One of my many jobs at work is what I call the catering. Right now I am working on planning the menu for the "Black Friday"meals. The company gives us a budget and my job is to try to stretch it out as far as possible in order to try to feed the staff for the holiday season. I shop around trying to get the best buys so into the ads I went. Now, I need to feed about 35 people, a number of which are guys who tend to eat more so....I need a lot of food!
So far the menu looks like
Spiral Cut Ham (on sale at Harris Teeter 1.99 a lb) I will bake this on Thursday
Cheese (American Cheese 3.99 a lb at Harris Teeter)
Meat Balls in sauce (should be around 12.00 at Costco and I have sauce left over) They go in the crock pot at work
Rolls (usually runs me about 15.00 at Costco so I may shop around more)
Potato Salad (about 5.00 for a 5 lb container)
Soda (Coke is on a buy 2 get 3 free at Harris Teeter so I will get 10)
Water (Harris Teeter brand 24 .5 liters for 3.37 and I will probably buy 4)
I have bought healthier items before but they really don't get eaten so...I may still add a baked ziti but I need something for later in the season so that may bet pushed to a later weekend. Last year I added chips and salsa and a spinach artichoke dip I pick up at the Costco. Some of this food I prepare myself in order to save some money.
Any ideas?
If you've got veggies (um, that's people who don't eat meat, not vegetables) and you want "food" for them, stick blender+ a couple cans of chickpeas and some random other stuff mixes into a pretty good sized vat of hummus.
ReplyDeleteAnd everyone loves Hummus, right?
For the rolls, have you tried the various day old bread stores?
And maybe store use a tin of gingersnaps, if you've still got them. Those are yummy. For later on, you might also pick up some on-sale cake mix. Karen used to make "dump cake" which is just a couple cans of fruit under cake mix and butter. I can get the 'recipe' if you want.
And there's always old fashioned kid-dinner of mac and cheese and tomato soup. Fish fingers too if you're feeling silly.
PInwheels? (cream cheese concoction with celery, olives, cheese, red pepper and ranch dressing mix spread on flour tortillas then sliced) Cheap, easy and they go a long way.
ReplyDeleteDirty rice?
Macaroni Salad?
Egg Salad? (YUM!!)
ditto what J said about day old bread stores, they have great buys on rolls, cookies and lots of other stuff, people shouldn't eat but love anyway.
ReplyDelete