Need your opinions! June wedding planning ...

[Mama]

I have agreed to make the food for my daughters wedding in June. There will be about 200 people. I just bought a 25.5 cu. Ft. upright freezer. It’s going to be buffet style. So far, they have requested:

Lasagna
Spinach Lasagna
Roast Pork Loin
Chicken
A mashed potato martini bar
Green beans
Salad
Some sort of bread

Whatever I can freeze ahead I will. I am going to start making some samples now that I will freeze and then use at Easter (about 2 months) to make sure that everything freezes according to plan.

Here are my questions (for now…I’ll have more later ):

For the lasagna.

Should I:
1) Precook the noodles or use them raw?
2) Cook it then freeze, thaw and reheat or freeze it uncooked, thaw and then cook?

3) I am in search of a REALLY good chicken recipe that will use boneless, skinless chicken breast that I can make in advance and will freeze well. I’m thinking something with a sauce to keep the chicken moist when it is thawed and reheated. Anyone?

For the bread, I’m considering an assortment. One of which is the Outback Steakhouse brown bread recipe from this forum.

My question:

4) Freeze the raw dough or freeze the already baked bread?

I have never cartered anything this large so any other advice anyone may have (LP, Chef June...hint...hint) would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Callisto in NC]

I don't have any suggestions for this but since you're in Georgia I do have a question ~ CAN I COME?

Seriously, lasagna freezes well after it's made. I would make it up and then freeze it. It will be fine.

 

[Toots]

I would cook the lasagna first and then freeze it. Not sure about the chicken. I would also freeze the bread dough and bake it either the day of or the night before the big event.
You are brave to cook for 200. I hope you get a chance to enjoy the wedding!

 

[Mama]

I would cook the lasagna first and then freeze it. Not sure about the chicken. I would also freeze the bread dough and bake it either the day of or the night before the big event.
You are brave to cook for 200. I hope you get a chance to enjoy the wedding!

Thanks. With the economy being what it is, we can save a lot of money if I make the food myself. I'm trying to come up with recipes that will freeze well so that I can enjoy the wedding. She is a high school softball coach and he is a high school football coach so they are getting some of the moms to heat the food and replenish the buffet.

 

[blissful]

A mashed potato martini bar

Can you tell me about this? It sounds really interesting.

 

[Mama]

It's mashed potatoes that are served in a martini glass. You're guests top their own mashed potatoes. There will be an assortment of toppings to choose from like various cheeses, sauted mushrooms, carmelized onions, bacon, sour cream, roasted garlic butter, chives, shrimp, broccoli, roasted peppers, gravy, you're only limited by your imagination. Looks like this:

 

[MexicoKaren]

OMG Mama - what a project. You are such a good mom. I did my daughter's wedding, but we only had about 80 people. And I did four big dishes of lasagna (no-cook noodles) for my own pre-wedding dinner for all the out-of-town relatives. I put it together and froze it before I baked it. It came out great, but sounds like it could be done either way. For my son's rehearsal dinner, I bought the frozen chicken cordon bleu at Costco...I was out of town on business all that week and got home barely in time to put the dinner together. It was good, as I recall. I made beef strogonoff also, and lots of salad.

 

[Mama]

OMG Mama - what a project. You are such a good mom. I did my daughter's wedding, but we only had about 80 people. And I did four big dishes of lasagna (no-cook noodles) for my own pre-wedding dinner for all the out-of-town relatives. I put it together and froze it before I baked it. It came out great, but sounds like it could be done either way. For my son's rehearsal dinner, I bought the frozen chicken cordon bleu at Costco...I was out of town on business all that week and got home barely in time to put the dinner together. It was good, as I recall. I made beef strogonoff also, and lots of salad.

Thanks Karen! I think I probably will put the lasagna together uncooked, freeze it and then thaw and cook it.

I hadn't even thought about buying a chicken dish that is already made and frozen. I don't know how much more expensive that would be as opposed to making a dish myself and freezing it......hmmmm.....

 

[LPBeier]

Mama, I totally agree with Karen. Lasagna is best frozen before it is cooked, thaw it and then cook as you normally will. The cheese freezes better not cooked. If fact, I just put a bit of cheese on top of my lasagna to cover the sauce before I freeze it and then I put more on just before I bake it.

As for the bread, I will have to check the recipe out, but I would freeze the dough. Again, you want the food to look and taste fresh but still have the convenience of frozen.

I am catering a wedding in June as well (one full wedding with cake and three other weddings cake only) and I am doing a chicken dish that is very good and I have a cranberry chicken that went over well at a wedding for 250 a couple of years ago. I will PM you both of them, just give me a bit to put them together as they are in my head. I would not freeze your chicken dish. You can if you want buy the frozen chicken breasts, and then cook them off the day before, then make the sauce separate and heat them together. But that is just my opinion.

You can do this Mama. Having your plan all set out ahead of time is half the battle and you seem to be doing that. Please feel free to PM me any time.

Oh, I love the potato martini bar!

 

[Mama]

Thank you so much LP! I honestly don't know what I would do without my friends here!

 

[LPBeier]

Hey, I owe you big time for introducing me to sausage gravy. I always loved it but never realized how easy it is to make. I have entered it into my recipe program as "Mama's Gravy" and that is what it will always be known as!

 

[Mama]

That's funny!...and you're welcome!

 

[lifesaver]

The mashed potatoes in the martini glass is a great idea Mama, I'd have never thought of such a thing but that is really cool.