120 hungry college students

[Malawry]

I have until Tuesday of next week to pull together a meal for 120 college students...half fraternity members, half sorority members. What would you make if you were cooking for them?

[agnolottigirl]

Humungous pot of cacciatorre. Let 'em choose what meat (if any). Pasta. Garlic bread.

[Malawry]

I should have mentioned, I can't make them pasta because they have pasta every Monday night.

[Jason Perlow]

Giant pot of chicken and sausage Jambalaya. Or gumbo.

Hell, you could do a jambalaya with chicken and sausage, and also do a gumbo, but make it a vegetarian gumbo, like a gumbo z'herbes, to make the inevitable "I hate meat" sorority girls happy and to give the frat boys their dosage of veggies. Serve with an assortment of hot sauces.

I'm sure they don't get cajun food that often.

Mix up some non-alcoholic hurricanes to go with it, and its a party.

[reesek]

what about mexican?

enchiladas or soft tacos & salad

[fifi]

I am going to add my vote for a "Mexican Fiesta". I did this for a party for my son where we had about 50 people that were a mixed bag. Some were sort of vegetarians, a couple of Jewish folks, a couple of really picky eaters and at least one with food allergies. I had an assortment of things to roll in a tortilla and carry around... Seasoned pork and chicken, a turkey in mole sauce, guacamole (fresh made), onions in lime juice s&p, sour cream, various cheeses, pickled shrimp. I found some small tamales that were a favorite finger food. I am sure I am leaving something out. I also had rice so if someone wanted to put the meat stuff over rice they could. It worked out really well. After I got it all made it was on a serve yourself basis. Everyone had a lot of fun putting together various combinations. Some of the guests still talk about the food at that party.

[JennyUptown]

Fondue.

I realize that it would be hard to execute without buying a lot of individual pots so... let me think back to my own sorority days...

Maybe an Asian theme? Hot and sour soup, California rolls, some other (non-veggie) rolls, a teriyaki dish for those who don't like sushi.

[snowangel]

Beer. Aren't hops a grain?

[Malawry]

It's a "dry campus"

[hillvalley]

What about a baked potato bar? Easy to prepare, tons of variety, veggie and meat friendly. You could throw in a couple of "gourmet" toppings to impress the sisters that are foodies.

I also like the Mexican themed dinner idea. Fajitas, tacos, salads, cornbread, beans, rice. You can make any eater happy. What about Mexican egg rolls? Cheesecake factory used to make a version with avocado in them, but it is years since I last had them.

Along those lines, what about a chili party? Have a few different kinds, different toppings. etc.

[paul mitchell]

After reading the thread on "College students not smoking and drinking enough" I think it's your civic (if not national) duty to turn the tide here - the recipe for dinner is simple enough:

120 kids @ 4 Budwiesers a kid + one massive cigar a kid = no need to cook dinner. If you tell them they only have ten minutes to smoke the cigar wicked results will ensue. Plus you'll be getting these kids back on track in their "experimental" stage of their life. Myself, in university (Colorado!!!!) I lived on 8 or nine beers with a couple of margarita's and Kentucky Fried every once in awhile. I got scurvy but sure to hell it made me a better person.

If you'd like a stronger alcohol recipe I'd be more than happy to oblige.

[AzRaeL]

120 packets of Ramen :) hahahah

[Mayhaw Man]

Beer. Aren't hops a grain?

Hops are flowers of the hop vine. They are grown in North America primarily in the Northwestern US and Southwestern Canada. A hop barn full of freshly cut hops is one of the most wonderful and aromatically pleasing places on the face of the earth. It is unbelievable what a couple of thousand tons of these things smell like.

[Mayhaw Man]

Jambalaya would be a very inexpensive and easy to handle option, as Jason pointed out. What about red beans and rice with sausage? Serve with big green salad and bread and well-there you go.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[Chris Cognac]

How about french bread pizza with all kinds of good meats, cheese and fresh herbs...should be easy enough to do and you can make a bunch of different types.

[Jaymes]

I'd like to know where these college students are from. Not sure Yankee kids would appreciate gumbo or jambalaya, although I could be wrong. Sometimes kids are really picky and finicky eaters, and haven't yet learned to branch out and experiment.

