Surroundings Market Blog

Whether you’re hosting an extra family or having a full blown fall gathering, we’ve got some great ideas for the best foods that feed a large crowd. These food ideas are meant to handle big serving sizes, be easy to make, and go easy on the pocket. They will help make hosting people in your home fun and stress free! Tips for Feeding a Large Crowd Before diving into the crowd-pleasing meal ideas, let’s have a quick chat about a few things that go into feeding a large group of people. First and foremost, there’s always a level of preparation necessary to pull off meals of group-size. Part of this prep involves choosing meals that accommodate the number of people that will be in attendance. You’ll also want to clarify if there are any food allergies so you can stay away from no-no ingredients (or make appropriate substitutions). Another aspect of crowd-hosting to consider is the hospitality. Having the proper amount of seating, cutlery, and tableware is a must. You don’t want to run out of the essentials and be left scrounging up additional stuff from your own cabinets. You can also go the extra mile and dress up your paper or plastic cups with a classy cup and marker holder. And if you’re into matching, complete the look with a classy plate holder! Last but not least, having an itinerary of plans may help as well. If you’re simply having dinner, that’s all you would need to account for. However, if a meal is only a portion of what will be taking place, be sure to have those ducks in a row.  RELATED: How to Plan the Best Get-Together Ever 5 Best Foods That Feed a Large Crowd Pulled BBQ Sandwiches  Chicken breasts are one of the cheaper types of meat to use for making this yummy meal. Just a couple family-size packs of chicken breasts can yield a lot of sandwiches to go around. Go with the classic bake, shred, and add bbq sauce recipe to make it easy or go with a homemade sauce. To make sure you create a well-rounded meal, don’t forget to add sides. Classic bbq sandwich sides are cole slaw and chips - two things that keep this meal option inexpensive. Pasta From baked penne pasta to traditional spaghetti, pasta meals always go a long way. Not to mention, this tends to be a classic meal for most families (especially if there are kids in tow). Whip up a huge batch and keep it warm in the crockpot. Make some homemade garlic bread or pick up a few boxes of frozen bread sticks to pair with this simple crowd-pleaser. Taco Bar Even if it’s not Taco Tuesday, you can’t go wrong with having a taco bar. This is one of the best meals that feed a large crowd. If you’re hosting a gathering with well-known friends and family, you could even ask them to pitch in and bring a side or topping. Cook up several pounds of meat in the Instant Pot, add a tableside of toppings, and you’re all set! One trick to make the meat stretch even further is to add cooked rice or beans to the mix. A few topping suggestions are: chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes, diced onion, green onion, shredded cheese, and sour cream. Refried beans, tortillas, chips, and taco shells are the perfect sides and additions for one awesome taco bar. Sandwich Bar Similar to a taco bar, a sandwich bar can be stocked with bread slices and choice cheeses and sandwich meats. Condiments are just as easy because all you’ll need are mayo, mustard, and pickles. Pair the sandwiches with a variety of chip options to keep it simple or give your guests the choice of a side salad. Don’t just stop at the classic side salad with lettuce, tomato and cucumber. Consider potato or macaroni salads, too! Soups Soups are always a good option when you have to feed a large crowd. They can be made well ahead of time and feed an abundance of people. You can also choose to make a few different soups to offer your guests choices. When it comes to soup, they are best served with breads such as Italian, rye, and/or rolls. Complete the meal by having soup and salad. Final Thoughts When it comes to foods that feed a large crowd, these are sure to be a big hit with your crowd. Remember to plan your meal ahead of time, stock up on the ingredients you need, and have a blast cooking!

