Need some Recipes for feeding a crowd.

[memphismason]

I have been elected and installed as Junior Warden of my Lodge this year and it is my responsibility to prepare the food for our meetings this year.

I am asking for help with recipes that will feed at least 30 people.

I have some for Vegetable Soup, Chili, and Spaghetti, but that stuff get old after too many times.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[buck1032]

What type of food are you looking to cook? I have been "up scaleing" when I cook Korean (bulgogi and japchea) so we can eat on it for days. It would be fairly simple to increase the amounts to serve 30 folks. And as far as the side, you can buy something very simular to mandu called Pot Stickers as a side. I get mine at Target. Good luck cooking. While i dont really like cooking I am a huge fan of eating. LOL

[Guest Jamie]

Gonna sound dumb maybe but what about pizza? Not store-bought, home made?

Here's a basic crust recipe. It'll make 3 sixteen inch, "normal"-thickness crusts:

6 cups of bread flour

1 and 1/2 tablespoons of salt

5 tablespoons of sugar

3 packages of rapid rise dry yeast - NOT regular dry yeast.

2 tablespoons of ground basil

* You can also add a teaspoon each of garlic powder and onion powder to the mix, if you're so inclined.

1/3 cup of olive oil

about 2 cups of warm water

Heat up a couple of cups of water to between 120 and 130 degrees. Also, have an extra half cup of flour on stand-by for when it's time to roll out the crust and also to dust your hands with when you're kneading the dough.

Mix the yeast and all of the other dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Add the olive oil, mix, then add about half the water.

Mix with a fork until the water is absorbed, then add a little more water and repeat.

When it gets too thick to mix with the fork, turn it out on a smooth flour-dusted work surface and start kneading it with your hands until it forms a smooth not-too-sticky ball. If you need to add a little water or a little flour to adjust things, go ahead.

Once it reaches a smooth even consistency, form it into a ball, dust the bowl with flour, and put the dough back. Cover it with a towel and let it sit in a warm area for an hour or so to rise.

Once it's risen, cut the ball into thirds, roll each third out into the appropriate size and shape, and place on a pizza pan or even a baking sheet. trim off anything more than an inch larger than the pan, fold and pinch the extra up to form a rim, then start adding the sauce, cheese, etc.

Pop it into an oven that's been pre-heated to 450 degrees, and give it 10 minutes. Check it at that point to see how it looks, and to see if it needs a couple of more minutes. The ore stuff you put on it, the longer it's gonna take.

This all sounds like a lot of complicated work, but once you've gotten the dough mixed up and risen, all you need is a helper or two and you can set up an assembly line and turn these things out quick.

Also, for sauce, we use a non-chunky spaghetti sauce, straight out of the jar.

My wife and I together can kick out about 6 or 8 sixteen inch pizzas in a matter of a couple of hours using this recipe and bagged pre-shredded cheeses. Mozzarella, a colby/jack mix, and a good sprinkle of Parmesan are our favorites.

As far as the other toppings go, the sky - and your budget- is the limit. you can do any slicing or other prep work you need to while the dough is rising.

You should end up with something... a lot of somethings, actually... that look a lot like this:

Edited December 22, 2010 by Jamie
Edited to add an option I had forgotten

[peejman]

It's basically as simple as taking any normal recipe and increasing the quantities by about 6x. Just be prepared for how much space all that food will take up. Cooking for 30 in a normal kitchen will be a PITA. The big aluminum pans you can buy at the grocery or walmart are handy and can typically be reused.

BBQ is usually relatively easy.... say 15lbs pre-cooked weight. Slow cook it in an oven (or a smoker, if available). Split it into 4 lots and season each one differently.

Burgers and Brats if you've got a grill of adequate size.

A catfish fry if you've got a deep fryer.

Would your group be willing to do "pot luck"?

Side items can be bought pre-made from a grocery store deli counter. Call ahead for big quantities.

[memphismason]

The Lodge is made up of mostly older guys who are set in their ways. Southern cooking is the only way to go for us. Some of the meals we have had in the past are:

Meatloaf

Spaghetti

Lasagna

White Beans & Cornbread

Soups

Chili

Fried Chicken

BBQ

I have made Red beans and rice once and got mixed reviews. (Older guys says" What is the hell is this slop?") HAHA

My wife and I love Chicken Alfredo, but there is no way I could serve that. It would be to "exotic", LOL.

I am just looking for more idea. It get boring eating the same ole same ole every time. In fact we have not served spaghetti at our Lodge in about a year because it is something almost every Lodge in Memphis serves, and we just go burnt out on it.

