Catering!

I catered my mom's annual Fourth of July party. Overall it went really well. I am getting much better at determining recipe/serving size, so there is enough food with having 12 tons of leftovers. I also find it challenging picking out menu items that will be appealing. J. and I had several debates about catering to your audience; what will they eat/like? I tend to want to elevate the menu a bit, and J. always wants to keep it real simple. I'm fascinated seeing what there are leftovers of.

I made Alton Brown's potato salad, which went over really well. I also made a panzanella, which people were wary of, but those who ate it came back for more and I only had about 10% leftover. My third side was the classic 3 bean salad form my Katie Brown days, which also was well received.

For mains, I did sirloin tips with chimichurri. I like the sirloin tips because they are already portioned and really easy to manage on the grill. Shrimp with a lemon garlic marinade was devoured, and the only thing that ran out. I also made stuffed quahogs for the first time. (I know, as a Rhode Islander I should have done this long ago) I looked at several recipes online and didn't like any of them, so I made up my own it it came out great. (Pats self on back).

Of course, there were burgers, veggie burgers, and hot dogs. All in all, a successful event.