CharlieD said:
At this point I have desided (doesn’t mean that the boss will approve)
Mexican chicken soup
Tortia bar with fixings for people to chose, i.e. ground meat, chicken and beef strips, sliced bell peper, onion, beans, tomatoes, salsa etc.
Chips, guacamole and salsa on the tables
Mexican rice for the side dish(that is at this point my biggest concern, as I wonder how to cook such large quantity, actually how much do I need for 100 people?)
Some kind of beans (not sure)
Some kind of corn (not sure)
Margaritas,
churos (maybe)
...I have to learn how to cook Mexican in the next week or so, but I also need to make up menu, tell them what and where to buy, and then deal with fact that they didn't buy or get me what I told them to.
I think all of these look great ... with the rice, I agree with AuntDot (I think it was her), it can be prepared and frozen. I would look at Sam's or Costco for the institutional size Spanich Rice-a-roni, doctor it up with onion and peppers, divide it into 2 or 3 tinfoil chafing dishes and freeze them until the day before your event. When you reheat them, be sure you have moisture in the oven with them and keep them covered with foil to ensure the top doesn't get hard (but don't press the foil to the rice because of the tomato and the potential for yucky flavor). You may also want to add a fresh can of crushed tomatoes to each pan to add a little flavor as well. When you buy it, look at the package to see how many servings are per box and follow that, buying enough to meet your 100. Even if you are making it from scratch (white rice, tomatoes, seasonings, onion, etc ...), follow how many 1 cup of uncooked rice will serve. As far as preparation ... find huge pots and cook away!
For your tortilla area, you can prepare your meat as much in advance as you would like and freeze it as well. Give it a quick saute to reheat and add back a little color and you should be good to go. As far as your fresh stuff, even if you were sauteing it all (for fajita's), it should still be done at least the day of your event. I would plan 3 per person if you are using the small (6") tortillas. For the actual tortillas, you can warm them and wrap them in foil in large stacks (like 15 per stack). That will help with keeping them warm during your presentation.
Save your guacamole for the day of so you reduce the risk of browning on the top (avacodoes do like bananas and get nasty brown when exposed). If you make a huge bowl of it, press plastic wrap onto the surface so there is no air and it should be fine. Your salsa on the other hand (if you are making it homemade), should be done several days ahead of time. The beautiful part about salsa is that if you have a large food processor (or access to one), you can just through your stuff in there and pulse away until you get to the "chunkiness" you like. Reserve some fresh cilantro to toss the day of and sprinkle on top of your bowl(s) each time you refill to give the appearance of newness. For this, I would plan 1/8 of a cup per person so you would need 12 1/2 cups of prepared guacamole OR roughly 13 large avacadoes. I'm not sure of your recipe but we use roma's (1:1 with the avacado), lime juice (1/2 per batch), salt and pepper.
I don't make homemade beans but might after Dots great looking recipes! But with the corn, small dice onion, red and green peppers and mix with the corn, then saute till warm and slightly browned ... at least that's how we eat them! I can't speak to their authenticity but quickness can't be beat! Any corn you prepare, I would either follow the servings on the can OR plan on about 1/2 cup per person (or a full cup if you know they are bigger eaters).
Do you have a mexican chicken soup recipe? I JUST (like 1 hour ago) made a new recipe using Leinie's Creamy Dark beer and it is wonderful! It has black beans, navy beans, jalepeno, onion and chicken and is delicious (I'd be happy to share the spec's if you are interested since I know you can buy Leinenkugels in MN)! Regardless, your soup is like the salsa. If your event is on Saturday, make your soup on Wednesday and let it "stew" in your fridge for the few days and the flavor should be devine. Plan 1 Cup to 1 1/2 cups per person.
To help with your serving and portions, find ladles that are graded. For your soup, find a smaller one so people can get 2 or 3 scoops. If they can do that, it will make them THINK they are getting more than if they had just one ladle full with a 1 cup ladle.
Hopefully that helps and it isn't too much. I'm sure it will be great!
Good Luck (again!)
(edited for an after though!)