# Party help!



## MargeandHomer (Aug 16, 2010)

Hi,

My name is Hilary and I just joined this forum.I have been looking for a forum to discuss cooking.

Well my main question is for my birthday party.

I am going to be 25 this November and I am going to have a 1985 birthday party.

I have been researching food (and drinks) and things to serve at the party.But all I have seen so far is junk food.I am planning on serving a buffet.I want to find something distinctly 80's.Not just candy and junk food but real food.

Any and all help would be great!


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## kadesma (Aug 16, 2010)

You want a buffet? Do you want all finger food? How about several salads About how many people.? Small sandwiches are nice, anti pasto platters can be done ahead covered and then set out as the party starts. Chips and dips. More details about things you love to eat will help us.
kadesma


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## MargeandHomer (Aug 16, 2010)

I was gonna have a couple appetizers set up in the living room with cocktails and the buffet in the kitchen.I am looking for stuff I can keep in crock pots and a meat dish.I really wanna make a ham but i am not sure if thats a real 80's thing?I like casseroles and such.

I am guessing there will be at the most 12 people attending.


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## roadfix (Aug 16, 2010)

MargeandHomer said:


> I want to find something distinctly 80's.



As far as food from the mid-80's, I can't help you with that as it hasn't changed much for the most part.....except for their packaging.  I can't name one food item that was distinctly popular back then.  Music, movies, clothing, and hairstyles, yes.

Hall & Oats
The Mullet hair style
Boy George
The Breakfast Club

etc...


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## kadesma (Aug 16, 2010)

Foods don't change that much, you could do an adult mac and cheese, and  spiral cut ham but I think I'd jut get a boiled ham that would give you more  surface to cut it. You don't want to be carving at the last minute. I'd do several chip and dips with drinks they were popular in the 80's or a tray of small sandwiches We use to buy unsliced bread cut through the long way  into 3 sections butter then fill with cream cheese and bacon and olives with pimento chopped next layer tuna salad or chicken salad, deviled ham and green onion third layer cover the outside with more cream cheese and us some chopped parsley to color it up  slice into thin slices  on a platter surround with a curly lettuce or flowers dips can include the ever popular onion dip or salmon, dill, cream cheese with nice water crackers. I have other ideas if you are interested.
kadesma


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## kadesma (Aug 16, 2010)

My sisters 80's dip we all love this and it can be made the day ahead and will taste wonderful
Take a defrosted 10oz pack of chopped spinach and with your hands squeeze as much waster as possible from it. Combine with 2 cups of sour cream 1 cup mayo 1 package leek dry soup mix.1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley  1/2 cup chopped green onions both green and white 1 Tab. fresh chopped dill or dry dill 1 tea. dry Italian salad dressing mix Combine in food processor til blended Refrigerate til ready to use, serve In bread bowl with  bread removed from cent  and some carrots,celery and other assorted veggies
enjoy
kadesma


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## roadfix (Aug 16, 2010)

Pac-man shaped cookies.


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## DaveSoMD (Aug 16, 2010)

Buffalo wings were just coming into the forefront
Tab was REALLY big


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## roadfix (Aug 16, 2010)

"On" TV
Richard Simmons
The Vitamin Bible
Nautalis gym equipment

Did I mention Hall and Oats?


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## MargeandHomer (Aug 16, 2010)

kadesma said:


> Foods don't change that much, you could do an adult mac and cheese, and  spiral cut ham but I think I'd jut get a boiled ham that would give you more  surface to cut it. You don't want to be carving at the last minute. I'd do several chip and dips with drinks they were popular in the 80's or a tray of small sandwiches We use to buy unsliced bread cut through the long way  into 3 sections butter then fill with cream cheese and bacon and olives with pimento chopped next layer tuna salad or chicken salad, deviled ham and green onion third layer cover the outside with more cream cheese and us some chopped parsley to color it up  slice into thin slices  on a platter surround with a curly lettuce or flowers dips can include the ever popular onion dip or salmon, dill, cream cheese with nice water crackers. I have other ideas if you are interested.
> kadesma



Yes,definately I am open for all ideas and tips.


