Recipes for Extended Family Meals

We did a french toast casserole for our daughter's birthday brunch.

One loaf of cinnamon swirl bread (in the deli section for full-size loaves, not the cinnamon raisin loaf in the bread aisle... that is pretty small), beaten eggs with a little vanilla extract thrown in. Soak it all together overnight and bake until golden and any bits of egg are cooked through. We put them in 9 x 13 aluminum pans and heated them on a warmer for the party. You might want to double up for that many people. You can dust it with powdered sugar and serve with syrup.

That's a lot of people to feed for an extended time. I'd made cheap stuff that goes far like spaghetti, lasagna, chili, soups, stews. Let the crock pot be your friend. One pot wonders would be my choice, easy and much cheaper. I'm sure no one expects you to spend the whole time in the kitchen. Merry Christmas!

I'd also be ALL ABOUT paper plates, bowls, etc. Much easier clean-up!

I have suggestions but also ask your extended family. They M. have ideas or want to pay for 50 pizzas one night and if food is already ready they M. feel bad...

Spaggetti and tomato sauce... Always cheap... Also garlic bread

Shepards pies.

Homemade pizzas... My family likes to make personal ones and our plates are ceramic and oven safe so all is good.

I made this when we had several family members over. I didn't add the peas, I cooked them and served them separate in case the kids didn't like them. I doubled the recipe and it was a hit, the women asked for the recipe!

CHICKEN & BISCUITS
Printed from COOKS.COM
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2 c. cooked chicken, cut up (I used canned chicken!)
1/2 c. milk
8 oz. sour cream
Salt & pepper to taste
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can peas
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 tube butter milk biscuits
Mix chicken, milk, sour cream, salt, pepper, cream of mushroom soup and peas in an 8 x 8 glass casserole dish. Top with cheddar cheese and buttermilk biscuits. Bake, uncovered, in oven until biscuits are golden brown at 350 degrees.
NOTE: May wish to heat milk, sour cream, salt, pepper and cream of mushroom soup prior to adding chicken and peas, but this is optional. Helps make mixing of casserole easier.

I agree that casseroles are easy and feed many. Lasagna is a good one that is pretty easy, as well as any pasta based dish.

I also make a taco type casserole that has a box of Jiffy corn bread prepared to the directions and spread over a 9X13 Pyrex then a lb of ground beef mixed with taco seasoning, one jar of salsa, one can of red beans and some cheddar sprinkled on top. Bake for 30 minutes and done!
Taco bar and fixins are also good and easy.

My other easy meal is get bone-in chicken, which is cheap, sprinkle it liberally with salt, pepper and oregano then drop small bits of butter all around on various pieces of chicken. Bake about an hour (depending on how much chicken, maybe more) and it's done! It's really yummy, the skin is crispy and seasoned! I serve it with potatoes and a veg!

I also agree that ordering pizza one night is a great idea...and use the crock pot for some chili or stews!

Breakfast: Mini Sausages Wrapped in Biscuits, Cereal, French Toast
Lunches: Sandwiches, Leftovers
Dinners: Frito Pie, Homemade Pizzas using French Bread or Biscuits for the dough. Split a loaf of French Bread in half lengthwise then top. Fill table with toppings and let everyone make their own. Or with Biscuits this one is good for the kids. Get a aluminum pie plate and press 3 or 4 biscuits on the bottom, bake for 5 min until just set, cool for 5 min then let the kids top with their favorite toppings. I chop up lunch meat, use canned pizza sauce, and cheese. The kids love this one.
Tortilla wraps buy the larger tortilla's and fill table with different meats and toppings.
King Ranch Beef - Hamburger meat, Nacho Cheese Doritoes, Cheese, Rotel Tomatoes, Cream Mushroom. Cook Hamburger Meat adding taco seasonings, Combine tomatoes and cream mushroom. Layer in casserole dish bake until heated thru. Much easier than the chicken recipe and very tasty!
Good luck and Have fun with the family!
D.