Potlucks can happen any time of year, which is why we’d like to share our list of easy sandwich recipe ideas. When you’re looking for something quick and easy that won’t pinch the purse, sandwiches can always be a good go-to. Not to mention, you can make a lot and only spend a little. Keep reading to see our list of sandwiches you can throw together for your next potluck gathering. Are sandwiches appropriate for potlucks? If you’ve asked yourself this question, don’t worry. You’re not the only one. In fact, it’s a great question to ask. It’s not that sandwiches aren’t appropriate for potlucks. The answer actually relies on the style or theme of the gathering. If there is a particular theme that calls for dips only or a dessert bar, then you may want to skip making sandwiches. However, sandwiches can go with just about anything. Think soup and sandwiches… dips, chips, and sandwiches. See! Sandwiches have a way of complimenting a variety of foods while offering a filling meal at the same time. If ever in doubt, always ask the potluck host. If that’s you, then consider having a sandwich themed potluck! Plan Ahead for Your Next Potluck Cooking and/or preparing food for a crowd can quickly become overwhelming without a plan. Before buying one single ingredient, make sure you decide on the types of sandwiches you want to prepare. There are quite a few kinds to choose from. Do you want to go the slider route? Smaller sandwiches with the capability to make more. Do you want full slice size sandwiches? They can be cut in triangles, halves, or even squares.  Regardless of what you choose, make sure you gather all necessary details down to the type of bread you want to use. To help with budgeting, look for bread that is on sale or in the last buy section. Go for a meat or veggie that you can get a lot of but for a decent price. Also, don’t forget to consider side items like slaw, salad, or chips. Easy Sandwich Recipe Ideas for a Potluck Now that we’ve gotten the particulars out of the way, let’s look at a few irresistible sandwich recipe ideas for your next potluck get together. Sloppy Joe Sub Sandwiches You’ve had sloppy joes, but how about on a sub sandwich? When feeding a large crowd, you can make sloppy joe subs and cut them into smaller sandwich slices about 3” inches in width. This will get you about 4 sandwiches per foot long sub! Also, consider switching things up a bit and adding an Italian flare to the meat mixture and making strombolis. Mini Slider Melts Using the sandwich meat and cheese of your choice, place a nice helping of meat and cheese inside the mini sliders (like Hawaiian rolls) and bake until the cheese is melted. Don’t worry, they don’t have to stay warm to still be good. In fact, these are also good cold so if you have some left over, pop them in the fridge and have them the next day. Pulled Beef Sandwiches You can never go wrong with a bbq style pulled beef sandwich. You can also substitute the beef for another meat of your choice, but the overall idea is to get that bbq flavor. If it’s too cold outside, skip the grill and go with baking the meat until well done and tender. Then place it in a bowl and use two forks to begin pulling the meat apart. Apply a generous helping of bbq sauce and you’re set to go. Bring a bowl of slaw just in case someone wants to top their sandwich with it. Chicken Salad Sandwich Nothing is easier than a store-bought salad and yummy bread. If you don’t have time for the cook it from scratch method, purchase some chicken salad from the deli of your local grocery. Stop by the bread basket and see if they have any loaves on sale and assemble your sandwiches at home. Place them on a platter for an overall homemade look. Mini Burgers Instead of cooking full-sized burgers, opt in for mini burgers that can fit on a slider roll. This size is perfect for a little slice of a roma tomato, one pickle, and small dollop of mayo, mustard, and ketchup. These are sure to be a big hit especially if the potluck will have children in attendance. Final Thoughts These five easy sandwich recipe ideas are sure to be crowd pleasers at your next potluck. Remember to plan ahead and save yourself the stress of feeding a large crowd. If you have leftovers, don’t hesitate to put them in the fridge and enjoy them at home the next day (or two)! Psst... looking for something to easily transport your sandwiches in and make them look cute? Try our disposable pan holder!

There's nothing more beautiful than a fall-themed party. There's something special about the weather, the scenery, and when it comes to planning a fall party, there are so many directions you can go. Of course, your overall theme and feel may also have something to do with the area you live, but it's still doable. For example, it’s hard to have a party with changing leaves if you live in the desert. But, even with limitations it doesn’t mean you can’t have the most amazing party!  Here are 7 different party ideas that you can start planning now.  7 Best Fall-Themed Party Ideas Old Fashioned Fall Fun You can’t go wrong if you decide to throw an old fashioned fall harvest party. Prepare drinks like hot apple cider and have your party decorated with leaves, hay and pumpkins. Snacks are always good and you can always stick to classics like hot dogs to keep things simple. Candied apples or funnel cakes are also a fun, sweet treat. For games, bobbing for apples, a three legged race, and the toilet paper mummy wrap are simple to put together and fun to play. Bonfires and Baubles This isn’t your normal tea party but that doesn’t mean your guests can’t dress up. Encourage everyone to come with their favorite over the top dress-up style and then treat them to an outdoor bonfire party! It’s a different, and fun way to do a typical fall activity. Have finger foods available and plenty of cold drinks for this fall themed party.  All the Pie! Who doesn’t love pie and who wouldn’t love a fall pie themed party!? For this celebration you can make use of the bounty of fall produce to either have all pie based foods or get the group involved to see who can bake the best pie to share. Hand pies or pies on a stick are also ideas if you don’t want to bake the whole thing. A pie eating contest is sure to be a fun activity for the party or a pie throwing game! A Corny Party  Head to a local corn maze for this fun-filled party theme. After getting lost (and found) in the maze, guests can head to the buffet table for a popcorn buffet! Have plenty of popcorn ready to go and any and everything you can think of for toppings. A blow up projection screen and some comfy chairs or hay bales serve as the seating area for fall film. Other corn themed games like cornhole and a “guess how many kernels” jar guessing game could also be included. Apple of my Eye If you have access to an apple orchard you could either visit or host your party at the location with this apple theme. Enjoy traditional orchard activities like a hayride and set up stations so your guests could either dip their own caramel apples with all types of toppings available for coating. Or, go with apple nachos where the apples are pre-sliced and can be drizzled and topped. For games try an apple race where players have to get all the apples in one basket, passed through everyone in line to fill up the basket on the other end the fastest! Or, try the classic - bobbing for apples! Pumpkin Painting Is it really a fall party if there are no pumpkins involved? Pottery and picture painting parties are all the rage lately so why not extend that theme to pumpkins? You can either host this at a pumpkin patch where people can choose their own pumpkin or have them ready for your guests on arrival. Set out plenty of supplies so that the painting can begin. This is also a good party idea for any age group.  Costume Ball This suggestion is a bit less traditional but why not throw a glamorous fall party? Keeping in line with the idea of fall costumes, invite your guests to dress up in their favorite elegant attire. You might even specify a specific historical period or theme. Rent a space that can be used for dancing and of course taking beautiful pictures. For food and drinks stick to seasonal finger foods and classy cocktails. Final Thoughts Putting together a Fall-themed party can be super fun and really beautiful. Don't forget to add unique touches with our wooden cup holder and sea grass rope baskets. Let us know what you're planning for your next Fall-themed gathering!