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## kadesma (Aug 16, 2010)

Let's go like this, I'll list some favorites you can look them over and let me know if you want something
Spiced melon balls, Parmesan Pesto dip, candied walnuts,Ham rolls on baguette,hot artichoke dip with tortilla chips of crackers, stuffed eggs,Aram sandwich.figs wrapped in prociutto drizzled with honeymozzarella with sun dried tomatoe bites on toothpicksTomatoa and basil bruscetta, marinated olives. A large platter of pasta with pesto served at room temp with scattered chopped  sweet fresh tomatoes on top, this will go a long way is tasty and filling, serve with green salad and garlic bread snd oven fried chicken dont the day before with garlic,garlic white wine, butter
kadesma


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## LPBeier (Aug 16, 2010)

Here's an interesting link.  The article itself is mostly junk food, but if you read the comments you get some pretty good ideas What food's are uniquely 80's?

I certainly agree with some of the comments regarding quiche, tri-colour pasta salads, etc.  I remember making a lot of these in the 80's!


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## PrincessFiona60 (Aug 16, 2010)

My favortie appetizer was a ham and horseradish concoction.  Thin sliced deli ham, cream together cream cheese and horseradish to taste and spread thin layer over the ham slices.  Stack and cut into 1" squares, apply toothpicks to each.  An easy cracker dip was cottage cheese with Mrs. Dash mixed in, one of the first "dishes" made for Mrs. Dash.  Little Smokies cooked in BBQ sauce on a toothpick.  Nachos, as an appetizer were gaining ground then, too.

Six foot long sub sandwiches cut in 2" slices were popular,too and then there was the old pizza party.

I won't mention the gallons of Tequila Sunrises we consumed in the 80's or the Brownies we baked.


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## Kathleen (Aug 16, 2010)

*What a fun party idea!*

Putting on my red shoes to dance the blues....I remember these things from my days as a Navy family member in the mid-80s:

Appetizers: FROZEN Daquiries with fruits.  Then dips like chili con queso and avocado (guacamole), mini meatballs (in everything from BBQ to grape jelly in a CROCKPOT), cheeses like brie with almonds or pistachios pressed in it but not a cheese ball!  (OMG, how very 70's!)   You could marinade some veggies like tomatoes or mushrooms.

Soups: In the Navy, we were into chilled soups in the summer - especially chilled watercress or veggie soup...like gazpacho.  (Consomme was out - too Nixon years-ish!)  French onion soup worked or even a chunky soup like beef noodle - though popular, none of us made Italian wedding soup as it was Mrs. Admiral's go-to soup!  

Main Dishes:
Putting on the Ritz: Try cooking with WINE!  Beef with mushroom and wine, Chicken with mushroom and wine, Eggs on toast with sherry!  Veal in Marsala or Port sauce was popular (social concerns for veal were gaining momentum though.)  Sides should include rice pilaf, vegetable medleys, and salads with fruit vinegarette.  FAN-CEE!   Those skinny breadsticks!  Very chic.

Feeding a Crowd:
We felt very cutting edge with our "Make your own kabob" party.  Also, buffets (which were also popular in the 70s) were still fun, but I recall a lot of rice-based casseroles like a paella knock-offs which were tasty but NOT the real thing.  Also veggie lasagnas were pretty new to us.  Again, salads...and use the Dijon mustard dressing.  

Friends and Family Dinners:
Quiche!  It was new...fab...cool!  And we put everything in them.  Asparagus ...string beans...cheeses....onions...spam.  Yes, we put SPAM in it and everyone wanted the recipe...then were horrified that it had spam...but made it...and then the circle played out again.  Healthy food was also on the rise though healthy was questionable by today's standards.  Grilled fish is something I still enjoy though not with all of the butter (margarine) that we dumped on it at the time.  