So I think I'd go with something more familiar to their background, and easy to dish out. 'Hillvalley' suggested chili. I think that's a great option. Do one regular and one vegetarian perhaps. Also, I think beef stew might be well received. Chicken cacciatori; meatloaf w/mashed or scalloped potatoes; roast chicken or ham or sloppy joes w/potato salad, cole slaw, beans. Agree also with the suggestion to consider Mexican. Enchiladas are usually quite popular.

On the other hand, I think southern kids would be darn happy to come across a nice big vat of gumbo or jambalaya.

And maybe I'm wrong about this, but having raised three children, and trying to feed them and their friends, I've seen many a young adult nose turn straight up at the sight of something unfamiliar.

My son cooked one night per week for his fraternity house. He spoke often about how picky and unadventuresome they were when it came to food. But "his" (my) chili was always a big hit.

Edited February 10, 2004 by Jaymes (log)

[Mudpuppie]

Beer.  Aren't hops a grain?

Hops are flowers of the hop vine. They are grown in North America primarily in the Northwestern US and Southwestern Canada. A hop barn full of freshly cut hops is one of the most wonderful and aromatically pleasing places on the face of the earth. It is unbelievable what a couple of thousand tons of these things smell like.

What's unbelievable is that hops smell sort of like my dad after a full day of mowing the lawn, six pack in lap.

[Jeffy Boy]

It's a "dry campus"

And these students are there voluntarily?

[AzRaeL]

Beer.  Aren't hops a grain?

Hops are flowers of the hop vine. They are grown in North America primarily in the Northwestern US and Southwestern Canada. A hop barn full of freshly cut hops is one of the most wonderful and aromatically pleasing places on the face of the earth. It is unbelievable what a couple of thousand tons of these things smell like.

What's unbelievable is that hops smell sort of like my dad after a full day of mowing the lawn, six pack in lap.

before or after he takes a shower?

[Carlovski]

I'd definitely go with the mexican idea. A couple of Chili's (Maybe a pork one, a beef one and a veggie one? Possibly a white chicken one as well) All quite simple one pot stuff, loads of tortillas, salads, guacamole, salsa etc. A big bowl of pickled peppers if people want to spice it up a little. If people want a lighter option, they can just make up a salad, or a salad wrap type thing. Atkins people can just eat the chili.

If you can get a big griddle, you could even try and do Fajitas to - but would mean constantly tending to it.

Either that or a hog roast. But that might not go down well with some students!

[ellencho]

Granted, I've been out of college for a couple years now but I've always noticed that the simpler, the better.

Maybe an assortment of grilled cheeses, served with tomato soup and fries? Any sort of potato even - tater tots, curly fries, whatever.

[Jason Perlow]

The problem with Mexican or an asian option is that it requires a lot of prep work to do properly and assemblage of the final product and as such may be difficult to implement if you have a small kitchen staff.

Jambalaya, Gumbo, or as someone else pointed out, Chili, only requires the initial chopping up of the ingredients and everything is cooked in big pots, and is plated up real easy.

The home cookin' meatloaf and mashed potatoes/comfort food angle is also good (with mac and cheese and greens?) again because of the simple preparation and also because of the familiarity.

[KatieLoeb]

How about anything you could manage in large hotel pans? Shepherd's Pie? Moussaka? Stuff like that.

[Pan]

I like Carlovski and Jason's chili idea. A big pot of chili con carne and another big pot of vegetarian chili for those who don't eat meat. Have sides of baked (stuffed with cheddar cheese?) or french-fried or home-fried potatoes, salad, whatever. Most people like chili. If you're concerned that some people won't like it, you could always roast or fry - or, if you have the facilities, rotisserie barbecue - a bunch of chicken for those who'd prefer that.

Ratatouille is also a good side - or, for vegetarians, main - and good corn on the cob is always appreciated.

Edited February 11, 2004 by Pan (log)

[Mayhaw Man]

What about pans of Lasagna? It is really easy to put together in bulk (lay out the pans, line them with foil, and start putting it together assembly line style) and most of the materials can be come by pretty inexpensively. Portion control is easy and almost everybody (even picky college eaters) like it.