PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

We are in the beginning stages of planning our Mother-Daughter Banquet for this year (May 10th). They have decided on a Country/Western Theme. We have some people who can come and provide some really good Bluegrass Music. I think maybe we will do that instead of having a speaker. We'll see tho. That decision remains to be seen :) We are thinking of decorating with red and white gingham. That's as much as we know so far.

I am in charge of getting the meal together. We typically have 100-120 ladies for this, so it is no small task. But we have lots of really good cooks in our church who I know will be glad to help. I'm thinking several directions for this meal........ Tell me what you think.....

Since it's a COUNTRY theme, I think we're going to use pint Ball jars for our beverages. And I guess that the logical drinks to go with the theme would be sweet tea, lemonade or water. Right?
For food, I'm actually considering ordering some fried chicken pieces from Meijers. Theirs is good and lots cheaper than KFC. And I wouldn't have to cook it myself :)
To go with the chicken, I'm thinking Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Rolls, Salad.
One of our ladies makes cakes every year. She makes a different kind of cake - all very fancy and VERY delicious! - for the centerpiece for every table. Then when it is dessert time, the people love getting up and walking around the room to get the kind of cake that appeals to them the most. So I think we'll go with that for dessert (kind of have to)

Soooo.............. here's my question........... Can you think of anything better for the menu? And do you have any great (but inexpensive) decorating ideas? And how about skits? Do you have any really good Country-themed skits that we could do?

I'd sure appreciate any help - not just from PO and Renda - from EVERYONE!! thanks!

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

[QUOTE=Margies3;1222020]We are in the beginning stages of planning our Mother-Daughter Banquet for this year (May 10th). They have decided on a Country/Western Theme. We have some people who can come and provide some really good Bluegrass Music. I think maybe we will do that instead of having a speaker. We'll see tho. That decision remains to be seen :) We are thinking of decorating with red and white gingham. That's as much as we know so far.

I am in charge of getting the meal together. We typically have 100-120 ladies for this, so it is no small task. But we have lots of really good cooks in our church who I know will be glad to help. I'm thinking several directions for this meal........ Tell me what you think.....

Since it's a COUNTRY theme, I think we're going to use pint Ball jars for our beverages. And I guess that the logical drinks to go with the theme would be sweet tea, lemonade or water. Right?
For food, I'm actually considering ordering some fried chicken pieces from Meijers. Theirs is good and lots cheaper than KFC. And I wouldn't have to cook it myself :)
To go with the chicken, I'm thinking Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Rolls, Salad.
One of our ladies makes cakes every year. She makes a different kind of cake - all very fancy and VERY delicious! - for the centerpiece for every table. Then when it is dessert time, the people love getting up and walking around the room to get the kind of cake that appeals to them the most. So I think we'll go with that for dessert (kind of have to)

Soooo.............. here's my question........... Can you think of anything better for the menu? And do you have any great (but inexpensive) decorating ideas? And how about skits? Do you have any really good Country-themed skits that we could do?

I'd sure appreciate any help - not just from PO and Renda - from EVERYONE!! thanks![/QUOTE]
I'll volunteer to be taste tester for the food, sort of a Quality Control guy!:happydance

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

In the South fried chicken is good but we also usually do Bar B Que.

You could get some cowboy boots and clean them up really well and put artifical flowers or bandanna in them for center pieces as well. I saw that done once and was surprised it went as well as it did. However, the one draw back is the boot can be too tall to see over.

I personally don't care for centerpieces that blocks the view of the person across from me.

Your ideas sound good and seems like you have been giving it some considerations.

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

I'm guessing your not doing Square Dancing. lol:happydance

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

The menu looks great to me, but in Texas we would always add some brisket. Some may not want chicken that has been fried. I like two meat choices. Another could be ham. :thumbsup

If she is putting the cakes on the tables for a centerpiece (and how lucky to have someone do that), you could add those little hay bales with various colored western handkerchiefs laying across the haybale and then putting the lovely cakes on that for height. You could add a few horseshoes leaning against the hay bales and some of those stars sticking into the hay (Hobby Lobby). Okay, the stars might be just a Texas deal. :heeheehee

You could also incorporate the handkerchiefs into some bread baskets. I think the western handkerchiefs and red and white gingham table cloths are awesome together.

