I am freaking out here. Suddenly, it looks like I will be cooking on

dawn_mo

dawn_mo

Well-known member
Saturday for a monthly outdoor flea market that the antique store is having. I meet with the health department on Thursday, and I will have to stock the kitchen and cook, on Thursday and Friday.

I will be up in my new kitchen (I love the sound of that) and serving hot/cold food. It will be in the high 80's with a chance of thunderstorms. I want to serve food that people can either sit down with or walk around with. Casual, but delicious. Any ideas? I am really overwhelmed right now because of opening the cafe. I meet with the health department on Thursday, but I should be able to "cook".

Any ideas? What would you like to eat while you walked around an indoor/outdoor antique store?

For this event, I will be feeding people breakfast items and lunch items. It runs from 9am-6pm. I was thinking quesadillas in the morning along with some baked goods and some cold salads or sandwiches in the afternoon. I will have to serve on disposable plates or "nacho" containers. Acckkkkkkkkk!

Thanks so much!!!

 
I have some ideas . . .

Breakfast:

1.In addition to pastries you could do breakfast burritos . . make up a batch or two of scrambled eggs (with and without cheese), have a couple of "add-ins" which could be anything from crumbled bacon or sausage, chopped tomatoes, sauteed onions, mushrooms, peppers, etc. Roll up in flour tortilla, maybe add some salsa and package in a Reynold's wrapper. VOILA!

2. Maybe you could do a "cone" of parchment with mini doughnuts or waffle sticks dipped in cinnamon sugar, or something like a honey syrup.

3. I know that there is a crepe station at my Farmer's Market that is very popular, but that may be too time consuming to do each individually.

4. Fresh fruit cups. Disposable cups and spoons.

Lunch:

1. My first thought was gazpacho! Again, simple and "walkable." Ina Garten's recipe is great - kick-ass, though I would make it smoother than normal and then maybe add additional veggies for garnish to give it the bit of crunch it needs (and maybe some cheese on top. Serve in disposable coffee cups with spoons.

I would keep it simple. I know the idea is to cook, but don't go overboard. The idea should be to impress first time out. The prep can be overwhelming. The goal is to have a lot of small variety of good food that people will be interested in rather than a lot of a lot of food that is only so-so.

I had another idea . . . I know it could be expensive and/or more work for you, but it might go a long way . . . I would look into biodegradable/recyclable serving things like bamboo plates, silverware pieces. Even with the reynolds wrapper perhaps you could offer a "rebate" or a free cookie, or something if they bring the disposables/trash back to you to recycle or properly dispose of. That gesture might go a long way and set you apart. It could be part of a marketing strategy. Our Market (the Green City Market in Chicago) does have recycling on site for this purpose.

 
Dawn, take a look at the "Carry Out Cuisine Recipes from America's finest Gourmet Food shops" by

Phyllis Meras. It is "dated", but still provides some interesting ideas. The recipes are designed to be able to be made ahead and "keep" for a while.

 
Yes, although not recently. (I just rediscovered it, as I was cleaning some shelves)

I recall making the Antipasto Salad from Zabars, I must have made the corn chowder at some point, because the page is ear marked and worn. Now that I am perusing, I made the lobster salad and one of the rice salads.

One of my first "jobs" while in high school was working for a gourmet cheese shop. They knew (picked up) on my love for cooking, so I was able to help / learn alot of the recipes that were used from this book. I think they gave it to me as a gift, when I went to college.

It is not my go to book, but it is fun to peruse for ideas.

 
How about Scotch eggs- wrapping the sausage around half a hard boiled egg instead of a whole one and

maybe dip the egg in picante sauce before wrapping with the sausage.

and how about those crispy hash brown cups- filling with something fun either for breakfast or something lunch-like? Ham salad? Guacamole? A zippy bean salad that isn't too juicy?

I know stuffed potato skins are "passe" but you could modernize this idea- I think what you need is something that won't crumble to the floor, something easy to nibble.

Kabobs of any kind are also an idea- bamboo skewers of whatever you like. Easy to eat, easy to carry, lovely to look at.

 
Great! Thanks. I bought it last year when I was cooking at a deli-style lunch spot.

I haven't cooked any of the recipes but it was a worthwhile purchase for inspiration. I'd never cooked like that--making sure food held for longer periods of time, etc. Very interesting.

 
Empanadas,spring rolls, Sylvia's cheddar/filled thumbprints, corn cups w/black bean dip...Good luck!

