Friday night sheva brochos help

amother

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 9:09 am

I am iyh making Friday night sheva brochos in my home. I have made sheva brochos before but it was for a smaller crowd and weekday.
Can you ladies help me out?

I need a menu that is fancy enough but not too expensive. No special meats or anything. I need options of healthy food per course.

Also how are the tables set? Do I put salads on the table or is a plated salad enough? Do I need large challahs as well as rolls? How many bottles of wine (for kiddish) do I need to figure?

I will be using rectangle folding tables: do I need centerpieces? My husband said no candles bc it's shabbos so the only candles should be shabbos candles. I also don't think there will be much space for the food if there is real decor.

Can any of you walk me through a menu that's not chicken, green beans, potato kugel? And how to set it up nicely?

amother

Sunflower

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 9:16 am

Def salads on table- a slaw, a marinated, & dips w/ fish on plate or table.

If you don't want reg chicken, you can do a grilled pargiyot or roll up. You can do a cheaper roast & do 2 slices. Personally I like a piece of kugel. You can make individual rounds to look nicer. You can also so a wild rice.

For veg, a brocolli is pretty. I've done the frozen brocolli spears roasted & put 3 on a plate, was really pretty.

amother

Broom

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 9:23 am

Set the tables with some dips/salads and a roll on each plate. One big challah for the head table that you can cut up and pass around. Or you can put two big challahs on each table and have every table make their own hamotzei and skip the rolls
You can put some short vases with small flowers on the tables so there's something on them but not taking up all the space. You can also move the centerpieces when you serve the food
Grilled chicken is nice or a cheaper cut of meat. Roasted veggies are healthy and very pretty.
Get nice tablecloths from a gemach. Recently was able to find glass plates and bowls in the dollar store. It looks very pretty on the tables and usually comes out to be cheaper than buying nice paper goods for a lot of people (and you'll have cool glass dishes afterward)

mfb

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 9:25 am

I think the reason certain foods are used for Friday nights is because they stay tasty even after being on the blech for a while. I can’t see grilled chicken being good like that but maybe you have a way to keep it hot and not dry

Chayalle

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 9:26 am

Re setting the table, you would have either a centerpiece OR flowers. We did flowers (we were able to get from someone who made a Simcha close to Shabbos, and my very talented niece made me flower arrangements from them). Keep it simple - one per table, as you don't want to crowd the table. My DH agrees with yours about candles. We had a separate table on the side where people could light.

Set table with: each place gets place setting, fish plate, challah roll. Large Seuda Challah for the Chosson which gets distributed to tables once it's cut up.

On table you have chrein, cole slaw, pickles, and dips. Water/seltzer/soda. Bottle of grape juice and bottle of wine. In addition, I had a sweet table on the side where I set out some big salads for each meal, a large cake, and some miniatures (cakes). My salads were a pesto quinoa salad, and a portabella mushroom salad.

amother

Springgreen

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 9:42 am

mfb wrote:

Grilled chicken won't dry out if it's covered well & it's not directly on the heat source.

sbs

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 10:26 am

I agree with others who said individual rolls, but would also do one big seudah challah for chosson, which then gets cut up so people can have more challah if they like.
Dips and salads on the table,
I would serve something with dark chicken, so stuffed capon with kishke or broccoli, or a breaded chicken stead, the dark meat doesn't dry out and those things look nice on a plate.
Love the idea of individual small round potato kugels if you're plating, if you're doing platters on the table, I think pieces are ok.
Apple kugel or crisp if you plan to make should be done individually as that doesn't cut and serve nicely.
Broccoli is an expensive vegetable, green beans and zucchini are much cheaper, so a nice green bean, you can make the bundles tied with a scallion or roasted veggies, can skewer zuchini, purple onion and peppers.

amother

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 10:37 am

I think I need two main options, one healthy and one whatever.
How do I make individual kugels?

I don't think I'm going to plate because there are a few allergies and special diet eaters.

Any budget friendly way to serve fruit with dessert?

