What food to serve??After my son's baptism we're having friends and family over and don't know what to serve.

Platters of cold cuts, salads, and rolls/breads, etc. You could make one or two trays of baked ziti or a lasagna to go with the sandwiches, too. Good Luck!

How about some platters of "roll-up" sandwiches, from the deli, and then add some salads, veggie/fruit platters ... A cake and a platter of assorted cookies. You can do the salads the day ahead and just set them out. Pick up the sandwiches early in the morning....

SHRIMP SLAW

1/2 lb. cooked tiny shrim

1 shredded green cabbage

1/2 c. chopped green pepper

1 c. sour cream

1 c. mayonnaise

1 TB. horseradish

vinegar to taste

2 tsp. Worchestershire

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. dried dillweed

Combine dressing ingredients and toss with the cabbage and shrimp. Serves 10-12

ARTICHOKE RICE SALAD

1 package chicken flavored rice (like Rice-a-Roni)

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 green pepper, chopped

8 pimento stuffed olives, thinly sliced

2 jars marinated artichoke hearts, cut up

1/4 tsp. curry powder

1/3 c. mayonnaise

Prepare rice per package instructions. Mix everything else into the hot rice. Serve hot, cold or ROOM TEMP...Serves 10-12

SEVEN LAYER SALAD

8 strips bacon - cooked & crumbled

1 pkg. frozen peas (thawed)

1 head iceburg lettuce, shredded

1/4-1/2 c. EACH chopped celery, green pepper, onion

1-2 c. mayonnaise

2 TB. sugar

4-6 oz. shredded cheddar or Parmesan cheese

Fill large salad bowl half full of shredded lettuce. Add in layers celery, green pepper, onion and peas. Cover with mayonnaise, sprinkling suger over dressing. Cover top of salad with the cheese and add the bacon on top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate AT LEAST 8 hours. Be sure to cut down through all layers when serving.... Serves 10-12

Why don't you make a big Caesar salad (keep the dressing, croutons, etc on the side until ready to serve), have a couple of vegetable trays out, little trays with cheese, crackers, and fruit, and maybe as a main course some pasta with various sauces to let your guests choose from! For dessert, why not some angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries! All of these things you can prep the night before and take very little time to cook!

Finger foods- like little pastries, sausage rolls, etc. You can make these little toothpick snacks- put cubes of cheese, sausage and pickles on toothpicks. You can also have cheese and biscuits. You can have sparkling grape juice or (if there are alcohol drinkers) wine. I find a variety of cheese and biscuits always goes down well and is very easy. Buffet tables also are very sociable.

Have cold pieces of chicken, cherry tomatoes- anything guests can fill a plate with and munch on. Its easy to do and won't cost the earth either.

Buffets are always the easiest especially when pressed for time. What about keeping it simple (for guests and for you) and just do a veggie platter, fruit and cheese tray, chips and dip, crackers and a cheeseball, fresh deli lunch meat tray, maybe prep up a tray or two of little pigs-the-blankets and pop em in the oven when you get home. pulled chicken bbq sandwiches are messy but tasty and you can fix it in your crock pot. bbq little smokies in the crock pot are fun and tasty too.

people eat this up!!! I use a large crock pot, and buy already cooked meatball in it, with honey BBQ sauce, let it cook on low the morning of the baptism, I sometimes buy the hoagie rolls, so as to make a meatball sandwich, but no one ever uses them....they like to just fill their plate up with them....it's funny cause they say how much they like them......and I didn't really do a whole lot !!! the place I buy them is SMART-N-FINAL....with all that said, you could do a salad,fruits....now that it's spring....maybe top it off with a champage type punch....have fun!!!!!

Call your local bbq place & find out their prices for buying by the pound. Around here they will come out & set up the buffet line of bbq and all the usual sides like baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad and also include all the disposable plates, forks, knives, cups, etc........They even bring the sweet tea!!

Sub sandwiches and salads (pasta, lettuce, fruit) would seem to work for your guests and objectives. Our children were baptised earlier in the day and so we had a brunch of pastry and fruit salads. These events are more about socializing than eating!

Astrobuf

Junk food... pizza, hot dogs, burgers, chips, maybe order the pizza or have a bar b q. Let your son see what kind of food they might like. Oh yea and trash cans!

Tapas plates, or antipasto dishes, nibbles ! Something that is well presented and not to messy. Or do a cocktail party style lunch.