Meals To Feed A Crowd- updated weekly

We get the privilege to do life with college students!  I love to cook and host and one thing we implemented and budgeted for was a once a week home cooked meal for college students.  We originally thought this meal would consist of only a handful of students as this is a start up ministry, but we have had anywhere from 20-45 each week.  God continues to provide and the meals happen each week with the exception of holidays.  Each week it has proven to be a great night of fun and fellowship as we congregate over a meal, play games, socialize, etc.  There is no agenda to these nights.  Students may come and grab a plate and leave or stay and hang out.  While this endeavor may seem overwhelming to some, it fits our unique couple gift mix and is a way we love to give and serve.  Each week we never know how many we will have so it is a guessing game as to how much to prepare.  I use paper plates and plastic silverware to make clean up easy.  We are super simple.  As you can see in the above picture, my dishes are far from fancy.   I strive to make sure the meal is balanced using predominantly quality ingredients.  I cook for them as I would my family, which means that I watch the labels, make from scratch, and make sure there are veggies and fruit served as well.  I also am continually looking for ways to cut costs yet not quality and we always welcome when other adults in our community offer to bring a side, pick up fruit or a salad, or donate money toward food, etc.  The feedback we have gotten from these meals has been incredible.

Listed below are the meals we served, the number served, the cost which includes paper-ware, drinks, and main course, sides, and dessert.

I will be taking a hiatus from now until the new semester as baby Turner is soon to arrive, but the meals will go on thanks to our church ladies taking over for the next five weeks.  

Week 1: 40 served
$160

Pizza Hut (10 pizzas served), 1 watermelon, cake recipe doubled, water bottles and Gatorade bottles served. I use coconut oil and cut the sugar by 66% in the icing.  I also do not use the strawberry extract in the icing.  

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/simply-delicious-strawberry-cake-recipe.html

Week 2: 20 served
$120

This week's main meal idea came from Sarah Rowe

Party Burgers x4: I added black beans and used Italian diced tomatoes instead of Rotel 

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/cheesy-party-burgers-aka-diamond-burgers/

Pasta Salad x2: I used two boxes of orzo pasta.  I food processed lots of cucumbers, black olives, peppers, carrots, and tomatoes. I added Italian dressing to taste.

Watermelon 

Banana Pudding: I used four small boxes of instant vanilla pudding mixed with required amount of milk and then mixed with big container cool-whip.  I layered vanilla wafers, bananas, pudding mixture, and then did the same again ending with a layer of pudding mixture and a few vanilla wafers arranged in a decorative manner.  

Gatorade bottles and water bottles for drinks

Week 3: 40+
$117.14
(people kept coming even 2 hours after dinner so lost track of number) 

Homemade chicken noodle soup, homemade bread, peaches because season ends in a week, and chocolate chip cookies from scratch 

Chicken noodle soup  x2 : the soup does not in any way resemble canned chicken noodle soup.  I do all of the following listed in recipe except I omit the chicken bouillon and I add 2 cups total whipping cream.  I also add tons of sea salt.  

http://thisdailykitchen.blogspot.com/2012/07/chicken-noodle-soup-in-sickness-and-in.html

Homemade bread x3: http://thisdailykitchen.blogspot.com/2012/06/honey-bread.html  I use coconut oil instead of butter in recipe adding 1 more tbsp than called for and an extra tablespoon of honey.  Once it comes out of the oven I put either butter or cocounut oil on top of it and then serve with butter and raw honey....yum!
Peaches- a half peck
Watermelon

Chocolate chip cookies x2: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/10813/best-chocolate-chip-cookies/
water bottles and gatorade bottles served 

Week 4: 28-30ish served
$80.77

Breakfast Casserole x2: 1 container of sausage browned roughly 1 lb, 1 crescent  roll package, 4 eggs, 1 cup milk, and 8 oz mozzarella

Directions: 1) put coconut oil in the pan and smear around instead of Pam 2) place crescent rolls rolled out over bottom of pan 3) spread 8 oz mozerella cheese 4) cover with a mixture of 4 eggs to 1 cup whole milk. 

