Serious Efforts: catering on a budget
Hey SE-ers I helped volunteer to cater my sister in law's shower luncheon I was given $150. My plan is to do bruchetta appetizers, pasta salad, green salad, some kind of chicken that can be served at room tempature, fruit salad and drinks. My mother in law is providing cake and the party organizers are going to provide decorations, plates and silverware and whatnot. Do you guys think I can stay under budget with that menu? That is my concern.
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12 Comments:
Oh and I would also like to do roasted asparagus since that is a family favorite.
missjess at 5:22PM on 05/10/09
How many people will be attending?
dhorst at 5:31PM on 05/10/09
How many people, and i think you'll need a lil more money then that. trust me i'm a chef.
Jordan111 at 6:54PM on 05/10/09
obviously you're not making a profit on this party .... as stated above, it depends on how many people.....
pooch at 10:28PM on 05/10/09
Sorry anywhere from 15-25
missjess at 10:35PM on 05/10/09
absolutely do-able if you're not making anything on it. the most expensive item you seem to have is chicken. and that's not expensive....
if you're resourceful and creative you can even get the asparagus in.
now the drinks: i'm assuming they're SOFT.
pooch at 10:52PM on 05/10/09
I agree with pooch. If you're just covering the costs then you should be able to pull it off with out any problems. I can get boneless chicken breast from the grocery store in a bulk pack for $1.99 a lb. Figure four oz. portions and well, that should be about $25 of your budget.
If they don't want to just have "soft" beverages available--you might want to think about a sangria or wine based punch. Cheap and tasty is white wine mixed with fresca and a frozen berry mix along with a few oranges cut into chunks.
dhorst at 11:33PM on 05/10/09
I totally agree. Take the other suggestions already made for sure. Other ways to cut costs are to buy bulk greens for the salad rather than bagged, make your own dressings from pantry items if you can, and look for day old bread for the bruschetta if it will be toasted or get moist from the toppings.
One of my fave ways to serve chicken when it can't be hot is to do a soy and honey marinade on chicken drumettes. Those can be cheaper, and the marinade tastes great at room temp, and even cool, without getting icky or congealed. A light lemon sauce can be great at room temp too.
Good luck!
sadiepix at 12:55AM on 05/11/09
Thanks guys. Yup it's soft drinks since it's a baby shower in the afternoon at a church so no hair of the dog for anyone.
I love to make my own salad dressings so that's a no-brainer. Sadie that chicken recipe sounds great!
missjess at 2:34AM on 05/11/09
Brew your own iced tea, and check out the pasta/lemon/basil salad recipe featured on SE today.
Kerosena at 11:34AM on 05/11/09
@ Jordan...who is to say that we arent all chefs? I mean, really.
ChelleyD01 at 1:11PM on 05/11/09
see kids? don't have to spend a fortune to make a nice party!!!!
sounds like fun!
pooch at 7:15PM on 05/11/09