 
Maybe too involved for this weekend, but do you have (or have access to) a panini press?

Breakfast panini: eggs, ham/bacon, green peppers, cheese; or ham/bacon and apricot jam

Lunch panini: ham/turkey w/ pesto, cheese

I think it'd be possible to premake the panini (maybe 2-3 set choices for breakfast and lunch) and stack 'em in a fridge; then just stick in the press when people order. It sounds easy-ish, in theory, at least... smileys/wink.gif

The Il Bambino menu is just for inspiration, but we used to go there all the time when we lived in Queens. Popular with all ages! They also do crostini (open-faced panini). Edited to add: scroll down a bit in the menu to see the crostini/panini choices.

Good luck! smileys/smile.gif Look forward to hearing how it goes!

http://ilbambinonyc.com/il_bambino_menu.html

 
You might want to think about the Salvadorian Breakfast Cake that

Traca linked to. I just finished making them and they have a wonderful confusing taste! Sweet, but just a little, salty, but just a little, cheesecake like but not exactly. We really like them and I think you could move them to people like us that don't want something really sweet. Why they are called quesadillas is beyond me though. Good luck with your event.

http://www.eat.at/swap/forum1/194341_Terrific_brunch/breakfast_dish_for_a_crowd_Salvadorean_Breakfast_Cake

 
Wraps? Kabobs? Taco salad in a bag?

I saw this on tv once, and it seemed good, except I don't like tacos.

Small-(individual) sized bag of Doritos or corn chips
cooked meat
grated cheese
shredded lettuce
sliced tomatoes (no grapes, ha ha)
black olives
sour cream
salsa

Open bag, crush slightly, and top with remaining ingredients. Easy and portable.

 
the bag would kinda be like recycling, which is kinda like buying antiques. like the recycle idea

mentioned above.

 
Classic tea sandwiches for lunch with some frilly toothpicks. I like Magnolia's idea

for the breakfast burritos. They're inexpensive to make and could be nuked quickly in the microwave before serving.

I think that classic tea sandwiches would be appealing for the antiquers for lunch and you could serve a couple of cornichons on the side. Again, some frilly toothpicks – Lol. Inexpensive to make and you could serve them with a variety of classic fillings and an assortment of breads.

Edited to say that some creative fillings for the tea sandwiches and garnishments of watercress, sliced radishes, etc. might just do the trick.

For the grand finale in the afternoon, my Smoked Salmon on Rye Crisbits® with Horseradish Cream. You could go to Costco and pick up a huge package of smoked salmon for this. Again, inexpensive to make.

Keep profit and easy-to-serve good food in mind.

Good luck Dawn!

http://www.eat.at/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=1563

 
It went great, but the next day, I felt like I had been hit by a bus.

I was very busy. I literally did not sit down from 8am to 3:30pm. Since I hadn't been able to prep the night before, everything had to be made on the spot. I did cook the chicken breasts, but that was it. For the morning bunch, I made Cinnamon Chip Scones and Sausage Biscuits, both were a big hit, especially the scones.
For the lunch group, I made my Jalapeno Chicken Salad and Waldorf Chicken Salad and served them inside mini croissants. I served them with a choice of side salad, Pineapple Coleslaw and Fiesta Bean Salad. I also had Ham Salad, but that only went over with a couple people. The food was very well received, but boy was it hard work. I won't be open again until September 22, when they are having their annual Hoe Down Day.
I have come up with a good menu, all things that can be made ahead in the week and kept warm.
Here is the menu I have planned:

Breakfast:
Biscuits and Oink-Oink Gravy
Ham and Cowpoke Potatoes (hash brown casserole)
Cinnamon Rolls
Apple Fritters
(I am going to pre-order the cinnamon rolls and the fritters from a local bakery that is located in a gas station, of all places, but they are the about 9 x 6 inches, gigantic, and they cost $1.50 each)

Lunch:
ChicN and Dumplings with Cheesy Scallion Biscuits
Cowboy Beans or Cowgirl Chili with Green Chili Cornbread
Cluck-Cluck Chicken Chili with Chips
Pulled-Porky Sandwiches with Slaw

Desserts:
Right To Your Butt Brownies
Left For Your Hips Apple Pie Bars

Beverages:
Apple Pie Float (apple juice, ginger ale and vanilla ice cream)
Root Beer Float
Coffee
Water
Sodas

 
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