Conference turris::cooks

    One thing my mother used to do that was easy and everyone liked was to
    "build" a big sandwich - just get an unsliced Italian bread at the
    grocery store and slice it down the middle.  Add meats, cheese,
    lettuce, tomato, pickles, etc. and then cut into pieces about an inch
    and a half wide (know what I mean?).  We used to have it with chips,
    salad, some chili and various sodas to drink.
    
    Or another easy thing that everyone likes is just a big pan of baked
    macaroni and cheese - you could even make it in one of those aluminum
    baking pans that you just throw away after the pasta is all gone.
    
    
    Hope this helps!
    Barb

    When do you plan on having the party (month)?  How old are the kids?? 
    I have had barbarques.  They seem to go over big.   
    
    
    

    Well, I tried finding my old note, I don't know where it went though.
    
    Anyhow, back in May of 1992 my sister and I had a combo grad party 
    and here is what we did.
    
    We had rented a Legion Pavillion (outside) and they had these big 
    barrel grills (you may be able to rent for your nearest ELK/Legion).
    
    I bought about 20 aluminum throw-away tins, coal and fluid.
    
    Lit the grills, got the coals hot and placed the following food in
    them with some cheep-o serving spoons I picked up at a $1 store:
    
    Macaroni & Cheese (used American, Cheddar, Monteray, Parmesan, butter
    & cream of mushroom soup)... got great reviews!!
    
    American chop suey.
    
    In a cooler ... not too close to grill, I had hot dogs & hamburgs
    in a cooler, bun & condiments next to them, so they could grill as
    they were hungry.
    
    We had chili, chicken wings, Meatballs in a big pot with rolls.
    
    Macaroni, Potato & garden salads.
    
    Oh, and finger sandwhichs.
    
    Popcorn & chips in bowls on the tables.
    
    Choc pies & fruit dish for desert
    
    We had a bar but you could fill your garbage barrels w/ ice and through
    in different types of soda and juices.
    
    It was a pot luck, everyone brought a dish, but everything was simple
    and delicious.
    
    The best part was having the grills to keep everything warm & REAL EASY
    CLEANUP... A dumpster!
    
    For fun..  we had a dunk tank (rented from an ELK lodge), contests
    like:
    
    Hool-a-hoop contest, 3 legged race, shaving balloons, EGG TOSS WAS A 
    GREAT SUCCESS, Potato sack race.
    
    Had a volley ball net set up, horseshoes & crochet.
    
    This was a big party of 100+, but it was a real good time, simple and 
    fun.
    
    Oh, and to decorate the yard, we filled balloons w/ helium, tied them
    to strings, and tied the strings around golfing T's and stuck them 
    all over the yard (but you have to fill in the AM, overnight they
    deflate).
    
    We also had one of those HUGE cards, about 3' tall, that everyone got
    to sign-in and give us a special wish!
    
    Good luck!
    
    Lis
    
    
    
    
    
    

    Ideas for graduation cakes (saw these in a WILTONS book): Diploma hat
    (you'd cook the 'headpiece' part in a bowl and the mortar board (sp?)
    on a flat (cookie?) sheet and cut it out to fit. Decorated in school
    colors. Use string licorice for the tassles.
    
    or
    
    Lockers (this was really cute): you cook 3 or 4 cakes in long loaf pans
    and decorate them with lockerish colors (blue, grey, etc.) or school
    colors. Then draw on the handle and the air slit thingies at the tops
    and bottoms. They had a big ribbon across the front that said "Congrats
    Class of 19XX". They had a bunch that were really cute.
    
    If you want me to copy these and send them to you, let me know.
    
    (CSTEAM::BAKER)
    
    ~beth

    How about Taco Salad or a make-your-own-taco bar?
    
    And re.1 - Subway (in Nashua) sells those 6 ft. long sub sandwiches
    if you don't want to make them yourself.
    
    A big pan of lasagna always goes over well with teenagers.  And you
    could make it a couple of weeks ahead of time and freeze it until
    the morning of the party.  Then, just put it in the oven to bake.
    
    I think mobility is the key with teenagers.  They don't want to
    sit in one place and eat.  They'll want to be moving around, so
    you should have a lot of finger foods too.
    
    Noranne
    

    I agree with Noranne about teenagers wanting to move around and finger
    foods however, I was always munching pizza.  I started a note "pizza
    party" that could offer ideas and they could make your own.  I nice
    idea if whether is bad.
    
    I do however, think the bbq idea is the best.  Hotdogs, Chicken wings,
    Burgers and some salads.  
    
    2cents,
    cj