Oriental birthday menu. How to create a menu for a holiday banquet

A birthday is a great reason to set a festive table and surprise guests with interesting recipes. The main thing is that all the photo recipes offered below are very tasty and easy to prepare.

Snack "Peacock tail"

In order to prepare this dish, you will need simple and affordable ingredients. Namely:

• 2 fresh cucumbers;
• 2 large tomatoes;
• 2 ripe eggplants;
• 2-3 cloves of garlic;
• cheese (hard) is added to taste;
• olives are added to taste;
• mayonnaise for dressing;
• salt.

Preparation:

• All vegetables are thoroughly washed under running water and gently dried with a towel.
• cut into circles and place in a deep bowl. Sprinkle with plenty of table salt and mix with clean hands. After about an hour, all the bitterness will be removed from the vegetables, after which they need to be washed with plenty of water.

• Eggplant rings are fried in a preheated frying pan for 4 minutes on each side. To remove all the excess oil after frying, transfer them to a paper towel or baking paper.

• During this time, tomatoes and cucumbers are cut into thin slices. The appetizer will look even more interesting if you choose tomatoes of different colors.

• The cheese is grated on a coarse grater, combined with chopped garlic and mayonnaise. Mix everything thoroughly and set aside for a while.

• The finished eggplants are transferred to a large dish so that the shape of a peacock's tail is obtained. A slice of tomato is placed on top, then the cheese mixture, and at the very end - a cucumber.

• All that remains is to decorate the seedless appetizer and place the dish in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes.

Festive snack “Mushroom stumps”

Even a beginner can handle such an unusual dish, which will sell out first.

Ingredients:

• 250 g champignons;
• 100 g hard cheese;
• 4 tbsp. l. refined oil;
• 1 baguette (fresh);
• 1 sweet pepper;
• 1 onion;
• salt and fresh herbs are added to taste.

Preparation:

• The cooled filling is carefully placed in a baguette and sprinkled with grated cheese on top.

• The future snack is laid out on a clean baking sheet and placed in an oven preheated to 200 degrees for 10 minutes.

The finished dish can be decorated with fresh herbs. It will be equally tasty both warm and cold.

Mushroom cake for appetizer

Birthday recipes should have an interesting presentation, memorable taste and simplicity. The following dish meets all these criteria and can be prepared according to the instructions with photos.

Ingredients:

• 0.5 kg of fresh mushrooms;
• 100 g + 4 tbsp. l. thick sour cream;
• 100-150 g hard cheese;
• 80 ml sunflower oil;
• 2-3 onions;
• According to the recipe, salt and pepper are added to taste.

Preparation:

• The onion is cut into small slices. Mushrooms are chopped into thin slices.

• First add chopped onions to a heated frying pan for a few minutes, and then add fresh mushrooms. Mix everything well and fry over high heat until done. At the very end, the mushrooms are seasoned with spices.

• The resulting filling is passed through a meat grinder. If you want to get a paste-like mass, you can repeat this action one more time.

• The baking foil is folded into 6 layers. cut into 4 equal parts, that is, the result should be 8 sheets.

• The first layer is laid out on foil, coated with a thin layer of filling and covered with pita bread. The steps are repeated until the filling is finished.

• The mushroom mass is not laid out on the topmost layer - it is coated with sour cream, just like the sides of the future filling.

Grate the cheese on a fine grater and use as decoration.

All that remains is to send the cake to the oven preheated to 180 degrees until the cheese melts. Before serving, the appetizer is cut into small portions and, if desired, decorated with fresh herbs.

Quick salad “Male tears”

For the next photo recipe, only the most delicious and affordable products are used.

Ingredients:

• 350 g champignons (marinated);
• 250 g boiled chicken breast;
• 200-250 g Korean carrots;
• 150 g grated cheese;
• 50 ml vinegar;
• 4 chicken eggs (pre-boiled);
• 1 onion;
• mayonnaise.

Preparation:

• Chop it into half rings and marinate it in table vinegar (9%).

• During this time, the boiled brisket is cut into small pieces and laid out as the first layer on a beautiful round dish. Everything is coated with a thin layer of mayonnaise. Pickled onions are placed on top.

