How much ham do I need to buy to feed 18+ people?? (and hoping for a little left-overs!) :o)
I am making a ham/mac&cheese/salad/etc. meal for mother's day and I have the rest down, I'm just not sure what size (or how many?) ham to buy?!
I need some ideas! We are having about 15 people over for mother's day. My husband and I have fallen in love with Seattle's local cheese company, Beecher's "World Famous Mac and Cheese" recipe, and know that we want to make that for our company, but what should we serve with it? I'm looking for something a little classier than hot dogs, but I'm being incredibly indecisive! :o)
So my question is: What would you serve to company with a great homemade mac and cheese??
:o) I have a husband who LOVES white chocolate, a cupboard full of good white chocolate, and really can't think of what to use it in, besides white chocolate macadamia cookies! Anybody have any good ideas?? I am a baker, so difficulty is not an issue (although simple is always best, right?)... I am more concerned with finding things that people have tried and love (5 start recipes!) so I can surprise my husband with new treats! :o)
Thanks for your help!!
my sister-in-law (also a professional ballerina) has a beautiful blog of very creative, gourmet food!
www.anticiplate.com
(she also blogs for the PI, and has been featured in the paper)
My menu: (for 18+ people)
baked ham
homemade mac & cheese
fresh potato rolls
green salad
2 jello salads
punch
brownies
chocolate peppermint candy cookies
hawaiian mac nut cookies
norwegian apple pie
kosekake
:o)
Giada DeLaurentiis and Ina Garten, although I am addicted to anything and everything Food Network! (Even reruns I have seen a dozen times!) :o)
@wookie -
Here's the recipe. I'm happy to share! I'd love to hear how you like them, if you get around to making them! These are not traditional lace cookies by any means... they are a variation on an old Hawaiian Oatmeal cookie recipe of my grandmas, and they just remind me of a lace cookie. They are very thin and fragile, and are a nice balance of chewy, crisp and buttery!! :o)
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Hawaiian White Mac Lace Cookies
ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup coarsly chopped good white chocolate
1/2 chopped macadamia nuts
directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375degrees F.
2. Cream together the sugars and butter. Mix in the eggs, vanilla, salt, soda and powder until well blended. Mix in the oats, coconut and flour, white chocolate and mac nuts.
3. Drop by small (1-inch) scoopfuls, spaced about 2-3 inches apart, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, as they will spread quite a bit during baking. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until they are light golden brown around the edges.
4. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, and then carefully transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling! Enjoy!! (These cookies freeze really well!)
I'm SO used to using my oven/microwave timers, but unfortunately I now have both oven/microwave timers that have absolutely pathetic sounds (you can barely hear them if you are standing next to them, and I have a fairly spread out house!) so I am in need of a good timer too!
I'm looking forward to suggestions!!
@ thank you thank you!!! :o)
Here's what I've decided! (Keeping it simple for 18+ people):
Baked Ham
World's Best Mac & Cheese
Fresh Potato Rolls
Green Salad
Punch (old-school with sherbet!)
Brownies
Norwegian Apple Pie
Kosekake
Hawaiian White Mac Lace Cookies
(can you tell I'm a baker?!) ;o)
Thanks for all your suggestions!! I am hungry already!
how can you get any better than good leftover baked ham on potato rolls with lots of fresh butter?!? :o)
(I never get as far as creative leftovers, because we can't get past how good the sandwiches taste!)
the most memorable meal my mother ever made was on an ordinary weeknight as a teenager, when my mom made a simple dinner... tater tot casserole or something of that sort... and when I started to set the table she stopped me and told me to get out the goldware, china and crystal, and to light the candles! No reason at all, she just thought we deserved a special night, and that life is too short to never use your china! :o) That was a night I will never forget!
...oh, and because I am not rich :o) I use Tillamook aged white cheddar in place of the Beecher's Flagship cheese for the sauce. It's a whole lot cheaper, and tastes just as good!!
Here's the recipe... and it really is the best ever!! If you can't find chipotle chili powder (or just want to try a different flavor) regular cayenne powder works great. We can't decide which way we like it better, actually! :o)
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'WORLD'S BEST' MAC AND CHEESE
SERVES 4 AS A SIDE DISH
6 ounces penne pasta
2 cups Beecher's Flagship Sauce (recipe follows)
1 ounce cheddar, grated (1/4 cup)
1 ounce Gruyere cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Oil or butter an 8-inch baking dish.
Cook the penne 2 minutes less than package directions. (It will finish cooking in the oven.) Rinse pasta in cold water and set aside.
Combine cooked pasta and Flagship Sauce in a medium bowl and mix carefully but thoroughly. Scrape the pasta into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the cheeses and then the chile powder. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
NOTE: If you double the recipe to make a main dish, bake in a 9-by-13-inch pan for 30 minutes.
BEECHER'S FLAGSHIP CHEESE SAUCE
MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
14 ounces semihard cheese, such as Beecher's Flagship, grated (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 ounces grated semisoft cheese, such as Beecher's Just Jack
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Continue whisking and cooking for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat. Add the cheese, salt, chile powder and garlic powder. Stir until the cheese is melted and all ingredients are incorporated, about 3 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to three days.
NOTE: A single batch of sauce makes enough for a double recipe of macaroni and cheese.
also, if you have never read julie powell's blog on salon about her experiences cooking her way through mastering the art of french cooking,
it doesn't get any better than the julie/julia project.
i second the pioneer woman's cooking blog. she's highly entertaining!
My Korean wedding banquet. OK, she had help, but I know her food and her organizational skills and so I can confidently say, she prepared this meal. And it was amazing and I will always remember it.
Mom rarely puts her heart into cooking. About twenty years ago, though, she prepared meat fondue -- that was great fun! And most memorable. Loved cooking my beef and chicken in the hot oil at the table. She also allowed all of us to make our own assortment of dipping sauces. My brother mixed grape jelly with godknowswhat. We all laughed. It's a shame we never had it again.
Her cooking and baking was so phenomenal, it's impossible to choose. She was always trying new recipes, especially from Julia and Jacques. I loved her pies and gratins.
My mother makes homemade ravioli and Italian spaghetti suace and meatballs to die for. She's Sicilian
Stuffed artichokes smothered in tomato sauce.. YUM.
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Website: http://www.arthomas.blogspot.com
Location: Sequim, Washington
About: I am a 27 year old new wife/step-mom from a large close-knit Norwegian family, and as many know - food is a huge part of our culture! My grandmother loved through her baking and is well known for it, and I guess I inherited that gene from her!
Favorite foods: mmm.... bread, butter, potatoes, cream, butter, fruit, bread, butter, ice cream, pizza, cheese, bread.... can you see a pattern here? :o)
Last bite on earth: fresh crusty artisan sourdough bread, warm from the oven, with lots of good cold butter!