Each place setting could have a handkerchief and silverware in the mason jar. When they take that out, they can use it for the tea, lemonade or water. I'd have servers going around the tables and filling the glasses.

Or you could use handkerchiefs to wrap the silverware and tie up with jute.

Boots filled with sunflowers and Gerbera daisies for centerpieces, put a few lanterns around.

My country is western to me. lol

That is all I have on the top of my head. I'll add more if I think of anything else.

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

We had some of the same ideas, Texas girl! :thumbsup

:thumbsup

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Don't forget the stuffed eggs!

I mix Deviled ham with my yolks.

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Deviled ham for a church function? Is that a good idea? :happydance :heeheehee

Been Thinkin

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

:toofunny

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

:ursofunny

Leave it to Brother Been Thin King to think of that.

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Just tryin' to be of help! :foottap :happydance :heeheehee Why not some Angel Food Cake instead?


BT

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4545583831974495&pid=1.7

:thumbsup

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Loved the idea of bandanna hankerchiefs wrapping the silverware and tied with jute! Also, the lanterns on the serving tables would be nice, IF you have a serving table, if not on each table or lanterns on some and boots on some.

Lots of great ideas PO, as usual. :yourock

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Man, I want to do a western themed party now. :heeheehee

If she is going more country, what about terra cotta pots with sunflowers, gerbera, etc. Although, I like that better with black and white gingham tablecloths.

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Sure, ignore BT & Ron! I get it, only women can have good ideas!:foottap

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

You want free good, Ron. It's not important to the discussion. We already know men want free food. :heeheehee

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Yes! Do the Dirt Cake in the terra cotta pots and you have dessert and decorations at the same time. Easy to make.

Sheriff badges would be neat to have along with them horseshoes your bringing.

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Those are cute, but really, I don't care how clean that terra cotta pot is, I ain't eating out of it. LOL!

:heeheehee

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Even brand new ones?

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

No. Terra Cotta is for real dirt, just couldn't do it.

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Put the deviled eggs on the left side and the angel food on the right. :happydance

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Great idea! She could already start culling out the herd for God. :heeheehee

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Do you know anyone that has a saddle or two? A couple of saddles by the door would kinda set an atmosphere as they enter. Trying to save myself Ron. Not about food this time. :heeheehee

Been Thinkin

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

:toofunny

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

If I am going to do quality control you don't exprct me to have to pay for it, do you?:foottap

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

:heeheehee

Actually, I do have a saddle, but it would cost too much to ship it.

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Well, you have a point. But we better not find you and BT sitting at EVERY table eating!

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

They probably would be the first ones sitting there with a bib around their neck, a fork in one hand and a knife in the other slamming it on the table chanting food...food...food...:heeheehee

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

And then the women in the kitchen get a gleam in their eyes and shout - FOOD FIGHT!!!!!! It was all she wrote for Ron and BT. :happydance

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

:spit ...there goes all the pretty desserts on the table.

Wouldn't that be fun???

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Yes, it sure would be. And if we had those dirt cake terra cotta pots - all the more.

Well, I can hear it's getting violent around here. I pulled out the rubber bands guns for my husband and our grandson. I can hear the little tyke screaming, so I IMAGINE my husband is shooting the boy with his. :smack Laters!

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Ron, I don't know about you, but I don't think I'm gonna show up now. They'll be trying to put those saddles on us! :foottap :happydance

Have fun ladies!


Been Thinkin

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

lol your something else. :heeheehee

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Back in the saddle again..... :sing :heeheehee

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Did anyone mention lasso's?

