Buy a fancy ham....like a Cure 81 and have your butcher shave it....better for sandwiches.
Buy a boneless turkey breast....if you really don't cook, buy it cooked, and have the butcher shave it.
Get an assortment of nice breads and rolls, different mustards and pickles, have a platter of sliced tomatoes and some lettuce leaves and a plate of several cheeses to slice as needed.
Potato salad or pasta salad and a fruit salad to finish it out.....and lots of cookies for sessert!
Linda C

Thanks, Linda! More questions, of course:

How many pounds of ham for 34 people?

Will a butcher at a regular grocery store chain be able to shave a ham for me, or do I have to find a meat market?

Can you recommend what cheeses? I'm clueless beyond Swiss.

For a cure 81 ham, if you will have a couple of salads and maybe another meat, I figure about 6 to 8 people per pound...it's very lean, boneless and almost no waste at all.....and 2 oz of sliced ham with lettuce, cheese and amybe pickle and tomato makes a nice sandwich.
My regular butcher will shave meat for me....just the guy behind the counter at the supermarket. I have even bought a beef roast, seasoned it, cooked and cooked it and then taken it back to have it shaved.
Cheese? For sandwiches? Swiss of course, I like the unsmoked provolone I find at Sam's, munster and some chedder.I would have these cheesed bought in the deli pak already sliced and have some chunks of cheeses, like chedder, that pepper jack, edam and maybe a bowl of cheese curds for eating out of hand.

My DIL will buy a couple of pounds of potato salad and/or others and put them in her own dishes for the table. She takes them to pot luck dinners too.
My mom used to take slices of cold meat and wrap each around a sweet pickle and stick a toothpick through it to hold it together, Made a nice tray.

Since you already have a crockpot, you don't really have to cook this Italian beef recipe, its delicious and you just open a few cans and jars and throw this in the crockpot. It's better and different than BBQ beef from a store.

How about a soup party? (I just read about one on another forum.) Lots of delis and restaurants make homemade soups, you could buy several different kinds and serve in mugs from the thrift shop or dollar store with lots of different flat breads, breads and rolls, spreadable cheeses, chunks and slices of cheese and and some fruit and veggie trays. Brownies and holiday cookies for dessert.

GINGER'S ITALIAN BEEF
Posted by: Ginger_St_Thomas (My Page) on Sat, Apr 26, 03 at 7:28

One 3-4 lb roast beef (rump roast or sirloin tip)
1 jar pepperochini peppers, juice & all
1 can beer
1 can beef bouillon

Combine all ingredients in a large crockpot. Cook on high 30 minutes; reduce heat to low. Cook until beef is tender. For supper, start cooking before work. If you want it for luch cook at bedtime.)
Remove meat from juices, slice thinly & return to pot. Serve on hoagie buns & dip sandwiches in juice.~~

Minnie, I like your DIL! Slice some hard-boiled eggs, throw on some paprika, and it looks like you slaved all day!

Woodie, the beef recipe sounds yummy but slicing roast beef to serve 30+ sounds risky. It will either be so tender if will fall apart, or so tough people will break teeth.