• Pickled mushrooms are also chopped and laid out in the next layer. Everything is again coated with mayonnaise, which can be mixed with a small amount of mustard.

• The penultimate layer of the salad is Korean carrots. All that remains is to add mayonnaise again and sprinkle everything with grated cheese.

The “Male Tears” salad can be served immediately after preparation, but the longer the dish sits, the richer its taste will be.

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“Anthill” - salad with chicken and potato strips

The unusual presentation of the next dish attracts the attention of guests and arouses their curiosity. It’s hard to believe at the very beginning that elementary ingredients are used to prepare it.

• 250 g chicken fillet;

• 100 g light mayonnaise;
• 100 ml refined oil;
• 50 g hard cheese;
• 3 green onions;
• 2 potato tubers;
• 1 fresh cucumber;
• 1 tomato;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• salt and pepper are added to taste.

Preparation:

• Boil the fillet in plenty of salted water. After cooking, the meat must be cooled directly in the water to maintain its juiciness.

• In the next step of a simple photo recipe suitable for a birthday, the meat is cut into small squares and placed in a deep bowl.

• Add chopped tomato and chopped cucumber to it. To make the salad look unusual and tasty, according to the recipe you need to grate it using a Korean carrot grater.

• Grated cheese and a pressed clove of garlic are also added to the bowl. The amount of these ingredients may vary depending on personal preference.

The salad is seasoned with spices and seasoned with light mayonnaise, which can be replaced with low-fat sour cream.

• All that remains is to prepare the potato strips. To do this, use a Korean carrot grater. Afterwards, the potatoes are thoroughly washed and dried on a kitchen towel.

• Heat oil for frying in a deep saucepan. Potato sticks are fried in batches until golden brown.

• The salad is placed in portions on plates, and cooled potato straws are sprinkled on top.

French-style meat with Adyghe cheese

The following recipe for a hot dish for a birthday will appeal to any meat-eater. It is not only delicious, but also incredibly easy to prepare. Here is a list of products you will need:

• 1 kg (preferably without fat);
• 1 kg of fresh mushrooms (champignons are best);
• 100 g hard cheese;
• 100 g Adyghe cheese;
• 2 tomatoes;
• 2 onions;
• salt, ground pepper and mustard are added to taste.

Preparation:

• Mushrooms are cut into thin slices and fried in heated sunflower oil. They must be stirred gently during the cooking process.

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• After a few minutes, finely chopped onions are added to the mushrooms. Mix everything with a wooden spatula.

• The prepared ingredients are transferred to a deep plate. You need to wait until they cool down a little.

• During this time, two types of cheese are grated on a coarse grater.

• The meat is cut into small slices and beaten well with a special hammer on both sides.

• The oven is heated to 200 degrees. The chops are coated with mustard and laid out on a baking sheet that has been previously greased with vegetable or butter. You can also use baking paper.

• First, mushrooms are placed on the meat, then chopped tomato, and at the very end - Adyghe and hard cheeses. The baking sheet goes into the oven for 35-40 minutes.

• The finished dish is served hot along with your favorite side dish or vegetable salad.

"Duchess" - a side dish of potatoes that cannot be forgotten

Simple and delicious birthday recipes should look like it. After all, even the most ordinary side dish can be turned into a small culinary masterpiece.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of raw potatoes;
• 50-100 g of hard cheese (you can combine different varieties);
• 2 chicken yolks;
• 0.5 tsp. nutmeg;
• salt and ground pepper are added to taste.

Preparation:

• Peeled potatoes are poured with a small amount of water, salted and boiled until tender. All that remains is to make puree with the addition of fresh milk.

• The cheese is grated on a fine grater. Otherwise, the dish may fall apart during cooking.

• The cheese is mixed with slightly cooled puree. Yolk and spices are also added there. Everything is mixed well until maximum homogeneity.

• The potato mixture is spooned into a pastry bag with a shaped tip. It is important that the potatoes are still warm.

The baking sheet is covered with baking parchment. If you grease it with oil, the dish may “spread” over the entire surface.

Small roses are carefully squeezed onto the parchment. The distance between them should be 1-2 cm. You need to make sure that they do not stick together.

Using a pastry brush, coat the potato flowers with raw yolk. You can do without this, but then the dish will be pale and less appetizing.

