I'm preparing a dinner buffet and am curious how much of each dish I should prepare. Everything online talks about cups/oz per person but that doesn't help me imagine it in my head when I read recipes with different serving yields.

The guest list is about 50 adults but RSVPs have not come in yet. I'm planning a Mardi Gras theme party because the ingredients are pretty economical and filling. I might add a green salad of sorts or some chips or cheese at the beginning, but I've chosen these main dishes:

- Muffuletta sandwiches
- Red Beans & Rice
- Cajun shrimp casserole
- Chicken & Sausage Gumbo with rice
- Cajun Corn Maque Choux (salad)

Each recipe was originally made for 6-8 servings. If I prep enough of each (except for the Muffulettas which I am making out of long ~1lb loaves) to fill an average disposable 11x15" aluminum pan that you can get at a grocery store, how many pans should I make and how many loaves of sandwiches? Or if it's easier - how many servings of each dish should I make? Is this a good enough variety of food? Dessert will be a birthday cake. Thanks for the help!

Hello,

I made my first batches of strawberry jam in the fall. I still have some jars left. The person who showed me what to do told me that filling the sterilized jars, sealing them, and turning them upside down until they were cool would be enough to create a good seal. So I made them that way.

Since then, I haven't heard of anyone else doing this and now I'm afraid that they aren't safe to eat. I've already been through several jars just fine but I'm worried about the others. Is it possible to boil the jars now without opening up the jars, reboiling the jam, and putting them into newly sterilized jars? I made them with about half the sugar since the strawberries were so sweet and the juice of about half to a full lemon per batch.

Are they fine? Should I store them in the fridge? Please help!

For future reference, if I use less sugar, what would the boiling time be for the filled jars?

Thanks!