You have planned a 2 hour cocktail "hour"...make sure you have enough wine and whatever else you will be serving and enough munchies. I would add a couple of 2 pound chunks of cheese as a cut it yourself appetizer.
You have planned enough lasagna, but those foil pans for the chafers are deep and take a long time to bake....and the foil is fragile and can leak!
4 8 1/2 by 11 pyrex dishes of lasagna will easily serve 30.
Make the salad dressing ahead and have everything ready....the oranges drained and the nuts ready etc....then just dump the greens into a big bowl, add the dressing and toss.
How will you fix the green beans? Steam? of precook and serve at room temp?
I would find a friend with freezer space....you can make the cakes and freeze and make the rolls and freeze. cakes are easy to frost when frozen and the rolls will defrost just fine...I suspect you will be short on oven space!
I think ice cream and 2 kinds of cake are fine....but your 50 cup coffee pot may need refilling....but they take a long time to make coffee....can you borrow another?

If I were doing it? (I know you didn't ask....but I can't help it! LOL!)
I would have veggie and fruit before dinner with perhaps a kilo of Brie and a 2 pound block of chedder and an assortment of crackers Put them on one 6 foot serving table. When dinner is served, remove the appetizers and reset for dessert.
I would make 4 glass casseroles of lasagna...no need for a chafing dish, it will stay hot for easily 30 minutes, Have someone bring out a fresh dish as one gets low and I'll bet you will never need the 4th but for people who want seconds.
I would toss the salad in the kitchen and serve it in a big glass punch bowl with a pair of tongs for serving. Plan on about a gallon and a half of greens.
I would cook the green beans in a roaster on the stove top and serve on a platter. The same plan would work for asparagus.
will you have 2 of each cake? I have a killer carrot cake which I have made in 3 8 inch square layers ( double the recipe which is for 2 8 inch round layers)....it easily cuts 30 small servings....and the layers freeze well too.
Good luck and remember to enjoy the party!
Linda C

Great suggestions, Linda - as always!

Linda, sounds easy when you do it! I like your suggestions. The catering chafing dishes have heavy non-disposable aluminum (?) inserts. I'll talk to the couple about not using chafing dishes at all. I have a portable induction unit if needed. Yep, I'd like to do the cakes ahead of time. Would you share your carrot cake recipe? I kinda made one up or their mother's birthday they liked, but I am not sure the recipe is still around.

I've got to run to orchestra rehearsal and concert; won't be on until sometime tomorrow.

Thanks much!!
Judy

I call this "my carrot cake"...but it came from Julie T a caterer and cook book author. For a big cake, I double the recipe and make 4 8 inch square layers, one 3 layer 8 inch square cake and then take the other single layer, cut it in half and stack it frost and freeze....so I have a half a cake for some time when I need a dessert.
And if the tent has sides on it....you probably won't need the propane heater....a tent full of people keeps itself somewhat warm.

Carrot cake Julie TâÂÂs
3 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tsps cinnamon
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins chopped with 1 Tablespoon of flour
Buttermilk glaze
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter
1 Tblsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup softened butter
4 oz softened cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp orange juice
1 tsp grated orange rind
Preheat oven to 350
With a mixer Beat eggs, add oil and buttermilk, sugar and vanilla. beat to combine. Stir together flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda and stir into batter. stir in pineapple, carrots and raisins.
Pour into a greased 8 by 13 pan or 2 greased round 9 inch cake pans. Bake 35 to 45 minutes until set in the middle. Remove from the oven and immediatly spread with the buttermilk glaze. Cool completely and frost with the cream cheese frosting.
Buttermilk glaze:
In a medium sauce pan ( don't use a small pan) combine all ingredients but vanilla. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes stirring often...it will bubble a lot. It should be a light caramel color, stir in vanilla and pour over the cake
Cream cheese frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter until light add vanilla powd. sugar and juice and rind...beat until smooth and frost the cooled cake.

No suggestions, but Lindac's carrot cake is to die for!

Cotehele, you must be a really good person to do all this planning and cooking for your friends!

Di

I agree with Linda that with 2 hours you need more appetizers, but I don't think I'd do cheese since you are serving lasagna as the main course. Maybe some hummus or eggplant dip with nice crackers and some focaccia topped with olive oil grilled tomatoes & olives or caramelized onion tarts. Both these can be made ahead of time and served room temp.

