Organization for a Large Event

 It's hard to know what to make for 200 people considering I am making it all on my own and I have never cooked for this many before.  This is a cocktail party so it needs to be finger food.  I went with things which have always been hits at other parties I have thrown.  This sun-dried tomato pasta flies off the table.  It will be served in individual cups with small bamboo forks.  I made 20 quarts of this.

 I am not attending the event.  I'll probably be in bed by the time it starts. I got up at 3:00 am to finish cooking and to organize all of this.  I am passing the baton off to my family.  They will prepare the platters and serve the food and clean up when it is done.  Thank god for my daughter, she is excellent at this.  I packed my chefs case with everything she will need including a cutting board.  You never want to forget a cutting board.

Scoops, knives and spreaders, spatulas and spoons.

 Everything is labeled with directions for which platter they go on and how to assemble them.

 Glassware is washed and wrapped, labeled and packed.

This is just a fraction of the meats and cheeses I've sliced ahead of time.  There is so much that I had to put it in the fridge at my guest house.  I will be making the cheese and meat platters here and then my daughter will just add the fruit and nuts before serving.

It looks like chaos but it is very organized.  If there is one thing I can do really well, it is organization!  The menu for the event is:  crudites with homemade French onion dip,  2 gigantic meat, cheese, fruit and nut platters with crackers, meatballs in teriyaki sauce served on Asian cucumbers, Boursin spread on crackers with pepper jelly, sun-dried tomato pasta cups, ham sliders on homemade buns, grisini wrapped in prosciutto and smoked salmon spread on crackers and topped with fresh dill.  I wonder how long it will take until we run out of food.  I am almost ready.  Too bad I have to get up early tomorrow and make 150 hamburger sliders for a party that The Blog tech is going to. At least I already baked the buns and froze them.  Maybe I will take Monday off.