The side dish is baked in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for about 20 minutes. During this time, an appetizing golden crust should appear.

Lemon liqueur: for lovers of elite alcohol

The recipe for Italian liqueur “Limoncello” is simple and unpretentious. This drink is most often prepared for birthdays and is considered very tasty in Italy.

Ingredients :

• 500 ml of quality vodka;
• 350 g of drinking water;
• 350 g granulated sugar;
• 5 ripe lemons.

Preparation:

• Lemons are thoroughly washed under running water, after which the peel is peeled off with a sharp knife.

• The resulting zest is placed on the bottom of a glass jar and filled with vodka. The container is tightly covered with a lid and infused in a dark place for a week. It is important to gently shake the lemon drink every few days.

• After the specified time, syrup is prepared. To do this, combine granulated sugar with drinking water in a deep saucepan. Everything is mixed several times and placed on low heat. After boiling, the syrup is cooked for no more than 5 minutes and cooled to room temperature.

• According to the recipe, to get a tasty and simple birthday drink, all you have to do is strain the vodka through a fine sieve or cheesecloth and mix it with sugar syrup.

As you can see, cooking with photo recipes is much easier.

Based on the experience of past generations and famous chefs, even from ordinary products you can prepare incredible dishes that will decorate any table.

If you are planning to celebrate something, but money is tight, this post is for you.

Today I managed to prepare six different dishes on a very modest budget.

1. Chicken breast kebabs.

2. Squid salad in tartlets

3. Stuffed chicken legs

4. Fish in beer batter

5. Pancakes stuffed with chicken and cheese

6. Sandwiches

So, how can you prepare a festive table for 10-20 people at the rate of 1000-1200 rubles.

First, a shopping list.

I bought everything in one place, but if you set out to reduce the amount of purchases, then perhaps you should go to specialized stores.

plus to it:

20 tartlets for 6 rubles - 120 rubles.

0.5 l of milk, skewers, garlic, adjika, chili sauce.

So let's get started.

Cut 5 chicken breasts. Separate the fillet from the bones.

Cut into 100 pieces (each breast into 20 pieces).

Peel two onions (I used white onions). Grind on a coarse grater.

Using the same grater, remove the zest from the lemon and squeeze out all the juice.

Add spices, a teaspoon of salt, two tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Stir and put in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

Remove the skin from three legs using a stocking.

Remove the meat from the bones and cut it into small pieces.

Cover the remaining bones from the legs and breasts with water, add salt and cook over low heat.

When the bones are well cooked, cool them. Then remove the remaining chicken meat from the bones. There will be enough of it.

Salad peppers of two types. Two large red peppers, and 5 small green ones.

Wash the red pepper, cut in half and remove the seeds and stem.

Finely chop half the pepper at once.

Proceed as follows with the remaining three halves: cut the smooth pulp into large pieces, and often chop the rest finely as at the very beginning.

Set aside large pieces of pepper (25 pieces). Add small pieces to the chopped meat from the legs.

Adyghe cheese. Separate 1/3 and set aside. Cut the remaining 2/3 into small cubes.

Mix together finely chopped leg flesh, Adyghe cheese, and red salad pepper. Add one raw egg and a teaspoon of salt. Stir well.

Stuff the legs with the resulting filling and secure the holes with toothpicks.

Place the legs in a saucepan, cover with cold water and lightly salt. Cook over low heat after boiling for another 40-45 minutes. Then cool.

Remove the toothpicks from the finished, cooled legs and carefully cut into slices.

Cut the fish fillet into thin slices. Add 2 teaspoons of prepared adjika and stir gently.

Place the fish in the refrigerator.

Knead the dough: half a liter of milk, two cups of water, salt, sugar, a pinch of soda, 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 2 eggs and half a kilo of flour.

Fry 20 thin pancakes.

By the way, the best device for turning pancakes in a frying pan is a Chinese chopstick. Try it!

Also separate 1/3 from hard cheese. Save most of it for the salad.

Grind the smaller piece of hard cheese and the remaining piece of Adyghe cheese on a grater.

Add finely chopped green onions (2-3 feathers).

Chop the boiled chicken meat (from the bones) with a knife.

