Cook Talk

Weddiing June 7th preparation
Karen
05/22/14
We are having an old fashioned style wedding ceremony and reception for our son and his bride at our farm. We have hired professionals to take care of the bbq chicken and pulled pork. The "kids" menu plan for sides is: potatoes, cole slaw, corn, baked beans, watermelon cubed with cut strawberries, homemade cookies. There will be a table for snacking with chips, pretzels and vegetable trays. Drinks will be homemade lemonade, unsweetened tea, bottled water and beer. (and of course wedding cake done professionally and I have ordered a huge percolator for coffee) I am making the sides. I have a fantastic recipe for the coleslaw so I am not worried about that. BTW, we have a commercial cooler coming the week before, and I have 2 refrigerators too. Here's the stress part for me.... the potatoes. I have dismissed the idea of scalloped or mashed because I don't think they will do so great made ahead of time and reheated. AND it is alot of peeling etc. I am thinking of redskin potatoes with greenbeans and keeping it simple...butter, salt, pepper and some fresh herbs/chives. Maybe a little bacon in it. I am trying to find someplace on your site that says how many roasters I might need for a dish such as this. Am I missing it? And also...can you tell me what you think of this menu? Is there enough variety? Will it look nice on the plates? I know there will be at a few people attending who are diabetic. Thanks for your input. Karen
karen
05/22/14
UM, I forgot some important info I guess. We expect about 250 people! I think I will be putting the redskin potatoes in about 4 or 5 roaster pans so they will all be cooked at once. I don't know how long to cook them in the roasters. Maybe an hour? I don't want the skins coming off nor do I want them mushy obviously. I was guessing I would put them in the roasters the day of the wedding along with thawed french cut green beans and have them first be room temp, then an hour or so before we plan to eat, turn them on about 400 degrees?
ellen
05/23/14
250 people- day of, you need about 3 people "in the kitchen" and about 12-15 out front to set up, serve and clean up this size party. These don't go to the wedding, they will be working. Church ladies and teen groups, diner staff and other places to recruit?

potatoes, let's rethink these. You can make either mashed or scalloped without peeling the potatoes- it's trendy- try these at home first. Mashed is more difficult to reheat. Scalloped also acts as an entree for non-meat eaters. 45 pounds potatoes per 100. They could be cooked in roasters day of.
12 quarts of the casserole, about five 9- by 13-inch casserole dishes, fills a roaster insert and takes about 25 pounds of potatoes. Serves about 60. 350 degrees, 1 1/2 hours with hot sauce, up to 3 hours if sauce was cold, then turn down to 180. You can spray and foil-line the insert to ease clean up. They do better with white/cheese sauce than just layered with flour, etc and milk poured over.

green beans, take a look at the ellen's better
green bean casserole, link in the holiday cooking section at the top of the big pots page. Your proposed method would result in overcooked beans and undercooked potatoes
cole slaw, 7 gallons
baked beans, 8 gallons, have some meatless for the non-meat eaters, you will have some.

corn, 1 piece per person, or 24 pounds per 100

watermelon cubed with cut strawberries, 1 quart strawberries per 10, 1 pound whole melon per 4
homemade cookies, make smallish- 3-4 bites, 4 per person

chips, 1 pound per 12, 1 pint dip or salsa per pound
pretzels, 6 pounds per 100
vegetable trays use the veggie tray page, Ranch dip
I would definitely add cheese and crackers, 6 pounds crackers and 8 pounds cheese per 100

homemade lemonade, 6 gallons per 100
unsweetened tea, 8 gallons per 100, there are some great flavors out now
bottled water, 2 per person
beer, full keg serves 40-50 beer drinking guests

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