(This post is a continuation of my previous – Brewing for a crowd).

When I came up with the menu for our housewarming party, I followed the same basic principle that we kept in mind for the homebrews — nothing too crazy, great flavors, and variety.

I went much less gourmet than I normally would, but not only to make sure that everyone would enjoy the food. The sheer volume of food I had to make prevented me from getting too fussy. Were I behind the scenes in a restaurant, I would have attempted elaborate plating, an interesting yet subtle interplay of flavors, yadda yadda yadda. But, this was in my own home, for a party that I also was hoping to enjoy myself.

So I went for big flavors in massive quantities, buffet-style. For appetizers, I made a Three-Bean Chili and Black Bean and Corn Salsa, both served with tortilla chips. These came especially in handy later on in the night when everyone had the munchies. Both can be made via the “chop-it-up-and-throw-it-in” method of cooking, and both can be made ahead of time, which makes life easier on the day of the party.

For the main course, I made three main dishes and one vegetable side dish. The easiest dish I made was a Spinach and Basil Lasagna. Lasagna is probably one of the simplest meals to make for a crowd. You can make your sauce and gather all the lasagna components ahead of time, assemble it a few hours before the party, and bake it about an hour beforehand.

The trick when serving the lasagna is to pre-cut it into the appropriate serving size, so that everyone can get at least one piece. If you leave it to your guests, you risk having one of your hungrier friends taking way more than their fair share.

The second main dish I made was Pulled Pork. I went ahead and made my own rolls to serve with the pork, but you can just as easily buy them at the store. Just make sure you get little ones so your guests can just grab a small bite if they want. The great thing about this dish is that you can use your crockpot. I let it cook overnight, pulled it in the morning, then let it sit on the warm setting until the party. Easy.

The last main dish was Chicken Francais. I actually used my mom’s recipe for this one (it was my favorite food growing up). I made this the day before, then warmed it up in the oven right before the party. I packed this dish full of lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon slices, plus topped it with an entire bunch of chopped fresh parsley. Those simple additions make for impressive flavor — people raved about this one the most.

For the veggie, I went with green beans. Steamed them, tossed them with a lemon vinaigrette, and topped them with Parmesan breadcrumbs. Really easy, and once again, the lemon flavor seems to please everyone.

The easiest thing to make for dessert at a large party: cookies. You don’t need plates or utensils to serve them, and everyone can just grab them as they go. Plus, you can make them a few days ahead of time. My suggestion — make the cookies smaller than you usually would. More cookies, same amount of dough. And go with something that sounds impressive but is easy to make. I made Orange-Hazelnut Olive Oil Cookies, and Chocolate-Mint Thumbprints (both recipes from Fine Cooking).

Somehow, I forgot to take pictures of my huge spread of food (blast!). I guess I was too busy trying to clean up all my bakeware before all our guests arrived. So, you’ll just have to use your imagination. It was quite a sight to see.

My final two suggestions: First, invest in some big chafing dishes (or borrow them from your folks, like I did!). They allow you to keep the food warm, but to not have to think about it for the entire night.

And lastly, if you’re like me and don’t have the luxury of a second refrigerator, have your large party in cold weather. I used my deck as a natural refrigerator. Convenient!