What do I serve for an outdoor party with a Mexican theme?

[eks6426]

My husband and I have worked really hard on our backyard the last couple of years (laid 1/2 the yard in a granite patio, numerous flower beds etc.) We have decided to have a big yard party this year because the yard actually looks decent enough to do it.

I''m having trouble with the menu and could use some help. We are thinking there will be about 35-45 guests. Adults only-- No children. I have several seating areas but we won''t have enough seats for everyone to sit at a proper table. So, we need food that is easy to eat in one''s lap if necessary and no overly messy.

We''re thinking about doing a Mexican theme for the food because we both like Mexican food. I can come up with side dishes with no problem but I''m having trouble coming up with a main course sort of item. I don''t want to do anything that requires grilling (unless it can be done ahead of time) because that will take too long for that many guests. Ideally, I want to be able to premake the main dish and keep it warm in the oven, crockpot etc.

I thought about a make your own taco buffet with different sorts of meats, fillers, salsas etc. but my husband thinks that will be messy and hard for people to handle.

So, I''m really looking for ideas for the main dish (but will gladly hear suggestions on the rest of the menu). I''m not used to cooking for a crowd.

Here''s the rest of the preliminary menu:

black bean salad (has corn, cilantro, onion, cucumber in it)
cantaloupe with cilantro salad (sounds strange but is actually very good)
tropical fruit salad with tequilla lime dressing
saffron rice
chips & salsa
guacamole
layered mexican dip
margaritas plus beer, iced tea, water, pop

I also need dessert suggestions if you have any!

GRACIAS!

 

[Skippy123]

maybe a fun fajita station w/skirt beef and chicken or a taco station buffet style??? Sounds fun to me

 

[Mara]

ID...I love Mexican food, am half Mexican too so we have it all the time, esp in our family.

I would suggest something like enchiladas for the main course. They can be simple to make ... there are a ton of recipes online, if you want to do something lighter, try Cooking Light which has various recipes. Basically it's corn enchiladas that you fry a bit in a pan (you don't HAVE to do this step), then roll in meat, cheese, olives, whatever inside the tortilla, put some sauce inside, then layer them in a baking pan, and then pour sauce over it and layer cheese etc and bake. There are variations on the recipes but that is the 'jist' of it. You can also make a bunch of big pans of them as assembly is easy then just bake them.

I would also suggest tamales but those are more difficult to make, out here we have places you can buy them from in bulk like restaurants who also do takeout or wholesale or parties, but I don't know if your area is that heavy on great Mexican food, and if not you probably would have a harder time finding that. And they are way more difficult to make for a beginner.

Also, the saffron rice..I don't consider that real Mexican just from my end (not sure I have ever had it in a Mexi restaurant either)...so I would serve something more like tomato rice..which my grandma makes and the family just eats it up. Look online for recipes for this as well but the jist is usually something like garlic, onions, red tomatoes and Mahatma long-grain rice all simmered together in a pan, it turns reddish pink from the tomatoes and it's soooo yummy. Grandma's is the best.

Other than that I think the menu looks awesome, we love 7 layer dip!! Oh for dessert, flan is a traditional one but not sure how easy it is to make...maybe something like a caramel creme pudding? That seems Mexi to me...hehee. Or dulce de leche kind of pudding as well.

I kind of agree with your hubby re: fajitas or tacos being too messy and also whenever I try this people are always asking me for things I don't have/aka didn't think to get or whatever....haha. So just putting out one obvious entree dish for me is the way to go and it's less setup and prep too. I am all about that. and Greg likes easy cleanup too.

Oh one other thought is you could do something like a big crockpot of simmered pinto beans, this is such a staple for my Grandma, not sure how she makes it but it's pintos and onions and garlic for sure and she just simmers them all day and then brings the pot over, they are so tender and tasty. Plus good for you! Or chili beans are always a big hit too.

 

[KimberlyH]

I second Skip''s idea. Get two crockpots, make one chicken and one beef fajita type meat (add diced tomatoes/salsa, onions, peppers, garlic, etc.) let it cook all day, warm up some tortillas and you''ve got a yummy meal that doesn''t take you away from your guests.

 

[KimberlyH]

Mmm, I just saw Mara''s post and enchiladas are yummy too, and they can be made ahead of time. I love Mexican food, I''d be happy with either one! I make homemade tamales and while delicious they take many hours to make...but they can be done ahead as well.

 

[sumbride]

We just did this for about half that number of people and I had the fajitas catered by a local restaurant. They called it "bulk carryout" and for about $10 a person, we picked up sizzling hot trays of chicken, beef and portabello mushrooms, plus tortillas and all the fixings and rice and beans. It was a huge hit and it kept me out of the kitchen. These are "big city prices" so I don''t know if you could maybe do it for less where you are, but I highly recommend carryout!

Also, we served grilled corn... also a hit, and that quinoa salad I posted a recipe for in the vegetarian thread which was the most popular thing, aside from the fajitas. I made guacamole using a "starter" from Williams-Sonoma" which was proclaimed "the best guacamole EVER" by several guests. Also margaritas and key lime pie for dessert.

