Menu Ideas for a Crowd

  We just got back from spending the weekend at Angey's.  She had 22 people staying with her the whole weekend!!  She did the food so smart - it was easy and she wasn't cooking all weekend.  Wanted to jot down her ideas for the next time I have a house full.  Ideas with * are mine

Breakfasts:
Cereal (the individual little boxes worked great for kids, wouldn't work for teenagers)
Muffins (I like the mini ones - too much goes to waste with those big Costco ones)
Baked scrambled eggs
Fruit (a bag of frozen fruit - peaches, strawberries, pineapple) maybe 24 ounces? (Thaw over night)
Juice

Lunches:
Sloppy joes (warmed in a crock pot)
Chips
Veggie tray
*Sandwiches


Dinners:
Fried chicken - ordered from a grocery store
Potato salad
Pasta salad
Jello Salad
Green Salad
Chips
*Hamburgers/hot dogs

Desserts:
Pumpkin bars
Brownies
Zucchini bars
*Carmel bars
*Brownie bites

She brought in her big 5 gallon jug, put a block of ice in it, kept topping it off with water, and everyone could get cold water any time.  A big stack of cups with a Sharpie for names.  

Baked Scrambled Eggs

Source:  Angey L.

24 eggs
1/2 c. butter
2 1/2 c. milk
Salt and pepper

Scramble eggs.  Add butter and milk.  Season with salt and pepper.  Put in 9x13 pan.  Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees - stirring every 20 minutes.

Seasoned Baked Potato Wedges

Source:  errenskitchen.com

Ingredients

• 2-4 large potatoes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil or low fat cooking spray

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Wash the potatoes to get rid of any dirt (there's no need to peel them).
3. Cut each potato in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 4 wedges so that you end up with 8 wedges form each potato.
4. Add the wedges to a large mixing bowl.
5. Sprinkle over the paprika, garlic powder & onion powder.
6. Drizzle with about two tablespoons olive oil or or spay with low fat cooking spray then toss everything together to coat.
7. Sprinkle with a salt and pepper to taste.
8. Tip: I line my pan with non-stick foil.
9. Spread the wedges in a single layer over a large baking tray and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
10. Tip: If using low fat cooking spray, for extra crisp wedges, 1/2 way through the cooking time, spray again and return to the oven.
11. Remove from the oven and while they are still hot, season with salt to taste.

Emily made these this week for dinner and they were a hit!  

Teriyaki Chicken and Noodle Bowl

Source:  jamiecooksitup.net

4 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper
3 large carrots
1 red pepper
8 mushrooms
1/2 a red onion
1  16 oz package angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti noodles

Teriyaki Sauce:
1 1/2 C cold water
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C soy sauce
1 t garlic powder (or granulated garlic)
3 T corn starch
1 t sesame oil
Instructions

1. With a good pair of kitchen scissors, cut up your chicken thighs into strips. Heat a large skillet up of medium high heat. Add your oil and toss those thighs right in. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let them cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. You want them to get nice and golden brown on each side.
2. While your chicken is cooking, chop up your veggies. You want to be sure they are chopped pretty small (about 3/4 of an inch.) No big chunks here.  Start the water boiling for your noodles, cook them according to package directions.
3. When the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan and let it hang out on a plate. Add the other Tablespoon of oil to your hot pan. Add the veggies and cook until they are crisp tender.
4. While your veggies are cooking mix all Teriyaki Sauce ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.
5. Once your veggies are cooked, remove them from the pan and let them hang out with the chicken.
6. Pour your Teriyaki Sauce into the hot pan. Whisk it around until it thickens up. This should only take about 3 minutes.
7. Serve it up! Place hot noodles in a bowl or on a plate. Put the chicken and veggies on top, pour the sauce over the whole kit and caboodle and you are ready to eat.

*Made this last night for the fam.  I thought it was really good!  Next time I would add more chicken and double the sauce.  I only had carrots on hand, but I think next time mushrooms and snap peas would be great.  I also didn't have sesame oil - so I just skipped that altogether.  We certainly didn't miss it.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

Source:  Angey L.

