Easy, Elegant Entertaining: My Mom's Party Food

My 92-year-old mom is my go-to person for everything I worry about. She is a creative problem solver, especially when it comes to entertaining. Friends loved the article I wrote about her her party games.

Back in the day, mom was also a fabulous cook. For the 100 guests at my sister's engagement party, my mom did all the cooking—easy, elegant party food.

Whenever my mom made her oven-fried chicken for company, I would complain, "How come you never make that for us?" Now I can make it myself.

Enjoy my mom's party food recipes, in her own words:

Oven-fried sesame chicken

• 1 frying chicken, cut up
• 1/3 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• ½ stick butter
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
• Paprika

I would wash the chicken parts and just roll them in plain breadcrumbs mixed with sesame seeds, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Then I laid the pieces out flat in greased Pyrex dishes and I would sprinkle a lot of paprika over them. Next I dotted each piece with a pat of butter.  I used a 400 oven for at least a half hour. I would take it out and let it rest and put it back in the oven, this time at 375, a half hour before serving. Serve it with cranberry sauce.

Corned beef

We used to go to a place where they sold meats wholesale. We would buy four whole slabs—4-6 pounds each—of corned beef [which is brisket that has been treated]. I'd usually cook one or two at a time for company and put the rest in the freezer.

The meat had to boil for a long time to be tender, probably at least 2-3 hours. Then I would cover it with brown sugar and pineapple slices and bake it at 350 for 30 minutes or more, checking it every 15 minutes.

We sliced it across the grain and served it warm with homemade baked beans and cabbage slaw. For those who wanted sandwiches, I always had rye bread and mustard on the table.

Cabbage slaw went with almost everything. I would shred the cabbage [these days you can buy it already shredded, though it's more expensive and wastes packaging] and add thin slices of cucumber. Then you toss it with white vinegar and add some sugar to taste. If you want you can also add some thin slices of carrot or red pepper, which adds nice color. Everybody loved it because it didn't have mayonnaise. 

Baked lima bean casserole

• 1 lb small or medium lima beans soaked overnight

Barbecue sauce:

• 1 medium onion
• 1 small green pepper
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 ½ Tbsp mustard
• 1Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• ¾ cup ketchup
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt

First I would mince and saute the onion and green pepper in butter. Then add it to other ingredients and cook for 10 minutes. Cook the lima beans in fresh water and drain. Add barbecue sauce and cook for 10 minutes more. Bake 30 minutes in casserole. Serves 8.

Egg salad

A great compliment to the above dishes is egg salad, simply mashed with mayo and a little salt and pepper to taste. I would serve egg salad as an appetizer. For a retro feel, serve it with Ritz crackers and olives with pimentos.

Mom mom often put a tray of celery, pickles, radishes and olives on the table.

My mom's resourcefulness extends to her Do-It-Yourself Decorating Tips.

And when entertaining, good food is important for your guests and a pre-party checklist is important for your sanity!

Looking for more great party recipes? Be sure to check out DinnerTool.com, where you can plan out a menu for a single dinner or for a week's worth of dinners.

What are your favorite entertaining tips and/or recipes? Please share!