1st birthday food

Doodle2011

What are you doing?  We are pretty broke between Christmas, bills, etc.  I think we are wussing out and doing pizza and salad.  I hate to say it, but the Little Caesar's $5 carry outs are sounding better and better (not to my tummy, but to my bank account).  Not to mention it's easy.  I am more focused on having some cute decorations and the invitations (got some for my owl theme "Look Whoooo's turning 1" on etsy.  They are going to be super cute!).  I am torn between making cupcakes (that will look like owls) or having a regular sheet cake + smash cake from the grocery store.  Again, I am thinking of ease. 

MarSamWhitney

I stole someones idea on here (Broc, maybe?) about doing a chilli bar. I don't think it will be too expensive.  i'll probably make a sheet cake, a smash cake, and maybe some cup cakes. I hate paying for cakes for some reason, im weird like that. lol

 

RedZee

I've been thinking of bagels or maybe 6' subs. We are so behind in any kind of planning!

Doodle2011

Chili bar sounds awesome!!  Hmmmmmm.....I am going to talk to my H about that.

MarSamWhitney

lol, i was just thinking subs sound really good too.

Our 5 dollar pizzas around here are so gross, are they better by you? Or maybe I have just become a pizza snob as I got older. lol.

SweetHurricane

If you end up going the pizza route, I'd look into Papa Johns. It's only $10 for a large and they actually taste really good. Sign up for an account and you earn papa points and can redeem them for free pizza later on. We eat there all the time and get a free pizza probably once a month.

I'm not a fan of premade subs. I'm super picky and I hate when people assume that I want lettuce, mayo, etc on my food. Maybe set up a table with all the fixins (cold cuts, veggies, condiments, etc) so people can make their own.

jaejaevee

We did Papa John's for my son's birthday last year.  They have party packs that bring the pizzas down pretty cheap.  People loved it.

Doodle2011

So H is down with the chili bar idea.  Huzzah!  Although he disagrees on how much we will need to make.  I say 4 big stew pots and he says 2 (he is soooo wrong).  We are expecting 50 people.  Yes that is all family!  He is the youngest of 7 kids.  I will also have a big salad, corn bread, and rice...plus cake (or cupcakes).  Do you think I should do a big fruit salad too?

MarSamWhitney

Doodle2011:

So H is down with the chili bar idea.  Huzzah!  Although he disagrees on how much we will need to make.  I say 4 big stew pots and he says 2 (he is soooo wrong).  We are expecting 50 people.  Yes that is all family!  He is the youngest of 7 kids.  I will also have a big salad, corn bread, and rice...plus cake (or cupcakes).  Do you think I should do a big fruit salad too?

Yum, we are doing about the same thing. I am not doing a fruit salad, since fruit will be expensive around here, but I think I might do a veggie tray and like a veggie pizza or something.  Im borrowing a few peoples crock pots and doing one regular, a white chilli, and then a spicy one, for a variety. I'll make up cutesy place cards to put in front of them i guess.

Now I want papa johns! lol.

broccolitree

Yep, we're doing a chili bar, for the reasons you mentioned.  If I wanted to I could make the chili tomorrow and freeze it until the party, and chili is super cheap... a 800g can of tomatoes, a couple green peppers and some onions as a base.  One will be just beans (so either a buck for a bag or $3 for 3-4 cans) and one will be just meat (probably a mix of ground turkey, pork and beef).  I can just throw a frozen bag into the crock pot as soon as we wake up on the morning of the party and it'll be warm and tasty by the time the party starts.

The toppings will be a good amount of chopping, but it's the kind of thing where I can hand my mom or MIL a knife and a fistful of scallions when they get all 'what can I do to helppp'? on the day of.