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Dairy sheva bracha.. need ideas to create menu. Help!



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Ay Jay Jay




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jun 22 2012, 2:48 pm
I am on a budget and already spent money on alcohol (30 beers and a whiskey). I am having around 25 people and it will be buffet style.

Figured I would do two courses, one that will sit there when people walk in, and another as the main course, and the dessert. My ideas, I need help formulating.

First: homemade challah rolls, toritilla chips with layered bean dip, dips like: hummuz, cream cheese, olive dip,babaganush/matbucha), and some salads? Maybe a greek salad and an asian coleslaw or orzo salad/cesar salad. I am having pastas as main, so orzo salad may be too much, especially since orzo salad has feta cheese and so does the greek salad. Not sure. I was thinking of doing a fruit soup, like blended.. but seems too complicated and definitely not buffet friendly. It is the summer, so I am not sure if hot soups are a good idea. Any other ideas for this course would be very much appreciated. I am also not sure about all the dips, or what is good to serve challah with. Help??

Second: broccoli cheese casserole (need a recipe for this if anyone has, without noodles), since I need a veggie. Alfredo pasta with spinach, baked ziti, deviled eggs, and spinach cheese borekas.

dessert: I want to do duncien heinz carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and maybe ask some others to bring dessert? Ice cream? Any other ideas?

*Not Chalav Yisroel.
I very much appreciate everyone's help. Sheva bracha is this Wed, so please respond quickly.. Thanksss!!!
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nycgal




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jun 22 2012, 3:06 pm
You can do ambrosia instead of a fruit soup. Just mix a defrosted whipped topping, defrosted frozen strawberries, canned pineapple, and canned mandarin oranges. Blend with a hand blender until its as piecey as you want it.

You can serve it on the buffet in plastic martini glasses or something like that.
You should probably leave it in the freezer a little bit before serving since it will be out for a while and it's much better cold.

Also you can do red Jello with cut up strawberries and canned pineapple tidbits.
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Ay Jay Jay




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jun 22 2012, 3:27 pm
this is more of a dessert ya? sounds yum Smile
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mvp




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jun 22 2012, 3:28 pm
I think the main course needs a protein. Fish is expensive, so how about mushrooms? You can make a really good mushroom quiche. Very easy, and always a big hit by me.

1 frozen pie crust
2 cans mushrooms
Large onion
2 eggs
Heaping spoon sour cream
salt
pepper

Carmelize onion, add mushroom to the frying pan, and let brown a bit. Add sour cream and 2 eggs. Transfer to pie shell, back till shell edged look ready.

You can melt cheese on top, but I think there is already enough cheese things in your menu.
Also, you might want to use the individual mini pie crusts for a fancier look.

hatzlocha!
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BeershevaBubby




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jun 23 2012, 1:19 pm
I did a dairy sheva brachot once.

First course was home made potato pierogies with caramelized onions and a dollop of sour cream.

Main course was a spinach-riccotta cheese lasagna, breaded then baked cauliflower, Greek salad and home made pizza.

Dessert was cheesecake and fresh watermelon.

JOOC, why do much booze??
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chocolate chips




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jun 23 2012, 8:21 pm
The best thing about a dairy sheva brachos is that it is light. I LOVED my dairy sheva brachos because it was light and simple compared to HEAVY meaty meals all the other 6!

A mini quiche is so cute as a starter, served warm, on the plate when people are arriving, it looks great.

For main course, if you don't want to do fish you can do lasagne or even quiche (if you dont do that for a starter).

If you want to serve fish but save money, trout fish is very cheap (cheaper than salmon or tilapia). You can make trout roses (sooo easy to do) and have that as a starter too. Or as a main course.

For starters you can also have fruit salad, mushroom vol-au-vents, cheese blintzes.

For dessert you can do cheese cake, layered cheese cups, sorbet, milky ice cream.

You are right about the hot soup, its summer, and also as I said, the chosson kalla and family will LOVE a milky light meal Smile
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Mrs Bissli




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jun 23 2012, 8:27 pm
First course: I think your ideas are good, challah with dips and salads. If you feel you need veggies, you can lay out a few crudite veggie sticks per table. Agree orzo would be too much overlap with other pasta-bakey things you're serving for main. I think cold soup is perfectly doable--you said something on plates already when people come in, no?

Main: agree that people may want to see more "protein-ey" thing. Can you get the whole salmon (less expensive than fillets usually)? Falafel? I won't bother with broccoli cheese--sounds too similar to spinach cheese brekas (green veggie+ cheese combo). Lasagna is a good crowd pleaser that can be made in advance, it's easier to reheat than pasta alfredo (are you cooking pasta fresh on the spot?). I like the quiche idea, but if serving this I'd scrap devilled eggs.

