Need food suggestions- budget

jenna8984 · July 2015

I just read the "appetizer" thread but those all seem like fancy, smaller portions. I'm looking for something that will feed many people on a cheap/ not many ingredients budget.

My friend's father just retired down to Mexico and had a heart attack and passed while down there. They did not have his body or remains returned up here, so their entire family didn't have a wake or closure or anything. So my friend is throwing a BBQ as a sort of celebration of life for everyone to get together and talk, cry, laugh, remember him. She specifically stated in the FB invite that she will need help with food, if everyone could bring something with them. Others might side eye this but I am fine with it- she just lost her dad, she's an only child and her mom is not returning from Mexico, so I don't expect her to have to foot this whole bill and feed 100 people. So any ideas on something I can bring that will feed a decent amount of people for $20-30?

Thank you!

MrsMack10612 · July 2015

Do you want hot or cold?

You could easily make up a few dozen tuna, chicken, egg & ham salad finger sandwiches for that amount of money. Make your filling to your liking/personal recipe. I prefer spongy white bread and or a basic wheat bread. Fill your sandwich, cut the crusts off (very thinly) and then cut each sandwich in thirds (long rectangles if you will) or quarters (2 diagonal cuts) or a mix of both.

Boom done.

TrixieJess · July 2015

Veggies and dip, fruit and dip, Bruschetta, Prosciutto and melon, Pigs in a blanket, Swedish meatballs.

However, you cannot feed 100 people for $20-30 no matter how good you budget. I've done 100 people with $100, and that was making EVERYTHING including drinks myself. You need to increase your budget.

emmaaa · July 2015

Buffalo chicken dip.

I buy two rotisserie chickens from Walmart. Take all of the chicken on the bone (throw away the skin) and shred the chicken. Mix in two packages of cream cheese. Mix in about 1 cup (I just eyeball it and add more as needed) of Red Hot's Buffalo Wing Sauce. Put in an oven safe pan and bake fro about 30 minutes or until warm. I serve with tortilla chips.

cgss11 · July 2015

Pasta salad? Cook colored rotini, add some tomatoes, carrots, any other veggie, cheese cubes, and toss with Italian dressing.

Baked beans would be cheap and easy also for a side. I like to add some fresh cooked bacon to canned ones to make them a little better.

jenna8984 · July 2015

TrixieJess said:

Veggies and dip, fruit and dip, Bruschetta, Prosciutto and melon, Pigs in a blanket, Swedish meatballs.

However, you cannot feed 100 people for $20-30 no matter how good you budget. I've done 100 people with $100, and that was making EVERYTHING including drinks myself. You need to increase your budget.

Yea, everyone is encouraged to bring something and I'm sure the friend is hosting something "main dish" like burgers so I don't need enough to fill 100 people (or even reach 100 people). Just wanted something more substantial than like deviled eggs which feeds 12.

lyndausvi · July 2015

You are going to be hard pressed to feed people at 20-30 cents a person. Where I live eggs alone are about $2.89 a dozen which works out to about 24 cents each.

Maggie0829 · July 2015

Corn on the cob with herb butter.

Mac and cheese is another great option that can be made in large batches.

Crock pot pulled pork.

Potato salad

southernbelle0915 · July 2015

I would just do pulled pork in a crock pot and bring some slider buns (cheap at Costco). Ingredients:

- pork

- your favorite bbq sauce

- buns

Or ask her if you can supply 2-liters and cups. That would take very little effort and no cooking.

TrixieJess · July 2015

jenna8984 said:

TrixieJess said:

Veggies and dip, fruit and dip, Bruschetta, Prosciutto and melon, Pigs in a blanket, Swedish meatballs.

However, you cannot feed 100 people for $20-30 no matter how good you budget. I've done 100 people with $100, and that was making EVERYTHING including drinks myself. You need to increase your budget.

Yea, everyone is encouraged to bring something and I'm sure the friend is hosting something "main dish" like burgers so I don't need enough to fill 100 people (or even reach 100 people). Just wanted something more substantial than like deviled eggs which feeds 12.

Normally when you are bringing something to a potluck, you don't need to feed EVERYONE. When you said 100 people, I assumed you were feeding the whole kit and kaboodle. Find a Crockpot dip recipe and boom, food for lots.

wandajune6 · July 2015

100 people is a lot. Give a lot of thought to how you're going to transport the food. Cheap and easy:

1. Potato salad. It's filling and cheap.
2. Baked beans. Again, filling and cheap.
3. Slaw. Broccoli is good, traditional cabbage is also yummy. I'm currently obsessing over the kind with ramen noodles.
4. Pasta salad. My favorites include cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella- both of which are still going to keep you in a reasonable price range.
5. Peanut butter noodle pasta salad. It's great with a few veggies and maybe some shredded chicken. Think of a thai style peanut butter dipping sauce but thinner.

jenna8984 · July 2015

TrixieJess said:

jenna8984 said:

TrixieJess said:

Veggies and dip, fruit and dip, Bruschetta, Prosciutto and melon, Pigs in a blanket, Swedish meatballs.

