Feeding a large crowd - help!

[bailadora]

From about the 19th of this month through the 5th of January, I'm going to be inundated with house guests. I'll be responsible for feeding roughly 12 people, with the possibility of it going up to 20 people for 3 of those days.

I'm looking for fairly simple meal ideas (read - meals where I'm not spending all damn day in the kitchen) for breakfast, lunch, or dinner that will feed large groups of people as economically as possible.

The only things that are coming to mind at the moment are:

Spaghetti, bread, and salad.
Hamburgers and hot dogs
Jambalaya

For breakfast, the only idea I've got is some sort of hash brown casserole.

Lunch? Yeah, not even.

I know we've got some pretty good cooks in this crowd who know how to stretch a buck or two. So help a girl out, will ya? What do ya'll serve when you need to feed a crowd?

 

[silverwhisper]

bail, that's pretty goddamned daunting. my wife's a wiz at this.

1) solicit help/delegate responsibility if anyone is even nominally capable, both for meals as well as clean-up.
2) large, single-pot/vessel items such as soups, stews, lasagnas, chilis.
3) make people responsible for their own breakfast; too wide a variety of waking times/eating times to permit a single sit-down breakfast together.

what are your restrictions re: proteins? london broils can be pretty economical yet versatile. a whole roasted squash, or head of cauliflower or broccoli are nutritious and per serving inexpensive. serve with rice or some kind of other easy starch to stretch your dollar.

so why precisely are you having this many people in your home for so fucking long, and have any of these houseguests already offered any form of assistance? are they capable of providing meaningful assistance?

ed

 

[Athalia]

Breakfast: Pancakes. Lots of Pancakes. Easy to make on short notice. You can make the batter ahead of time and just use it as you need it.
Oatmeal. You can make a lot of it and just keep it warm on the stove.
Or just provide cold cereal, milk, and fruit.

Lunches: Soup. And let them make their own sandwiches.

Dinner: Maybe chili ... big pot, lasts a long time? Serve with rice or corn chips or something.
Or make a spread of burrito fixings: refried beans, chopped olives, onion, sour cream, etc. along with some flour tortillas, and let them make their own to suit them.

 

[talikat]

Buy a big ham and you can stretch it out with hot ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch and ham and cheese omelettes/casserole for breakfast.

I've gotten some good recipes for my crock pot online and that's really easy and you don't have to babysit it all day.

Is there any way you could ask your guests to each bring something that could go in the freezer and eaten later?

That way you would only have the breakfast and lunch to worry about and the minimal side dishes for dinner.

 

[fire_breeze]

Talikat said what I wanted to say in regards to ham. You can dress it up with oven-roasted potatoes, garlic potatoes or Greek potatoes, maybe a salad, pineapples et voila.

Pulled pork in the slow cooker.

Soups and stews, again in the slow cooker.

ANYTHING in the slow cooker.

Believe it or not: French onion soup. Making the soup is simple and a breeze, the longer you cook, the better it is (you might have to replenish the stock), you should use day-old baguettes, which will be half off, and any sharp cheese will do (for example, appenzeller was on sale when I made this, so it was really cheap), and it's snap; okay, slicing the onions is a bitch, but that's what minions are for, or so I understand. If you don't have the onion soup bowl, no worries: ladle into oven safe bowls, broil until the cheese is melted and golden and you're done.

Roast, such as lamb or chicken. The sides can be anything that is simple and quick to make.

Casseroles. You can make a really healthy, hearty mac and cheese, for example. Quiches are another inexpensive options.

Pizza: while I make my dough, you can buy some frozen crusts, defrost, slather on pesto sauce, all sorts of veggies, maybe even cooked chicken (from your roast) and then sprinkle with feta cheese. Easy, simple, and cheap.

Pasta: Alfredo, primavera, bolognese, pomodoro. The pasta is easy to cook, the sauce takes minutes, you throw in garlic bread and a salad, and you have happy peoples.

Hearty salads with protein and pasta.

For desserts, something simple: cake, pie, or fruit salad (tip: buy frozen fruit medley, defrost and add a can of pineapple, juice included. No need for sugar), profiteroles, or any other frozen desserts.

Breakfasts, I usually either make an omelette casserole or serve croissants, cold cuts, jams and cold cereal and they fix their own. I rarely do breakfast for people anyway .

I also use this site a lot when I have everyone over, as well as this.

And delegate! You cook, someone else cleans up the kitchen and washes the dishes.

Good luck and have fun

 

[bailadora]

Answers, already? Ya'll are awesome. I'd totally forgotten about soups, chili, etc. It also helps that I have two crockpots, so I'll be pulling those babies out.

There's no restrictions on protein, so we're good there. And the good news is that they're all willing to help with cooking and cleaning, so there's that. I didn't mean to make it sound like it's all on me as far as KP duty.

