Thank you all for your suggestions. You have helped me a lot. I will def be making the chilli, taco bar, the sans club chicken recipe and the yummy dessert receipe. Pp I really do love your ideas as well and will def make the bacon wrapped
Prunes at my next dinner party as well as some of yr other ideas.

Sorry, but I agree with PP's. Those recipes are neither easy nor simple and some are not inexpensive. Plus, some of them do not sound appetizing.

OP, here are some recipes that I've tried recently that are budget-friendly and easy to prepare. For all of these, to cut costs, I usually get a large back of frozen chicken breasts from Sam's Club. I thaw them in the microwave and the breasts are huge. I can usually get 3-4 decent portions from each breast and there are usually 10-12 in a bag, so one bag will more than amply feed your 25 people. A bag costs around $24, so the chicken can be as low as $1/person. $2/person if you get two bags to be safe and then you can probably make samples of more than one recipe and people can mix and match what they take. Add your favorite grain/pasta which shouldn't be expensive and then a vegetable side or salad and you should easily be able to feed 25 people for around $3-4 per person depending on how much chicken you get.

http://www.marthastewart.com/317393/chicken-lemon-and-dill-with-orzo
This can be made ahead of time (shorten the cooking time about 10 minutes). The next day, add a little more chicken broth (like 1/2 a cup) and then microwave to reheat until the broth is reabsorbed. Do not sprinkle the parmesan until the second day after you reheat.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-parmesan-garlic-chicken-51155.aspx
I made this recently. Very simple, and very good. It was better fresh, but was fine the next day reheated. I also made some (had more chicken than the parmesan mix) replacing the dressing mix with McCormick Perfect Pinch Salt-Free All-Purpose Seasoning which we have around for my MIL who needs a salt-free diet. We actually liked it better, but YMMV. Serve with grain or pasta of choice.

My MIL made this and it was easy and wonderful. Take chicken breasts, put in a pan, Optional, sprinkle taco sauce mix or some seasoning mix like the salt-free seasoning above on the breasts. Spread jarred salsa of choice over chicken and bake. Sprinkle some shredded Mexican cheese mix on the chicken for the last 5 minutes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pasta (ziti or lasagna)

mac n cheese

salads (green, caesar)

garlic bread

sundae bar

Awful, fattening, no nutrient menu. Please don't listen, OP. Nothing is cheaper than green lentils. Cook some perhaps with a chunk of prosciutto and add chopped carrots and leeks and lemon-olive oil for a flavorful cold bean dish. Another easy salad involves cherry tomatoes with capers, yellow raisins, and cauliflower dressed in light oil. Think about doing a spicy chicken curry with rice or cook inexpensive fish filets in coconut milk and red peppers. Risotto prepared with stock, onion, and a heap of parmesan and butter is rich but not expensive. Perhaps add a handful of shrimp for flavor. Another standby of mine is spiced chickpeas garnished with cilantro. Finger food can be as simple as a cube of good cheese paired with a date on a toothpick or apples dabbed with goat cheese nestled in a single endive leaf. For dessert you can stew pears or oranges in wine and anise but that is more wintery. I have had success serving chocolate mousse or lemon mousse for dessert garnished simply with cream and raspberries. Or rich homemade brownies with a scoop of ice cream drizzled with raspberry coulis. Caramelized nuts and ginger cookies round out the dessert buffet.

Good God! She wants something inexpensive and easy to make the night before! Did you read her post? Prosciutto is expensive. Fish is expensive and cannot be made in advance. Chocolate mousse? Goat cheese and endive? Risotto cannot be made in advance! Who are you?

