![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/holiday-menu.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
My complete menu and recipes to host an awesome dinner party; sharing my experience, tips and tricks…<\/p>\n
Last weekend, I had hosted an awesome holiday party for my friends. This was the first time I’d ever cooked for 10 to 12 people. It did involve a lot of planning, prep work, and cooking. When I saw everyone enjoying my food, especially the kids, I felt content and extremely happy.<\/p>\n
In this post, I’m going to share how I planned the menu, what all prep works were involved, and the cooking process. I hope this might help you in planning a party menu.<\/p>\n
Soup<\/strong><\/p>\n Appetizer<\/strong><\/p>\n Main<\/strong><\/p>\n Sides<\/strong><\/p>\n Dessert Menu<\/strong><\/p>\n All the prep work should be done on the previous day and on the party day it should be just frying, baking, and mixing.<\/p>\n My party was on Saturday evening so I did all the prep work on Friday. On Thursday night, I made the chocolate cake and Macarons.<\/p>\n Macarons can be made up to a week prior to the party and can be kept in the freezer. Tastes better when frozen.<\/p>\n Just the chocolate cake (without the filling and frosting) can be made 2 days before the party. On the previous day, you can layer the cake with the strawberry filling and frost it with whipped cream.<\/p>\n 1- Make Tuna cutlet mix and make it into balls<\/strong><\/p>\n For making 24 cutlets- Add 6 onions, 3 cooked potatoes, and 3 canned tuna, and follow the recipe.<\/p>\n Make the cutlet mix, make it into balls and flatten them. Place them in an air-tight container and refrigerate.<\/p>\n 2- Make Beef filling for puff Pastry- Recipe here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Follow the recipe for making the beef filling, this recipe can be used for filling 24 puff Pastry. Keep the filling in an air tight container and refrigerate.<\/p>\n 3- Make Chicken Masala for Biryani- Recipe here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n For making for 12 people- \u00a0Slice the onions in the food processor, this saves a lot of time. Cook the chicken masala in a large non-stick pan.<\/p>\n For marinating Chicken<\/strong><\/p>\n For making Masala<\/strong><\/p>\n Spread the prepared chicken Masala in a large aluminum foil tray, let cool down. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate till the next day.<\/p>\n 4- Making Pizza dough and Ground beef Pizza filling<\/strong><\/p>\n I made 2 large Pizzas (16 slices).<\/p>\n Make 2 large Pizza doughs, let rise for an hour and then place the dough in ziploc bags and refrigerate the dough till the next day.<\/p>\n Making Ground beef filling for pizza<\/strong><\/p>\n After the filling cools down, place the filling in an air-tight container and refrigerate till the next day.<\/p>\n Also, cook the veggies slightly and refrigerate them in a separate airtight container.<\/p>\n Put the chicken legs in a large ziploc bag, add all the above-mentioned marinade ingredients, close the bag and combine well to coat the chicken legs evenly. Refrigerate the chicken legs till the next day.<\/p>\n For making for 12 people<\/strong><\/p>\n 7- Decorating the Cake- Make the strawberry filling, spread it on the cake, and frost it with whipped cream<\/strong><\/p>\n 1- For making strawberry sauce<\/strong><\/p>\n Preparation<\/span><\/strong> 2- Spreading the strawberry filling<\/strong><\/p>\n Cut the chocolate cake horizontally into 2 equal halves.<\/span> Preparation<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n These are the prep work you should do on the previous day so that on the party day you won’t have way too much work. You will be exhausted after all the prep work, have a good sound sleep and wake up fresh the next day.<\/p>\n If the party is at night, then you have all day to do the rest of the work.<\/p>\n 1- Cook Basmati Rice for making Biryani in the rice cooker and layer the rice and Chicken Masala<\/strong><\/p>\n For making biryani for 12 people:<\/strong><\/p>\n Total 8 cups of basmati Rice is needed.<\/p>\n If you have a small rice cooker cook the rice in 3 batches- 3 cups rice +3 1\/2 cups water<\/strong> and add the rest of the ingredients (ginger- 1 tsp, garlic- 1 tsp, turmeric powder- 1\/4 tsp, Garam masala- 1 tsp, Ghee- 2 tbsp and salt).<\/p>\n If cooking in a large rice cooker:<\/strong><\/p>\n You could layer the rice and chicken masala a couple of hours before the party<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Take the chicken masala out of the fridge, let stand for 15 minutes. Place the tray with the chicken masala in the oven (preheated at 350 F or lowest temperature) and heat for 10 to 15 minutes, this is just to heat up the chicken and masala. Do not overcook or overheat it.