How much food

For DD's 2nd birthday we are having 11 adults and 4 kids (ages5-2)

What should I have and how much? I want easy and will possibly cater out.

Re: How much food

If you do decide to cater, you can ask the caterer for a guide.. tell them how many people you are having and they can help give you a good estimate of what you will need. Be clear and be honest about your budget and your guests. "I have a budget of $250-300. I'm having 11 adults - 2 are vegan, 3 are Atkins Dieters and 2 have really large appetites. I have 4 children coming - 2 are toddlers and the others are young school age so I want to have something that appeals to them but can also be appealing to the adults."

If you decide not to cater - well the amount of food you might need will depend on what you are serving. For example, I find that Italian foods such as pastas, chicken parm, bread.. tend to be very filling. Also because people can control the portion that they take, I tend to need less. When I have a BBQ they don't take half a hotdog and half a hamburger.. so I seem to wind up with a little more waste. But I prefer BBQ's during warmer months anyway. Once you know what you want to serve you can more easily figure out about how much you will need.

Re: How much food

What about the traditional heroes and a few hot or pasta dishes on the side? Or pizza with salads on the side and maybe a chicken or pasta dish? Italian food usually appeases everyone, including kids.

If you cater, full trays (depending on who you cater from) usually serve 10-14 people. I think you would only need 1 tray of each item you get.