Menu for a crowd

Usually when I invite people for Shabbat dinner, some say yes and some say no. Sometimes I invite people for Shabbat dinner, and no one accepts. Then there are the weeks that everyone says yes, and my son decides to invite his friends to stay for Shabbat too! Those weeks require a little extra effort, a lot of organization, and end up both challenging and terrific fun! This is such a week, and I'm expecting somewhere between 14 and 18 people for Friday night dinner (we'll ignore the fact that my table only seats 16 - the teenagers will be more than happy to be relegated to the kitchen).

That large a crowd inspires me to make a few extra dishes, but I choose the dishes based not only on making delicious food that works well together and will look nice on the table, but specifically look for the ones that are easier and less time consuming recipes. (It also helped that I had cooked a brisket last week "for the freezer")

So this shabbat, we will be having:

Friday Night Menu

Homemade Challah

Chicken Soup with Noodles

Brisket

Honey Glazed Lemon Roast Chicken

Mesclun Salad with Honeyed Pecans and Balsamic Dressing

Hot and Spicy Cabbage

Spinach Patties Maple Syrup

Glazed Winter Squash and Parsnips

Roasted Red Potatoes

Basmati Rice

Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies with Salted Peanuts

Oatmeal Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Truffles (tried to make them pareve - they're ok, but dairy is better!)

Chocolate Layer Cake with Seafoam Frosting

Shabbat Lunch

Challah

Chulent

Cold Cuts

Israeli Salad

Leftovers!

By doing a bit each night, it all gets done -

If you are curious to see my "to do" lists, send me an email...

Deb