Alright, let me tell you about the last time I had the girls over for our kitty party. It landed on my turn, and you know how it is, suddenly you’re thinking, “What on earth am I going to feed everyone?” Didn’t want anything too stressful, just good food that we could enjoy while catching up.
Getting Started – The Plan
So, I sat down a few days before, pencil and paper in hand. First thought: keep it simple. Nobody wants a three-course meal at 3 PM. Finger foods are the way to go. Easy to pick up, less fuss with plates and forks everywhere. I definitely decided against anything needing serious cutlery.
I thought about what usually goes down well. Sandwiches are a must, right? Always reliable. I figured I’d do a couple of types.
- Cucumber and Cream Cheese: Classic, simple, refreshing. Got some nice soft white bread for these.
- Something with a bit more substance: Maybe a chicken salad? Or, wait, some of the ladies prefer vegetarian. Okay, decided on a spiced paneer filling instead. Good call, I thought.
Then, needed something warm and savory. Mini samosas? Spring rolls? Felt a bit like cheating to just buy them frozen, though honestly, sometimes that’s the smart move. But I was feeling ambitious (or maybe just foolish). I remembered making some decent aloo tikki (potato patties) once. Decided, yeah, let’s do those. Can make the mix ahead.
The Actual Doing Part
Day Before: Went shopping. Got the potatoes boiled and mashed for the tikkis. Mixed in the spices, onions, coriander, made the little patty shapes, and stuck them in the fridge, covered. Got the paneer, chopped onions and peppers for the filling. Got the bread, cream cheese, cucumbers. Felt quite organised, actually.
Party Day: Morning felt a bit hectic! Started with the paneer filling – just sautéed the onions, peppers, added crumbled paneer and some simple spices. Let that cool down. Then, shallow fried the aloo tikkis in batches. You have to watch them so they get golden brown but don’t burn. Takes a bit of time standing at the stove.
Made the cucumber sandwiches first. Simple slicing and spreading. Then assembled the paneer sandwiches. Did this closer to when people were arriving so the bread wouldn’t get soggy. Arranged everything on platters. Put the tikkis out with some mint chutney I thankfully had in the fridge.
Oh, and for something sweet? Almost forgot! Didn’t want a big cake. I just bought some nice biscuits and a packet of gulab jamuns. Popped the gulab jamuns in a bowl. Easy peasy. For drinks, just a big jug of lemonade and some water.
How It Went
Honestly, it worked out pretty well. The ladies arrived, we chatted, and everyone seemed to like the food. The aloo tikkis vanished first – always a good sign! The paneer sandwiches were also quite popular. The cucumber ones were steady nibbles. Having the sweet options there worked too, a little something after the savories.
Clean up wasn’t horrendous either, mostly just plates and glasses. Main thing was, the food didn’t get in the way of the chatting, which is the whole point, right? Felt good that I’d actually made most of it myself, even if it was simple stuff. Definitely sticking to manageable finger foods next time too.