<\/p>\n In another large aluminum foil tray, grease the bottom of the tray with ghee, layer half of the chicken masala on it. Layer half of the cooked rice over it. Spread fried onions, mint leaves and cilantro, drizzle half of the saffron, drizzle 2 tbsp ghee. Again layer with chicken masala, rice and top with fried onions, mint, cilantro, saffron and ghee.<\/p>\n Cover the tray tightly with aluminum foil, place in the preheated oven (350 F) or at the lowest temperature and keep it for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, take the tray out of the oven (wear gloves and be very careful as it’s heavy) and let stand for some time.<\/p>\n Before serving, you could warm up the biryani in the oven<\/strong> (at the lowest temperature for 10 minutes).<\/p>\n 2- Fry the tuna cutlets<\/strong><\/p>\n Take the tuna mix out of the refrigerator, let stand for 15 minutes. Then, dip the cutlet balls in egg, and breadcrumbs and then deep fry till golden brown. Place on an aluminum foil tray lined with kitchen paper towel. Keep it covered.<\/p>\n You could slightly warm up before\u00a0serving.<\/strong><\/p>\n 3- Make Pizza<\/strong><\/p>\n Start baking the pizza 30 minutes before you serve the food so that it will be warm.<\/p>\n Take the pizza dough, filling and the veggies out of the refrigerator. Let stand for 15 minutes.<\/p>\n Spread the pizza dough on 2 pizza pans. Spread the dough with ground beef filling, top with veggies, spread cheese over it. Bake at 425 F for 20 minutes.<\/p>\n 4- Baking Chicken legs<\/strong><\/p>\n This can be done an hour\u00a0before the party.<\/p>\n Line a large baking pan with aluminum foil, arrange the marinated chicken legs, spray non-stick cooking spray over the chicken. Bake at 400 F for 45 minutes or until chicken has cooked well- half way through flip over the chicken legs and bake again.<\/p>\n First, cook the boneless chicken breasts- 2 breasts (cut small) along with ground pepper and salt. Make the soup an hour before the party and Keep aside.<\/p>\n 15 minutes before serving- T<\/strong>urn on the stove to low heat and keep the soup pot over it. This will keep the soup warm.<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Making Macarons<\/a>: Can be made well in advance, a week prior to the party<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"macarons\"](\"http:\/\/www.thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/macarons.jpg\")
<\/p>\nI made 2 separate batches, there were around 35 Macarons. I didn’t fill them with the filling served as it is.<\/h3>\n
Macaron recipe click here<\/a><\/h3>\n
Making Chocolate Cake<\/a>: Make the cake 2 days before the party and keep in the<\/strong>\u00a0refrigerator<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"chocolate](\"http:\/\/www.thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/chocolate-cake.jpg\")
<\/p>\nChocolate Cake recipe click here<\/a><\/h3>\n
Prep work on the\u00a0day before the party:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Tuna cutlet recipe click here<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\n
Follow the preparation for making the chicken Masala<\/a><\/h3>\n
Make 2 pizza bases- it’s good to make 2 separate doughs rather than combining everything into one, recipe here<\/a>.<\/h3>\n
Follow the recipe for making the ground beef filling<\/a>.<\/h3>\n
5- Marinating the Chicken legs- Recipe here<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
6- Pistachio Saffron Pudding- recipe here<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
Follow the preparation method<\/a>, pour into individual bowls and refrigerate.<\/h3>\n
\n
In a saucepan, add the halved strawberries along with the sugar.<\/span>
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes till it\u2019s mashed up and the sauce has thickened. Let it cool down.<\/span><\/p>\n
Spread the strawberry filling on one of the halves, top with the other half.<\/span>
3- For making whipped cream<\/span><\/strong>
Heavy Whipping cream, cold \u2013 2 1\/2 cups<\/span>
Confectioners sugar or powdered sugar \u2013 3 tablespoons<\/span><\/p>\n\n
On the Party Day<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
\n
![\"tuna](\"http:\/\/www.thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tuna-cutlet.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"ground](\"http:\/\/www.thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/ground-beef-pizza.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"baked](\"http:\/\/www.thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/baked-chicken-legs.jpg\")
<\/p>\n5- Make Sweet corn chicken soup- Recipe here<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"sweet](\"http:\/\/www.thasneen.com\/cooking\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/sweet-corn-chicken-soup.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n
Follow the\u00a0preparation method<\/a><\/h3>\n