Help! 62 people THIS Saturday for BBQ!

[ml2620]

I love my ADD husband, but he drives me insane.

Last week he said he wanted to have a few friends over to play some music and have a BBQ, I said great - the house is 1/2 under construction, but there is plenty of space outside. Great, have the party! What, 10-15 friends?

Well, DH posts the invite on his FACEBOOK account (he's trying to get back in the music business after 10 years off the road. He was well known in the Blues world, and has maintained contact with EVERYONE) and after a couple days of hearing "Shirley's coming...Tod's coming, wow I haven't seen him in almost 10 years, my cousins are even coming I made him sit down and count out attendees, and at the moment we have 60 people coming to MY HOUSE in 2 days for a BBQ (weather predicts RAIN!). At least it's BYOB.

I think I just need reassurance that I can pull this off on a shoestring, we can pull off a low stress party for 62 musicians and in-laws and kids and not look like A) The world's crabbiest, meanest wife and B) Like someone incapable of entertaining.

Tips for inexpensive food, what the hot dog/hamburger/lemonade/soda ratio is to people, what to do with kids of all ages, etc. How do you tell people "hey, watch it in the bathroom, we are on septic!" (most people are coming from the city)

Ugh, just tell me he didn't set me up to look like to total failure of a wife and hostess.

[G'MaDebbie]

This could be a tough one, because you could find yourself slaving over the grill all day long for that many people. I would consider doing BBQ's in a crockpot, hot dogs on the grill and fresh veggies with dip and maybe potato or macaroni salad as a side dish.

As far as the septic, just leave a half a roll of t.p. in the bathroom at a time, sounds silly, but we have had to do this before.

[savvy_sniper]

I would also contact ANY of the people on the list that you know and explain HOW MANY people are coming and ask if they could help out - potato salad, beans, plates, utensils, ice, drinks, chips, dips, etc.

HECK I don't know how facebook works, but I would add a note to the invite. Something along the lines of "Due to overwhelming popularity" blah, blah, blah, please bring things if possible (lawn chairs, blankets, coolers, etc.) and make of list of items that could be brought.

Of course, that is just me. My husband is FOREVER inviting a pile of people over. The regulars now know to bring stuff or ASK ME what they can bring.

[savvymom]

We've had get togethers turn into major parties too. First of all, take a deep breath (a few if necessary). I know you can pull this off. I love the idea savvy_sniper suggested with posting a note on Facebook.

If rain is expected that day it may mean people will need to eat in shifts, have some munchies around so that it's not so obvious. I make a cheese dip that's really simple and it goes in the crockpot that might be helpful.

A block of Velveeta cheese
A jar of any kind of salsa
A pound of ground meat

Brown the ground meat. Drain and RINSE the meat with hot water. Dump it into the crockpot on medium heat. Add cubed velveeta and jar of salsa. Stir occasionally to keep it melting. Once melted make sure to turn the crockpot to warm so that it doesn't burn on the bottom. Have some chips or crackers for dipping.

Good luck!

[baxjul]

I've done this before also. Make yourself a big crock full of baked beans, a huge taco dip. Then figure out what meats you will have. Also, have some macaroni salad and potato salad. Those don't cost too much to prepare. Good luck!

[dean]

A roaster full of sloppy joe goes a long way. No grilling mess required!
Add potato salad and macaroni salad and a couple different flavored cakes for dessert.

[rowdy35]

I agree, turn it into a potluck !! it's funny I was thinking "bathroom" before you even said that. Not sure if you are able to rent a port a potty? How many bathrooms do you have ?

i do lots of parties and catering on the side. I love potlucks though. Even if you just do potato salad, bbq beans, potato chips and hotdogs for that many people it gets spendy !

[monkeywrangler71]

I went to a large party at a house on a septic system once and she had posted a little sign above the toilet paper with instructions of what we could and could not flush. Do up something pretty, polite and informative on the computer.

If it was me, I would be asking anyone on the guest list that was related to bring something. But that would depend on what your family is like.

Macaroni salad is much less labour intensive than potato. I would make a gigantic one, put into several bowls. I'd do several veggie platters, but it would depend how expensive produce is where you live. Chips, lots of chips.

I love the idea of using the crockpot. Chili is another thing that you could just put in the crock and let people serve themselves.

I would think a dozen bottles of pop for 60 people. Although if they are bringing other drinks you may not need as much. We usually go with 1.5 burgers per person, as nearly everyone prefers hamburgers and men usually eat two. Much fewer hotdogs because people usually only eat them when the burgers run out. That could be very expensive though, if you are providing everything yourself. You might want to limit to one per person, with a just a couple extra in case the numbers are off.

I've been to bbqs in the rain, just rig a tarp up over the deck, or if you have a (reasonably clean) garage, put some chairs in it.

Hit up neighbours and relatives for extra serving bowls.

Good luck. My husband invited a bunch of people on the 30th, no numbers yet, I hope it isn't 62!