 

[mrssalvo]

I think your menu looks great. mara's idea is a good one for easy making and clean-up and sounds yummy

I think the taco idea is good too though although they are messy but most folks still eat taco's with their hands right? at least we here in the south do, so you wouldn't really have to worry about silverware, just have handywipes nearby. I think they'd still be fun and normally everyone likes tacos. I buy the shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, and any other ready made toppings. then I cut up red onion and tomato's and everyone can pick what they want one them. My oldest daughter is a veggie so I also make black beans for her but most people add them to their taco's too. you could also have hard shell's and soft for varity. You could also have extra lettuce for anyone who just wanted to make a taco salad.
sounds like fun.

 

[eks6426]

I''m torn between doing the "make your own taco" concept with 2 crockpots of meat then fixings in separate bowls or premaking different kinds of enchiladas. Which would be easier for people to eat?

Most of the enchiladas I''ve made have a sauce over the top which might make them hard to eat without a knife and fork....

I thought about tamales and will investigate if any of our Mexican grocery stores will make them in bulk for me. I definitely don''t want to try to make them for the first time for a party.

I found a recipe on allrecipes.com for a margarita pie. It sounds yummy but would need to be kept cold....

 

[zoebartlett]

I think either would be delicious! The taco idea is sounds more interactive and could be fun for guests. The bulk carryout idea that Sumbride recommended sounds super easy and if it saves you from having to spend time in the kitchem, that''s even better. Everything sounds really yummy!!

 

[Skippy123]

did you decide on what you were making? Tell me how it turns out! You made me want to throw a mexican party.

 

[FireGoddess]

My Mexican coworker made some yummy concoction with rice and milk and cinnamon...one time he made it, it was a sweet drink, the other time we had to eat it with a spoon...called orchata?

http://www.recipezaar.com/164846

 

[eks6426]

Well, now my husband is thinking of doing a "salsa" party later in the evening around 7pm. It would really wind up being more of a "dip" party. We came up with easily 20 different salsa''s or dips that we regularly make. Then we would have a variety of things to dip...fresh veggies, tortilla chips, baked pita, crackers etc. We''d still be theming it toward Mexican so lots of salsas (we have 8 very different salsas) etc. We''d even do a "fondue" type dip for dessert.

Is this too weird? Would you be happy with such a thing as a guest?

 

[Mara]

hmm well quite honestly, as a guest i'd be like where's the real food (i wouldn't SAY that of course but i'd be thinking it)...we'd probably end up leaving after an hour or so to go get dinner. i think it depends on when you have a party that is essentially just an appetizer as well...aka if you have it at 5pm and know that people would leave around 7pm to go get dinner it would be fine. but if you have it at a dinner time (aka 7pm) then i wouldn't expect people to be super happy with a bunch of carbs for dipping into diff salsas. esp if you are serving alcohol, that might not be enough food to sop up liquor and you might have some really drunk guests. just my two cents. it's a super cute IDEA though.

another variation might be to do a real mexican appetizer tapas kind of party where you have all types of little appetizers that people can graze on (and fill themselves up that way) but that seems like a lot of work honestly.

 

[Skippy123]

I am w/Mara for where's the food and then leave after a few hours to go eat. Sorry, just being honest.

 

[ellaila]

Yeah, I have to agree with Mara (ETA: and Skippy!

We posted at same time) here. I'm a HUGE snacker at parties -- love the cheese, crackers, etc. -- but I also really look forward to having something with substance or else I feel really unsatisfied. And I think that no matter how many dips/salsas you put out, people will want need something more than that.

I still like that taco or fajita idea, with two crockpots of hot fillings and then people can put together their own meal. I don't think that'd be too messy for grownups to handle -- just have a lot of napkins on hand, that's all!

 

[eks6426]

Ok, thank you for the honest feedback. I will try to think of a gentle way to tell hubby that salsa & dips only won''t work for folks.

Would it work if we made it 8pm instead of 7? Most people in my area eat early. If I got to a restaurant even at 7:30pm most of them will be dead. Busy time is around 6pm..

I''m still thinking some sort of enchiladas or the make your own tacos will make guests happier no matter what time we put it.

 

[mrssalvo]

I don''t think making it later would work either. most people would then come after they''d eaten dinner and probably not want anything else.

I think you should just go with the taco''s or enchilada''s, both are super easy and very filling. you could still have a bunch of salsa''s to serve too!!

 

[KimberlyH]

I don't think making it later would work either, unless you wanted to scrap the whole Mexican theme and have a dessert party. I don't think the build-your-own would be that hard (as I mentioned, crockpots are perfect for such occasions and all of the fun stuff like guacaomole can be premade and just thrown into bowls at the last minute). I went to a BBQ last weekend and the host did a build your own burrito thing and it worked out perfectly. Not a lot of clean up (she used tin foil containers and plastic bowls) and the guests, who ranged in age from 2-80, loved it.

 

[Skippy123]

What about adding a big pot of Texas Chilli, that is super easy and a good meal or tacos are easy too.