Place in bowl with cheese. Add a teaspoon of chili sauce.

Stir the filling.

Stuff the pancakes and roll them into tubes.

Cut each pancake in half diagonally.

I was cooking “for export” so I packed everything at once in a container or under film.

For the salad:

Cut the green salad pepper into strips and steam with a little water.

Clean and boil the squid. Cut into strips. Add 2/3 of hard cheese chopped on a coarse grater, 2-3 cloves of garlic passed through a press, finely chopped green onions, steamed lettuce peppers.

Season with mayonnaise and stir.

Then fill the tartlets with this salad. But just before serving.

Thread the marinated chicken breast onto 20 wooden skewers, 5 pieces per skewer.

Place on a rack and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Not more. Don't expect the chicken to brown, otherwise you'll dry out the kebabs.

From the remaining half a kilogram of flour, pour some (about 4 tablespoons) onto a plate for breading.

Pour the rest of the flour into a deep bowl. Add two raw eggs, a teaspoon of salt. Pour in half a liter of light, weak beer.

Mix the batter well with a whisk.

From a whole liter bottle of vegetable oil you should have more than 3/4 left. Pour the oil into a suitable saucepan or saucepan (mine is a wok). And heat for deep frying.

Bread the fish pieces in flour, then dip them in batter and deep-fry.

Remove from oil with a slotted spoon. I got 40 pieces.

And lastly - sandwiches.

Hard-boil the remaining 5 eggs (out of a dozen).

Salad pepper, cut into large pieces, bake in the oven.

Cut two rye loaves, two fresh cucumbers and almost 400 grams of semi-smoked sausage. You should get 25 pieces (slices). Also cut each boiled egg into 5 parts.

Grease the rye loaf slices with butter.

On top of the butter is a slice of cucumber.

Parsley sprigs - so that they protrude slightly to the side.

Pieces of sausage.

Place pieces of baked lettuce pepper on top of the sausage.

Pierce the sandwiches with skewers, with pitted olives strung on them.

I cooked from 8 am to 2 pm, leisurely, with breaks for coffee and chatting on the phone

Addition

A light but satisfying summer salad. Looks very elegant on the holiday table.

For 8 servings you will need:

700 grams of squid

4 small salad peppers

Salt for boiling squid

150 grams of hard cheese

2-3 cloves of garlic

1 small bunch of green onions (4-5 feathers)

Mayonnaise or ready-made salad dressing

Boil for salad and cut into rings.

Grind the cheese on a coarse grater.

Finely chop the green onion feathers, holding the knife at an angle.

Cut the lettuce pepper in half. Remove the stem and seeds.

Cut into strips.

Place in a saucepan, add half a glass of water and simmer under the lid until all the water has evaporated. Then cool the pepper.

Place squid rings, grated cheese, green onions and cooled pepper in a deep bowl. Add chopped garlic.

Season with prepared salad sauce or mayonnaise.

Stir and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Pink salmon in beer batter

Fish prepared in this way is good for a festive, and especially a buffet table. It is always eaten very quickly and with pleasure and looks very elegant. The pieces are small, and even guests on a diet are tempted to eat a piece.

For 6-10 servings you will need:

2 fillet halves from one pink salmon (approximately 800 grams)

2 tablespoons Caucasian adjika

6-8 tablespoons flour for breading

for batter:

500 grams of premium flour

0.5 liters of light, weak beer

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

for deep frying:

1 liter of refined vegetable oil

Separate the pink salmon fillet from the skin and cut into cubes 4-5 centimeters long, and approximately 1-1.5 centimeters wide and high. Brush the fish pieces evenly with adjika.

Prepare the batter. In a deep bowl, whisk the flour, eggs and beer. Add some salt. Leave for 20 minutes for the gluten to swell. The dough should be as thick as sour cream.

Heat vegetable oil in a small saucepan.

Take pieces of fish one at a time. Roll in flour on all sides. Dip into batter. Remove from batter and let excess batter drip off. Place in deep fryer. Try not to put down too much at once. The battered fish pieces should float freely in the oil without sticking to each other. Fry the fish in batter on both sides. In well-heated oil, the pieces should immediately float and the dough should “swell.” You need to fry for no more than 5-7 minutes on each side. Remove the fish from the oil with a slotted spoon and be sure to place it in a colander first. And then transfer it, simultaneously separating drops of fried dough - they will only spoil the appearance of the finished dish.