Dessert: Tofutti with "Gourmet" cookies such as Famous Amos or Pepperidge Farm big chunks, cakes made with jello pudding or cool whip or even jello!  I remember making a frosting out of a container of cool whip, a box of instant Jello pudding, and a can of crushed pineapple...and yanno, it was yummy!  I divided layers of an orange cake...which was a mix...into four layers and slathered the frosting between the layers...and on the top...and decorated the top with orange segments and pineapple.  It was such a hit.  

Sometimes I wonder if some of those things were as good as I remember.  I'm not sure whether this is what you wanted, but I had so much fun thinking about what we had back then.  I think as long as your recipe contains jello pudding, cool whip, or Campbell's soup, you cannot go terribly wrong!  Gee, I want a Jello Pudding Pop.

~Kathleen


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## Kathleen (Aug 17, 2010)

kadesma said:


> Let's go like this, I'll list some favorites you can look them over and let me know if you want something
> Spiced melon balls, Parmesan Pesto dip, candied walnuts,Ham rolls on baguette,hot artichoke dip with tortilla chips of crackers, stuffed eggs,Aram sandwich.figs wrapped in prociutto drizzled with honeymozzarella with sun dried tomatoe bites on toothpicksTomatoa and basil bruscetta, marinated olives. A large platter of pasta with pesto served at room temp with scattered chopped  sweet fresh tomatoes on top, this will go a long way is tasty and filling, serve with green salad and garlic bread snd oven fried chicken dont the day before with garlic,garlic white wine, butter
> kadesma



Kades - I loved melon balls.  I still have my tuperware melon-baller.  

~Kathleen


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## LPBeier (Aug 17, 2010)

Wow, Kathleen you really are a "child" of the 80's!  ... oops, flowers were from the 70's!


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## PrincessFiona60 (Aug 17, 2010)

I forgot about daquiris and kabobs,  Fondue!!!  We fondued everything!


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## Kathleen (Aug 17, 2010)

LPBeier said:


> Wow, Kathleen you really are a "child" of the 80's!  ... oops, flowers were from the 70's!



The 60's so flowers work!  Peace, love and fondue!!!!



PrincessFiona60 said:


> I forgot about daquiris and kabobs,  Fondue!!!  We fondued everything!



I loved fondue!  In the Navy, it was a popular relic from the early sixties and cheese fondue went well with pink ladies (a drink).  (It went so very well with pink ladies....*sighs dreamily*)  At home with the parents, we felt righteously decadent in the winter with angel food chunks dipped in chocolate fondue since we could not buy a strawberry that time of the year in the sixties.    Fondue was still popular with us in the 80s and here is the recipe for Momma's best chocolate fondue recipe ever! 

In a medium saucepan, stir 3/4 cup of dark or light corn syrup and 1/2 cup of heavy cream.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.   Remove immediately from the heat and add 8 ounces of semi-sweet or German Baker's chocolate chips.  Stir until chocolate completely melts.  Serve with chunks of fruit, cheese cake, angel food cake, etc.  It makes about 1 1/2 cups and don't double dip!

Thanks for the memories....now I want a pink lady to go with my pudding pop!

~Kathleen


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## PrincessFiona60 (Aug 17, 2010)

KathleenA said:


> Thanks for the memories....now I want a pink lady to go with my pudding pop!


 
Knox Blocks...made with apple juice!  Remember those?


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## Kathleen (Aug 17, 2010)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Knox Blocks...made with apple juice!  Remember those?


 
Knox blocks....YUM.  I loved it with Welches Grape juice....now, in keeping with the thread, I suppose jello shooters....with a dab of Cool Whip.


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## PattY1 (Aug 17, 2010)

7 Layer Taco Dip. Mix re-fried beans with Taco seasoning mix, spread in a pan or attractive dish, spread Guacamole over, next spread with Sour Cream, Sprinkle with chopped Black Olives, Chopped Green Onion, shredded Sharp Cheese and Chopped Tomato.


