Throw a DIY Graduation Bash with a Caterer-Quality Spread

Part II: Make the Food

You can create a party that looks like a planner and caterer set up the spread for your graduate. Presentation makes a difference. Katharine Graham, former Washington Post publisher and party giver extraordinaire, wrote about how she ran out of chicken during a party and sent a worker to Popeye’s. The fast food was set on silver trays and served to guests—it was the hit of the evening. No one knew it was from Popeye’s. We're not suggesting fast food for your graduate’s party, but food nicely presented creates its own aura.

When planning, think about how the food will be presented, and keep it simple.  Contrasting food colors and textures makes them more appealing. Plopping foods on platters does not.

For cost comparison, this writer’s “classy, easy, crowd-pleasing” menu suggestions are put up against grocery store party trays for 20-25 guests. To qualify “crowd-pleasing”—this writer has served the foods below and received compliments on them. I've even been asked for the recipes. See how easy these recipes are to make, and save a bundle by preparing them yourself. 

In , creating a party-planner look using Walmart and dollar store items was detailed.  Save more of your food dollars by shopping at ALDI.

Sometimes, ALDI produce is hit-or-miss, but the selection is usually fresh when shopping there Thursdays or Fridays. Some of the sweetest fruits family and friends have commented on are from ALDI, rather than farmers markets or grocery stores.

Start With Fruit

Pick two or three fruits. Strawberries and green grapes contrast nice in color and texture. ALDI’s strawberries ($1.79 a quart.) were riper and fresher than ones at Giant ($2.99 a quart) recently. Grapes were a splurge at $3.99 a pound at ShopRite; they can be easily cut into clusters of four or five and nicely arranged. 

Do not wash strawberries until ready to arrange and serve. Instead, empty berries from the container onto a paper towel. Carefully place the “wrapped” berries back into the container and refrigerate. This step keeps them fresh an additional one to two days. 

On party day, revive stems by placing them under warm water and pulling on them a bit. Carefully dry berries with paper towels. Arrange fruit in sections on a tray or platter lined with dollies. White doilies make the fruits “pop.” (See our photo.)

The cost for this fruit tray: $15.66. Genuardi’s Fresh Fruit Tray (with a few more fruits included) costs $49.99. Giant’s fruit tray costs $36. Adding one or two other fruits to the suggested tray would still be about half the cost of tray.

Where’s the Dip?

Buffalo chicken dip with some serious kick is a repeated crowd pleaser. Add veggies and crackers, and guests will return for second helpings of this addictive dip that serves 20. A white platter makes vegetables stand out. If using a serving tray, use doilies. Arrange veggies so they all face one way—it creates a party-planner look.

Ingredients:

• 2 (8 ounce) packages light cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup ranch dressing
• 3/4 cup Louisiana-style hot sauce
• 2 (10 ounce) cans Brookdale chunk chicken, drained
•  1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces
• 1 red, 1 yellow pepper, cut into strips
• 1 bunch of broccoli crowns, cut up
• Baby carrots
• 1 (8 ounce) box garden vegetable entertainment crackers (8 oz.)

Recipe: 

1. Set oven to 350 degrees, and mix first three ingredients until well blended:

2. Fold in chicken and half of cheese, and place into mixing dish. Top with remaining cheese.

3. Bake until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve hot with celery, peppers, broccoli, baby carrots and crackers.

The cost for dip, fresh veggies and crackers: $18.48. Giant’s Veggie Tray costs $29.99. Two Genuardi Spinach Dip Party Platter Bowls with bread and some cherry tomatoes cost $43.98.

Mix Sweet and Salty Appetizers

The salty dip tastes good paired with dates stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in bacon. Surprisingly, teenagers and young adults like these dates. This writer first tasted the stuffed dates at a chic Skippack Village restaurant, and searched the Internet for the recipe. (See photo.)

The recipe leaves out an important ingredient: Balsamic vinegar lightly drizzled on the dates just before serving adds tang to the sweetness. For presentation, cocktail toothpicks could be switched for plain toothpicks after baking.

Add Some Greens

Bags of iceberg lettuce, purple cabbage and shredded carrot from ALDI cost 99 cents each. Slice a cucumber to give the salad a little more substance. Add a few bags of salad to a bowl, and place halved cherry tomatoes around the rim for effect. Set out two kinds of dressings.

Bypass Cold Cuts

Instead of offering guests cold cuts, serve them grilled lemon-garlic boneless chicken breasts. They are ridiculously easy to make and taste so good. Place chicken (3 pounds) into a zipper-lock freezer bag, pour one bottle of Giant’s Lemon Garlic Marinade ($2.59 per bottle) onto chicken, rub marinade onto each piece, and refrigerate 24 hours. Turn the bag over several times. Grill. For expert tips on grilling, watch the Culinary Institute of America video.

After grilling, place, do not throw, chicken on a large lettuce-covered tray for effect. (See photo.) Or, grill chicken ahead of time and serve it chilled. (If desired, these chilled chicken breasts make nice sandwiches. Factor in cost for romaine hearts, tomatoes, and nice sandwich buns.)

If fresh, boneless chicken is on sale for $1.99 a pound, grab it. If that same chicken is $2.49 to 3.99 a pound, head for ALDI. Frozen, boneless three-pound Kirkwood bags of chicken cost $5.49, or $1.89 a pound, at ALDI. 

Pieces are often large and can be split in two, thus making two servings. A 3-pound bag can potentially yield 10 to 12 servings. The cost for three 3-pound bags of chicken, three bottles of marinade and one bag of romaine hearts: $26.25. The cost of Genuardi’s All-Star Beef party tray is $49.99.

Small Potatoes

Make small work of preparing potatoes. Onion soup mix, oil and cut-up potatoes roast easily while preparing other things. This is a good recipe. 

Sweet Endings

Every time this writer serves Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate brownies, people say, “These are the best brownies I’ve ever had!” Buy three boxes and mix as directed. Pour into two greased, 15 by 11 inch cookie sheets with edges. After 30 minutes, check brownies. Remove from oven when middle of tray is set. Cool completely.

Frost one pan with Duncan Hines Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting (16 ounces). Leave the other brownies unfrosted. Each sheet yields 36 pieces. Use a plastic knife to cut the brownies to keep them from crumbling as they are cut. Place each brownie in a mini cupcake liner. If liners are different colors, group colors together on a tray for a more polished look. (See photo.)

The cost for 72 brownies: $10.60 (Note:  the mixes and frosting were found at Giant.) Three Chocolate Lover’s Tray of brownies from Giant (72 count) cost: $50.97.

Let Them Eat Cake

Splurge on a half-sheet cake for your graduate. Giant’s basic half-sheet cake costs $28.99. If saving more money is the goal, check out Softasilk Cake Flour recipes. Using cake flour creates a nicer texture than all-purpose flour. This link has a number of cake recipes.

As you set out to shop, remember recipe costs were calculated based on items purchased at ALDI. Buying items at other grocery stores will cost more, but will still yield savings over buying grocery store party platters. Either way, use savings to buy your graduate a gift.

Up next: Part 3—Last-Minute Details.