If you’re looking to make party planning super easy, then you need these five practical tips that will make hosting every gathering a breeze. Attending a party is one thing, but hosting them is a totally different story. Very rarely do people understand all that goes into throwing the best gathering. That is until they find themselves neck-deep in to-do lists and piles of supplies. Use our practical advice to make every party you plan easy and stress-free! 5 Practical Things to Make Party Planning Super Easy Before we dive into our suggestions, go ahead and bookmark this page so you can come back to it. Better yet, download our Party Planning Checklist freebie at the end of this post. Give yourself plenty of party planning time. We all know how fast time flies, so you will want to give yourself plenty of time to plan your party. Regardless of the type of gathering you plan on having, it’s a great idea to start planning up to a month in advance. This will give you time for anything you may have to order online or reserve from supply rental stores.  Instead of stuffing all of your planning into one day, consider taking several days to focus on one aspect of the party at a time. For example, plan your budget one day, decide and plan your theme on another, and so on. Doing this for about a week will ensure that you’ve crossed at the T’s and dotted every I, all with time to spare! Invest in reusable resources. Not only is this tip a money saver, but it’s also a time saver. Before you head for the toss n’ go plastics, consider adding the following to your reusable party resources stash: Classy Plate Holder Utensil Caddy Cup Holder Disposable Plan Holder Acrylic drinking straws Durable plastic table cloths Having these few resources on hand can cut your supplies list down by a fraction. Not to mention, they make decorating a bit easier as well. Make lists for different tasks and activities. It’s common to want to keep everything you need and need to do in your head, but that will only get you so far. Going back to our suggestion of giving yourself plenty of time to plan, consider making lists along the way. Here are the top lists we recommend creating to make party planning super easy: Budget: note the amount you are willing to spend, keep track of how much you’re spending for each aspect of the party, and so on. Guestlist: keep track of who you invited, who responded, people to contact, etc. Menu: jot down what you plan to serve, including desserts, drinks, and the like.  Activities/Games: write down any games and activities that you want to have at your party. Help: note anyone who will be helping with any aspect of your party. These are some of the most important areas where having a list would make the planning much smoother. You can also have lists for setup, cleanup, music, and decorations. Solicit help. Even if you’re throwing a surprise birthday party or baby shower, you can still recruit some help. In fact, we think it’s one of the smartest things to do. Skip trying to do everything yourself and look for ways people can help you out. Is there something your kids or spouse can help with? Could your friends or other family members pitch in with something as well? A few areas that are great for getting a helping hand with are decorating, food preparation, and gathering resources (such as tables, chairs, music/video equipment, etc.). Before you call the local catering company, check with people you may know who have a gift in this area. Instead of renting extra tables and chairs, see if someone has some you can borrow for free. Every little bit helps! Relax and remember your motive. It’s easy to get caught up in wanting everything to be perfect. Chances are, no one will ever notice the hiccups unless you mention them. Always keep in mind why you are hosting the gathering to begin with. Keep that the primary focus and don’t worry about what decorations didn’t get hung in time or the cookies you couldn’t make because you forgot to pick up that one extra ingredient. Make (and keep) party planning super easy by giving yourself grace, going with the flow, and making the most out of gathering together the people you love. By doing that, you can never go wrong! Don’t forget to download our free checklist to make every party you plan super easy!