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## MargeandHomer (Aug 17, 2010)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> My favortie appetizer was a ham and horseradish concoction.  Thin sliced deli ham, cream together cream cheese and horseradish to taste and spread thin layer over the ham slices.  Stack and cut into 1" squares, apply toothpicks to each.  An easy cracker dip was cottage cheese with Mrs. Dash mixed in, one of the first "dishes" made for Mrs. Dash.  Little Smokies cooked in BBQ sauce on a toothpick.  Nachos, as an appetizer were gaining ground then, too.
> 
> Six foot long sub sandwiches cut in 2" slices were popular,too and then there was the old pizza party.
> 
> I won't mention the gallons of Tequila Sunrises we consumed in the 80's or the Brownies we baked.



The little smokies sound good,and I could probably get them to make me a sub at work..I like the sounds of Tequila Sunrises!


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## MargeandHomer (Aug 17, 2010)

PattY1 said:


> 7 Layer Taco Dip. Mix re-fried beans with Taco seasoning mix, spread in a pan or attractive dish, spread Guacamole over, next spread with Sour Cream, Sprinkle with chopped Black Olives, Chopped Green Onion, shredded Sharp Cheese and Chopped Tomato.



Sounds yummy!


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## MargeandHomer (Aug 17, 2010)

I'm glad I posted here.I am getting soo many good ideas.Didn't expect to get such a fast response!


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## MargeandHomer (Aug 17, 2010)

DaveSoMD said:


> Buffalo wings were just coming into the forefront
> Tab was REALLY big



Tab?


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## PrincessFiona60 (Aug 17, 2010)

MargeandHomer said:


> I'm glad I posted here.I am getting soo many good ideas.Didn't expect to get such a fast response!


 
I think you lucked into a pod of late night snackers and posters who remember the 80's.


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## roadfix (Aug 17, 2010)

Lots of great ideas.....now some of them are actually coming back to me.

OP:  Hope your party is a success and may your guests enjoy food from the past...
Make sure you play Hall and Oates.


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## NAchef (Aug 17, 2010)

MargeandHomer said:


> Tab?


 
Tab was always in our house, I still see it at the stores. http://www.tabsoda.com/


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## roadfix (Aug 17, 2010)

We have an old deli & soda pop store close by that sells long gone sodas and other beverages.  You can order on-line from them as well:

Root Beer - Soda Pop


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## MargeandHomer (Aug 17, 2010)

roadfix said:


> Lots of great ideas.....now some of them are actually coming back to me.
> 
> OP:  Hope your party is a success and may your guests enjoy food from the past...
> Make sure you play Hall and Oates.



What is Hall and Oates?


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## MargeandHomer (Aug 17, 2010)

KathleenA said:


> Putting on my red shoes to dance the blues....I remember these things from my days as a Navy family member in the mid-80s:
> 
> Appetizers: FROZEN Daquiries with fruits.  Then dips like chili con queso and avocado (guacamole), mini meatballs (in everything from BBQ to grape jelly in a CROCKPOT), cheeses like brie with almonds or pistachios pressed in it but not a cheese ball!  (OMG, how very 70's!)   You could marinade some veggies like tomatoes or mushrooms.
> 
> ...



WOW!Thanks soo much for all the tips.My mom used to make a cake similar to that.But its been a long time since she has.

What about broccoli casserole?I have a recipe with campbell's soup in it.What kind of meat dishes were popular at parties in 85?


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## MargeandHomer (Aug 17, 2010)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I forgot about daquiris and kabobs,  Fondue!!!  We fondued everything!



Wasn't fondue big in the 70's?


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## MargeandHomer (Aug 17, 2010)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Knox Blocks...made with apple juice!  Remember those?



what is in a knox blocks?


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## roadfix (Aug 17, 2010)

MargeandHomer said:


> What is Hall and Oates?




YouTube - Hall and Oates - Private Eyes


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## MargeandHomer (Aug 17, 2010)

Ohh,I've heard that song before!!!They play it at work like a cagillion times a day!


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## MargeandHomer (Aug 17, 2010)

I've never seen any of their videos before.It was awesome.Was that big in 85?