This dish is usually served either on a large common plate or on portioned plates - laid out in a “shashik” and eaten with your hands. If you are cooking for a buffet table, you can insert skewers or toothpicks.

Stuffed chicken legs (boiled)

Chicken legs stuffed with peppers and cheese are one of my favorite dishes. Based on the method of preparation - boiling and natural gelling - it can also be classified as galantines.

For 4-8 servings you will need:

2 large chicken legs with whole skin, about 500 grams each

1 raw egg

1 large red salad pepper (or assorted colors)

200 grams of Adyghe cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

Wash the thawed legs well, carefully remove the skin from them, and cut off the bone at the base.

Remove the meat from the bones and cut it into small pieces.

Remove the stem and seeds from the salad pepper. Cut the pepper pulp and Adyghe cheese into small cubes, add chopped chicken, raw egg and salt. Mix well.

Fill the “stockings” removed from the legs with the resulting mass, and secure the holes with toothpicks.

Place the stuffed legs on the bottom of the pan and fill with water so that the water only covers the legs by 1-2 centimeters.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cook at a very low simmer for another 40 minutes.

Cool the legs without removing them from the broth. Then take out and remove the toothpicks.

I usually prepare this dish in advance and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.

Before serving, cut the legs into slices 1-1.5 centimeters thick and place on a platter.

It looks very elegant.

There is one more small addition. A couple of times I made a mistake in choosing the legs for this dish. Their skin had holes through which my filling fell out. Then I wrapped each stuffed leg in several layers of cling film. Then she poured water and placed a plate on top, and a jar of water on it: it turned out to be an improvised press that did not allow the film to unfold while boiling. You also need to cool the legs under it.

Remove the film from the cooled legs. Cooking “under film” will not affect the appearance or taste in any way.

Sometimes creating a menu for a birthday becomes a difficult task for the hostess. Every time you want to please your guests with delicious dishes and surprise them with unusual recipes. And every time the hostess faces the question of the family budget: How to feed guests deliciously and beautifully without spending a lot of money? Many years of experience show that the optimal holiday menu layout looks like this:

1. two or three salads;
2. several snacks;
3. second holiday dish with side dish.

Despite the fact that you always want to save money, you should not give up one dish made from expensive products. An example of such a dish is sandwiches with good caviar or baked salmon. The main decoration of the table can be a beautifully decorated selection of vegetables or fruits. You shouldn't make several mayonnaise salads. It’s better to make one original, guests will appreciate it.

MAIN MENU FOR A BIRTHDAY AT HOME FOR 10 PEOPLE:

MEAT IN FRENCH

• potato
• any meat
• spices

To cook meat in French you will need any meat. Traditionally, pork is used, but a common recipe is using chicken meat. It should be fresh, cut 1.5 cm thick across the grain. Cutting the meat this way will allow it to remain tender and juicy. You will also need onions, which are cut into rings and marinated in vinegar in advance. In the original French meat recipe, the main thing is to adhere to the sequence of laying out the products. The meat is laid out on a greased baking sheet, tightly to each other. Then onions and potatoes cut into circles. All this is sprinkled with spices and grated cheese on top. The dish is baked in the oven for about an hour.

MEAT “Accordion”

• pork or beef
• tomato
• mushrooms
• garlic, spices

Meat baked with an accordion is quite simple to prepare. To do this, take a long piece of meat and make cuts so that the thickness of the plate is one and a half centimeters. A slice of cheese, a slice of tomato and crushed garlic are placed in each cut. Also cut the mushrooms into slices and place them on a baking sheet next to the meat. Wrap everything in foil and bake for an hour and a half. Traditionally, they used to serve crushed potatoes as a side dish for meat. However, potatoes are already in the “French-style meat” dish, so to diversify the festive table, you can prepare a side dish of rice with vegetables.

