Non-grilled barbeque sides and dessert?
May 23, 2015 6:38 PM Subscribe
We are having an open-house style barbeque on Monday. Meat and grill duties will be taken care of (along with vegan veggie dogs/burgers and salmon burgers and grilled corn) by my other half. I am not working Sunday and am thus in charge of All Other Things. Feed me some ideas that I can feed my guests.
We'll probably have between 30 and 40 people show. I'd like to get have snacky stuff that is easy to prepare or prep in advance going tomorrow. We'll have watermelon, of course, and I have veggies to cut up. But what about dessert, batch drinks or sides you actually have to prepare? This is where you people come in!
Assume good kitchen skills and access to a Costco (which, siiiiigh, is already all out of potato salad for the weekend). I bow to the powers of pollen/mosquitoes and will be doing all of MY cooking inside.
We'll probably have between 30 and 40 people show. I'd like to get have snacky stuff that is easy to prepare or prep in advance going tomorrow. We'll have watermelon, of course, and I have veggies to cut up. But what about dessert, batch drinks or sides you actually have to prepare? This is where you people come in!
Assume good kitchen skills and access to a Costco (which, siiiiigh, is already all out of potato salad for the weekend). I bow to the powers of pollen/mosquitoes and will be doing all of MY cooking inside.
Our go-to batch drink is sangria.
BBQ side dishes I love to make and eat: Black bean & corn salad which can be made beforehand, and tomato/blackbean/avocado salad which is best served immediately. Plus any pasta salad.
For dessert, I would go with the ubiquitous Layer bars
posted by lyssabee at 6:53 PM on May 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
BBQ side dishes I love to make and eat: Black bean & corn salad which can be made beforehand, and tomato/blackbean/avocado salad which is best served immediately. Plus any pasta salad.
For dessert, I would go with the ubiquitous Layer bars
posted by lyssabee at 6:53 PM on May 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
sangria, with chopped up mixed fruit along side that people can munch on or throw in their drink, complete with cocktail knives would be a nice touch.
posted by nadawi at 6:58 PM on May 23, 2015
posted by nadawi at 6:58 PM on May 23, 2015
A few cans of sliced beets, drained.
3-4 T olive oil
3-4 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 C crumbled Gorgonzola
chopped parsley
salt & pepper
Toss.
It's nice chilled or warm.
posted by plinth at 7:16 PM on May 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
3-4 T olive oil
3-4 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 C crumbled Gorgonzola
chopped parsley
salt & pepper
Toss.
It's nice chilled or warm.
posted by plinth at 7:16 PM on May 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
Cole slaw. And you can make potato salad very easily. I'd suggest new potatoes, lots of grainy mustard, caramelized onions, in a mix of juuuuuust enough yogurt and mayonnaise to lightly coat. Maybe some caraway seeds if you're nasty.
Dessert: big pan of brownies. Or butter tarts!
My white sangria, benefits from being made in advance and festering for a bit.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 7:22 PM on May 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Dessert: big pan of brownies. Or butter tarts!
My white sangria, benefits from being made in advance and festering for a bit.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 7:22 PM on May 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
You can be even lazier and buy lots of rosé, buckets of ice and have people serve themselves. My favorite non-alcoholic is cranberry cocktail, orange juice and elderberry syrup mixed with fizzy water.
Besides bar cookies, there is always the picnic standard of cobbler. Deborah Madson in her Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone has amazing salads that survive very nice at room temperature such as, quinoa salad with mangos, and curry dressing.
posted by jadepearl at 8:00 PM on May 23, 2015
Besides bar cookies, there is always the picnic standard of cobbler. Deborah Madson in her Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone has amazing salads that survive very nice at room temperature such as, quinoa salad with mangos, and curry dressing.
posted by jadepearl at 8:00 PM on May 23, 2015
With 30-40 guests, at least 10-15 will call and say "what can I bring?" Your answer should be "dessert" and let them surprise you.
If that isn't your speed, ambrosia salad is a favorite of mine for such cookouts. For a side, I've never seen broccoli and cheese casserole with ritz crackers go untouched.
Don't forget the ease of getting a bunch of bags of potato chips.
posted by slateyness at 8:00 PM on May 23, 2015
If that isn't your speed, ambrosia salad is a favorite of mine for such cookouts. For a side, I've never seen broccoli and cheese casserole with ritz crackers go untouched.
Don't forget the ease of getting a bunch of bags of potato chips.
posted by slateyness at 8:00 PM on May 23, 2015
Super easy pea salad.
Frozen peas, thawed.1lb
Smoke house almonds, chopped.1 cup
Mayonnaise as much as you want.
Curry powder, to taste.
Mix curry powder and mayo, stir in nuts, add to thawed peas. Seriously good salad. Can be made and mixed in the frozen pea bag.
posted by jennstra at 8:09 PM on May 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Frozen peas, thawed.1lb
Smoke house almonds, chopped.1 cup
Mayonnaise as much as you want.
