Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Hard to go wrong with chicken tacos - you can get everything ready in advance - sauté peppers and onions, grate cheese, chop lettuce and tomatoes, grill or sauté the chicken, even make the guacamole. Then it’s just reheating and assembly and people can put what the want on their taco.

This with already grilled chicken or rotisserie

Taco bar hater chiming in here. This forum is the worst about suggesting taco bars for every conceivable occasion. Please stop beating the dead horse.

Are there any suggestions above you like? I'm hoping to hear from people who have strong opinions because I want something that will please most people.

We'll probably just serve whatever it is family style at the table on the deck, because it's going to be 4 or 5 people. But I am leaning towards something kind of deconstructed because you never know what kids like to eat, whether that's tacos, or pasta with a few choices for toppings, and sides, or something else. -- OP

I also hate a taco bar. I would wind up just eating chicken and lettuce, without any of the other stuff. I would like any italian dish (lasagna, ziti, even mac & cheese), roasted chicken & potatoes, meatballs and spaghetti, etc. I wouldn't eat chili or pulled pork or burritos.

Things I have done in the past that worked in similar situations:

- chili in a crock pot, serve with cornbread, rice and corn chips so everyone has a choice of starch to go with it, and toppings
- beef stew made ahead of time, easy to warm up and serve with egg noodles
- mac and beef is nice and easy and virtually everyone likes pasta, red sauce, meat and veggies

These are dishes that can be made ahead and just reheated, either in a pot on the stove, left to cook/warm in a crock pot so warm when you get back, or can even be reheated in a microwave.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Hard to go wrong with chicken tacos - you can get everything ready in advance - sauté peppers and onions, grate cheese, chop lettuce and tomatoes, grill or sauté the chicken, even make the guacamole. Then it’s just reheating and assembly and people can put what the want on their taco.

This with already grilled chicken or rotisserie

Taco bar hater chiming in here. This forum is the worst about suggesting taco bars for every conceivable occasion. Please stop beating the dead horse.

Funny. You must be the only person to “hate” a taco bar. I make this for pretty much every occasion because it’s a huge hit. That’s why people suggest it! People talk about my taco bars all the time. They’re epic.

Agree, I'm totally fine with ignoring the hater. Not my dream meal, but easy to serve a crowd with different tastes/dietary restrictions.

Feel free to suck it up or stay home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Hard to go wrong with chicken tacos - you can get everything ready in advance - sauté peppers and onions, grate cheese, chop lettuce and tomatoes, grill or sauté the chicken, even make the guacamole. Then it’s just reheating and assembly and people can put what the want on their taco.

This with already grilled chicken or rotisserie

Taco bar hater chiming in here. This forum is the worst about suggesting taco bars for every conceivable occasion. Please stop beating the dead horse.

Funny. You must be the only person to “hate” a taco bar. I make this for pretty much every occasion because it’s a huge hit. That’s why people suggest it! People talk about my taco bars all the time. They’re epic.

Ikea frozen meat balls with the fixings (gravy and the lingon berry jam). Smashed tricolor potatoes and peas shallow fried with onions. Steamed broccoli and carrots. Garlic toast and tomato soup. (Normal toast with garlic and butter).

My teen DS friends devour it at my house.

Pulled pork sandwiches are good on the small Hawaiian dinner rolls. Some coleslaw and fruit kabobs. Basically, anything you can cook in the crock pot.

Smothered wet burritos. Preassemble, put it in a glass baking dish and keep in the fridge. When you need to serve, pour the sauce generously to drown the burritos and microwave or heat in the oven. You can make it with beef, chicken, beans and it is equally delicious. Serve with a topping of finely chopped lettuce, salsa, sour cream.

Pulled BBQ chicken sandwiches. Use the crockpot for the chicken. Buy (or make ahead if ambitious) some good pretzel rolls. Serve with some coleslaw you made ahead of time, chips, raw cut vegetables and fruit. Crowd pleasing and can be on table in under 20 min.

Anonymous wrote:My kid LOVES taco's, especially "walking taco's" (crush a single serving bag of Dorito's, add meat/toppings and eat with a fork). Most people are fine with taco's or fajita's. You could have some shredded lettuce incase that person would prefer a salad.

Calzones are another great idea that you can freeze if you don't eat them all. I'd make sure to have a few adult varieties like caprese, philly cheesesteak, etc.

Walking taco has got to be the trashiest dinner ever. If dinner can be trashy. I would not admit to eating this (if I did) nor would I ever consider “serving” this and calling it dinner when I had people over. Good God people

I would not do homemade pizza. Maybe it is just me, but I find it to be a pain. Flour out, sticky, makes a mess. Then have to cook one at a time and they aren’t very big. I’d have to make 3 for 4 people. I’d pick something else. I do it for my own family frequently but I wouldn’t pick this for guests

My kid LOVES taco's, especially "walking taco's" (crush a single serving bag of Dorito's, add meat/toppings and eat with a fork). Most people are fine with taco's or fajita's. You could have some shredded lettuce incase that person would prefer a salad.

Calzones are another great idea that you can freeze if you don't eat them all. I'd make sure to have a few adult varieties like caprese, philly cheesesteak, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Frozen pizza. Honestly. The kids will not care, you won't have to spend ages preparing something that someone else's kids won't eat or don't like, and it's cheap. And I'm saying that as someone who cooks most things from scratch (even pizza) and who has spent too much time making meals for other people's kids only for the kids to push the food around their plates and make weird faces at the same time.

You'd serve an adult guest in your house frozen pizza? The first time you invited them over?

Bolognaise sauce would be good, you do it ahead, keep it in the crock pot and it wouldn't seem fancy even if it is, plus kids could eat without sauce if they hate meat. A good salad, maybe a vegetable and bruschetta would be easy fancy touches.

Frozen pizza. Honestly. The kids will not care, you won't have to spend ages preparing something that someone else's kids won't eat or don't like, and it's cheap. And I'm saying that as someone who cooks most things from scratch (even pizza) and who has spent too much time making meals for other people's kids only for the kids to push the food around their plates and make weird faces at the same time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Hard to go wrong with chicken tacos - you can get everything ready in advance - sauté peppers and onions, grate cheese, chop lettuce and tomatoes, grill or sauté the chicken, even make the guacamole. Then it’s just reheating and assembly and people can put what the want on their taco.

This with already grilled chicken or rotisserie

Taco bar hater chiming in here. This forum is the worst about suggesting taco bars for every conceivable occasion. Please stop beating the dead horse.

Are there any suggestions above you like? I'm hoping to hear from people who have strong opinions because I want something that will please most people.

We'll probably just serve whatever it is family style at the table on the deck, because it's going to be 4 or 5 people. But I am leaning towards something kind of deconstructed because you never know what kids like to eat, whether that's tacos, or pasta with a few choices for toppings, and sides, or something else.

-- OP