My first "Catering" job...

These are pictures from yesterday. I "catered" the Staff Appreciation Luncheon at my son's school. We served about 30, and had plenty leftover for my helpers to each feed their families last night. Every year they have a "Salad" lunch- ham, chicken, and taco salads. My friends at the PTO meeting last month (That will teach me to skip the meeting!) volunteered me because they knew the meal would be something much more special! I decided to invite the staff for a lunch in Italy! They loved it! I made Grilled chicken Fettuccini Alfredo, Spaghetti with Meatballs, Garlic Bread, and the usual sides- tossed salad, fruit salad, lots of desserts! The recipe for the Alfredo was very much requested, so I will post it here (with my SB adaptations in bold).

Alfredo Sauce

1 stick butter (or 1/4 cup trans-free spread)
2-4 TBSP chopped garlic
1 quart half-and-half (or 1 quart 1% milk)
2/3-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
black pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan with the garlic, and bring it to a foam. You may remove the garlic if you wish, I personally like it in the finished sauce. Pour in the half-and-half, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, and stir in the cheese. Stirring constantly over very low heat, simmer the sauc efor 10 minutes or so to reduce a little. If you prefer a thicker sauce, you may stir in a slurry of 1 TBSP cornstarch dissolved in 2 TBSP milk. That's it! A few grinds of pepper, and you have a delcious Alfredo sauce!

The principal- who is quite the suck-up- asked me if I catered. She said I should bring in a flyer for them to post in the office advertising my food and prices. I called the school this morning to have my son walk to the library when he got out, and the secretary asked if I was bringing lunch again today. I told her if they want to each pay $3, I would make them another meal next Wednesday. She said she'd mention it to the teachers. I would get about $100 then, with maybe $40 going to the price of the food (depending on what I made). Not bad, eh?

I did not get a picture of the beautiful tablescape we had. I brought the bottles of wine and olive oil my Dad and his wife got us when they went to Italy last May. It looked very nice with my old passport and a red-checkered tablecloth! Very Italian-Bistro!