Dinner for 20, $6 apiece

I love Easter, the spiritual and the secular sides of it. Rebirth, new beginnings and endings. Everything is beginning to green up again, and it's a perfect opportunity to reconnect at a big family gathering. My household is a twosome, and typically it's the twosome that gets invited over to someone else's home for a meal. So how did we get to play hosts? I realized, while at a holiday meal with my partner's family, that we had not seen many of them since the holidays the year before. I vowed to correct that, as I am and always have been family oriented. Since they didn't have a standing invitation for Easter, I invited them over (6 adults, 1 teen, 2 children). My family typically comes out for Easter, (5 adults 1 teen). I typically invite a few neighbors whose families are not nearby (3). That's how we got to 20. Since our household is on a tight budget, I had to be creative with the menu, which includes that great buy I got on a pork tenderloin last week, a free turkey, and use of my pantry. The shopping included a items to make up four Easter baskets for our younger guests (yes, even the teens get Easter baskets...some traditions continue! Here is my Easter menu: Garlic rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Onion Marmalade, Roast Turkey, Carrot Souffle, Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, Pasta Primavera, Spanish Rice, Corn Pudding, Macaroni and Cheese, Balsamic Roasted Asparagus, Spinach & Cheddar Strata, Cornbread Stuffing, Lemon Buttermilk Poundcake, Carrot Cake (guest contribution) Apple Walnut Pie (guest contribution), Potato Rolls, Ice Cream, Punch and Iced Tea. The menu is varied because of a few dietary restrictions. The total food bill was a little over a hundred dollars. I only bought sale items and am I truly looking forward to brining and roasting the Turkey. The one I put on the table at Thanksgiving was a work of art! Off I go to slice and chop before an early nap.