That said, I happen to be the best cook out of all of us (that sounds conceited, but I don't mean it that way), so when we all get together they tend to look to me for guidance in terms of meal planning and prep. Usually, I'm good at it. But I've had so much going on this year that I'm heading into the holiday season already feeling drained and creatively dry.

so why precisely are you having this many people in your home for so fucking long, and have any of these houseguests already offered any form of assistance? are they capable of providing meaningful assistance?

ed

Well, 6 already live here (5 in my house, and another relative close by). The other 6 are my husband's family, Ed.

The longevity of the visit is due to how infrequently we get to see each other. If we're lucky, it's maybe a couple of times a year. Once when we go back home, and once during the holiday season. And since people often drive very long distances to see us (at least 2K miles), they often stay at least a couple of weeks. Last year, due to various circumstances, we couldn't get together during the holidays, and we only saw them for a very brief time period this summer. So this Christmas is the big reunion.

I'll get have no trouble getting physical help, but since we're the most financially well off of the entire group, my husband decided we'd just shoulder the food bill. I think my SIL will pull me aside and offer help anyway, even though they're on the tightest budget - that's just the way she is.

Honestly, if it was just the 12, I don't think I'd be worrying as much. But we've got 7 additional people who'll be in the area for a few days, and while we can't bunk them down, I'm pretty sure they'll be hanging at my house during the day. So of course, I need to plan for them too.

 

[horny8191988]

The first thing I thought of when I read the post was CROCK POT. They let you make a food without spending all day in the kitchen and it keeps it warm so that if not everyone is eating at the same time ... no problem.

For breakfast - Pancakes. It is the cheapest thing to feed a group of people. Cold cereal is another option.

 

[bailadora]

Buy a big ham and you can stretch it out with hot ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch and ham and cheese omelettes/casserole for breakfast.

I've gotten some good recipes for my crock pot online and that's really easy and you don't have to babysit it all day.

Is there any way you could ask your guests to each bring something that could go in the freezer and eaten later?

That way you would only have the breakfast and lunch to worry about and the minimal side dishes for dinner.

I'm making a ham and a turkey for Christmas day, so that will help in terms of leftovers to be remade into something else.

As far as bringing something, I would - if they all lived locally. But they're all coming in from out of state. So rather difficult to do. But you did remind me of the crockpots, and as I have two, I could conceivably have both going at the same time.

Thanks for the ideas!

 

[bailadora]

For breakfast - Pancakes. It is the cheapest thing to feed a group of people. Cold cereal is another option.

Those are good for a few days, but then what? It's totally my fault, but I generally tend to be creative and varied when it comes to meal planning. Thus setting up a bit of an expectation....

I'm sure we'll do pancakes at some point (I'll have my son do them - he makes chocolate chip ones!) We'll likely also do a traditional Southern breakfast. Breakfast tacos will probably show up, too. I don't have to serve something different every day, but I do like to serve up a variety of things over time.

Meh - I should probably look at this when I'm not so tired. Either that, or lower my expectations.

 

[desertslave]

A few other ideas:

Make your own sandwich board: a few bread/roll choices, some meats and cheeses, and the usual condiments (mayo, mustard, pickles, lettuce & tomatoes), and some peanut butter & jelly for any kids.

Or, for convenience sake, one of those long party subs from a deli or supermarket.

My mom's go-to was a big crock pot full of beef BBQ (aka sloppy Joe or Manwich). She made her own mix and just kept the crock pot going as people trickled in.

 

[Saucyminx]

Muffins and quick breads for breakfast darlin. You can even make ahead and freeze if you really want to and then just thaw them overnight. Serve them up with a fruit salad, and some yogurt and you are good to go.

For lunches, big things of chicken salad, ham salad if you have left over, and egg salad to make sandwiches--quick, easy, and make ahead. Soups are always great--potato is quick, easy, and cheap. Let me know if you need a recipe.

Dinners--whole pork roasts are pretty cheap and can either be cut into chops or done as roasts if you want a little fancier and easier. It's a matter of throwing them, some broth, some potatoes, and carrots into the oven and forgetting it for an hour. You can also use sauerkraut and potatoes if you want to change it up. I love that sort of thing because it looks like you fussed even if you didn't. Add some applesauce on the side and boom. All done. Again, let me know if you need actual recipes.

 

[Emerson40]

When we have to feed a large group for breakfast my wife goes to her "Company's Coming" breakfast cookbooks. Some very good, assemble-the-night-before casserole type recipes, that sit in the refrigerator over night and get thrown on the oven in the morning for about an hour.