However, you cannot feed 100 people for $20-30 no matter how good you budget. I've done 100 people with $100, and that was making EVERYTHING including drinks myself. You need to increase your budget.

Yea, everyone is encouraged to bring something and I'm sure the friend is hosting something "main dish" like burgers so I don't need enough to fill 100 people (or even reach 100 people). Just wanted something more substantial than like deviled eggs which feeds 12.

Normally when you are bringing something to a potluck, you don't need to feed EVERYONE. When you said 100 people, I assumed you were feeding the whole kit and kaboodle. Find a Crockpot dip recipe and boom, food for lots.

Yea even if 25 of us bring something that's 25 portions, that's a considerable amount of food to relieve off my friend. So just looking for something like that to help pitch in. (@lyndausvi not looking to feed 100)

Great suggestions everyone! Sandwiches or a crockpot meal or sodas sounds great!

novella1186 · July 2015

meatballs in a crock pot? I'm always a fan of those and they're pretty filling.

or

We bought a nearly 8 lb pork shoulder for less than $20 and cooked it in a crock pot (had to cut it in half cuz it was so big) and used it to make pulled pork sandwiches with bbq and then pork tacos (twice) and then cuban sandwiches and still had leftovers. All you would need is the pork shoulder and a bottle or two of bbq sauce.

And then, like southerbelle said, you could bring slider buns.

OliveOilsMom · July 2015

Crock Pot Mac N Cheese. I have a big 8 quart crock pot and can make 3lbs of mac n cheese. I don't have my recipe off hand, but there are many online. They usually cook for 3 hours, so whatever pasta you choose. Under cook it by 1 minute of it's "al dente" time. I get raves for this. I always do half mild cheddar, 1/4 Colby jack, and 1/4 sharp cheddar for the mixture of cheeses regardless if I make the full 3 lbs or a smaller amount.

That will feed a lot and keep you to your $20-30 budget.

jenna8984 · July 2015

Thanks for the great ideas!

onefootinthebayou · July 2015

Pimento cheese sandwiches are always a huge hit and they're a bit novel if you're not in the south. They can be cut into tea size sandwiches as well. I dress mine with a single leaf of flat leaf parsley to make them look fancy & they're cheap as chips to make.

Also, I'm very sorry to hear about your friend's father. What a tragic story.

I'll get you my recipe in a second. On the road (figuratively, not driving!)

onefootinthebayou · July 2015

Pimento Cheese Sandwiches (1 Batch, you can easily double or triple & still meet your budget)

1 loaf of white bread (if you're looking to increase numbers, use the Pepperidge Farm Very Thin White). Trim the crust and cut each sandwich into 4 squares.

Filling:

1 8 Oz. package of cream cheese

1 Cup Extra Sharp Cheddar, shredded

1 Cup Monterey Jack (or just double the cheddar - this recipe is REALLY open to interpretation)

1/4 Cup Mayonnaise

1/4 Cup Sour Cream* *Optional. Most recipes call for more mayo but I hate it so I cut it w/SC.

3 Tbs Chopped Pimentos (can get them in olive section)

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp of garlic OR onion powder

Liberal grinding of black pepper

Blend all cheeses in a stand mixer, food processor, or by hand, then add remaining ingredients. I sometimes like to add a squeeze of lemon (if using full fat ingredients - lemon juice doesn't mix well with lowfat dairy) and some chopped chives to brighten it up.

Make sure it's soft then spread it on the bread to make your sandwiches, trim crust, and cut them into fourths.

Another easy, cheap finger sandwich is mini-biscuits with country ham or pork tenderloin (this will increase the price) with onion jam.

mrscomposer · July 2015

Taco salad is always good (mostly because I'm craving it right now).

And I second the dips idea, hot or chilled.

knottie9c5ed33df4bbd226 · July 2015

onefootinthebayou said:

Pimento cheese sandwiches are always a huge hit and they're a bit novel if you're not in the south. They can be cut into tea size sandwiches as well. I dress mine with a single leaf of flat leaf parsley to make them look fancy & they're cheap as chips to make. Also, I'm very sorry to hear about your friend's father. What a tragic story. I'll get you my recipe in a second. On the road (figuratively, not driving!)

Trisha Yearwood had these on her cooking show and it looked SO good. I want to try them!

Need food suggestions- budget

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