Cooking For A Crowd

I was asked a couple of months ago if I would consider catering our church's Senior Banquet honoring all of this year's graduates. Now, had I known that I would be in the middle of a nurse refresher course come May, I might have said no. But, I didn't, so I happily said yes. And, I'm glad I did.

I love playing in the kitchen, and cooking for a big crowd is lots of (slightly masochistic) fun. Gareth has decided that he likes to play in the kitchen, too; especially as it gives him the chance to say, "Yes, Chef" if I ask him to do something.

We were asked to cater for 140. Thankfully, I had some great help in the kitchen and a sweet family who took the munchkins for the day (they regarded this week-end as a big treat, as they had 4 big kids to play with, were introduced to video games, and got to jump on a big trampoline-Thanks, Dudley Family). And, best of all, when it was all done, the serving staff (church youth) stayed behind to clean the kitchen and wash the dishes while I collected the munchkins, came home, and collapsed.

Unfortunately, I was so busy that I didn't get a chance to take photos of all of the fun we had in the kitchen. But, I am grateful that a couple of friends (Thanks, Shannon and Miriam!) grabbed my camera while we were serving and got some photos of the food for me.

We served Strawberry Spinach Salad for a starter, Roasted Pork Loin with a Balsamic Reduction, Hasselback Potatoes, and Green Beans for the main course, and then for dessert, a choice of cherry cheesecake, chocolate-covered strawberry cheesecake, or turtle caramel nut cheesecake.

Here are the photos I have of the evening:

Oh my goodness, that is a lot of desserts!

Cherry Cheesecake

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cheesecake

Turtle Caramel Nut Cheesecake

There have been a lot of recipe requests, so I promise to get those up on the blog later this week. Now, I really must get some schoolwork and housework done.