Dessert: personally not a big fan of serving ice creams/sorbets for a large crowd, unless you have multiple people helping to serve and you have good icecream servers. You'll need to take them out of freezer so it's easy to scoop (otherwise you'll struggle), and can get too soft/gloopey by the time it gets to everyone. A baked item (pie/cake whatever), plus fruits salad (good for people on diet/those who don't want added sugar, pretty for presentation) would do. If you want maybe ask someone or add something different, jello or mousse. If doing dairy, tiramisu is quite nice and easy to make.
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chocolate chips




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jun 23 2012, 8:41 pm
Mrs Bissli wrote:
First course: I think your ideas are good, challah with dips and salads. If you feel you need veggies, you can lay out a few crudite veggie sticks per table. Agree orzo would be too much overlap with other pasta-bakey things you're serving for main. I think cold soup is perfectly doable--you said something on plates already when people come in, no?

Main: agree that people may want to see more "protein-ey" thing. Can you get the whole salmon (less expensive than fillets usually)? Falafel? I won't bother with broccoli cheese--sounds too similar to spinach cheese brekas (green veggie+ cheese combo). Lasagna is a good crowd pleaser that can be made in advance, it's easier to reheat than pasta alfredo (are you cooking pasta fresh on the spot?). I like the quiche idea, but if serving this I'd scrap devilled eggs.

Dessert: personally not a big fan of serving ice creams/sorbets for a large crowd, unless you have multiple people helping to serve and you have good icecream servers. You'll need to take them out of freezer so it's easy to scoop (otherwise you'll struggle), and can get too soft/gloopey by the time it gets to everyone. A baked item (pie/cake whatever), plus fruits salad (good for people on diet/those who don't want added sugar, pretty for presentation) would do. If you want maybe ask someone or add something different, jello or mousse. If doing dairy, tiramisu is quite nice and easy to make.


In England it is but in USA salmon is generally MUCH more expensive than in UK and there is not a major difference in price to buy a whole salmon (I like to spend $5 more to have less work)
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Ay Jay Jay




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jun 23 2012, 10:39 pm
I don't know if you guys read my post but I am doing buffet style. No tables set up for people to eat at & it will be young adults, no chassan/kallah families. The chassan and kallah are also not particularly frum, as this is the only sheva bracha they are having...
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ra_mom




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Jun 23 2012, 10:52 pm
Ay Jay Jay wrote:
I don't know if you guys read my post but I am doing buffet style. No tables set up for people to eat at & it will be young adults, no chassan/kallah families. The chassan and kallah are also not particularly frum, as this is the only sheva bracha they are having...
Are you really going to empty and refill the buffet tables for each course?
Or are you going to have separate tables of food?
If I were doing buffet, I wouldn't be so into courses. I'd just put out a tureen with soup (cold or hot), salads, mains and sides.
Dessert would be brought out at the end.
I don't know how all the extra courses of rolls and dips would work.
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CatLady




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jun 24 2012, 5:46 am
Since this is a not-so-frum crowd, I'd serve a few more distinctively Jewish items, because this is our "soul food" and comfort food continues to be extremely trendy. I'd make blintzes and go totally retro and make a sweet noodle and cottage cheese kugel with cornflake topping, like Bubbie used to make.

If you want to stretch a small amount of fish, make a sushi salad and use a small packet of lox and a filet of salmon poached in rice wine vinegar, lemon and water as toppings. You can even buy a package of chopsticks at the dollar store, because you're also serving Asian coleslaw. Or fry small strips of any white fish and set up a fish taco bar with small-sized tortillas, shredded cabbage, salsa and avocado. A Quinoa salad with grilled veggies will be good, in case there are vegetarians in the crowd who'd want protein as well.

Fruit soup doesn't always go over, but a chilled gazpacho would be great, served in shooter glasses. Or if you really want the fruit, opt for fruit salad or smoothies at the dessert station.
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smss




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jun 24 2012, 5:56 am
One our sheva brochos was milchigs and it was the BEST one.

They started with mini blini (you know those blintzes things you make with bread) and different things to dip them in - blueberry sauce, cinnamon cream cheese... and rolls and flavored butter to wash on.
The main course was tons of different homemade pizzas - all kinds of toppings, cheeses, both white and whole wheat - they set it up like a pizza shop with each pizza on a piece of cardboard and squeeze bottles of the Israeli spicy pizza sauce. Also a huge sushi salad that I see someone already gave directions for. It was so creative and really yummy...we loved it.
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chocolate chips




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jun 24 2012, 6:25 am
Ay Jay Jay wrote:
I don't know if you guys read my post but I am doing buffet style. No tables set up for people to eat at & it will be young adults, no chassan/kallah families. The chassan and kallah are also not particularly frum, as this is the only sheva bracha they are having...


