We are throwing a wee party for my mum's birthday - cheap peasant food/minimal on the day preparation ideas required.

[AitchTwoOh]

we were thinking of going mexican-y. chilli can be knocked up in advance, as can some dips.
it can't be hot as there will be elderly types there, so i'm thinking i'll roast some peppers and a chicken etc and everyone can make fajita-ish things. any ideas for dips apart from guacamole, beans and something yoghurty?
also any ideas for a rice dish?
in fact, any ideas at all?

PS, the reason we need the buffet to be cheap is that this lot might be elderly but they can sink a few, so we anticipate most of our budget will go on bu-hooze.

yeuch. two s. must cut back on use of emoticons.

I was thinking to myself 'wee party? who on earth would want a wee party?' ! Too much time spent with toilet-obsessed two and five year olds!

plain corn torilla chips (30p from asda) topped with melted cheese (served with salsa, sour cheese and sliced chiilis)
Or just grated cheese if you can't do/cope with melted on the day.

cook easy-cook rice in veg/stock cubed water, add kidney beans, sweetcorn, sliced red onions and red/orange/green peppers 2 mins befoe rice is ready. serve hot or cold.

Was going to suggest nachos too, top tortilla chips with a few spoonfuls of salsa and grated cheese - you can just give it a quick blast in the microwave if you don't have enough oven space on the night.

You can also make a tortilla mexican dish by layering up flour tortillas with a layer of chilli con carne then cheese then salsa between each. Continue layering then end with a tortilla sprinkled with a little cheese. Bake for around 15 mins (180 C) or until cheese has melted and browned. Cut into wedges and serve with salad and sour cream.

thanks, they sound good. rather idiotically, i hadn't thought of nachos. and yes... a wee party, sorry, i've come over all scottish. [jock emoticon]

I also thought wee... [as in urine] Aloha... ....

you english are dees-gusting.

potato wedges and sour cream

tescos have trays of chicken thighs and drumstick BOGOF, could you cook them in some sort of coating or sauce??

BTW, I knew what you meant by the "wee" seeing as I'm Norn Irish

good idea, i can do Nigella's garlic chicken things... keep 'em coming ladies, i'm writing it all down. thanks.

whopping great casserole with jacket spuds? not very mexicany but i did this for mucho familio on xmas eve and it went down v well.
)(HIJACK) thanks for being nice to me on the bf/judgemental thread aitch )

tacho shells? Fill them with anything

Fab rice dish, would be great with garlic chicken wings:

Saute onions in oil, add clove chopped garlic, stir for a minute or so, add washed and drained basmati rice, stir until coated with oil, add stock (marigold bullion/chicken stock), add in selection of veggies peas/sweetcorn/peppers/runner beans. Cover and cook until tender.

all sounding good. do you think it'd be possible to eat taco shells standing up? i don't have much experience of them.

and i'm always lovely and nice and lovely and nice, eviletc, so no problem. what a charming name you have, by the way...

standing up? I can't eat them sittin gdown

see, that was my worry. i mean, we can do plates so a rice dish etc is fine, but the only time i've had a taco shell it shattered like glass, dispensing chilli and manchego onto my chest.

mexican food is pretty limited isn't it. I think the entire menu of a mexican restaurant has been mentiuoned here. Apart from chicken and that very hot chocolate mole sauce. The novelty talking point.

You should get some of those chilli chocolate covered nuts. They're quite nice actually. They could be fun for the old 'uns.

if you want nice dips, do you have a shop called Oil and Vinegar near you?they sell dried herb things (sorry, best way to describe them, honest!)that you can add to olive oil, mayonnaise etc for dips and you can also use them in pasta sauce, quiche etc. they are quite cheap and go a long way.

and no, i don't work for them

i have mole, oddly enough. i could do some mole chicken, had forgotten about that.
was it billy connolly who did a thing about the fact that mexican food is just the same thing wrapped differently?
we're just doing mexican-ish as none of us children have a lot of time and the booze will be the main expense, so peasant food is the way to go we think.

and we do have an oil and vinegar, ta, i'll have a look for those herbs.

just had a look in my cupboard and they are called....dried herb mix! but you can get different varieties

i am nice too, don't be deceived by the name

"i have mole, oddly enough"

har! what are you - a ponce? I never knew you could buy mole as a complete item

yeah, in a glass jar. we have a mexican deli nearby, the guy kinda bullied me into it. lupepintos, they have a website...