Cooking for large groups

chocolate.orange_2

I would go along the lines of a thick veg soup and bread or pasta and hm garlic bread
For dessert rice pudding and i must say i have to agree with hardpressed, buy a tin or two each time you go to supermarket and make it look hm
The soup and rice pudding could be made in advance then just warmed through. Neither of these should cost too much. For example i often make a carrot soup.2.5 kg potatoes. 1 kg carrots and 3 onions. I use 3 stock cubes and cover the veg in water. Boil then blitz with a handblender. It makes loads and loads and is very cheap. Say £3.00. A couple of baguettes £1.00.Then if you buy value rice pudding maybe 6 tins ? For about £1.20 and a jar of jam. For £6.00 maximum you could easily feed 14 people.

As for not having anywhere to sit or not enough room. I honestly dont think that it will bother them too much... You are opening the door to your home for them to come and share. They shouldn't really judge you as i am sure they wont be..
Surely you should of been informed of allergies.. So not your fault. ! Again you were offerring your hospitality.

I would think that those who are a couple should do 2 nights, make it more fair that way So yes i would see if you could team up with someone else and then you will only need to feel stressed 2 times a year. Please dont get upset about what you have or dont have. They are like minded people who are doing this as a social function a way to get out of the house and share time and convosation. I am sure they would be unhappy that you were sad.

Enjoy your new activity and dont let it stress you and please dont cry
((hugs))

ubamother

if adding a homecooked dessert is too stressful - aldi's do wonderful flan type desserts for about £2.99 that will easily serve 12. i do huge suppers at church events and we often use these as there are three or four varieties - they go down a storm - we also sell them per piece at the church fair and they are real money-spinners. what do other people do when you go to their houses? People can get rather competitive about these things - human nature I suppose! I second the above comments - a jacket, cheese, salad and/or garlic bread is a lovely informal supper for a group. I too have a teeny house compared to many - cheap prettying up with candles, pretty cloths etc. gives a great individual look and shows you care without looking like you are trying too hard!

shelovestobuystuff

*Meatballs and spaghetti is a quick one that will do a big group.Roll the meatballs beforehand if you like so that you only have to fry them off before dinner,but they dont take long anyway.The veggies can have falaffel balls instead(these are a bit spicy) or ready made quorn balls from the freezer.Have garlic bread with it and dishes of grated cheddar and parmesan.
*Chunky soup and crusty bread is a good one.Tesco do a value brand pk of 2 part baked baguettes for 44p.Cant go wrong with a lovely warm bread.
*Anything in the form of a stew,soup or casserole is easy to make the day before and reheat for dinner.
*My favourite is an italian cannelini bean and chirozo casserole with home made garlic bread(its just a sausage casserole but fancier).

Sola

What about steamed jam or syrup pud in the microwave for dessert?

I'd go for spuds and toppings, and salad. Or buy French bread to use as pizza bases, and people can add their own toppings; that way the cooking of it gets done when they've arrived and people can help. You can prepare the toppings in covered bowls the night before - grated cheese, onion, mushrooms, a bowl of sieved tinned tomatoes, ham, pineapple, sweetcorn etc. You can fit quite a few in the oven at the same time.

salome

Share the load.

I expect you're not the only one feeling stressed. To cook for a large amount of people is stressful to most Christian or not. (I have lot's of children and cook lots on a daily basis, but still feel stressed when having to cook for guests) I'm Christian, and we have housegroup meals, we all bring along stuff, that way no one get's the pressure. Just before Christmas we did a chinese take away night, all contributing some money. That gave all of us a night off :-) Sunday we're having a meal at our pastors wife, and she's asked us all to bring dessert :-) Get together with your group, say how you're feeling, and suggest a bring and share meal. You may be pleasurably surprised to hear that others had been wanting to do that, but hadn't liked to suggest it!!!!!

ceridwen

See your dilemma - and maybe you are new in the group, so feel shy about making changes to this established thing.

Wonder if you could suggest (via a more established member of the "popular with everyone" variety - if you are too shy to do it yourself) that peoples homes obviously vary in size (according to their means) and it is more difficult for those with small homes to play host. Make suggestion that a rota of those with larger homes be made out and the group circulates around those. Re the food - its pretty much the norm in my social circle to "bring food to share" - to the extent that I always ask whenever its a course/social event/whatever in any group holding whatever-it-is if I should "bring food to share". With this - everyone brings one "dish" they have cooked - could be salad/main course/pudding - theres never any specifications as to what anyone should bring and it pretty much automatically works out that the combination of everyones offerings gives enough to eat and a suitable variety of things - including the right ratio of puddings to mains. The only corollary I would make to that is that there is the odd couple who will bring one dish (equivalent to what the single person has just brought) - ie the couples bringing half as much food per person as the single person. Most of the time there is enough food anyway to allow for "married meanies" - but its as well to specify that its one dish per person - not one per household - to avoid "married meany" unfair contributions.

(great minds thinking alike - see Salome and I crossposted to similar effect)

soappie

Home made fruit salad is an easy pudding. You'll be surprised how far a couple of apples, bananas and a pineapple can go. And, as long as you make a syrup with some sugar and water - just enough to cover the fruit - it can be made the night before and kept in a tupperware box in the fridge.

Olliebeak

Hear hear, Ceridwen - regarding the 'married meanies' syndrome! Have come across this particular occurrence on many occasions. On the other hand, I've come across 'little old ladies' who think that they're feeding the 5,000 all by themselves (maybe they're used to catering for large families and find it hard to get out of the habit!).


Just wondering - if this event doesn't happen very often for you, would it be possible for you to take the day off work? It would perhaps help to ease the burden where the time scale is concerned.

Do you have a Slow Cooker? Could you perhaps borrow one as well? Two SC's on the go during the day, one of them with a veggie option, could help to save the day.

purpleivy

I couldn't see this suggestion.. but pasta bake can be very easy to prepare before hand and is really cheap because you can put in whatever you have to hand and also do it in 2 dishes, one veggie and one not.

Last weekend I did a big dish for 5 of us. Pasta, 1pt cheese sauce, 2 cans tuna, dead mushrooms from the fridge and a little cheese over the top.... I put a few crumbs on as well, makes the cheese go further and looks quite posh. A couple of tomato slices and it would have looked even better. It only takes a little while to warm through in the oven. Veggie wise, I might do something like broccoli in it.

shelovestobuystuff

For dessert theres nothing I love to serve more than a bit of homemade apple crumble with a dollop of toffee fudge icecream.The flavour of the icecream is fantastic with the hot apple.Delicious!!!They will definately remember dinner at your house.
The crumble is very frugal but the ice-cream isn't so look out for 2 for 1 deals on it.