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
Homemade biscuits x2- Dr. Grant, a professor at the school made these (no cost since gift) 

Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/cinammon_rolls_/

changes made: Replace the exact same amount of maple syrup for coffee. Did not use maple flavoring. If ever it is too thick, call audibles.  Sometimes add more butter, sometimes more milk, sometimes more syrup. Taste as you go.
Grapes x1, strawberries x2, and cantelope x2
Cake- a surprise drop off from a neighbor (no cost since gift)

Week 5: 42 served
$98.71

Japanese Chicken Salad x2

*a salad I grew up loving as a child
1 whole chicken, cooked and shredded in food processor, 1 head of green leaf lettuce,1/2 cup silvered almonds, 4 green onions finely chopped, 1/2 cup Chinese noodles
Dressings: 4 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp salt, 1/2 ts pepper, 4 tbsp white vinegar, 1/2 cup cooking oil oil (shake)
*I reduce the sugar and use olive oil

Macaroni and cheese x3 

(Best and easiest macaroni ever)

16 oz cheese- cheddar or a mix of cheeses

1 can evaporated milk or make your own which tastes even better. To produce 1 cup of evaporated milk, simmer 2 1/4 cups of whole milk down until it becomes 1 cup.

16 oz noodles

Directions: Greese pan with coconut oil.  layer noodles and cheese...I like to do multiple layers, salt a little if desired, top with evaporated milk and a few pats of butter...bake in oven on 375 for 30-45 minutes.  If noodles start to brown, but evaporated milk is still not soaked into noodles, cover with foil and continue cooking.
strawberries x3 , grapes x2
Baked Brie x3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4o__NbfAAs
Brownies and ice-cream (brought by a family in our church)- no cost
water bottles 

Week 6: 32 served
Cost: $142.42

The Ultimate Salad x2
http://www.thefreshmarket.com/recipes/details/the-ultimate-salad/#.V9nr2kmQIdU
Pioneer Woman Lasagna x3 
Sauté one lb sausage and 1 lb ground beef and 4 cloves garlic together until brown.  Add two 14.5 ounce cans of whole tomatoes with their juice, two 6 oz cans tomato paste, 1/2 ts salt and some pepper and stir together until well combined and simmer for 45 minutes while stirring occasionally.  Gather 10-12 fresh basil leaves and cut the basil into a chiffonade by stacking them on top, then roll them tightly, and cut across.  Finely chop the parsley.  Add half the herbs to the meat mixture reserving the other half.  In a medium bowl combine three cups cottage cheese, two eggs, and half cup parmesan cheese, and the remaining herbs and stir together well.  Lay no bake noodles on the bottom of the pain with a little coconut oil underneath.  Spoon half cottage cheese mixture next. Sprinkle 8 oz of mozzarella cheese next followed by half the ground beef mixture.  Repeat process ending with meat mixture and half cup parmesan cheese.
Bake 35-45 minutes until bubbly and then let sit for 10 minutes before cutting into servings.
Homemade bread x3 (produces 6 loaves): http://thisdailykitchen.blogspot.com/2012/06/honey-bread.html  I use coconut oil instead of butter in recipe adding 1 more tbsp than called for and an extra tablespoon of honey.  Once it comes out of the oven I put either butter or cocounut oil on top of it and then serve with butter and raw honey....yum!
Fruit Pizza x 2
BeCa Fisk
Store bought sugar cookie dough, pressed flat, baked and cooled.  Mix together and spread over cooled crust:8 oz softened cream cheese, 1 c. sugar, 1 tsp.  vanilla.   Add any sliced fruit to the top. Watch out for fruit flies..they love this!
water bottles 

Week 7:26 served
cost: $81

Stir Fry on a bed of rice x 6

1 lb round steak 

4 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp. coconut oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

bell peppers
Mix soy sauce, sugar, oil, garlic, and onions in a large bowl and set aside.
Cut steak or venison into strips and add to bowl.  Cover and refrigerate at least 5 hours.  Cook in wok or frying pan until done.
Pineapple Fried Rice x4

Jennifer Brooks

1 onion, cooked

1 large can of pineapple tidbits, drained well or fresh pineapple

6 cups cooked Jasmine Rice (the Asian rice gives it a good flavor) -  I use brown Jasmine Rice

1-2 cups carrots cut into tidbit size,cooked

Yak Vay veri, veri teriyaki (1 cup)

approx..4 tbsp. oil coconut oil

Directions: Heat oil in large skillet, mix cooked chicken, pineapple, sautéed carrots, sautéed onions together (basically everything already cooked).  As you are tossing rice into the skillet sprinkle teriyaki sauce as you toss the rice.  Taste as you go and add as much teriyaki as you need.  Also if you need more oil, add more. 

*It really is important to not go cheap on the teriyaki brand.  You want a thick teriyaki sauce with ginger it in it.  Also you want to have everything cooked prior to putting it together. 

grapes x2 (from Sams) 
Halloween Candy- donated