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## DaveSoMD (Aug 17, 2010)

MargeandHomer said:


> Tab?


 
Tab was (is????) a diet soda.

And this song was REALLY big (Raspberry Beret). 
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-196646101143773778#

Dare I admint to being "The Doctor" in a Prince and the Revolution Air Band????


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## roadfix (Aug 17, 2010)

MargeandHomer said:


> I've never seen any of their videos before.It was awesome.Was that big in 85?


Well, I mean you're providing food from the 80's, I assume you'll be playing some popular 80's music as well.??...


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## MargeandHomer (Aug 17, 2010)

roadfix said:


> Well, I mean you're providing food from the 80's, I assume you'll be playing some popular 80's music as well.??...



Definately!!!


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## MargeandHomer (Aug 17, 2010)

DaveSoMD said:


> Tab was (is????) a diet soda.
> 
> And this song was REALLY big (Raspberry Beret).
> Raspberry Beret#
> ...



I've heard that song too!Wow,I can't believe how many of these songs I am finding I hear every day at work!


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## roadfix (Aug 17, 2010)

MargeandHomer said:


> Definately!!!


Well, you're providing food and music from the 80's, I assume you'll all be dressed like the 80's...??..


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## Kathleen (Aug 17, 2010)

PattY1 said:


> 7 Layer Taco Dip. Mix re-fried beans with Taco seasoning mix, spread in a pan or attractive dish, spread Guacamole over, next spread with Sour Cream, Sprinkle with chopped Black Olives, Chopped Green Onion, shredded Sharp Cheese and Chopped Tomato.




OH, I remember seeing this dip everywhere in the mid-eighties.  It was always a hit!


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## PrincessFiona60 (Aug 17, 2010)

MargeandHomer said:


> Wasn't fondue big in the 70's?


 
Could be...but, I do remember seeing it a lot in the 80's...maybe because I grew up in Wyoming and we were always 10 years behind...just kidding!!!! Took that long for fads to get there by stagecoach...


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## Kathleen (Aug 17, 2010)

MargeandHomer said:


> WOW!Thanks soo much for all the tips.My mom used to make a cake similar to that.But its been a long time since she has.
> 
> What about broccoli casserole?I have a recipe with campbell's soup in it.What kind of meat dishes were popular at parties in 85?



Broccoli casserole is a good choice.  Veggie medleys, veggies with sliced almonds or with some other ingredient were pretty popular.  

Meat dishes....like stand-alone or in something else?  I had a lot of things then that seemed to have wine and mushroom sauces.  Cooking with wine was pretty new and popular to those in my crowd in the mid-80s.  



MargeandHomer said:


> Wasn't fondue big in the 70's?



Fondues have been around since the late-fifties and early sixties but seems timeless in that it will pop up in each decade and never fails to please.  What was cool about fondue is that one makes it, and someone in every crowd has never had it before.  If you asked my nieces, they would say fondue is a 90's thing b/c I took them to a fondue restaurant then.



MargeandHomer said:


> what is in a knox blocks?



Recipes will vary depending on what you are making.  Some have juice, some use jello, and others have alcohol (for shooters), but all have Knox gelatin.

~Kathleen


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## PrincessFiona60 (Aug 17, 2010)

MargeandHomer said:


> what is in a knox blocks?


 
Knox gelatin and juice, usually apple.  Made correctly, the blocks could be played with for a while before eating them.  More of a kids party thing, but it is an 80's memory for me.


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## Kathleen (Aug 17, 2010)

roadfix said:


> Well, you're providing food and music from the 80's, I assume you'll all be dressed like the 80's...??..



Oh, I hope they do.  It will look like the cast party from St. Elmo's Fire!    Just fun!


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## Kathleen (Aug 17, 2010)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Knox gelatin and juice, usually apple.  Made correctly, the blocks could be played with for a while before eating them.  More of a kids party thing, but it is an 80's memory for me.



Me too!  Between the Knox Blocks and shooters, I think they were everywhere.


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