Curry powder, to taste.
Mix curry powder and mayo, stir in nuts, add to thawed peas. Seriously good salad. Can be made and mixed in the frozen pea bag.
posted by jennstra at 8:09 PM on May 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
I make something like this salad (but I sub a red pepper for the tomato & also include a white bean, too and maybe a shallot instead of the red onion, but the same basic idea. Also, a sharp cheddar or Swiss cheese works too. It's flexible). I keep waiting for someone to invite me to a barbecue so I can bring it.
Cookies are always good. Ice cream (like those little ice cream cups or ice cream sandwiches) or popsicles can be fun, as long as you have a way to keep them frozen ahead of time.
Sangria -- red or white -- is always great. A rum punch would also work (you could also do a "virgin" version if you'd like).
posted by darksong at 9:11 PM on May 23, 2015
Cookies are always good. Ice cream (like those little ice cream cups or ice cream sandwiches) or popsicles can be fun, as long as you have a way to keep them frozen ahead of time.
Sangria -- red or white -- is always great. A rum punch would also work (you could also do a "virgin" version if you'd like).
posted by darksong at 9:11 PM on May 23, 2015
Cook a batch of orzo or another small pasta. Drain and let it cool. Combine with grape tomatoes, crumbled feta, and either jarred seasoned artichoke hearts or a good-quality canned three-bean salad. No measurements because everything here is to taste.
posted by wintersweet at 10:25 PM on May 23, 2015
posted by wintersweet at 10:25 PM on May 23, 2015
This broccoli slaw makes a great side dish. Also, my partner makes a Greek salad similar to this one that's always devoured at parties; he prefers green olives to black and uses balsamic vinegar instead of red wine, but that's up to personal taste.
Pimm's Cup is easy to make in pitchers, and it's pretty flexible; you can mix it with (non-carbonated) lemonade or with ginger ale or 7-UP, and you can skip the fruit/cucumber/etc. if you want. Also, tea-based cocktails like this bourbon-based one or this gin-based one seem like a good match for a barbeque.
posted by neushoorn at 11:37 PM on May 23, 2015
Pimm's Cup is easy to make in pitchers, and it's pretty flexible; you can mix it with (non-carbonated) lemonade or with ginger ale or 7-UP, and you can skip the fruit/cucumber/etc. if you want. Also, tea-based cocktails like this bourbon-based one or this gin-based one seem like a good match for a barbeque.
posted by neushoorn at 11:37 PM on May 23, 2015
The best coleslaw I have ever eaten at a BBQ goes like this:
Shred a whole head of red cabbage
Pound a whole head of garlic with pestle & mortar
Mix the two together in a sauce made with two parts Greek yoghurt, one part mayonnaise and liberal tahini to taste
posted by terretu at 2:14 AM on May 24, 2015
Shred a whole head of red cabbage
Pound a whole head of garlic with pestle & mortar
Mix the two together in a sauce made with two parts Greek yoghurt, one part mayonnaise and liberal tahini to taste
posted by terretu at 2:14 AM on May 24, 2015
This edamame and bell pepper salad (I make it without the the baby kale and I also don't bother chopping the edamame) is a really delicious hearty side salad and is vegan. The hard part is finding frozen shelled edamame - I had to check a couple stores to find it.
posted by misskaz at 6:30 AM on May 24, 2015
posted by misskaz at 6:30 AM on May 24, 2015
Easy no-cook crowd pleaser:
Cut raw corn off the cob. Many cobs. Add chopped tomatoes. I like grape or cherry tomatoes. Add lemon juice and fresh thyme, or dried thyme. Mix it up. Tastes so summery and fresh.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 6:58 AM on May 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
Cut raw corn off the cob. Many cobs. Add chopped tomatoes. I like grape or cherry tomatoes. Add lemon juice and fresh thyme, or dried thyme. Mix it up. Tastes so summery and fresh.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 6:58 AM on May 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
This is the best thread I have ever read! Yum to all these suggestions!
One thing that was a big hit when I hosted a 4th of July party last year was a big glass beverage dispenser with a tap filled with Lipton's cold brew tea bags, ice, water, and sprigs of fresh mint. It was really easy to open the lid, throw more tea bags, water, and ice inside and keep it going. It was really hot that day and most people didn't want to drink alcohol the whole time. I've also done just plain ice water with lemon slices which is always great.
posted by Pearl928 at 3:31 PM on May 24, 2015
One thing that was a big hit when I hosted a 4th of July party last year was a big glass beverage dispenser with a tap filled with Lipton's cold brew tea bags, ice, water, and sprigs of fresh mint. It was really easy to open the lid, throw more tea bags, water, and ice inside and keep it going. It was really hot that day and most people didn't want to drink alcohol the whole time. I've also done just plain ice water with lemon slices which is always great.
posted by Pearl928 at 3:31 PM on May 24, 2015
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posted by bookmammal at 6:44 PM on May 23, 2015