They feed large crowds, work well with modifications (want to add some sliced jalapeños, crumbled chorizo, mushrooms, fresh herbs, etc - no problemo)

Dead simple stuff. Grease / butter 9x 13 dish, layer bread slices, ham, tomatoes, cheese. Pour egg & milk mixture over everything, let sit over night in the fridge. Bake at 350, covered with foil for about 50 mins, them pull the foil, sprinkle liberally with shredded cheese of choice and bake 10 mins more.

I usually grill some sausages or smoked bacon to go with this, and throw in a big bowl of fruit salad, your army is fed and happy.

Google "Company's Coming Breakfast" if you need more detailed ingredients / instructions.

As I said, dead easy stuff, and all are fed very well for a few bucks a head.

 

[GrrlFriday]

If you get a ham, try the bone in ham and pea soup.

 

[sweetsophie512]

Great ideas here! I don't have much to add. If you're not too worried about disposable plates and utensils, having those on hand is so convenient. It makes cleaning up a total breeze. (Costco comes to mind AND a lot of the sandwich/soup/dessert/snack stuff can be purchased there in one fell swoop)

Good luck and you're a good sport for hosting!

I don't know what I would do to have to host that many people all at once!

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

We have 4 freezers we keep full of food because I garden and we collect markdowns.


That said, I suggest stocking up on basic staples like eggs, milk, flour, rice, corn meal, pasta, sugar, potatoes, etc. Then collect mark downs once a day: Bread, rolls, pies, donuts, meat. If you get to the store early the prices are usually 1/2 off. Older bread is good for toast and French toast. You can do lots with onions. Make pizzas from scratch or buy the pies and decorate yourself.

 

[noye]

Buy pork shoulder, it's fairly inexpensive and once slow cooked makes excellent pulled pork bbq sandwiches. Simple lunch, just look for a pulled pork recipe for a slow cooker and substitute the pork shoulder.

 

[BiGuyfromOz]

Aside from all those excellent replies

Ask some that are coming and able to make something that can be frozen etc to chip in. As in contribute.
Nothing worse than everyone lobbing up and your a wreck.
Large Crowd
Most do chip in, more so when you ask for a hand.

 

[NippleMuncher]

Pick up a selection of take-out menus from a few of your favorite places, then hand them out and suggest they choose a place, their treat!

Cooking for that many for that long is well above and beyond the call of duty, family or not!

 

[simplegirl]

crock pot oatmeal is great for breakfast (just make sure you use steel cut oats and not the rolled ones). French toast in the oven made casserole-style (Allrecipes has all kinds listed).

For lunches, as others said, sandwich boards where they can build their own and/or have a pot of soup / chili on the stove. People can serve themselves.

At meal times, fill the sink with hot water and soap. It will just take a second for each person to wash their own plates and bowls as they're done rather than have a couple people wash them all.

As you prepare meals, fill the sink with hot water and soap. As you're done using a bowl, pot or utensil, wash as you go. You often have steps in a recipe where you have to wait a minute for that step to complete, so take advantage of that time. That way you don't have a mountain of pots and pans to tackle once you're done cooking.

quickbreads, muffins and squares are pretty easy. The quickbreads and muffins can be used for breakfasts, snacks or desserts. Easy to make ahead and freeze. A lot of casseroles can be made ahead and frozen too.

 

[albertaboy]

You could also cook a huge beef prime rib roast.

Get you butcher to remove the bones and tie them on the bottom and then cook it on your BBQ with only the burner on the other side on around 325 for 20 minutes a pound.

I recently fed 65 people dinner where this was the main course at my house. It left the oven for all the other stuff people brought to warm up.

 

[Dianthus]

When the family gets together, a frittata usually shows up for breakfast. Cooked in the oven, served with toast or homefries, it's ready for a bunch of people at once, with no standing over the stove asking people 'how do you like your eggs?'.

I love yogurt parfaits (Greek yogurt layered with berries, usually a frozen mix) for something lighter.

And oven pancakes are good too.

 

[fire_breeze]

I was thinking about this today, and realised why not just do a breakfast buffet? People wake up at different times anyway, so they eat at different times, plus I always found that a breakfast that everyone eats is pretty difficult. . Just set out bread, maybe croissants, butter, jam, PB (if it's not an allergy), Greek yoghurt, honey, fruit, sliced veggies, hard boiled eggs, coffee, milk and cold cereal. You can also have a pan ready for anyone who wants to custom make their own eggs or cook some bacon. It's easy for you - hell, the last person who goes to bed sets out the next day breakfast and you don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to cook for a sleepy crowd. Plus, if there are little people around, they can be quiet and feed themselves while the big people are stumbling around looking for coffee.

ETA: my cousin, who regular feeds a small army for a week over the holidays will have some of her guests cook one meal for everyone. This might work for you as well - each guest (or family) will cook one dinner and/or lunch. It frees you up, it also has other people contribute, in which most cases, they would love to do, and it really adds to the holiday spirit. Just a thought.

