Hi Natalia...Given the fall season I would be drawn to make something along the lines of roasted pork loin with baked apples, braised cabbage and spaetzle. In my area you see whole pork loin for about $1.99 lb so its pretty economical and can be roasted in advance.
A simple salad with assorted greens can be jazzed up with sliced of seasonal pears and cranberries and dressed with a simple evo-vinegar dressing.
For dessert I would go with brownies...no nuts please LOL!!
Maybe have a few tubs of ice cream to go on top of the brownies.

Hope this helps!
Susie

Hi Natalia,

I think I might move away from the chicken and pasta as it has been served the last few times. Mind you it's safe as most people eat it.

Would a soup "party" be to casual. It something different and yet very easy. Several of us have done this and it's always a huge success. The idea is to prepare several different soups , a selection of topping and some lovely crusty rolls. Transport in large plastic containers , heat and serve in crock pots.

If you think that is something you would like to do we can give you a kazillion recipes that will work.

If that isn't something you think would work then how about some chili or meatball stoganoff or Swedish meatballs ? Shepperd's Pie is another great crowd pleaser and is easy. Tuna noodle casseroles are usually a big hit too.

For this time of year and Oktoberfest theme could be fun, suasages (like brats), sauerkraut, pierogi (use the frozen ones) could even do cabbage rolls but that's a lot of work.

If any of these ideas interest you we can get you plenty of recipes including sides and salads.

Here is a not so great picture of Shepherds pie

I do funeral lunches at out church...
Here's the recipe I have used very often for a gang...

Casserole, chicken pasta veggie with sauce
Recipe for the sauce:
1 cup finely chopped onion sautd in ½ cup butter and ¼ cup olive oil, add 1 cup flour, stir and cook one minute and slowly add 2 cups chicken broth and 2 cups milk ( actually a little more milk) stirring with a whisk...1 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp worcestershire, a handful of chopped green onion, 8 oz cream cheese and about ½ a pound of grated sharp white cheddar. I made 3 times that recipe for 8 casseroles.
Each casserole contained:
3 rounded cups cubed meat, I use either boneless skinless chicken breasts I have poached or roasted turkey if I find it on sale...about 1 1/2 pounds of meat per casserole.
½ cup red pepper strips
½ cup green pepper strips
2 T chopped green onions
¼ cup chopped celery
2/3 cups carrot buttons blanched
2 cups broccoli florets, blanched
4 rounded cups cooked pasta
And about 4 cups of the sauce
Baked about 30 minutes at 350, added buttered crumbs and baked long enough to brown the crumbs.

I serve this with a tossed salad...or sometimes a tossed salad and a fruit salad.
Tosses salad is ice berg lettuce broken up and mixed with some baby spinach and a couple of shredded carrots and some shredded red cabbage.
The dressing is:
SALAD DRESSING
1T dijon mustard
1clove of garlic, crushed (or chopped very fine)
1T honey
1/3 cup cider vinegar balsamic vinegar
Mix together, I use a wire whisk
1/2 cup olive oil...whisk the oil in a slow stream, whisking all the while
Then I like to add some dried or fresh herbs....most of the time I use oregano.
And a tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese

For the fruit salad, I simply use a couple of bags of frozen mixed fruit, with seasonal fresh fruit...cantelope, water melon, banana, kiwi, grapes...lots of grapes...and I use no dressing...just fruit...and it goes over like gangbusters!

For 40 people, 2 of the casseroles mentioned above would do it....but 3 would be more comfortable to me.

Here's another big recipe I do...one of these recipes would serve your 40 people likely with leftovers. I buy that deli ham unsliced and have it ground.

Ham Loaf
Recipe for ham loafÂ
2 ½ pounds ground beef
2 ½ pounds ground ham
2 (or more) cups bread crumbs for sure more!
2 cups sautéed chopped onion
1 cups water with 1 T Worcestershire
2T Dijon mustard
2 heaping T brown sugar
¼ cup catsup and
5 eggs mixed up and added to the meat, bread crumb mix.
Make into 2 skinny loaves and place in big steel baking pans in individual foil slingsÂbake until internal temp is 160Â.about 1 ¼ hours at 375. Baste several times with mix of brown sugar, prepared Dijon mustard and a little cider vinegar.
Cool a little wrap in foil and refrigerate. Slice while cold and reheat. Your slices will be neater if you are going to serve on a plate.

