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brunch the day after party
I'm throwing DH a surprise party in 2 weeks.
His family is coming in from all over the country & will be staying for a few days. They are not all staying with us.
I expect to have everyone (about 15 people) over to our house the day after the party so they can all visit. They never get to see each other.
We should have leftovers from the party but what other "staples" should I have on hand? I will stock up on beer, wine, soda & water. I know my caterer from the party so there will be plenty of leftovers but . . . .I just want it to be nice. This will be the 1st time his dad & step mom have been to our house. If worse comes to worse, I'll order out for pizza b/c this is more about quality time together than anything else.
I just don't know how to get lots of food into our house in advance without having DH get suspicious.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
TIA
Re: brunch the day after party
I might rethink your game plan. Leftovers, pizza, and beer don't say "nice brunch" to me.
Since it's a surprise party, I'd have brunch/lunch catered. You're right that there's no way to do food early unless you can take over a neighbor's kitchen for a couple days. It's also guaranteed to be nice if you cater, so you have no worries.
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It's not supposed to be a "nice" bruch per se. But I can see how you got that impression from my poorly worded post.
It's supposed to be more of a way to get all these people who never see each other together for a longer, more intimate visit. They won't get a chance to socialize at the party b/c that guest list is so large. I want people to eat the left overs too. My fear is more running out of food.
I don't really have more money to cater the brunch after the party expenses (200 people for dinner, plus open bar, plus a live band).
Ah, ok, that explains a lot.
I'm a little confused on the leftovers part. Have you asked your caterer for lots of leftovers? They're generally really good about getting food quantities right because it costs them money, so I wouldn't count on leftovers unless the caterer had said X will be available.
Do you want brunch or lunch? For brunch, you could make breakfast casseroles in advance and have them in the freezer. Then call and order a fruit tray, sandwich tray, veggie tray, and cheese tray at the grocery deli. Pick up bagels and cream cheese and a couple boxes of danish or doughnuts and you're set. If your grocery has it, you could also get hot sides like mac and cheese if you want them.
ETA - I see where you said you know your caterer. But wouldn't it be cheaper to do something like deli trays than to pay the per person cost for more fancy food that you're going to microwave the next day?
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If you have a GFS you could hit them up for some egg and french toast casseroles and hijack a neighbor refrigerator. If you want a bit more work I came across this recipe that I'm dying to try. http://www.macheesmo.com/2010/03/breakfast-sandwiches/ The ingredients are things my husband would never notice extra of.
I know you don't want to pay in catering, but pizza can be pricey too. You might consider ordering and prepaying a grocery store then asking someone to pick it up.
So it seems to me you aren't trying to have a meal as much as have food to put out as people get hungry.
To that I say pastries/muffins, fruit salad, chips/dip (or salsa/chips), cheese/crackers (and maybe some accompaniements like pepperoni/olives/dried fruit), nuts, and maybe some frozen appetizers that you can put in the oven (even little pizza bites).
Then maybe leave it to someone to suggest you can all go out for dinner/lunch. I think after doing the big party (bigger then my wedding mind you) and having all these munchies, no one will expect you to pick up the tab.