 

[pplwatching]

One of the problems with large groups of house guests is that people often have their own schedules, and don't always show up at the table at the same time. This is both a blessing and a curse. Another problem is refrigerator space for both your raw ingredients and leftovers. To top everyone off there's always someone who doesn't like or won't eat something (and lets not forget about gluten and other food allergies).

First you want to conserve your refrigerator space. Breakfast can be continental for the most part. If you have a warehouse club membership (E.g. Costco, Sam's) you can buy a flat of eggs, bread for toast, and enormous resealable bags of cereal and even pastries in bulk. I'm sure that you are no stranger to breakfast burritos, Dried or frozen hash brown potatoes are inexpensive, easy to store, and go a long way with a little bit of eggs and just a little bit of meat (chopped ham, turkey, etc). Hard boiled eggs are nice because they keep for a couple of days and people can serve themselves anytime without any hassle. If you want to serve a batch of scrambled eggs, you can stretch them by whipping in water or milk. It makes them fluffier and helps with the budget. If you are familiar with these enormous bags of Krusteaz pancake and waffle mix, they are great. You can mix up a 2qt container of batter in seconds flat, cover it up, and people can pour it into a waffle iron themselves as they mosey into the kitchen.

Lunch is problematic because your guests may be away sightseeing (and you should encourage them to get out of the house for your own sanity). The sandwich board idea is ideal, as is a crockpot full of soup for people who come and go. Bean soups are easy, you just have to remember to get the beans soaking before you go to bed. You can add some fresh veggies if you want. The biggest problems with soups is food safety (temperature) and refrigerator space to store what people won't eat.

I cook dinner for up to 120 people at a time a couple of times a year. Counter space, stove space, and time are the big problems. Anything that minimizes those is good. For example, if your budget permits you can buy enormous bags of shredded lettuce at Sam's. They're not that expensive, fairly compact in the refrigerator, and easy to sere. Cook potatoes that can be served with the skin on, like red jackets. Speaking of which, Sam's sells a big box of red mashed potato flakes that are remarkably good and goes quite a long ways.

As you know from the Q, large cuts of meat can be inexpensive and still taste good. If you have the freezer space, keep an eye out for deals in the next few weeks. "Slow and low" also buys you time in the kitchen. It may offend your Texas sensibilities, but consider an oven roasted brisket. Rub it, layer it with sliced onions, add some liquid smoke for flavoring. It's not much work and frees you up to do other things while it's cooking. The leftovers can be used for sandwiches or burritos. Veggies and potatoes can be cooked in the oven too.

Good luck!

 

[IrisAlthea]

We have family invasions too from time to time
Beef Bourguignon, coq au vin, bouillabaisse, chilli, pulled pork, braised lamb shank, lasagna, chicken casseroles, fish casseroles, cote de porc a la charcutiere are great ways to feed lots of people for dinner. After a bigger lunch soups work great.

For lunch soups can work well and are easy to make in advance. You can also make things like chicken or tuna salad in advance and serve with bread as sandwiches. Salads with beans, lentils, cous cous or rice are also great.

For breakfast I think a buffé style thing where people can make their own sandwiches, cold cereal etc is the easiest.

If you can make a few things in advance and freeze, it will save you some stress.

 

[Que]

You can adjust spicy to taste but not for nothing Mexican food feeds a lot of people for cheap. No matter what you serve on one of the "mexican nights" be sure to serve beans and rice with it. Tacos, fajitas, etc.

Ditto Asian food.

Spicy is part of how it stretches. People dig in to the rice and beans to cool their mouths.

Enchiladas as a casserole is easy to do. Stay away from any recipe uses some form of condensed soup in it.

Tostada shells can be spread with refried beans then have shredded lettuce, cheese, diced tomatoes and onions, salsa, and sour cream for guests to top to their taste.

My kids like these. Heat up some refried beans roll them with refried beans and optionally leftover rice if you have it. Roll into burritos. Open a can of red or green enchilada sauce. Spread a thin layer in a casserole dish. Place the burritos and pour the rest of the sauce over them. Top with cheese, just 30 minutes or so in a 350 oven if your ingredients were hot when you made the burritos, 45 minutes if you prepared ahead. When serving don't worry about tearing the burritos slightly you are serving as a casserole.

Over good Asian rice, this feeds about 5-6 people per lb of hamburger, the hotter you make it the farther it stretches.

Brown hamburger or better ground pork. Turkey works as well. Add 3-4 whisked eggs per lb of hamburger. Add a good soy sauce and sirachi chilli garlic sauce. Adjust to taste, You are aiming for pretty salty and pretty hot. Serve bowls of steamed rice. People serve them selves the spoon of the egg & hamburger , nibble away at their bowl of rice, get more hamburger as needed.