Edited December 22, 2010 by memphismason

[memphismason]

Gonna sound dumb maybe but what about pizza? Not store-bought, home made?

We do the $5 pizza thing every once in a while on school nights, but not for degrees. We have visitors come from all over the area when we have degree work and we like to feed them a nice meal. However that recipe you just shared for homemade pizza looks AWESOME!!!!!!! I think I will have to try that.

It's basically as simple as taking any normal recipe and increasing the quantities by about 6x. Just be prepared for how much space all that food will take up. Cooking for 30 in a normal kitchen will be a PITA. The big aluminum pans you can buy at the grocery or walmart are handy and can typically be reused.

BBQ is usually relatively easy.... say 15lbs pre-cooked weight. Slow cook it in an oven (or a smoker, if available). Split it into 4 lots and season each one differently.

Burgers and Brats if you've got a grill of adequate size.

A catfish fry if you've got a deep fryer.

Would your group be willing to do "pot luck"?

Side items can be bought pre-made from a grocery store deli counter. Call ahead for big quantities.

Pot Luck happens at our Monthly stated meetings, but degree work and special events it is up to me.

I know I can just multiply the ingredients to increase the serving size, I am just looking for ideas and suggestions. You know change it up from the norm just a little. I can't go to crazy or the older fellows won't eat it.

Edited December 22, 2010 by memphismason

[Guest Jamie]

Southern cooking? Damn man... it'd be easier for me to just come down there and cook for you guys than it would to type up all the recipes I know for that...

Chicken and dumplings, green beans, pinto beans, corn bread, biscuits, pork chops... I could go on for quite a while.

Y'see, I was taught to cook by my grandmother and great-grandmother... and that's the only kind of cooking they knew.

[memphismason]

Southern cooking? Damn man... it'd be easier for me to just come down there and cook for you guys than it would to type up all the recipes I know for that...

Chicken and dumplings, green beans, pinto beans, corn bread, biscuits, pork chops... I could go on for quite a while.

Y'see, I was taught to cook by my grandmother and great-grandmother... and that's the only kind of cooking they knew.

Chicken and Dumplings! My mom makes outstanding Chicken and Dumpling, and has taught my wife how to do it. There is one I am adding to the list for this year.

I got the side pretty well covered. Main dishes are my concerns.

[Guest Jamie]

However that recipe you just shared for homemade pizza looks AWESOME!!!!!!! I think I will have to try that.

Believe me, it sounds a helluva lot harder to do than it is, just reading what I wrote. If you do try it and have any questions, just give me a holler.

Once you get the hang of it - and it won't take long - you'll never want another store-bought pizza again.

[Guest Jamie]

Chicken and Dumplings! My mom makes outstanding Chicken and Dumpling, and has taught my wife how to do it. There is one I am adding to the list for this year.

I got the side pretty well covered. Main dishes are my concerns.

Um... Pot roast, maybe?

[Ropin4gold]

I am a fan of Smoking/Grilling boneless pork loin. It is easy to do and cheap to buy. I usually marinade it in a 50/50 mixture of tequila and Spicy Brown Mustard overnight, then grill/smoke for an hour or two depending on the size. I have found it dirt cheap at Sam's Club and you can catch it on sale at Kroger sometimes.

[Guest clownsdd]

Congrats on your "promotion" memphismason......ya need to stop by the temple every once in a while, better yet, you'd make a good clown.

[laktrash]

How about white sauce and egg noodles ? I add some keibalsa, black olives,onions, peas. Doesn't sound like much but its really pretty good really easy. You cand use ground beef, ham or any meat. veggies, green pepper, musrooms, hot peppers. garlicbread good to go

[memphismason]

Congrats on your "promotion" memphismason......ya need to stop by the temple every once in a while, better yet, you'd make a good clown.

Thanks brother. I have been toying with the idea of joining lately.

[Guest clownsdd]

Let me know, I'll sign the papers

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I have made Red beans and rice once and got mixed reviews. (Older guys says" What is the hell is this slop?") HAHA

If they don't like red beans and rice, sounds like a hard crowd to please.

[Verne]

Congratulations on moving up the chairs. Just wait till you make it to the big chair.

As far as recipes I can't really help. We are lucky if we have enough show up to open lodge on a regular stated meeting. So we don't fix food but for degrees and other more important gatherings and the Eastern Star is more than happy to help and we are great full for it.

I do have a recipe for Buffalo Chicken dip I will send you. Good grazing food.