Buffet style is so much more fun. You can have mini quiche, mini lasagne, tiny cheese blintzes and mini stuffed mushrooms on one table, cheese cakes of all types on another table and fruit and veg assortments on another table.
You can also do salmon bite skewers (marinate salmon cubes and put on a skewer then bake), tiny trout flowers (easy to eat), fish balls, fried fish.

Most of what I posted above can make a really nice buffet dinner.
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CatLady




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jun 24 2012, 7:15 am
I have a great recipe - I was watching "The Best Thing I Ever Made" on the Food Network and Aarti Sequeira made Lasagna Cupcakes. I found a vegetarian version that would be great for the Sheva Brachas.
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nylon




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jun 24 2012, 7:35 am
If you are having a non frum crowd make milky desserts--no whipped topping.

It's summer so I would do a trifle. It's even better if it sits for a bit as the flavors will meld. Sponge cake (make a dry one), fresh berries, sprinkling of liqueur if you want, vanilla custard, whipped cream. Layer it in a glass bowl. Looks lovely, very festive. Or, if that's too much patchke, do fruits, fresh cream, and sponge cake. You can have the fruit prepped in advance--if it's very firm, sprinkle with sugar when you're about to serve the mains and when it's time to eat dessert there will be syrup with the fruits. (I always do this with strawberries for shortcake.)
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Shuly




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jun 24 2012, 10:30 am
Someone made me a dairy buffet sheva brochos. If I remember correctly, the tables were set with mini fruit platters (melon, pineapple, grapes) by every place. There were drinks and pitchers of iced coffee (a big hit) on the tables.
The buffet was set up in the kitchen and there was lasagne, quiches (mushroom, broccoli and onion cheese) and salads (caeser, mango/candied almond, greek).
At some point they cleaned up all the mains from the kitchen and set up a buffet desert there - cheesecake, brownies, cookies.
It was a delicious!!
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FASMA




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jun 24 2012, 6:20 pm
A few months ago I made a dairy buffet Sheba brachos for 30 young adults and it was a hit. I took it very simple since it was on motze shabbos. I made a huge salad bar with a lot of vegetables, a lot of toppings and three dressings. Then I made 3 or 4 different types of pizzas (I made them hamotzi by baking the pie a little before adding all the toppings) and I made pasta with 2 sauces in case someone didn't like pizza. For dessert I asked some ppl to bring something so I had a few cakes.
It was very simple and looked fancy and cute
Good luck
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lamplighter




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jun 24 2012, 6:38 pm
I've done milchig buffet events in my place. This is what we did.

Smoothies on the plates
At the buffet:
a red pasta (marinara or vodka sauce)
a white pasta (alfredo)
a green pasta (pesto)
These were the easiest and cheapest dishes (I can tell you how we prepared them in advance too).
If I had more prep time and was willing to spend more I made lasagna instead of the red pasta.
On the buffet table we also had:
A salad bar which was basically a deconstructed regular garden salad and croutons and cheese, with 3 dressings in squeeze bottles (nice because it doesn't get too soggy as it sits).
If I had time or money in the budget I made quiche.
Dessert for the summer should be fruit platters and platters of cake or cookies -nothing heavy!

Just a word of advice, not everything should be dairy, first of all it is a very common allergy and secondly, too much dairy is too heavy.
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elmos




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jun 24 2012, 8:50 pm
I think cute cups of ambrosia or a cold strawberry soup are nice and refreshing pitchers of ice coffee on the table some salad veg. plate and 2 pastas and 1 quiche or pasta quiche and some pizza are nice if you have time som plain grilled/roasted veggies dessert can be really simple cookies and fruit ir create your own sundaes 1 or2 flavors ice cream and choc syrup whip cream some toppings like sprinkle choc chips nuts or I see alot of ppl use sugar cerals as toppings.
most important thing is whats easiest for you to prep and do as much in advance so you can enjoy your event
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Mrs Bissli




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jun 25 2012, 9:54 am
Another side dish that looks VERY impressive, can be prepared beforehand and served at room temp, and inexpensive--a platter of different sort of grilled vegetables. You can grill/broil red peppers, yellow peppers, sliced courgettes, aubergine pieces, sliced/sectioned fennels, sliced red onions. Just season with plain salt and pepper (you can sprinkle with some italian herbs if you want), then grill each kinds of veggies separately under a broiler(because they take different time). Peppers need to be charred just like when you do roasted peppers, and peel off charred skins once cool to handle. Aubergines take a bit more time--you can cheat and pan-fry these. Lay out each veggies in a large platter.
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