FIRST, AND FOREMOST, do NOT tell ANYONE but a small core of the planning committee what you are doing
Advertise the evening as an adult dinner social.
Ensure a minimum attendance by asking women to bring dinnerware for and decorate a table for 8. Also ask for volunteers to prepare food from predetermined supplied recipes.
DECORATIONS
Take the opportunity to teach about food storage and preparedness. Decorate with food storage and preparedness posters. Have displays set up that teach about long-term food storage, a 3-month supply, non-food storage, 72-hour kits, first aid kits, fuel options, cooking without power, gardening, canning, dehydrating, water storage, or any other pertinent information for your area.
GAMES AND ACTIVITIES
Activities can include short demonstrations of a tabletop impulse sealer, dry packing in PETE bottles, dry packing in canning jars, or using a butane tabletop stove. Or have everything available to put together 3-day food kits or a small first aid kit and have everyone assemble them.
Games can be physically active or mentally active. Games may include:
Bean bag toss into a 5 gallon bucket
Relays with beans on a spoon which beans are eventually dumped into canning jars
Balloon volleyball
Broom badminton
Finding a bean in a pile of flour with your nose
Passing a balloon between people to get it to the end of the row
Wheelbarrow races (either real or in human form)
Potato sack races
3-legged races
Bean and grain ID games
Prepared to Get to Know You
DINNER
Plan a buffet dinner.
Limit the variety to keep the budget down and consume less food. The more variety the more people will eat in order to try different foods.
MENU IDEAS
Menu #1
Sandwiches (on homemade buns)
Soups
Gelatin salads made with canned fruit
Eggless Cakes
Menu #2
Main Dish Salads
Fruit Salads
Vegetable Salads
Homemade rolls or bread (no eggs)
Eggless Cakes
Menu #3
Soups
Fruit Salads or Gelatin Salads
Homemade bread (without eggs) and jam
Eggless Cakes
Sandwiches
Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches (PC page 111)
Barbecue Beef Sandwiches (PC II)
Meatless Sloppy Joes * (PC II)
Rueben Stromboli (PC II)
Pinwheel Sandwiches (PC II)
Sloppy Joes (PC II)
Turkey and Red Pepper Pinwheel Sandwiches (PC II)
Soups
Fifteen Bean Soup (PC page 80)
Lentil Vegetable Soup (PC page 81)
Vegetable Bean Soup (PC page 84)
Pantry Soup Mix (PC II)
Grain and Bean Soup Mix (PC II)
Harvest Blend Soup (PC II)
Chicken Noodle Soup (PC II)
Pumpkin Black Bean Soup (PC II)
Sausage Lentil Stew (PC II)
Chili (PC II)
Twelve Bean Soup (PC II)
Vegetable Chili (PC II)
Turkey Vegetable Soup (PC II)
Main dish salads:
Corned Beef and Potato Salad (PC page 93)
Hawaiian Pasta Salad (PC page 94)
Lentil Salad (PC page 94)
Bulgur Walnut Salad (PC page 95)
Black Bean and Rice Salad (PC page 95)
Quinoa and Ham Salad (PCHPF)
Herbed Rice and Chicken Salad (PC II)
Pacific Pasta Salad (PC II)
Seven Grain Salad with Fruit and Nuts (PC II)
Wheatberry Pineapple Chicken Salad (PC II)
Amazing Tex-Mex Pasta Salad (PCHPF)
Pantry Tabbouli (PC II)
Southwestern Chicken Bulgur Salad (PC II)
Spinach Couscous Salad (PC II)
Whole Grain and Fruit Salad (PC II)
Fruit salads
Ambrosia Salad (PC page 89)
Vanilla Pudding Salad (PC page 90)
Cranberry Orange Salad (PC II)
Cherry Orzo Salad (PC II)
Cherry Pineapple Salad (PC II)
Orange Pudding Salad (PC II)
Pineapple Sauerkraut Salad (PC II)
Vegetable salads
Marinated Green Bean Salad (PC page 91)
Chinese Bean Salad (PC page 92)
Mashed Potato Salad (PC page 92)
Three Bean Salad (PC page 93)
Corn Salad (PC II)
Marinated Vegetable Salad (PC II)
Mexican Three Bean Salad (PC II)
Mediterranean Salad (PC II)
Cakes
Chocolate Crazy Cake (PC page 121 and PC II)
Apple Cake (PC II)
Cranberry Spice Cake (PC page 124)
Molasses Walnut Cake (PC II)
Peach Cobbler Cake (PC II)
Tomato Spice Cake (PC page 123)
Spice Cake (PC page 123)
The previous suggestions can be adapted to a smaller home gathering. A smaller group will increase the number of recipes that can be chosen from because cost won’t be as big a consideration. Plan a specific menu for a small gathering and serve food preplated or family style.
MENU #1
Chicken Enchiladas (PC page 59)
Pantry Fideo (PC II)
Orange Pudding Salad (PC II) or Ambrosia Salad (PC page 89)
Lemonade (PC page 44)
Mexican Chocolate Cake Brownies (PC II) or Coconut Cream Enchiladas (PC II)
MENU #2
Baked Ham (PC page 52)
Maple Yams and Pears (PC II)
Confetti Potatoes (PC page 101)
Green Beans and Mushrooms (PC page 100)
Cranberry-Orange Salad (PC II)
Quick Wheat Rolls (PC II)
Creamy Pumpkin Pie (PC page 120)
Cherry Pie (PC page 119)
MENU #3
Sloppy Joes (PC II) on Quick Biscuit Burger Buns (PC II)
Bacon Ranch Potato Salad (PC II)
Cherry Pineapple Salad (PC II)
Lemon Limeade (PC II)
Chocolate Chip Cake Brownies (PC II)
MENU #4
Spicy Asian Chicken Noodle Soup (PC II)
Chinese Bean Salad (PC page 92)
Chinese Fried Rice (PC page 68)
Mango Lemonade (PC II)
Mango Coconut Rice “Cake” (PC II)
PC = Pantry Cooking: Unlocking Your Pantry’s Potential
PC II = Pantry Cooking II
PCHPF = Pantry Cooking with Home Preserved Foods