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

Boy, this is getting out of hand! Hi Oh, Silver away! :happydance

BT

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

I like the bandana/bread basket idea. Hannah's 16th b-day party was a country/western theme. We used the ball jars for drinks, and I also used burlap for the tables + quart sized ball jars with sunflowers and baby's breath for simple table centerpieces. Her party was outside, so we did hay bales tucked up to the tables in lieu of chairs. Another cute country look is to use strings of bunting strung from corner to corner at ceiling height and across the fronts of tables. It's really easy to make with twine, a stapler and patterned scrapbooking paper. It's high impact if you use it all the way across the room--with minimal cost

If you want to avoid the cliched country look, go with colors that aren't traditionally country. Hannah's birthday colors were teal and yellow with some brown and pink here and there. Of course, it was for a bunch of kids planning to spend most of their time on football and 4-wheelers, so I didn't go very far with the outdoor decorations; I kept it minimal.

Paula had cute centerpieces for Barak & Robyne's reception--she had a *slice* of a stump in the middle with some moss here and there, a quart-sized ball jar with a strip of burlap + some lace around the middle + flowers. (I don't remember what the flowers were...she could probably email you a picture if you PM her on fb or text her.) You could do the same thing with burlap + gingham ribbon.

You could also make a cute photo-op area with hay bales. Considering that it's a mother-daughter banquet, you could dress them up by throwing antique tablecloths or other linens across them. Something we've done a couple of times is had 2-3 old ornate picture frames spray painted white for people to hold up in front of their faces for pictures.

Menu-wise-- Maybe skip salad and have slaw and deviled eggs instead. You could serve fried chicken in shallow galvanized pails lined with white napkins....

...or gingham:

http://media-cache0.pinterest.com/up...hNNSJbJr_b.jpg

I'm also a huge fan of these little mini-buntings stuck into desserts:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_c08fWcwlq7...+collage+2.jpg

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

You could make a jail and put in the corner and take pictures. :)

Saw that in Kemah on the boardwalk. :)

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

I KNEW I could depend on you ladies (and gents) for some great ideas! thanks sooooo much!! We're going to get the handkerchiefs and tie them around the silverware with jute. We had talked about that earlier today because Pat has a boatload of jute available to us :) But I do like the idea of putting them in the jar until they are ready for their beverages. That's kind of cute.

Been Thinkin!!! That's a FANTASTIC idea!! and I am sure I can come up with a couple of saddles. (We're a small town out in the country, after all :) )


Esther, I hadn't thought of lasso's, but that's a good idea too. Now to figure out how to use them for decorating.

I saw some big cutouts of cowboy boots on the Oriental Trading Company site but they are very expensive. I can draw them easily and we can just cut them out of brown poster board to hang on the walls. Might do that. We'll see.

If we do the handkerchiefs around everyone's silverware, they can then take that home with them at the end of the night. Is that tacky to send them home with a used favor? LOL

Re: PO, Renda, and others.... Need your help....
 

I hadn't thought about brisket. I wonder how that would go over with ladies?

On the other hand, how will they feel about fried chicken? that's kind of a finger food, in my opinion. Very hard to eat with (plastic) silverware, even if we get the really good plastic (which we will)

I've been trying to think of traditional southern dishes to have. Bean soup comes to my mind. But do we need soup AND a salad? And if we do bean soup, we definitely will not do baked beans. One or the other maybe.

We want traditional southern foods (like Kentucky/Tennessee type southern foods). But we also want foods that the ladies will enjoy. So I hesitate with things like bean soup for that reason.

The other thing I am trying to decide is how to serve these foods. In the past we always had them get up table by table and go into the next room where the food is laid out buffet style. We can do that. But I really don't like doing it that way.

So my other two options are:
1) We can have the men fix their plates for them, then bring them in on serving carts and pass them out. or
2) We can serve the foods "family style". I would get a whole bunch of disposable (but nice) serving platters and bowls. The men could put enough chicken on a platter and enough of the other stuff in the bowls to put at each table. Then the ladies could pass the food family style.

What do you think? What would be your preference?