Sounds like it went great! Keep notes for next time about the amounts, hits, etc. And if you want to mix things up next time, there were some good ideas here for a taco bar, pasta night, and so forth. If you're going to be doing this sort of thing on a regular basis. And God bless you for feeding all those kids on a budget!
Next time (since I can't imagine we still won't be in virus zone), I mentioned doing my chicken salad (that is served like a salad, not on a sandwich), and that was met with happiness.
So, I may do that, a GF pasta salad, and some more fruit if I do this again
...I need to try GF pasta to see if I hate it, b/c if I do, I may try a quinoa or rice salad...
The bars are a great idea, but disallowed now in the current environment...it's all knife and fork food served by gloved servers until future notice...
PS - And I am ready to poach and dice cold chicken just with s&p for those who won't want the "salad" elements, if for nothing else that if I get leftovers again (like I did yesterday), I can use them in anything...right now, I'm so happy today that my spouse said he's making ramen with the chicken for his lunch...and then we're doing this dinner, part 2, tonight with bread and fresh mozz
...and by Tuesday, the leftovers should be gone, so no waste
...
PPS - I want served cold next time thanks to the oven fiasco (1/2 of it was broken - makes it hellish to cook when you planned on having 2). Since apparently, it's always tempermental, I'd want to make sure I didn't "need" it
...and it'd be April and warmer, and likely more welcome - January, and people would mutiny
...
PPPS - Spouse came to eat with my kids - he woke up and just told me he knew it was a hit b/c when he trashed his plate, he only saw one in the trash with any food on it...so folks didn't just take it, they ate it
. I mean, I knew the 2nds people did, but happy it seems everyone did
...
.
