POTATO SALAD FOR 50 PEOPLE

12 lb. potatoes
1 pt. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. vinegar
8 pieces celery, cut up
12 boiled eggs, chopped
1 Tbsp. mustard
1 pt. chopped sweet pickles

Cook potatoes. Cut up. Mix all together. Makes 3
gallons of potato salad.

QUANTITY GUIDE:
Below are the quantities to serve 12 people. For 25 people multiply the quantities by two. For 50 people, multiply by four. For 75 people multiply by five and a half. For 100 people multiply by seven.

Cocktail Eats:
Allow about 80 small eats for 12 people to serve before a meal
Allow about 120 small eats for 12 people to serve alone, such as at a drinks party

Starters:
Soups - allow 2.6 litres (4½ pints for 12)
Pâtés - allow 1.1 kg (2½ lb) for 12
Smoked salmon - allow 900g (2lb) for 12
Prawns - 900g (2lb) for 12

Main Dishes:
Boneless chicken or turkey - allow 1.8kg (4lb) for 12
Whole chicken - allow three 1.4 kg (3lb) oven ready birds for 12
Turkey - allow one 5.5kg (12lb) oven ready bird for 12
Lamb/beef/pork:
boneless - allow 2.3 kg (5lb) for 12
on the bone - allow 3.6kg (8lb) for 12
mince - allow 2kg (4½ lb) for 12

Fish:
Whole with head - allow 2.3 kg (5lb) for 12
Steaks - allow twelve 175g (6oz) steaks for 12
Fillets - allow 2kg (4½ lb) for 12
Prawns - allow 1.4kg (3lb) for 12 (main course)

Accompaniments:
Potatoes:
Roast and mashed - allow 2 kg (4½lb) for 12
New - allow 1.8 kg (4lb) for 12
Rice and Pasta - allow 700g (1½ lb) for 12
Green vegetables - allow 700g (1½ lb) for 12
(Note: for fresh spinach allow about 3.6kg (8lb) for 12!)

Salads/Dressing:
Potato salad - allow 2 pints for 12
Tomatoes - allow 700g (1½lb) for 12
Salad leaves - allow 2 medium heads for 12
Cucumber - allow 1 large for 12

French Dressing - allow 175ml (6 fl oz)
Mayonnaise - allow 300 ml (½ pint) for 12

Bread:
Fresh bread - allow 1 large loaf for 12
Medium sliced bread - allow 1 large loaf for 12 (about 24 slices)
French Stick - allow 2 for 12 people
For Sandwiches - allow 2 large loaves (which will produce 24 rounds)

Sandwich Filling:
For mixed fillings (e.g. egg mayonnaise, tuna & sweetcorn) allow 1 ½ pints

Cheeses:
For a wine and cheese party - allow 1.4 kg (3lb) for 12
To serve at the end of a meal - allow 700g (1½ lb) for 12

Butter:
To serve with bread or biscuits and cheese - allow 225g (8 oz) for 12
For sandwiches - allow 175g (6oz) softened butter for 12 rounds

Cream:
For pudding or dessert - allow 600ml (1 pint) of single or double cream for 12
For coffee - allow 300ml (½ pint) single cream for 12

Drinks:
Wine - Allow three to four glasses of wine per person and the same for punch
Coffee - Allow 1/4 pound of ground coffee to 6 pints of water

LASAGNA
Serves: 20
Can be vegetarian.

5 lb ground beef
2 big tins stewed tomatoes plus any tomato based sauces that are lurking half-used in the fridge. A little tomato paste helps to intensify the tomato flavor.
Oregano, Sweet Basil, Salt, Pepper, Garlic powder
Vegetables, any or all of: spinach, mushrooms, red/green peppers, eggplant, zucchini, onions (or other vegetables that soften nicely when cooked)
Ricotta or cottage cheese: three medium-sized tubs
grated cheddar cheese and grated parmesan cheese
2 packets of lasagna pasta

First, make a beef/tomato mixture. Mix the ground beef with all the tomato products you can lay your hands on. Mix in the oregano, basil, salt, pepper and garlic in generous quantities (at least 3-4 tablespoons of the herbs and a couple of teaspoons of the other things).
This lasagna recipe is excellent because you don't have to cook anything beforehand. Basically you are going to be layering four different things: the beef/tomato mixture (you can leave out the beef if you want to make vegetarian lasagna), the vegetables, the pasta and the ricotta/cottage cheese. Because nothing is pre-cooked you have to make sure that you always have stuff with liquid in it on either side of the pasta layers so that the pasta gets enough liquid to go al dente and not end up rigid and tough.

