Cheap Main Courses for 20+ Picnic?

enkeli224 · July 2012

Hey girls,

I think I'm going to end up having to make a 'main course' for a party with work people - myself and another gal usually do all the birthdays, etc, so we're known for our cooking skills...and that means people want us to do main dishes. I think it means I'm going to end up dishing out big bucks for this and I'd prefer not to. I'm looking at a crowd of 20, with 1 other main item being provided.

It's in a public park, all day, and there are outlets available but I'd REALLY love to not take my crockpot and have to deal with all that nonsense for this.

I'm also looking for MOST cost-effective.

Any ideas? My other "cooking gal" co-worker also got suckered into main dish, and she's bringing hamburger BBQ in her crockpot.

Any really creative ideas? I considered pulled pork (but again - would have to take the crockpot), and a chicken salad with grapes/celery (would have to keep it cold, but i think I'd rather tackle that problem) but the price of chicken is also a little astronomical for a crowd this size. Thought it didn't hurt to ask you creative ladies!

I suggested just doing easy sandwiches for this, and that got vetoed.

Jim&Jaime · July 2012

Public parks often have pavilions with electrical outlets, and, if this is the case, I think the crockpot would be the logical choice.

Kate&Mark · July 2012

Maybe a cold peanut noodle salad? It shouldn't be expensive since it's mostly pasta, and you could add in chicken or shrimp to make it more of a main dish.

daveandlaura2009 · July 2012

Is anyone bringing a grill? I like using portable grills at park cookouts. Of course we don't own one, but many friends do. Then you could do some simple burgers-beef, veggie, and turkey....whichever people prefer. I also find this easy because the patties can stay in the cooler and then be cooked in time for the meal.