With the ham loaf I serve this:
pineapple casseroles each containing a #10 can of drained pineapple,
mix 3/4 cup of saved pineapple juice
½ cup white sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 2/3 cups flour
Add to the pineapple in the casserole
And add 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese,
top with cornflake crumbs and drizzle over the top 2/3 cup melted butter.
Baked for 40 minutes at 375. Serves about 20
People love this casserole!!! so make lots.
I have meat loaf scaled for a bunch too...as well as cabbage salad and lasagna...but you did lasagna.
Good luck.
Linda C

Also, do you plate up this meal or do buffet? I had thought about Shepherd's Pie, soup, and chicken tetrazzini.

This Burger Vegetable Soup is easy and appeals to most. It was used often for our church Fellowship Night.

Burger Vegetable Soup

1 lb lean ground beef
1 16oz can diced tomatoes
1 16oz can tomato sauce
1 16oz package frozen mixed vegetables
1 package dried onion soup mix
2 TB sugar
4 cups water
potato 1 or 2 diced

Brown beef, drain. Add rest of ingredients. Simmer for an hour or so or put in crock pot to cook on low all day.

Here is my favorite Shepherd's Pie recipe:

Shepherd's Pie from Jane Garmeys Great British Cooking
3 TB oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 lbs. ground lamb or ground beef
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 heaped TB flour
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup water
salt and fresh ground black pepper
!/2 t. tarragon
3 large potatoes, peeled
3 oz. butter
1 cup milk
1/2 c. cooked corn
2 TB Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350F.
Heat oil in large frying pan over low heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft. Turn up heat and add meat, stirring until it is well browned.
Drain off fat. Add tomato paste, cubes, and flour. Mix well and cook a minutes before adding the wine and water. Add in the s&p and tarragon, simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook and mash the potatoes. Add the butter and milk, season with s&p.
Put the meat mixture in a large, greased soufflé or baking dish. Spread corn over the meat and the mashed potatoes on top so that the meat and corn are completely covered. Sprinkle the cheese over the potatoes and bake uncovered for 35 minutes. Place under broiler for a few minutes to brown the top and serve. Serves 4-6.

How about Roasted Stuffed Chickens or Turkey along with
Burger Vegetable Soup and a Salad.

{{gwi:1555201}}

Or Chicken Wedding Soup, is always a big hit.

And you could get some practice for Thanksgiving.

I've had that many for a Thanksgiving Dinner.

This is very easy .
- - - - - -

Or a Sicilian Stuffed Crust Pizza

How about a couple of Apple Upsidedown cakes for dessert.
Or Sinbunns ( Sticky Bunns ):

I like Lou's menu best!

Tasty, everybody got great ideas-recipes, I love them all. We are going to have buffet, 3-4 adult will serve the meal and the children will bring the meal for their parents. I'm going to go with Shepherd's Pie (thanks chase, teresa_nc7 for sharing the recipe-pic :) Roasted Stuffed Chickens looks so yummy, I will try it for Thanksgiving. Sicilian Stuffed Crust Pizza, my children would definitely love them (thanks: hawk307, I would need the recipe if you don't mind sharing them please) lindac: I will use the salad dressing recipe :) Thanks everybody for your helps :) I could use all of the recipes you share for my family dinner.

Natalia

I think Shepherds Pie is a great choice! A bit of a change up from the chicken and pasta dishes and perfect for Fall.