RICE WITH VEGETABLES IN A MULTICOOKER

• carrot
• tomato
• mixture of frozen vegetables (corn, beans, peppers)
• tomato paste, spices

It doesn’t take much work to cook rice with vegetables in a slow cooker. Just finely chop the vegetables and place them in the multicooker bowl along with the pre-fried frozen vegetable mixture. Sprinkle rice on top and add water until it covers the rice completely. Season everything with vegetable oil, tomato paste and spices. Turn on the multicooker in the “Rice” or “Grains” mode for an hour and a half. After finishing cooking, mix everything and serve.

SALADS AND SNACKS FOR BIRTHDAY PARTY AT HOME FOR 10 PEOPLE

As mentioned earlier, do not repeat yourself in salads. For a menu for 10 people, it is enough to prepare one mayonnaise salad, one vegetable salad and various cold appetizers.

SALAD “TENDERNESS”

From the variety of salads with mayonnaise, it is preferable to choose puff salads. One of these simple but tasty salads is the “Tenderness” salad.

• crab sticks
• boiled eggs
• boiled carrots
• grated cheese
• mayonnaise

There are several options for this salad. In the first, each grated ingredient is individually mixed with mayonnaise. In the second, the grated products are coated with sauce layer by layer. The order of the layers is determined only by the tastes and preferences of the household.

SALAD WITH CUCUMBER AND WHITE BEANS

• Chinese cabbage
• cucumbers
• can of canned beans
• sour cream for dressing, spices to taste

Chop all ingredients into thin strips. Rinse the beans from the marinade and add to the greens. Season everything with sour cream and spices. If desired, the salad can be varied with other fresh vegetables, as well as boiled eggs.

No feast can be complete without cold appetizers. They make the feast varied, and a beautifully decorated appetizer will decorate the holiday menu. For a modest celebration for 10 people, it is enough to prepare several types of snacks.

LAVASH ROLL WITH SALMON

• smoked salmon
• pita
• bell pepper
• processed cheese
• greens, garlic

This appetizer combines the salty taste of fish and buttery cheese. Grate melted cheese mixed with garlic onto thin pita bread. Sprinkle with herbs and finely chopped pepper on top and lay out the fish. Roll up, slice and serve. This snack will taste better if it sits in the refrigerator for a while and soaks. To do this, the roll should be wrapped in cling film and left overnight or for several hours.

APPETIZER SQUID “KOREAN STYLE”

• squid carcasses
• onions, carrots, garlic
• vinegar
• Korean seasoning
• sunflower oil

Wash the squid carcasses, boil and chop into strips. Also chop the vegetables into strips. Fry the onion in sunflower oil until golden brown. Mix everything in a large bowl, season with spices, vinegar and leave in the refrigerator for several hours. In order to diversify the recipe, some people add bell peppers, zucchini or other vegetables.

In addition to all this, no feast can do without sliced ​​meat and cheese, as well as pickled mushrooms.

SWEET MENU FOR A HOME BIRTHDAY

Every birthday must end with serving sweets. For a sweet table for 10 people, you can prepare a fruit salad or a small cake.

FRUIT SALAD WITH ICE CREAM

• cream
• Walnut
• chocolate
• apple
• banana
• orange

Cut all fruits into medium-sized cubes, removing peels and seeds. Chop the nuts and grate the chocolate on a medium grater. Combine fruits with nuts and ice cream, mix and put in the refrigerator. Serve sprinkled with grated chocolate.

When creating a menu for a birthday party at home for 10 people, you need to not only take into account the tastes of the invited guests, but also the seasonality of the products. Thanks to the presence of these two components, your birthday will leave behind many positive impressions.

Birthday is a long-awaited and special holiday for every person. On this day, you want to gather all your close friends and relatives at one table and spend the evening in a warm atmosphere. As soon as such plans appear in your head, the need to create the right menu immediately arises. What should be the festive table for a birthday? This question confuses many, forcing them to look for alternative options for celebration that exclude a feast. In fact, everything is quite easy if you think through the dishes in advance.

How to correctly calculate the number of dishes

First you need to decide how many guests you will feed and how generous your table will be. First courses for banquets are usually not used, with the exception of some exotic oriental soups. However, even in this case, they are more problems than they are worth. Stick to appetizers, mains, and dessert.

If you are not planning a large-scale celebration, you can get by with an exclusively sweet table. Today there are many excellent confectionery shops offering cakes and pastries for every taste. You can go the other way by completely excluding dessert from the menu. In this case, you will have to pay more attention to the main dish.

