446648 Mon Oct 01 14:33:17 -0700 2007 3 31 Home Cooking 0 2993829 Hi all, We had a housewarming party this past weekend for 30 people, and although I wanted to feed everybody adequately, I didn't want to be stuck in the kitchen or behind the grill the entire night, so I devised a menu that seemed sophisticated but required very little cooking time during the party. I wanted to share what I came up with: - Smoked Paprika Hummus and Homemade Pita Chips - Black Bean Mango Salsa with Chips and Guacamole - Crab Cakes with Garlic Remoulade - Spicy Red Curry-Lime Chicken Wings - Rotisserie Chicken Salad Canapés - Farfalle Pesto Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Pine Nuts - Spiced Apple Rum Cider - S’mores All of these items were prepped the day before, or right before the party. I didn't make the crabcakes, but went the Costco route on these. I know, I know...doesn't sound good, but honestly, people LOVE these, and I did make the remoulade. Almost every recipe is sourced/adapted from Alton Brown, America's Test Kitchen, or Tyler's Ultimate. Everything was a big hit, but people really seemed to love, of all things, the pita chips. These did come out so much better than anything you could buy, and so cheap! .79 cents for a packet of pitas, split, cut into 6ths oiled/salted, and toasted for 10 minutes on each side. I had little to do during the party except plate dishes from the warm oven. As expected, the wings and crabcakes weren't as good sitting in the warming oven for an hour as opposed to first cooked, but that's how the mop flops. We have a roof deck, so s'mores cooked over a fire pit was a big hit, and a no fuss dessert. Mon Oct 01 14:33:17 -0700 2007 46062 Rocknrope 1 2996809 Rotisserie chicken is the best no fuss chicken ever. I hardly buy anything else when i need something for apps, soup, or a quick dinner. Tue Oct 02 11:44:09 -0700 2007 2993829 88683 stellamystar 2 2996894 Agreed. I used only the dark meat, mixed it with a fine dice of celery, shallots, thyme, rosemary and toasted chopped almonds. So easy and fast. Tue Oct 02 12:05:07 -0700 2007 2996809 46062 Rocknrope 1 4707959 I would love the recipe for the wings!!! Sounds so yummy! Fri May 22 17:49:30 -0700 2009 2993829 53141 gastronomy