Are you having assigned seating? If not, I'd have an extra table available as if people sort themselves out you always end up with so-and-so who wants to sit with these folks, and later comers being separated from their friends or spouses.

If the coffee is self-serve, I think you should be fine with the 55 cup. People drink far less coffee when they have to get up and get it themselves. But, many people prefer decaf nowadays, so it would be nice to have one or two regular coffee makers available if possible so you can provide decaf for those who want it AND to brew just a pot or two to add to the 55 cup if needed. If you wait until the 55 is empty and then brew more, you'll end up with a tank of coffee ready just about the time everyone's decided they don't really want anymore.

With lasagna, the green beans or asparagus could be cooked ahead of time and dressed with a vinaigrette, thus allowing them to be served room temp.

Glass serving dishes do hold heat pretty well as long as the air isn't too cold. If you're concerned at all, you could put a garden variety heating pad covered with a towel with a pretty "nest" of material to hide it on the table for setting the dishes on. Lots less expensive than renting chafing dishes, plus you don't have that icky Sterno smell.

You can also put the casseroles in a casserole serving basket....with heated quarry tiles in the bottom. Just stack the tiles in the oven when you bake the lasagna and put a couple in the bottom of the basket and plop the casserole on top.
But you will serve that food out pretty quickly.
If I were you I would make the whole 55 cup pot decaf....and if someone asks...make a couple of smaller pots of regular.
If you make the decaf strong enough you really can't tell the difference....and then if people ask..."is this de-caf" you can say yes.
But only those who prefer decaf ask!!
I disagree on the focacia...you are having rolls...
For a vegitarian menu, I really don't think there is any harm is serving cheese on the appetizer table. I would do it even for a non vegitarian but might include some shrimp.
I do know people who look cross eyed at a bowl of hummus and ask "What's this???"...I say... "hummus, chick peas with garlic and tahini"....they say..."no thanks!"..LOL!! I know a few but not many!!
And I would imagine the space in the tent is pretty well spoken for....so I would recommend assigned seating.

I like not using chafing dishes. I think I'll use a heated glazed clay dish w/ heating pad for the green beans or asparagus because veggies cool off faster than the lasagna. Linda, I don't have basket or quarry tiles for the glass pans, but i can use heated baking stones.

I've always been one to do things at the last minute so they will be freshly made, so making things ahead is new to me. Today I made 40 egg-braided mini loaves of bread and froze them. I was going to make the your carrot cake, Linda, but I ran out of time. I'll get that done as well as the pita bread tomorrow.

Some appetizer additions...spiced pumpkin-cream cheese spread w/ginger snaps; hummus w/pita bread; brie w/peach chutney.

I am helping cater a wedding at the end of this month. I think I have everything set except that I don't know how to cook the green beans. The bride has requested whole green beans and per cost, wants to buy frozen bags of beans. Any suggestions on how to prepare them. We do not have access to a stove top at the reception hall and I don't want them to get mushy, so any thoughts would help.

Judy, you are a dear. Just be prepared to be an on-site caterer working the food, not a guest. Rope in some friends for helping. I just did a gig like this in October, I was a helper, not the main chef. I was on my feet from 11:00 AM until 9:00PM for a 20 person dinner. I was happy...but working!

(so what orchestra and what do you play?)

rg4780, I used fresh green beans. It is a lot of cleaning and trimming for 30 people! DH said he never wanted to see a green bean again. I made the sauce and cook the green beans separately then combined the two and warmed just before serving. The recipe is here

Jessy, you are sweet, thanks. It was a ton of work the week before. I made all the food without help, planned and set up the tables and buffet, and helped serve. As it turned out, my DS, DIL and two adopted grad students helped serve and clean up. Fewer guests showed up than expected, so we all sat down and ate with the other guests, then jumped up and plated and served dessert. The celebration was very enjoyable and tiring. The four helpers are music grad students. They were asked to provide music. It was stunning in my biased opinion.

If I can get pictures, I will post them here.

I play flute, but in a community band, not the orchestra. In a past life I was the executive director of a professional orchestra and became good friends with an ED near by. I filled in for her operations manager, Jen, while she was on maternity leave (Jen was one of my french horn players). It was great fun to see everyone again and work two concerts.

On a side note, Greater Indianapolis Flute Club is having a Flute Fest February 12th. If anyone is interested, please come!! I'd love to meet you. I am doing registration, so say hello. Indy_Flute_Fest