Cooking for a Crowd
Happy Monday!
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This week I am in Utah with my family. There are 10 of us including younger kids and we have a lot planned during the days, but we are eating breakfast and most dinners at home. There are different eating styles and we are also not close to a major market. I know many of you are faced with feeding a crowd over a weekend or a week or more. I have been the culinary director of my family get-togethers for ages. Here are my tips and I’ll also share my menus for the next few days.
Someone needs to be in charge of meal planning. That person can delegate tasks and everyone should help out, but there needs to be a director.
There needs to be a meal plan. You cannot wing it with a big group and especially if there are mixed ages and different dietary preferences.
Keep it simple, especially if you are busy during the day. I love cooking, but I don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen when I’m with my family. This is not my time to prove I know how to cook or to have unrealistic menus.
If you have time to do any prep in advance, DO IT. Order groceries and have them sent (you know I love ThriveMarket.com, but I also take advantage of Instacart and will have fresh groceries delivered.) I will make salad dressings for the week, wash lettuces and herbs, make marinades, prep veggies.
Do not make things that require a lot of hands-on attention like breaded chicken cutlets, for example. I lean towards slow cooker recipes, grilling, sheet pan recipes, soups and stews in the winter. I also like things with topping bars (e.g. tacos) or being able to leave certain ingredients on the side (e.g. cheese for a salad.)
Buy meal helpers if they are in your budget - pre-washed lettuce, salsa and guacamole, Trader Joe’s frozen croissants, Costco pies, hummus, etc.
I get everyone involved to help. Kids set the table, clear the table and load the dishwasher. Other adults can help prep or grill, etc.
Sunday dinner
Caesar salad, grilled halibut (simple lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder) and grilled flank steak both served with grilled corn salsa, grilled asparagus and zucchini, roasted potato wedges (served with whatever condiments we had).
Monday breakfast
Egg sandwiches
Yogurt and granola
Fresh fruit
Monday Dinner
Fajita night: shrimp and chicken, sautéed peppers and onions, guacamole and salsa, chopped salad. I will gauge how hungry everyone is, and I can whip up some rice and beans or quick nachos, very fast, if needed.
Fresh fruit
Tuesday breakfast
Tuesday dinner
Hamburgers and hot dogs (beef, turkey and plant-based), cole slaw, big green salad, boiled corn on the cob, watermelon and s’mores
Wednesday breakfast
Wednesday dinner
Salmon and chicken shawarma (from Kitchen Matters), hummus, tomato and cucumber salad, rice, grilled vegetables
Thursday breakfast
After Thursday breakfast, we are down to five people at which point I will reevaluate leftovers and come up with a new plan for the remaining days. We may flip flop eating lunch in (some will be working from home) and dinners out.
If you have any tips for feeding a crowd without stress, please share!
xxPamela
My trick is…ask Pamela!!! No but really, the best thing I learned from you is to plan ahead. I make the menu and then print out the recipes and bring them with me. Makes everything run smoothly!
When you do grilled veges for a crowd, do you just halve or quarter them and chop them after grilling? That is my hub’s preference; I like to chop before grilling but then they take more work. What is your solution?