Feeding a lot of people does not have to be hard; it only takes some planning and a little confidence! If the thought of cooking all of the food yourself is overwhelming, ask your friends to help you, or make one or two of the dishes yourself and buy the rest. Remember to relax and enjoy the process -don't stress too much - guest do not expect you to make everything like an experienced culinary professional!

Opt for a Buffet Line
     The easiest and most simple way to feed guests is with a buffet line. A general rule is that everyone will not eat everything. People normally will eat more starches and meats than vegetables and anything fried will be the first to go! Going through a buffet line can make people feel the pressure of others behind them, so they move along quickly and won't take huge quantities the first time through. Remember that it is much more preferable to have leftovers than a sparse spread at your buffet table.

How Much Food?
     Here is a guide to help you estimate your food quantities for either a buffet or a sit-down dinner.

For Individual Meats, Fish, Poultry:

• 5 - 6 ounces per person
• If the cuts of meat have bones in them, consider adding more weight per person

For Multiple Meat Meals and Buffets:

• 4 - 6 ounces per person

For Pasta Dishes:

• For a sit-down dinner, a pound of pasta will serve 4-6
• For a buffet, a pound will serve 8-10 people

For Vegetables:

• With a premixed salad, estimate one handful per person
• One head of lettuce will feed approximately 5 people, 4 medium heads will serve 15-20 people

For Appetizers:

• Estimate about 10-12 items total per person.
• Make 3-4 of each item per person, keeping in mind that everyone may not take all of the items

For Desserts:

• Calculate one full portion of dessert per person
• For multiple desserts, people will taste smaller portions of each item
• A normal cake will serve approximately 10, but 15 will be fed if you are also serving pie

Doubling Recipes

Remember that doubling and tripling recipes is something of an art, so it is best to work small and work your way up. You will have a much better success rate with most recipes if you make multiple batches of a single recipe rather than trying to multiply the quantities by 3, 4, or more.

Throwing a successful dinner party does not have to throw you into a cardiac arrest! Just have fun, relax, and enjoy the time with your many guests - they will remember the fun and fellowship much longer than they will remember the menu.