SOURCE NOTE: Here's how I usually do it:
In a large and deep oven roasting dish (big enough for a turkey) I put a layer of meat mixture (about half inch thick). Then I spread a thin layer of ricotta/cottage cheese on top of this -- just enough to cover the meat. Then I put a layer of pasta. Then I put a layer of vegetables: generally I put zucchini slices, sliced mushrooms and chopped up peppers in one layer on the pasta and use spinach from a frozen spinach packet to fill in the gaps (spinach need not be completely defrosted). Then I do another meat layer, another ricotta/cottage cheese layer, another pasta layer, another vege layer and end it with another meat layer. Finally I sprinkle grated parmesan and cheddar cheese on top. The whole thing gets baked in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 50 minutes. If you want the top to go brown and crunchy then it helps to put a few little bits of butter on top of the cheese layer. This is a very fool-proof recipe and a great opportunity to use up whatever odds and ends you have in your fridge. The vegetarian version without the meat in the tomato sauce works very well. Serving suggestion: serve with bread and salad.

Cheese and Onion Soup
Serves: 20
Vegetarian

8-10 large onions
10 cloves garlic
10 tablespoons butter or oil
5 teaspoons mustard powder (could substitute 5 teaspoons very hot English mustard)
5 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
4-6 cups chopped vegetables (leeks are good)
10 cups water
10 tablespoons butter
10 tablespoons flour
7 1/2 cups whole milk
5 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sherry (could substitute red wine)
5 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2-3 teaspoons Tabasco sauce

Slice onions finely and chop the garlic. (It helps to have a food processer to do the onions!) Melt the butter in the bottom of a large soup pot. Cook the onions with the garlic, mustard powder, salt and pepper until soft (use a fairly low heat) without letting them go brown. Add the water and the other chopped vegetables and bring to the boil. Cover the pot and turn down the heat and let them simmer until the vegetables are barely tender. In another pot melt the second amount of butter then stir in the flour until you have a smooth paste. Continue stirring while the mixture cooks for at least 1 minute. Add the milk and keep stirring until the sauce boils and thickens, allow to boil for a minute or so and then remove from heat and stir in the grated cheese. Add the cheese sauce to the onion mixture then stir in the sherry and soy and Tabasco sauces. Cook over a very low heat (avoid boiling) for a further 10 minutes. If soup looks too thick, add more milk until it looks right.

Serving suggestion: Serve with lots of bread for a complete meal.

Oakhill Potatoes
Serves: 25
Could be vegetarian

Sauce:
7 cups milk
1 lb cheese
4 1/2 oz butter
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
12 hard boiled eggs
1 1/2 lb diced cooked bacon (optional)
8 lb cooked potatoes, sliced

You can cook the potatoes for this recipe ahead of time. Easiest way is to peel them and boil them for about 20 minutes (until soft but not falling apart). Let cool and then slice them in half-inch thick slices. Make a cheese sauce by melting butter, mixing in flour and stirring to form a smooth paste. Add milk and bring to the boil, stirring as you do so. Boil for a short time until sauce thickens. Add cheese and stir until fully melted (DO NOT BOIL ONCE CHEESE IS ADDED).

Place sliced cooked potato in bottom of big roasting pan or a couple of big casserole dishes or large square dishes. Sprinkle bacon on top (optional) and spread chopped cooked eggs on top again. Cover with cheese sauce and and sprinkle breadcrumbs on top if desired. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees F) for about 45 minutes or until heated right through.

Serving suggestion: This recipe can be used as either a substantial side dish or (if you're pushing it) as a main dish. If using as a main dish make sure you have plenty of salad and bread to go along with it and it's a good idea to add a little more bacon.