Expert: Teri Davis Newman - 5/28/2008

Question
QUESTION: We are having a open house for my sons H.S. graduation.  I sent out 200 invitations so who knows how many will come.  I would like to serve sloppy joes, potato salad, bars, chips,lemonaid and water.  Do you have recipes and how much meet, cups, plates, forks, etc.... i should get?

ANSWER: Yes I do, but you will need a head count, please let me know when you have a firm number and I will give you recipes scaled for that many.  I also need to know the ages of the attendees as teenagers eat more than grandparents. Generally you figure 1.5 sandwiches per person if there are a lot of teenagers, 6 oz of potato salad per person, 2 bars (whatever that is--I could be wrong) 2 oz of chips, 16 oz of non-alcoholic beverage plus water.
If you will send me your head count, I'd be happy to send you recipes if you need them.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I'm going to shoot for 450 people. Most will be adults. I would say maybe 100 will be teens. Recipes or other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!! :)

Answer
OMG Roxanne!!  You are insane!! LOL
You need to hire a couple of helpers--seriously but here we go:
1.5 sandwiches per person= 675 buns
6 oz of meat per sandwich= 170 pounds of sloppy joe meat.
2 oz of chips per person= 57 pounds of potato chips.
6 oz of potato salad= 170 pounds of potato salad.
16 oz of lemonade per person= 60 gallons of lemonade plus water
1 bar? per person=450 bars

Sloppy Joe recipe for 450 servings
INGREDIENTS
75 pounds lean ground beef
19 cups chopped onion
19 cups chopped green bell pepper
3/4 cup and 2 teaspoons garlic powder
1.5 cup prepared yellow mustard
55 cups ketchup
4.5 cups brown sugar
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Potato Salad
450 medium potatoes
75 small onion, finely chopped
75 cups celery, chopped
1.5 cup and 2 tablespoons salt
450 hard-cooked eggs, diced

Dressing
150 eggs, beaten
30 cups white sugar
1.5 cup and 2 tablespoons cornstarch
salt to taste
37.5 cups vinegar
75 (5 ounce) cans evaporated milk
1.5 cup and 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
19 cups butter
75 cups mayonnaise

Place the potatoes into a large pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain. Cool, peel and dice. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with the onion, celery, salt, and hard-cooked eggs.
While the potatoes are cooking, whisk together 2 eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Stir in the vinegar, milk, and mustard. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the butter. Refrigerate until cool, then stir in the mayonnaise.
Stir the dressing into the bowl of potato salad gently until evenly coated. Chill several hours or overnight before serving for best flavor.

Let me know if you need any further assistance!