Parties

[Mom2Will]

My son was recently diagnosed with celiac. Well, we are still waiting for our appt. with the gastro and possible biopsy. But his blood work came back with values over 160 for both tTG and anti gliadin IGA as well as he's had unexplained gastro symptoms for 5 years so I'm resigned to the fact that he most likely has celiac disease.

It goes without saying that we are very new at all of this. I'm starting to plan for his 1st Communion party (Catholic sacrament) in April. I'd like to serve food that is safe for him to eat. And while I think I have a good idea on the foods to start feeding him on a daily basis I'm a little unsure on what to do for a larger party. Our go-to foods for large get togethers are typically fried chicken or pizza or something simple like that. Any ideas for foods to serve that will be safe for my son but do-able for a crowd? We'll probably have around 40 people or so.

Thanks!

Melissa

[alex11602]

My son was recently diagnosed with celiac. Well, we are still waiting for our appt. with the gastro and possible biopsy. But his blood work came back with values over 160 for both tTG and anti gliadin IGA as well as he's had unexplained gastro symptoms for 5 years so I'm resigned to the fact that he most likely has celiac disease.

It goes without saying that we are very new at all of this. I'm starting to plan for his 1st Communion party (Catholic sacrament) in April. I'd like to serve food that is safe for him to eat. And while I think I have a good idea on the foods to start feeding him on a daily basis I'm a little unsure on what to do for a larger party. Our go-to foods for large get togethers are typically fried chicken or pizza or something simple like that. Any ideas for foods to serve that will be safe for my son but do-able for a crowd? We'll probably have around 40 people or so.

Thanks!

Melissa

Hi and welcome.

For my daughter's parties which typically include around 40 people or so we usually make:

baked ziti(using Tinkyada brown rice penne),

hot dogs(served without the bun,

cut the hot dog into thirds and serve with toothpicks),

alot of times my mother will make a ham or a pork loin,

pasta salad(again made with Tinkyada noodles),

potato salad,

fruits,

veggies,

pickles and olives,

potato chips(we use Kettle brand),

tortilla chips with salsa

for cakes I was making a chocolate one that my gluten eating family loved the recipe is here: Birthday cake ideas it is the 3rd post

For my youngest we make cookie cakes since she much prefers cookies over cake using this recipe: Open Original Shared Link. We use honey and canola oil in place of agave and grapeseed oil and it turns out perfect.

[rosetapper23]

Honeybaked Hams are gluten free....and you can make lasagna with Glutino gluten-free lasagna noodles.

[Mizzo]

There is a topic here titled "Potluck" with lots of idea's.

But there are a ton of rice and meat combo you could do.

Shrimp and rice

Chicken and rice

Pork and rice etc...

You can flavor the combo's in Asian, BBQ or Indian spices

served either separate or together

Meatballs in sauce

Kielbasa in BBQ or ( 1c ketchup 1c white sugar combo , sounds gross but is really yummy) sliced with toothpicks

A baked ham

Pork roast or pulled pork

Baked chicken tenders rolled in seasoned Corn Chex crumbs are delicious

You can do mexican theme Enchilada's , tortilla chips and salsa, Nacho's or built your own Taco's etc...

Potato salad , Coleslaw, Fruit or Garden salads for sides

For dessert

gluten-free cupcakes King Arthur chocolate are the best IMO and you get 24 out of a box , Betty Crocker frosting list which are gluten free on the back

Fruit compote over Ice cream

hopefully you'll get more idea's

[Cara in Boston]

Our last two big parties we hosted we did:

BBQ pulled pork or chicken sandwiches (had regular buns and Udi's gluten-free buns)

chips and dip

potato salad

green salad

rice salad (just used my regular pasta salad recipe but subbed in rice)

lots of dessert choices (about 1/2 were gluten-free . . . rice krispee treats, coconut macaroons, gluten-free brownies, etc.)

The other gathering was Halloween and we did a huge pot of chili with different toppings (sour cream, grated cheese, cilantro, jalapeno, etc.) and a taco bar with corn tortilla shells, refried beans, taco meat, cheese, salsa, tomato, lettuce, sour cream, etc. etc. Everyone seemed to find something they liked.

I (personally) try to steer clear of using the gluten-free "substitute" foods because they don't always work as well and they are expensive. I like to just serve regular, naturally gluten-free foods to guests so they can see that it really isn't that hard or weird.

At our family reunion last summer we were in charge of making dinner for the entire group one night and everyone was amazed that it was just "regular" food. We did 10 "beer can chickens" (but used the Weber chicken stands and a gluten-free marinade - no beer), a variety of salads (potato, cole slaw, green salad), roasted vegetables, and a baked potato bar with a variety of toppings. People were DREADING our gluten-free dinner (family was very skeptical) and it all turned out to be a real learning experience for them. We did an ice cream sundae bar for dessert.

Cara

[Juliebove]

I would do a lot of naturally gluten free foods such as raw veggies, cut up fruits, hummus cups (cut large chunks of cucumbers, hollow out to form a cup and fill with hummus), chips and dips. You could also put out platters of cheese and meats. Maybe bowls of popcorn.

Or you could do a taco bar. You might even be able to get this catered if you have a restuarant near you that does this. We have some here. Crisp taco shells, warmed corn tortillas, seasoned ground beef, shredded chicken, cheese, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, chopped onions, gaucamole and sour cream, sides of beans and rice.

For dessert you could put out bowls of gluten-free candy or serve little ice cream cups or bars.