausages. Like, from the butcher, not a package. Or steak/ kabobs. Pre-carmelized onions are a nice touch, but keep the peppers separate.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Love these ideas. Keep them coming.

[Anonymous]

I always love homemade potato salad and tomato-mozz (or burrata) salad.

Use real dishes, silverware and cloth napkins to bring it up a notch. Decorate with flowers and candles outside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always love homemade potato salad and tomato-mozz (or burrata) salad.

Use real dishes, silverware and cloth napkins to bring it up a notch. Decorate with flowers and candles outside.

Real breakable dishes are not wise near a pool.
It's obvious PP doesn't own a pool.

[Anonymous]

I think presentation is just as important as the food. If you do hot dogs and burgers, set it up like a big buffet with colorful and well organized toppings. Chili, onions, relish, shredded cheese for the dogs. Shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, Klaussen sliced pickles, onions, a variety of cheeses, etc. for the burgers.

You could do the same with a big taco bar. Have a couple different types of proteins (slow cooked chicken in the crock pot and grilled skirt steak on the fire). You could do two types of tortillas, and a big bowl of shredded lettuce for the low carb crowd. Again, lots of colorful, well organized toppings, such as shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, sliced avocados, a homemade chipotle tarter sauce, a hot sauce bar, and a big bowl of hot queso served in a crock pot with a variety of chips or raw veggies for the low carb crowd. You could also have a quesadilla bar for the kids (with cheese or chicken/cheese quesadillas) and sour cream dipping sauce.

Most of the topping mentioned above can be prepped and refrigerated a day before.

[Anonymous]

cut up several types of fruit - strawberries, grapes, star fruit, kiwi, pineapple, etc. put cut up fruit in waffle cones.

[Anonymous]

PP here. Also, kabobs would be a huge hit, served with greek flatbread, feta cheese, pickles, tahini (from Trader Joes), tzaziki (from Trader Joes), sliced tomatoes.

For the kabob, use 80% ground beef, and mix with breadcrumbs, finely diced onion, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper (in food processor), then shape the day before, then grill day of.

[Anonymous]

Grilled Corn Salad

grilled corn cut off of cob mixed with grape tomatoes cut in half, diced avocado, and cilantro. Dress with lime juice, honey, vegetable oil, salt and pepper, dash of cayenne and garlic.

[Anonymous]

for dessert - serve individual servings of fresh berries topped with zabaglione sauce , mint chiffonade and a pepperidge farm pirouette cookie.

[Anonymous]

There is a nyt food critic 100 best picnic recipes. It's really fantastic.
Most of them are different but not difficult.
Fwiw, during the summer we eat at the pool constantly, and I mostly use that list and always get a lot of positive comments.