Mexican Dinner
Leandra
03/11/09 		Ellen,I am making a mexican dinner for about 60 people, most are teenagers. Menu is Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, Beans, Spanish Rice, Chips w/ Guacamole and Salsa, and Flour tortillas (typical New Mexico cuisine!)Dessert I will make the day before and is Tres Leches cake. All the entrees except chips, guac, and salsa I've already made and frozen. I want to check my quantities with you (Oh my, you've saved me more than once!! with your website...) and check my plan with you to make sure I've got everything handled.
So quantities......Enchiladas- 2-13x18x3 pans, 4-10x12x2pans,Beans (pinto flavored with a bit of bacon)4- 1 gallon containers, Spanish Rice- 3- 13x10x3 pans, 9 lbs of chips, 9 lbs of guacamole, 2 gallons of salsa. 4 half sheet tres leches cakes.
I have access to two professional, commercial stoves with ovens and one regular stove and oven. I plan on thawing the food in the fridge starting 3 days before the event. I will heat enchiladas to food safe temperature using the oven space. I will heat tortillas and wrap tightly with foil and put in an insulated cooler to stay as warm as possible. The spanish rice will be reheated in microwave and put in steamers to keep at food safe temperature. Beans reheated in huge pots on the stovetop.
My concern, is on the Enchiladas; how long should I plan on the reheating taking since this is alot of enchiladas in the ovens at once? Any tips or hints to make this easier? THanks again Ellen....Leandra
ellen
03/12/09 		You are going to be very close on the enchiladas. I would be sure to add extra tortillas, shredded lettuce and cheese and chopped tomatoes so they could make bean and cheese tacos if still hungry.

Cook the enchiladas as if freshly made, adding about 1/2 hour, tightly covered until the end. Use a quick read thermometer to check for 180 in the middle of each pan.

Leandra
03/12/09 		Sounds good. I have huge (I mean big, like 18 inch) tortillas made by a local popular Mexican restaurant. I bought 84 of them and had planned on splitting them in half since they are really large and also pretty thick. I promise to let you know how it goes. I know the feedback is helpful for you too. I cannot thank you enough for you help!!! Leandra
Leandra
03/25/09 		Ellen,
This went really well. Except....I think because most of these folks were teenagers, they didn't eat as much. We had alot of leftovers...(which is okay because we gave them away). These weren't athletes, they were a mix of boys and girls. The girls picked (watching their weight?). The boys ate tons of what they liked and none of what they didn't...They did however gobble up the tres leches cakes!!
ellen
03/25/09 		It's funny, when teen girls are alone, they eat about the same as any adult, almost as much as the boys. Add the boys, though, and the girls suddenly slow down.