Planning a party- read this

[Dee]

Somewhere along the years I picked up a party planner book and this is what they say on platters:

 

Plan on 2 to 3 ounces of meat per person. (25 servings of cold cuts would be 3 to 5 pounds)

Plan 1 to 1 1/2 ounces of cheese slices per serving. (This would be 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds for 25 servings)

Plan 1/2 cup of chicken, tuna, and potato salad per person. (1 gallon for 25 people)

Allow 4 to 6 pieces of vegetables on a relish tray per person. (2 pounds of broccoli or cauliflower makes about 32 florets, 1 pound of carrots makes about 65 (3 X 1/2 inch) sticks, 1 3/4 pounds of celery makes about 100 (4 X 1/2 inch) sticks, 1 pint of cherry tomatoes equals 25 servings, 1 1/2 pounds of cucumber equals 50 servings (1/4 inch slices)

Allow 1/2 cup per serving with fruit. (18 1/2 pounds of watermelon equals 16 cups, 4 pounds of pineapple equals 5 cups, 3 pounds of cantaloupe makes 4 cups, 1 pint of strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries equals 2 cups, 1 pound of green grapes equals 2 cups, 1 pound of Tokay grapes makes 3 cups, and 3 ounces of kiwifruit is equal to 1/2 cup)

When considering children, I've found that some people take more, some take less so it pretty well balances out. The exception seems to be the salads like chicken, tuna, potato salad, etc. Kids just seem to avoid that and you could figure only one serving for every 3 to 4 kids. I hope this helps. It sure has helped me over the years.

 

 

[Guest Guest]

This is just what I needed and the punch recipes too. I am doing a baby/wedding/birthday party the first Sunday in May. Its going to be @ my moms house for 28 women. Any ideas on what to serve them besides punch and cake? I thought maybe Apricot chicken and rolls and some kind of past or potatoe dish, fresh veggies and cake? Kimrstz

[Dee]

How about a really large aluminum pan of Baked Ziti and sauce (4 boxes cooked) with mozarella on top. Throw in some small rolls about 3 or four dozen ( or make garlic knots) and

Make a large pan of tossed salad 3 heads of lettuce-4 tomatoes and 4 cukes plus whatever else you want to add and make your own Italian dressing with oil and vinegar and spices. Make about 3 cups of dressing.

 

Or a rice and broccoli casserole: (Amounts to base your per person

serving calculation for 24 servings:

spaghetti or noodles =3/4 c. cooked need 2 1/2 lb. uncooked

rice 1/2 c. needs 1 1/2 lb. raw

 

 

Also you can have a cheese and pepperoni plate for your guests to pick on. Cut the cheese in small squares and slice the pepperoni in slices.

 

How about a Fresh fruit bowl with watermellon, cantalope, honeydo, seedless grapes, and other fresh fruits. Make the serving bowl out of the watermellon and buy some little decorative items to stick in the watermellon for a theme type of food.

 

Also you can bake some breads, like banana, cranberry, pumpkin nut, zucchini nut and blueberry bread and perhaps some little muffins of the same kind and set them out on a tray for your guests to pick at. Get paper doilies and decorate a tray with them then cut slices of the breads and the muffins and add a centerpiece of butter in the center and a couple of butter knifes or plastic butter knifes on the size of the tray.

 

The less cleanup the better and you can have a nice looking spread without it looking tacky if you use plasticware.

You can buy inexpensive serving trays warmed by candles on the bottom of the trays and put a nice bunch of flowers as a centerpiece for your serving table with a nice linen tablecloth for buffet style.

Check the freebies. I will look for some wedding and baby shower freebies for you Kelly.

[Guest Guest]

Thank you.. I hadn't thought of all those ideas. Kimrstz

[Dee]

You can always make the breads and muffins now and freeze them. They hold up well in the freezer for 6 months or more and it would be less work for you.