Happy Memorial Day weekend! It is the day to remember all the brave soldiers that have fought for us and for our country. We appreciate all that you do!
General rules of thumb:
-Adults will typically consume about 1 pound of food each and children will consume about 1/2 a pound food each.
-The more options you have, the less you need of each food item. Not everyone will each 1 of each thing, so if there are options, they will gravitate to what appeals to them!
-Guests will typically eat and drink more at nighttime.
Cocktails:
-If you plan on serving premixed cocktails, allot 1 gallon per 10 guests. Premixing your drinks and serving them punch style or in drink dispensers is easy for your guests and helps cut costs down.
-If you plan on serving a variety of alcohols and mixers, keep in mind that about 1-liter of alcohol will make about 22 mixed drinks.
-If you plan on having wine as an option, allow about 1 bottle of wine per 6 guests. Remember that white wine is usually more popular over red in the summer time.
-Usually guests will consume about 2 drinks in the first hour and 1 drink per hour after that.
-Also, provide enough water for your guests especially if alcohol is involved.
*TIP: do not feel the need to buy bottled water if you don't need to. If you have drink dispensers, jazz up the water with lemons, limes, cucumber, berries, etc.
-Make sure you have non-alcoholic beverage options available too such as lemonade, soda, and iced tea.
-Provide garnishes such as lemons and limes and don't forget ice! About 2 pounds of ice per guest.
Hor D'oeuvres & Appetizers:
-If having a party with hor d'oeuvres & appetizers only, assume each guest will have about 4 to 6 pieces per hour.
-The more options you have of small bites, the happier the guests will be! Remember, more options means less of each. Just because there are 30 guests, doesn't mean you need 30 of everything. Try to gage the more popular items and make the most of those.
-If you plan on having hor d'oeurves and appetizers before a main course, assume each guest will have about 6 small bites total. Any more than that and they will probably get full and won't be able to enjoy your delicious meal!
-For protein, plan on serving about 6 to 8 ounces of meat or seafood per guest.
-If you decide to go with smaller grill meats such as hot dogs, chicken legs/thighs, or ribs, those are about 2 to 4 ounces each allowing for your guests to have more variety.
-If burgers are your meat of choice, store bought patties are usually 6 ounces. You could also buy ground beef and portion out your patties to about 4 ounces so your guests can have more variety if serving with other protein.
-You can't have a traditional BBQ or picnic without ketchup, mustard and relish!! A 20 ounce bottle of ketchup will be more than enough and 10 ounce bottles of mustard and relish will be just fine.
-For burgers, don't forget ice berg lettuce, beefsteak tomatoes, white onion and sliced pickles.
-Most likely, there will be a good amount of summery side dishes to choose from so you do not need to go overboard on portion size for each side dish. Assume about 1/2 cup of beans and about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of salad such as macaroni salad, potato salad or coleslaw.
Desserts:
-Delicious fruit is in abundance over summer time so give your guests a little sweet taste of summer by serving up sliced watermelon, pineapple, and berries!
-If you're a confident baker, take a crack at an apple pie (all american favorite!) and assume about 10 slices per pie. Serve that up with some vanilla bean ice cream.
-Cookies are also a great option because you can make a variety and they will be portion controlled.
Hope you have a fun and SAFE summer! Embrace the warm air, long summer nights, friends and family and all the amazing food that comes with summer time! HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!
Buon Appetíto,
Lisa
No comments:
Post a Comment