Christmas Dinner
Shannon
12/04/09 		I am preparing Turkey and Ham for about 60 adults and 10 children and was wondering how much meat of each I should prepare. Everyone else will be brining some type of side to go with the meet.

Shannon

ellen
12/04/09 		See the planning and shopping for large turkey/community dinners in the holiday cooking section at the top of bigpots. Use 2/3 of the amounts for 100 if the childen are small, 3/4 if they are middle school or above when 6yoiu consult the plan for 100 tables.
Deb
12/06/09 		I have prime bib left from my dinner. Can I freeze my left over prime rib?? If so, for how long? I would like to make beef & noodles or soup with it at a later date.

Please help.

ellen
12/06/09 		Yes, you can freeze it up to 2 months. Take it off the bone. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Donna
12/07/09 		Am cooking dinner for 100 people, want to know how much food.boneless turkey,mashed potatos, gravy, stuffing, perogies, cabbage rolls,salad. could you tell how much of every thing as this is a first time for us. thanks Donna O
ellen
12/07/09 		For the regular stuff, see the planning and shopping for large turkey dinners article in the holiday cooking section at the top of big pots. There is a separate article on yields of turkey to help with planning the boneless turkey servings.
For the pierogies, if they are not too large, 2 per person.
For the cabbage rolls, about 1 1/2 per person. At a recent potluck, a guest brought full size cabbage rolls but snipped them into 4 bites each with scissors, which allowed lots of people to have some without taking a whole roll. If you did this it is 1 per person or a bit less.
Mary
12/07/09 		I am doing a Christmas party to feed 50 people. I need to know the quanity of food I need to prepare.
Also, I need an insight on how much I need to charge for me preparing the food. The party is about three hours from where I live, which of the following items from the menu can I prepare and travel with.
The foods are:
Chicken Wings (hot,bar-b-que,terriyaki)
Meatballs
Shrimp Cocktail
Pasta Salad
Stuffed Bellpeppers (hamburger)
Cheese Biscuits
Fruit Tray
Cheese & Crakers Tray
Vegetable Tray
Pin Wheels
Mary
12/07/09 		I forgt to add Cocktail Wennies
ellen
12/08/09 		Mary, this is a site primarily for home cooks and volunteers, not paid catering. I recommend chef2chef.com and cheftalk.com for catering questions.

If you were a home cook I would remind you that you nedd 2 servers to assist with this. This amounts depends in part on the length and time of the party, an afternoon reception uses less than a mealtime reception or a long party.

Also, your menu includes shrimp. In a buffet situation, people eat shrimp, crab, etc greedily, and you need to allow at least 3 ounces ready to eat per person plus 1/4 cup sauce, not matter what else in served. Also, it is wise to put it in individual servings, as you will see people take a plateful if it is left loose.

There are big problems with transporting food 3 hours, as you must keep it safely hot or cold. Also, in most states, it is illegal to prepare food in a home kitchen for sale. You can prepare it on site at the person's home legally.

Caterers need contracts to specify who is responsible for rentals and returns (dishes, tables, etc), and liability insurance for the event. If a staff or guest is injured, food poisoned, etc, you can be sued.

Your charges? Usually caterers charge about what the same meal would cost in a high end restaurant, 3 to 4 times the food cost.

Mary
12/08/09 		Thanks for the information and websites.