[Grainlady]

I agree with dean - sloppy joes instead of grilling and serve them on small burger buns.

-Sloppy joes don't require the extra toppings and condiments that hamburgers and hot dogs do - which is also a huge expense (pickles, onions, relish, cheese, mustard, mayo, catsup, etc.....!

-You'll get more servings if you use small burger buns, and they hold together better than large buns for sloppy joes.

-You'll get more servings per 1-pound of hamburger with sloppy joes, as dean suggested. This is a recipe I've used since 1964 (when I made it as a kid in 4-H) and it serves 10-12 sloppy joes per 1-pound of ground beef. This recipe has been to LOTS of tailgate parties.

Sloppy Joes
(10-12 1/4-cup servings)

Brown 1-pound ground beef with 1/2 c. chopped onion and 1/4 c. chopped celery. Drain.

Add:
1 small can tomato sauce
1/4 c. catsup
1 T. vinegar
1 T. sugar
salt & pepper (to taste)

Simmer mixture 20 minutes over low heat.

If you make this mixture ahead and want to refrigerate it, follow food safety rules and be sure to quickly cool it before you put it in the refrigerator. To QUICK-COOL: place the pan of the cooked mixture in a sink or ice chest filled with ice water. Stir the mixture frequently to make sure it cools completely through-out, not just the sides. DO NOT place large quantities of hot cooked food in your refrigerator. The hot food will bring the temperature of the refrigerator down to an unsafe temperature. Bacteria can easily grow if the internal temperature of the food remains in the "danger zone" (between 40°F and 140°F for over 2 hours) while the center of the large quantity of food gets to a safe 40°F or colder.

-I'd avoid homemade potato salad - it takes a lot of effort to produce in large quantites and a lot of space in a refrigerator. If it's in the budget, get it in 2-quart sizes at Sam's Club. Figure 1/2-cup per serving.

-I'd be inclined to add a LARGE veggie tray instead of potato salad. Something that doesn't have to be kept on ice.

-To safely serve potato salad or pasta salad, fill a large bowl with ice. Nest a smaller bowl containing potato or pasta salad over the ice in the large bowl to keep it cold.

I have a "French Tub" that I fill with ice and pack 2-quart containers of potato salad or pasta salad into the tub, as another option for keeping it cold. When we're out of one, just replace it with another full container that has been kept cold in a refrigerator or ice chest.

Menu:

Sloppy Joes
Grilled Hot Dogs (if you still want to grill something)
Veggie Trays
Baked Beans and/or Pasta Salad/s
Chips

Desserts: fruit salad, or wedges/balls of melon, cookies (homemade or purchased), sheet cakes, Rice Krispie Treats (kids - old and young - love them)... Keep it simple and inexpensive.

[norcalmommy]

Sam's club has #10 cans of nacho cheese sauce for $5.25 each. A couple of those and a few giant bags of chips would go a long way. When I was a kid a friends mom would pop massive amounts of popcorn for get togethers. She would fill paper lunch bags with the popcorn, then staple the top. Set those out for everyone, easy and cheap.

Good luck!

[pollypurebred39]

homemade iced tea, or sun tea is far cheaper than soda.

i would make several 9x13 cakes and that would be it as far as dessert was concerned.

pasta salad is inexpensive and easy.

love the sloppy joes in small buns, crocks full of beans and dip ideas.

[FrugalWitch]

Since he acted like an idiot (my husband has ADD so that's no excuse) let him worry about it. Let him do the shopping, prepping cooking etc. Just leave the house until it's all over. Bet he won't pull that stunt a second time.

JMHO

[frugalwarrior]

Make ahead cold salads
Spagetti salad
Macaroni salad
crock pot beans
crock pot chili
bean dips/sour creme and onion-buy corn chips,potata chips
husband mans grill-he invited!! or make ahead giant party subs
cut up a whole watermelon instead of fruit salad
Little cheesecakes in muffin tins are pretty easy too.
Make a cheese tray w/ lots of crackers.soft cheese in the middle.


Or GO to Sams club!! Get pizzas.

[Luckybustert]

Sounds like it will be a really FUN get-together! Others have already suggested most of the things I do.....baked beans, macaroni salad, tea.....brownies or cookies are usually a big hit too.

[CrazyCat]

It's a little late...but here's what I'd do.~

*roaster's~!!!! Either pulled pork BBQ or sloppy joes
*some type of pasta salad....with oil & vinegar dressing...(doens't matter if it stays cold cold)
*baked beans
*chips...pretzels
*If I was feeling generous..I'd make a couple batches of brownies.

KISS! which means Keep it simple stupid..*NO offense*~It's just a phrase here....but the more food you offer...the harder it will be to handle.

Oh yes..just make sure you have paper plates, cups, napkins and plastic silverware. Much easier cleanup. AND enough food.~I wouldn't bother with the hamburgs..hot dogs..then you'd need condiments.