Depending on the number of guests, calculate the volume of future treats. The easiest way to avoid mistakes is to serve dishes a la carte, like in a restaurant. The only negative is that you will have to run around the guests quite a bit until everything is in its place. If this doesn’t suit you, do it the old fashioned way – cook with extra food. Remember: it’s better to have something left over than for everyone to sit at an empty table.

Planning a holiday menu

In some families and companies, it is customary to cook, if not the same, then very similar dishes from year to year. Whether this is good or bad, one can argue endlessly. However, you will know for sure that everyone will leave full and satisfied, and guests will not faint from the sight of exotic treats. So, the standard menu for all occasions of ceremonial feasts:

1. Birthday snacks and salads

Snacks are prepared quickly, do not require special investments and are always in demand on the table. Offer your guests a wide variety of treats and prepare light dishes to suit every taste.

Mandatory set

Prepare a separate plate for the meat appetizer, thinly slice the sausage, ham, boiled pork or any other similar ingredients. Do the same with cheese and vegetables. At the same time, the more types of a particular product you use, the richer and more festive your table will look.

Korean cuisine

At every vegetable market, you can easily find a stall selling Korean snacks. They will advantageously decorate the feast and dilute its usual content. Be sure to take Korean carrots, cabbage, pork ears, soybeans and any other delicacies you like. Place everything in small bowls.

Pickles

Search your pantries for pickled cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, etc. Such snacks will not remain untouched.

Salads on the table - simple and tasteful

Salads will not only help feed guests, but with due diligence they will also make the table brighter. Don't forget that food should not only be tasty, but also beautiful!

You can use the good old Olivier, salad with crab sticks and Caesar. However, “Herring under a Fur Coat” has not been canceled either. For those who find the fishy taste of “Shuba” unpleasant, prepare “Bride”. The recipe is almost identical, but it will suit even the most demanding gourmets.

A very easy to prepare salad with ham and pineapple. Buy canned pineapples already diced. Cut the ham, boiled eggs and hard cheese (also into cubes) yourself. Add crackers (you can from a pack) and season with mayonnaise.

You can surprise your guests with “sea” salads - shrimp, mussels and squid are perfect, as well as lightly salted fish. Seafood goes well with vegetables, eggs and hard cheese. Use low-fat mayonnaise, sour cream or olive oil as a dressing.

Vegetable salads like vinaigrette will serve as a light snack and will certainly delight vegetarians. And to accompany the vinaigrette, prepare “Spring” and “Greek”. For the first, use all the greens that come to hand: dill, parsley, sorrel, green onions. Add a boiled egg and radish to them, season with sour cream. “Greek” is an improved model of the well-known cucumber and tomato salad. Cheese cheese, olives and sunflower oil are added to it.

2. Main course

First, you should think about what your guests like more - meat or fish. Please ensure that the dish looks decent. Try to give it a beautiful shape, bake until an appetizing golden crust and decorate it further.

Without meat during the feast, it will be bad, so be sure to prepare at least one main dish with this ingredient. Chicken is the easiest to handle. You can bake delicious legs and wings or use the sirloin for chops.

Beef and pork will take more time, but steaks or cutlets are perfect for a holiday menu. As a delicacy, you can prepare duck with apples or veal medallions.

For many “home” cooks, cooking fish does not seem like the most enjoyable pastime, so fish menus are not often chosen for the holidays. Of course, you will have to spend extra effort and nerves on removing bones, cleaning and cutting. However, stuffed pike, baked carp or pike perch in batter will be a real feat on your part and will definitely be remembered by everyone present.

Tricks for the lazy:

• To minimize the time spent in the kitchen, you can use ready-made meal options. First, pay attention to grilled chicken, which can be found in any supermarket. It will look great on the table, and all you have to do is divide the bird into portions.
• Home delivery of food is not a bad option either. Choose several varieties of pizza and order it right when your guests arrive. Japanese cuisine will cost a little more. Sushi and rolls are a great option for a holiday. Make sure everyone has enough of both.

Think separately about the side dish. Of course, it is better to leave various cereals for your daily diet. Potatoes are suitable for the holiday: mashed potatoes, fries, new ones with dill, rice with vegetables will look beautiful.

