Graduation Party Food

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Graduation party food can be a very wide variety of food depending on the theme of the party. Each of my theme party ideas has specific foods. This page has great party food for any type of party.

If you are having an open house party or one in a hall then a cold buffet is not only the easiest option but also a very delicious one. Because of the variety involved it has something to suit everyone which is great because most graduation parties tend to be multi-generational.

Look below for even more advantages:

• It leaves you free to enjoy the party and mingle with the guests rather than being stuck in the kitchen checking the oven.
• Friends and relatives will be only too happy to bring a bowl of something with them to help out so don’t be shy about organizing who brings what up front.
• Everything can be prepared in advance and even laid out prior to the first guest arriving so that the only task to be done is to top up any dishes that are running low.

When I make a buffet, here is what I include. You’ll also find some graduation party food ideas more suited to kindergarten graduations at the very bottom.

Graduation Party Food - Cold Salad Buffet

Salad Bowl

Ingredients:

• 1 Torn iceberg lettuce
• 10 Baby tomatoes, halved
• 1 Chopped cucumber
• Cracked black pepper

When: Should be made on the morning of the party.

How many: Approximately 20 people.

Graduation Party Food - Curried Rice

Ingredients:

• 6 cups of uncooked basmati rice
• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• ½ cup of double cream
• 4 table spoons of curry powder
• 1 cup of raisins or sultanas

When: This can be made the evening before the party.

How many: Approximately 20 people.

Graduation Party Food - Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 500g of uncooked pasta
• 5 spring onions chopped
• 1 cucumber chopped
• 1 red pepper chopped
• 250g of cheese cubed
• ½ a cup of salad cream or mayonnaise.

Method: Cook the pasta and let it cool then mix everything together.

When: Can be prepared the night before. Just add some more salad cream or mayonnaise prior to serving.

How many: Approximately 20 people.

Potato Salad and Coleslaw

There is no point in making these when perfectly good versions can be bought from your supermarket.

Crisps, Pretzels, Nachos, Breadsticks & Nuts

Display these in pretty dishes and make sure you have plenty in stock. After all they can keep if they are not required.

Crusty Bread

Everyone will probably want some of this so again, make sure you don’t run short and you should have some with and some without butter.

Graduation Party Food - Cold Meats

Your cold meats platter can consist of the following:

• Chicken wings
• Chicken drum sticks
• Ham
• Cold cocktail sausages.

And if the budget permits and the numbers aren’t too great then:

• Sliced roast beef
• Salmon.

Graduation Party Food - Chicken Sizzle Sticks

Now you’ll need a barbeque for this one. If you can get someone to volunteer to go on the barbeque then this is definitely worth it.

Ingredients:

• Soy sauce for marinading
• 1lb of chicken cut into long thin strips (as thin as your butcher can cut them – approx 3 mm)
• ½ cup of tomato sauce
• ½ cup of chilli sauce
• 5 table spoons of lime juice
• 2 table spoons of brown sugar
• Barbeque sticks (wooden ones soaked in water to prevent them burning).

Method: Marinade chicken in soy sauce for at least 2 hours. Mix all other ingredients together to make a sauce. Thread the chicken onto barbeque sticks (bit like a wiggling worm).

Prior to cooking brush some sauce on them.

When: Chicken could be threaded onto sticks the night before and left to marinade over night. Sauce could also be prepared the night before.

How many: You could manage to get about 30 sticks.

Desserts

There are plenty of great shop bought desserts so it’s perfectly acceptable to buy them but if you want to then here are some of my favourite dessert recipes.

Graduation Party Food - Trifle

Ingredients:

• Sponge (shop bought is fine) – enough to cover the bottom of a large glass dish
• 4 table spoons of strawberry jam
• 1 strawberry jelly
• 1 large tin of fruit cocktail
• 1 medium carton of custard
• 1 chocolate flake
• 1 small tub of double cream – add a little sugar to taste

Method: Bottom layer – sponge & spread the jam on top. Next layer – add tin of fruit Next layer – make jelly according to pkt instructions and pour over Next Layer – after jelly has set add the custard Next layer – now beat the cream and smooth on top of the custard Top – sprinkle some chocolate flake.

When: Prepare everything the day before and just do the cream on the morning of the party.

How many: Approx 15 people.

Graduation Party Food - Chocolate Orange Trifle

Ingredients:

• Chocolate sponge cake (shop bought is fine – enough to cover the bottom of a large glass dish
• ¼ cup of fresh orange
• 4 table spoons of marmalade
• 1 large orange peeled and split into segments
• 1 medium carton of custard
• Large bar of dark chocolate.

Method: Bottom layer – sponge & spread the marmalade on top. Next layer – sprinkle the orange juice on top to make the sponge slightly soggy Next layer – add orange segments Next layer – melt chocolate and mix into the custard Next layer – now beat the cream and smooth on top of the custard Top – sprinkle some chocolate flake.

When: Prepare everything the day before and just do the cream on the morning of the party.

How many: Approx 15 people.

Strawberries

Ingredients:

• Lots of strawberries
• Box of meringue nests
• Pouring cream.

Method: Put the washed strawberries in a bowl, the crushed meringue in a separate bowl and the cream in a jug. People can just help themselves.

When: Can be prepared the night before.

How many: Depends on how many strawberries.

The Graduation Cake

Sponge cakes can be quite tricky to make and time consuming to decorate so I’d recommend you order one instead. Getting one which is suited to your grads interests or hobbies is a good idea.

Of course you may have the time to produce a wonderful graduation cake. Click here for full cake making instructions and decorating tips.

Graduation Party Food for Little People

There is no need to go to great lengths preparing graduation party food for pre-school children. Generally they are too excited to eat very much and when they do eat it tends to be the simple stuff.

I would suggest putting a lot of little bowls out containing the following:

• Bowl of grapes
• Little boxes of raisins
• Cubes of cheese
• Little cocktail sausages
• Crisps
• Sandwiches with just cheese
• Sandwiches with just ham.

For afters ice-cream will always go down well and how about adding a dish of sweets that can be sprinkled on top of the ice-cream.

Good luck with your graduation party food. Simple well prepared food can be the best graduation party food.

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