16 ounce cream cheese
2 tubes crescent rolls
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. melted butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon

In a 9x13 greased pan, seam together along bottom of pan 1 tube of crescent rolls.  Mix together 1 cup sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla.  Spread over dough.  Seam together the second tube of crescent rolls and put over cream cheese mix.  Pour melted butter over the top of the dough, sprinkle on 1/2 c. sugar and cinnamon.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Serve warm.

*Great for Cinco de Mayo!  Yumm!

Fluffy Fruit Salad

Source:  Angey L.

2 lbs. frozen berries
2 small instant pudding (vanilla or cheesecake)
32 oz. yogurt (regular or greek) - any flavor
16 ounce Coolwhip, thawed
Zest of 1 lemon - optional

Mix together and serve

Triple Chip Blondies

Source:  Kristie C. (via ourbestbites.com)

1 c. (2 sticks) salted butter
2 c. light brown sugar
2 t. vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2/3 c. chocolate chips, plus 1/3 c. for drizzling on top
2/3 c. white chocolate chips
2/3 c. peanut butter chips (or butterscotch chips)
1 t. oil

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 9x13 pan, set aside.
Melt the butter.  Combine in a large mixing bowl with the brown sugar.  Add the vanilla and the eggs and beat on medium until well combined.  Add the flour and mix until just combined.  Add all of the chips (excluding the 1/3 c of chocolate chips reserved for drizzling) and mix until well combined.
Transfer batter to the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Allow to cool completely.  When cool, combine the reserved chips and the oil in a small ziplock bag, seal it, and heat the microwave in 15 second intervals, mashing the bag with your hands until the chocolate and oil are smooth.  Repeat as long as necessary.  Cut a small corner out of the bag and squeeze the melted chocolate over the baked blondies.  Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Muddy Buddies

Source:  bettycrocker.com

9 cups Chex cereal (corn or rice are my preference)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Into a large bowl, measure cereal.  Set aside.
In microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter until melted.  I microwave it for 30 seconds, stir, 30 more seconds, stir, repeat until it's melted.
Add vanilla.
Pour mixture over cereal,, stirring until evenly coated.
Stir powdered sugar in.
Spread on to waxed paper to cool.  Sore in airtight container.

*can substitute Nutella for peanut butter

St. Patrick's Day Menu

Today's the second year I've tried to make fun St. Patrick's Day food.  Here's my 2 cents for next year:

Breakfast:  green pancakes 

Snack:  St. Patrick's Day muddy buddies 

Dinner:  Dublin Coddle 

             Cheddar Garlic Biscuits (there's enough parsley to be greenish

             Lime jello

           *Irish Soda Bread is dead to me. I've made it twice now, and it's just not good. I threw half away tonight.  

Dessert:  Oreo mint truffles 

Easy Grilled Garlic Bread

Source:  jamiecooksitup.net

Yield: 12 pieces

1/2 C butter, softened

1/4 C mayonnaise (I use Best Foods)

1/2 t garlic salt

1 t parsley

Parmesan Cheese (the kind in the green bottle)

1 loaf french bread 

A NOTE: If you are using just plain old Granulated Garlic or Garlic Powder you will want to add about 1/8 teaspoon of salt.  

In a small bowl, combine butter, mayonnaise, garlic salt, and parsley.  Stir it all together until well combined.  

Heat up a griddle over medium heat. Cut your bread into slices about. 1/2 inches thick. 

Butter both sides of bread.  

Lay several slices on the griddle.  

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over both the top of each bread. Carefully tap it in to be sure it sticks to the buttery spread. 

When the bottoms are golden brown, flip the, over and let them get browned on the other side. 

Serve while still hot.  

 *This seems like a ton of butter to me for one loaf of bread, so I half everything if I'm making it for my family.  If I were making it for company, I'd do it as it supposed to be,