3. Dessert

The most common way to use dessert is cake. Moreover, in honor of a birthday, you can decorate it with burning candles. But one cake will not be enough for you. Be sure to place vases with sweets or cakes and a large plate of fruit on the table.

Although going to the store for holiday goodies is not at all necessary. After all, a birthday is a great occasion to please your friends with homemade baked goods. Even the simplest pie, made with your own hands, will make an indelible impression, and what can we say about cakes, baskets or Napoleon cake!

If you have planned the menu so that everyone is already quite full during the main course, prepare a light and fresh dessert. For this, a fruit salad seasoned with honey or sour cream, panna cotta (a dessert made from cream and vanilla) or any variety of cocktails (milk or alcoholic) are suitable.

4. Drinks

When choosing drinks, consider the preferences of all guests. If there is only strong alcohol on the table, this may put some guests in an awkward position. Make sure you have wine and champagne available. Don't forget about soft drinks. Place several types of juice and lemonade on the table, and offer coffee and tea for dessert.

Buffet or the delights of self-service

If you don’t plan to get hung up on constantly sitting at the table, but prefer a more active celebration and want to entertain your guests with fun, offer your guests a buffet.

The main rule that should be followed: all dishes should be divided into small portions that can be taken and eaten immediately. An excellent option would be various snacks: sandwiches on skewers, chopped vegetables and fruits, cheese and meat plates. You can immediately put sweets on the table. These can be eclairs and sweets or any other delicacies. At the same time, setting the table for a birthday will take you much less time, and you won’t have to constantly take away and bring plates.

As for the main course, you will have to use your imagination. Your guests will have to take more food with their hands, otherwise cutlery will be in all corners of the apartment. Baskets with various fillings (meat, fish, mushrooms) can help you out; you can also make delicious pancakes (it’s better to cut them into small, neat pieces). If desired, chicken legs will also work. To do this, wrap the bone beautifully with a napkin in advance.

Place all drinks on the table immediately. Uncork bottles of wine in advance so that guests don’t have to waste time looking for a corkscrew. Don't forget to place glasses and saucers in a visible place.

Holiday picnic

A great option for celebrating is always going out into nature. Especially if you are lucky enough to be born in the warm season. Hot birthday meals cooked over a fire will be both appropriate and tasty.

Of course, the menu is planned before the trip. It is better to bring some dishes ready-made, but for others you will need preparations:

1. Marinate your barbecue meat ahead of time. It could be steaks, kebab or the same wings. Remember that chicken marinates quite quickly, but pork and beef will have to start preparing almost a day in advance.
2. The pilaf prepared by you personally will cause genuine delight among your guests. Don't forget to take a cauldron and plenty of oriental spices with you.
3. It is better not to take mayonnaise salads with you, or dress them immediately before eating, otherwise they may release juice and lose half the taste. Various sandwiches are perfect as snacks.
4. You can prepare the side dish at home, or bake the potatoes in coals. Meat fried over a fire is quite fatty in itself, so fresh or baked vegetables are best suited to it.
5. In addition to the standard set of drinks, do not forget to take plenty of water with you. During active recreation in nature, everyone will definitely want to drink. You may also need to rinse your hands.

Decorating the table and dishes to create the right atmosphere

Don’t forget that in itself it creates a festive atmosphere. Don't skimp on getting the best tablecloth and expensive dinnerware. Polish your glasses and cutlery to a shine in advance. Place a nice napkin on each guest's plate. Ideally, use cloth napkins to cover guests' laps while they eat. Try to make some original figures out of them. If it doesn’t work, just fold it into a wave or a neat square.

Don't forget to add some solemnity to your dishes. Even a simple bunch of greenery will add interest to your treats. You can purchase a special knife for curly cutting in advance. Then banal cucumbers and tomatoes will turn into real works of art. In addition, salads can be laid out in any original shape that comes to mind - from a hedgehog to the Eiffel Tower.

Try to create a holiday for yourself first. Even outdoors or in a restaurant. A few inflatable balloons and confetti bows are sure to lift the spirits of both you and your loved ones.

10 simple tips on how to make your holiday tasty and enjoyable:

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