Here is my recipe

Shepherds Pie

4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup diced onion, about 1/2 medium
1 cup diced celery
2 cups diced carrot, about 2 medium
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp flour
1 cup red wine (can omit)_
2 1/2 cups beef stock ( I use 1/2 stock one half my brown sauce)
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

4 medium cooking potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 cloves garlic, smashed
butter
1/4 milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. Add 2 tbsp vegetable oil to large pan over medium high heat. Add ground beef.
2. Cook until excess liquid is gone and meat is starting to brown. If required drain of any fat.
3. Remove meat from pan and deglaze with red wine or beef broth, let reduce slightly.
4. In another large pot, add remaining vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add onions, carrots and celery; cook until soft but not browned, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Add garlic and add tomato paste. Brown paste slightly then sprinkle in flour. Cook out for a minute or two
6. Add in red wine, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan.
7. Add beef stock, rosemary, thyme. Return browned meat to pot. Simmer, covered for 20-25 minutes.
8. Remove lid and continue cooking for another 10 minutes; liquid will reduce and thicken. Remove rosemary, thyme . Season well with salt and pepper.

Potatoes

1. Add quartered potatoes and smashed garlic to medium pot.
2. Boil until potatoes are tender but not overdone, about 15-20 minutes.
3. Strain potatoes; let dry out slightly in colander before returning to pot. Add milk, butter, pepper, Parmesan cheese and more salt if necessary.
4. Mash using a potato masher.

Preheat oven to 400. Spoon filling into the bottom of a 10-inch round casserole dish. Top with potatoes. Grate parmesan cheese on top and dot surface evenly with butter. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake on middle rack until top is golden and filling is warmed through, about 20-25 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

For a crowd I make the meat mixture a day or two ahead and refrigerate. I also make the potatoes a day ahead. On the day of, I bring the meat to a low simmer, just barely heated through, then top with the potatoes and throw in the oven a half hour or so before serving.

chase, thank you so much for the recipes :)
Natalia

Natalia:
If you 'Google " Lou's Calzopizza, there is a tutorial.
When you scroll down, the recipe for the Pizza Sauce is in there too.
Lou

Natilia: A beautiful name !!!
Do you know the meaning of your name in Italian ???
Lou

Lou, I found the recipe " Lou's Calzopizza "- pizza sauce. I didn't know that you put goodies inside the dough, tought it's only toppings. That's really great tutorial.
Thanks a lot :) About my name....honestly,
I have no idea what does it mean. Do you know Lou?

Nat

Natalia:
The meaning of your name is " Born on Christmas Day " , which originally was given to a female born on that day.
I think it also means Christ's Birthday.
Maybe it derives from " Natale " , Christmas.

Let me know how your Pizza turns out.
Lou

For dressing, maybe thousand island. Everyone seems to love that. Made with mayo, ketchup and pickle relish, at least that's how I make it. Cheap and easy.
I'd do fried apples over ice cream for dessert. Baked apples might be easier but kids don't like the skin. So just peel and slice the apples, saute in butter and then when soft add brown sugar and some raisins, maybe a little cider if it seems sticky, and some cinnamon. Reheat before serving and spoon over ice cream. Kids love this. You could spoon it over some kind of cake or shortbread too. I used to make this for dessert when I ran a camp, but we had a HUGE cast iron skillet that we put on a huge grill stand over the fire. Plus I had kids helping me peel apples, lol! Would be a snap if you had an apple peeler! You might even be able to make this in a large crockpot.
Well, that's just me trying to think a little healthy. A double batch of choc. chip bar cookies would probably suffice!
Oooh, that reminds me of a recipe I made for a school gathering a couple of years back:
From Cooks.com
Apple Bars
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs well beaten
1/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup raisins (could sub more apples since some kids don't like raisins)
1 cup chopped walnuts (maybe could leave out, but geez that's no fun!)
1 cup finely chopped apples

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix well. Place batter into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 40-50 min. or until edges are golden and tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and cut into bars when cool. Says it makes 21 bars, which seems like a weird number. Anyway you'd have to make two pans for that size crowd. Can dust with confection sugar to top, or frost with cream cheese icing. Or serve with a dollop of whipped cream on the side. Maybe add a pinch of cinnamon if you leave out the raisins and the nuts.