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Cook Talk

Appetizers for 135
Amber
04/04/15
My family and I are preparing the appetizers for my wedding, and I'm not confident I've planned the right quantities. We will have about 135 people and the appetizers will be for the 30-45 minutes between the ceremony and dinner, about 5:20-6 p.m. Could you please let me know what we need to adjust for the quantities we're currently planning? I've looked through your site extensively but I think I've started mixing quantities from various pages. Here is what we're planning to serve:
Fruit tray:
Cantaloupe - 5
Honeydew - 5
Grapes - 5 lbs each of red and green
Pineapple - 5
Strawberries - 5 lbs

Veggie tray:
Cauliflower - 5 lbs
Broccoli - 5 lbs
Celery - 3 lbs
Carrots - 5 lbs
Cucumbers - 10
Cherry tomatoes - 5 qts
Dip - 10 cups

Salsa and nacho cheese with tortilla chips:
Salsa: 1 gallon
Cheese: 2 6-lb containers (from Sam's Club)
Tortilla chips - 11 lbs

Cocktail wienies:
Cocktail wienies - 14 lbs
BBQ sauce: 8-18oz botles

Meat, cheese, and crackers:
Cheese - 5 lbs each of Cheddar, Colby Jack, and Muenster, as well as 8 lbs. of white cheddar cheese curds
Meat - 5 lbs each of salami, sliced turkey, and ham
Crackers - 12 lbs of various

We will have an open bar, as well as coffee, iced tea, lemonade, and various types of pop. How much lemonade should we plan for? And will 6 gallons of unsweet tea and 2 gallons of sweet tea be enough or too much? Please let me know what you think. I REALLY appreciate this site and your help!

ellen
04/04/15
This is a lot of food for less than an hour. You only need about 6 bites per person and just in cheese you have about 200 bites. Let's save you some money.

Fruit tray:
Cantaloupe - 5; ok
Honeydew - 5; 3-4
Grapes - 5 lbs each of red and green; 4 each
Pineapple - 5; 3-4
Strawberries - 5 lbs; 4 quarts

Veggie tray:
Cauliflower - 5 lbs
Broccoli - 5 lbs
Celery - 3 lbs
Carrots - 5 lbs
Cucumbers - 10
Cherry tomatoes - 5 qts
Dip - 10 cups
Do 1/2
I would skip the salsa and nacho, it is a messy eat. I f you do do it, do 1/2
Salsa and nacho cheese with tortilla chips:
Salsa: 1 gallon;
Cheese: 2 6-lb containers (from Sam's Club);
Tortilla chips - 11 lbs;

Cocktail wienies:
Cocktail wienies - 14 lbs; no more than 10
BBQ sauce: 8-18oz bottles; 3 quarts max (5-6)

Meat, cheese, and crackers:
Cheese - 5 lbs each of Cheddar, Colby Jack, and Muenster, as well as 8 lbs. of white cheddar cheese curds- Way too much. No more than 12 pounds total including everything

Skip meat entirely- they are having dinner after, yes?
Meat - 5 lbs each of salami, sliced turkey, and ham

Crackers - 12 lbs of various- 8 plenty

6 gallons lemonade with all the other beverages. Tea is fine.

With your savings, hope you can make a good donation to support the site! Thank you.

Amber
04/16/15
Thanks for all the help! We did skip the chips and dip and the meat, and we still ended up with a lot left over! We probably could have had one less each of honeydew, cantaloupe, and pineapple (we did 4), but I would rather have extra than run out. We also ended up with a lot of extra broccoli but I think that was mostly due to the fact that it was also available on the salad bar (which I had forgotten). Anyway, thanks again for your input, and I will definitely donate!
ellen
04/16/15
Thank you for taking the time to give some feedback.
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