Crock pot fav!
Pork Tenderloin (for this many two) HEAT up your crock pot on HIGH for at least 20 min then place the tenderloin fat side DOWN in the crock pot Lawry's Garli Salt (preferred) and pepper the heck out of it, put it on low and go to work! If you are not working then then get to entertaining your guests! About 6hrs in (or when you get home from work) you should add one bottle for each tenderloin of Kikoman SweetNSour sauce, as well as bell peppers (any color honestly) and let that cook on HIGH for another hour. Cook up your white or brown rice. Then you take two forks and begin to pull the meat apart. The peppers will mostly be melted in aside from the skin and the meat should be covered in the sauce for serving. You can also put this mixture on Hawaiian sweet rolls or tortillas (wheat) even as a quesadilla.
Spaghetti with cooked broccoli and sweet peppers - cook the broccoli and peppers so they are just shy of mush, place them in your food processor, add water (preferably the water you cooked them with steam or boil) and get to a nice thick-ish consistancy add jar of spagheti sauce and some tomatoe paste if you like. Then make spaghetti as you normally would - makes for a nice sauce with a different flavor. I really like to use this to make pasta casseroles with turkey sausage, asparagus (half way steamed), and penne pasta topped with mozzarella and parmegan cheese - bake 350 for 20 covered remove cover bake another 5-10 min (pretty cheese) let sit for 5 and serve.

Tacos, Queso with chips, Chili Beans, Salad

Chicken or Turkey/Chicken Tetrazini
Feeds a crowd but can be cut in half.
1 ½ broken spaghetti, cooked, drained and rinsed in hot water
1 grated onion
1 clove garlic minced
2 Tblsp butter
4 cans cream of mushroom soup
4 can cream of chicken soup
2 tsp. A-1 steak sauce
4 cups of milk
1½ lb/ sharp cheddar cheese
2½ quarts of diced Turkey or chicken
1- 4oz jar chopped pimento drained (optional)
1/3 cup parsley
Paprika

Saute onion and garlic in butter for 5 minutes. Add soup, A-1 sauce, milk, ½ of cheese. Cook stirring until smooth. Add chicken, pimento, and parsley. Mix well
Put spaghetti in casseroles and pour mixture over spagehetti, mix well. Cover with cheese. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
Freezes great

King Ranch Chicken
Serves 8 (large servings)

Corn Tortillas or Tortilla Chips
1 lb cooked boned chicken
1 cup chicken Broth
1 medium whit onion chopped
½ green pepper finely chopped
2 cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
11 oz can cream of mushroom soup
11oz can cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel tomatoes w chilis drained and diced
(extra canned chilis drained, optional)

Cover the bottom of an 8x11 baking dish with tortillas or tortilla chips which have been
Dipped in chicken broth. Spread chopped cooked chicken over tortillas.

Mix together onion, pepper, and sprinkle over chicken.
Top with ½ of cheese.
Sprinkle chili powder and ground cumin. Pour soups and rotel on top. Cover with rest of cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 for 40 minutes.
I place foil underneath in case it bubbles over the edge.

This recipe also freezes great! To reheat, place in a 350 oven covered in foil for 20 minutes, remove the foil and continue to bake for 10 more minutes.

Chicken and rice (yellow, etc). You can boil the chicken and then use the water to cook the rice with some chopped celery, carrots, onions, etc. You can also crockpot the chicken with salsa and serve with yellow rice/beans.

Meatloaf with potatos (baked or mashed).

Fajitas

Have a salad night with tuna, potato salad, coleslaw, carrot salad, tabouli, BBQ hamburgers and Hot Dogs.

Breakfast casseroles

Breakfast for dinner

A big pot of veggie soup (crockpot it) served with grilled cheese sandwiches (bake sandwiches on cookie sheet in oven vs. in the pan - that way they can all bake at once.)

Chicken Enchiladas - can be made in advance and frozen.
(Adults usually eat 2 enchiladas)

4-5 chicken breasts
Seasonings
Onion
Fresh peppers (or can of green chili peppers)
2 cans of diced tomatoes (drained)
2 cans of enchilada sauce
shredded cheese
1-2 packages of large corn tortillas

*Cook 4 -5 chicken breasts in water or broth with seasonings (salt, pepper, cumin, curry powder, garlic powder, etc.) - boil on stove top, in covered dish in microwave, or in crock pot.
*Sautee some onions, peppers, etc. in a large skillet.
*Shred chicken and add to skillet. Add drained diced tomatoes. Heat thoroughly (so all veggies are hot).
*Pour one can of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9 X 13 dish.
*Use CORN tortillas and roll chicken mixture with shredded cheese and place in 9X13 dish.
*Pour one can of enchilada sauce over the rolled enchiladas. Top with shredded cheese and bake in 350 oven until cheese is melted.