Anonymous wrote:Have you bought chickpeas lately? Or lentils. A few bucks for huge servings. Risotto is available at Trader Joe's. Chocolate mousse is made with chocolate, cream, eggs, sugar -- all ingredients easily found at Safeway or Giant. Vanilla ice cream is not budget friendly? Since when did cheese and apples become rich man's fare? Cilantro -- Giant, endive -- Giant, oranges -- Giant. If you caramelize peantus and popcorn it is cheap cheap cheap. Brownies require butter, flour, eggs, baking soda, salt, and Baker's chocolate -- let me rush to Whole Foods right away! Lemon mouse is made with heavy cream, six lemons, eggs, and sugar. For ginger cookies you need 2 tbs fresh ginger -- OMG two dollars! -- molasses, brown and white sugar, flour, cinnamon, eggs, butter, nutmeg, powdered ginger and pepper.

It is not my fault that PPs don't know the first thing about cooking good food.

More suggestions: bacon wrapped prunes roasted in the oven as a starter. Wait -- prunes must be imported by air, far too costly to consider!

Onion soup -- beef stock, butter, onions. Throw in meat or a veg for extra flavor.

I am sitting here thinking about how to explain to you in writing that these things aren't cheap due to the # of ingredients, relatively large variety of ingredients, need to purchase lots of new things because these aren't items most people have sitting around, etc...

...but it's clear you just don't get it.

The original poster needs cheap, meaning: short ingredient list, bang for the buck, and lots of staples she won't have to go out to buy. Am I right?

OP, try:

Chili (two pots - one veggie, one meat)
Fixings (cheese, cilantro, onion, chopped tomato, jalapenos, sour cream, shredded lettuce)
Cornbread (jiffy boxes + creamed corn + can of green chilis)
Fritos
Make guac if that's not too much $
Fruit salad with cheap and seasonal fresh fruit like grapes/nectarines/watermelon/pineapple

Your grocery list will be:
onion, garlic, peppers, jalapeno, cilantro, tomatoes, iceberg for shredding ($12 maybe)
cans of tomatoes, rotel, chili powder, chilis, jiffy mix, creamed corn ($15 maybe)
meat ($5 maybe)
sour cream, cheese ($7 maybe)
fruit ($15 if you're conservative, $25 if you're not)
if you choose extras like avocado, fritos, salsa ingredients, chicken broth for a base for the chili ($12-$15)
That's $50-$75 to feed 25.

Have you bought chickpeas lately? Or lentils. A few bucks for huge servings. Risotto is available at Trader Joe's. Chocolate mousse is made with chocolate, cream, eggs, sugar -- all ingredients easily found at Safeway or Giant. Vanilla ice cream is not budget friendly? Since when did cheese and apples become rich man's fare? Cilantro -- Giant, endive -- Giant, oranges -- Giant. If you caramelize peantus and popcorn it is cheap cheap cheap. Brownies require butter, flour, eggs, baking soda, salt, and Baker's chocolate -- let me rush to Whole Foods right away! Lemon mouse is made with heavy cream, six lemons, eggs, and sugar. For ginger cookies you need 2 tbs fresh ginger -- OMG two dollars! -- molasses, brown and white sugar, flour, cinnamon, eggs, butter, nutmeg, powdered ginger and pepper.

It is not my fault that PPs don't know the first thing about cooking good food.

More suggestions: bacon wrapped prunes roasted in the oven as a starter. Wait -- prunes must be imported by air, far too costly to consider!

Onion soup -- beef stock, butter, onions. Throw in meat or a veg for extra flavor.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pasta (ziti or lasagna)

mac n cheese

salads (green, caesar)

garlic bread

sundae bar

Awful, fattening, no nutrient menu. Please don't listen, OP. Nothing is cheaper than green lentils. Cook some perhaps with a chunk of prosciutto and add chopped carrots and leeks and lemon-olive oil for a flavorful cold bean dish. Another easy salad involves cherry tomatoes with capers, yellow raisins, and cauliflower dressed in light oil. Think about doing a spicy chicken curry with rice or cook inexpensive fish filets in coconut milk and red peppers. Risotto prepared with stock, onion, and a heap of parmesan and butter is rich but not expensive. Perhaps add a handful of shrimp for flavor. Another standby of mine is spiced chickpeas garnished with cilantro. Finger food can be as simple as a cube of good cheese paired with a date on a toothpick or apples dabbed with goat cheese nestled in a single endive leaf. For dessert you can stew pears or oranges in wine and anise but that is more wintery. I have had success serving chocolate mousse or lemon mousse for dessert garnished simply with cream and raspberries. Or rich homemade brownies with a scoop of ice cream drizzled with raspberry coulis. Caramelized nuts and ginger cookies round out the dessert buffet.