Chayalle

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 10:44 am

amother OP wrote:

I actually had fruit on my sweet table as well. You can do either large platter, or small individual cut-up minis.

sbs

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 10:59 am

amother OP wrote:

A healthy main would be a grilled cutlet, they won't be piping hot cuz they'll dry out,
the truth is broccoli stuffed capons can also be healthy, depending what you put in the filling,
so you can do stuffed capons, some broccoli, some kishka and pastrami

individual kugels can be made either in muffin tins or if you want a little bigger there are round or square individual pans, spray very well and the kugel should pop out.

for budget friendly fruit can it be compote made from apples, pears?
or a winter fruit salad, so cheaper fruit, apples, some grapes, canned pineapple, mandarin oranges, etc...

amother

Amaranthus

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 11:01 am

Put a fruit platter on a sweet table.

Healthier option would be choice of grilled cutlets and stuffed capon or chicken steak.

I personally don't like kugel Friday night and would do roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes.

amother

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 11:21 am

Healthy needs to be gluten, soy and all sugar/sweetener free. I was planning to keep one salad, one main, the vegetable and one grain healthy. I would love to make salmon qualify too but I don't have a good recipe for that.

Do the kugels come out pretty in muffin tins? The individual small pans are costly.

I am not making a sweet table. It's sit down and dessert will be plated with fruit and nuts on the table. Actually no nuts, there are nut allergies too.

The night before is at a fleishig restaurant.

Oh one more question what can I make in advance? And What can be frozen?

sbs

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 11:31 am

amother OP wrote:

grilled chicken cutlets can be made according to those requirements, savory would meet that criteria better,
potato kugel in muffin tins looking pretty depends on how they pop out, which will depend on your recipe, if you spray very well, and bake until done enough so the sides get well done, they should pop out but would recommend trying it
You can make a lot in advance - chicken soup, knaidlach, lukshen, challah, some dips freeze well,
chicken - if you buy fresh you can prepare, bread or stuff and freeze either completely raw or parbaked,
potato kugel can be made in advance and frozen
not sure what other sides you're making - wouldn't recommend freezing veggie sides

amother

Maroon

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 11:42 am

You can set the table majestically without breaking the bank. Use tons of candles in varying heights to create a table runner.
Prepare different salads, either in larger bowls or in individually divided plates (available in china or in plastic) get nicer drinks to adorn the table, and place more than one cup at each setting. That really makes it look better.
If you’re not afraid not to follow the pack, serve the fish in a tray and allow your guests to serve themselves.
Soup you can serve in a tureen, and meat you can do a standing drumstick over mashed potatoes and gravy. Those should be able to be on the plata for a while.
After the meal you can clear off and serve cakes, sweets, nuts, and fruits.
Pro tip, cover your tablecloth with another tablecloth before starting to serve and just take it off when you’re done with meal to reveal the second clean tablecloth for the goodies and fruit.

mommyhood

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 12:37 pm

Are you doing a plated main? It’s usually the easiest option for a simcha like this. Assuming the food restrictions only apply to a few guests I find it easier to make the menu that’s easiest and most cost effective for everyone else and then make a small amount of whatever the guests with restrictions need.

Chayalle

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 12:41 pm

amother Amaranthus wrote:

Salmon can be made according to those requirements. I use salt, garlic powder, paprika, a bit of olive oil and lemon juice. Bake on 400 till ready to your liking.

I do a side of salmon, or slices, just drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, and season with Montreal Steak seasoning or Trader Joe's Chili Lime seasoning. Bake to your desired doneness (I do 350 for 18 minutes for slices, 25 minutes for a side).

Salmon can be plattered on the table to save costs (because not everyone will take) if desired.

amother

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 12:51 pm

I would say about half the people have dietary restrictions.
Question about playing: let's say I have a waitress working with me. We're only 2 people, wouldn't plating take too long?. I don't love the idea of some people having food and others waiting. How do you navigate that?

Thanks for the salmon recipe ideas. I was thinking of doing sides.

amother

Honey

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 12:56 pm

Chayalle wrote:

Would you mind sharing your salad recipes? They sound delicious.