none of this sounds budget friendly except maybe the butter

Frozen raspberries are not that expensive. Neither is one or two portions of goat cheese. You are just putting a dab on each leaf. And one endive can yield 8-10 leaves so you really need 4-5 max. Good food is not expensive when you know how to cook.

If you want a knock-your-socks off dessert that you can prepare ahead of time make Belgian sugar waffles and serve with fresh fruit and cream. They are heavier than the waffles we eat for breakfast, made with equal parts flour, sugar, and butter. You can make them early in the day and because they are so dense they stay fresh and tasty.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pasta (ziti or lasagna)

mac n cheese

salads (green, caesar)

garlic bread

sundae bar

Awful, fattening, no nutrient menu. Please don't listen, OP. Nothing is cheaper than green lentils. Cook some perhaps with a chunk of prosciutto and add chopped carrots and leeks and lemon-olive oil for a flavorful cold bean dish. Another easy salad involves cherry tomatoes with capers, yellow raisins, and cauliflower dressed in light oil. Think about doing a spicy chicken curry with rice or cook inexpensive fish filets in coconut milk and red peppers. Risotto prepared with stock, onion, and a heap of parmesan and butter is rich but not expensive. Perhaps add a handful of shrimp for flavor. Another standby of mine is spiced chickpeas garnished with cilantro. Finger food can be as simple as a cube of good cheese paired with a date on a toothpick or apples dabbed with goat cheese nestled in a single endive leaf. For dessert you can stew pears or oranges in wine and anise but that is more wintery. I have had success serving chocolate mousse or lemon mousse for dessert garnished simply with cream and raspberries. Or rich homemade brownies with a scoop of ice cream drizzled with raspberry coulis. Caramelized nuts and ginger cookies round out the dessert buffet.

And all of the above is so cheap....nothing cheaper than raspberry coulis and goat cheese in an endive leaf!

Anonymous wrote:Pasta (ziti or lasagna)

mac n cheese

salads (green, caesar)

garlic bread

sundae bar

Awful, fattening, no nutrient menu. Please don't listen, OP. Nothing is cheaper than green lentils. Cook some perhaps with a chunk of prosciutto and add chopped carrots and leeks and lemon-olive oil for a flavorful cold bean dish. Another easy salad involves cherry tomatoes with capers, yellow raisins, and cauliflower dressed in light oil. Think about doing a spicy chicken curry with rice or cook inexpensive fish filets in coconut milk and red peppers. Risotto prepared with stock, onion, and a heap of parmesan and butter is rich but not expensive. Perhaps add a handful of shrimp for flavor. Another standby of mine is spiced chickpeas garnished with cilantro. Finger food can be as simple as a cube of good cheese paired with a date on a toothpick or apples dabbed with goat cheese nestled in a single endive leaf. For dessert you can stew pears or oranges in wine and anise but that is more wintery. I have had success serving chocolate mousse or lemon mousse for dessert garnished simply with cream and raspberries. Or rich homemade brownies with a scoop of ice cream drizzled with raspberry coulis. Caramelized nuts and ginger cookies round out the dessert buffet.

Make your own taco bar.

Chili can be made in advance. You can make a vegetarian and a meat version. Serve with a green salad, bread.

Pasta (ziti or lasagna)

mac n cheese

salads (green, caesar)

garlic bread

sundae bar

What is your budget?

Help me! I need to cater for 25 people on a budget. I would prefer something that I could make a day ahead. I appreciate any ideas.