How To Feed a Crowd of Teenagers

Menu

Fruit Bowl
Pizza
Caesar Salad
Death by Chocolate
Lemonade and Water




Last night we had the girl's soccer team Mart coaches for dinner after practice. 15 hungry girls and 3 coaches. A lot of mouths to feed. We host team dinners somewhat frequently, and I think I have them down to a science. I've tried many different meals, but this one works the best. First, when they come I like to have a big bowl of fruit out. Last night, two parents sent fruit arrangements from Edible Arrangements. They were very fun and some of the fruit was dipped in chocolate. If you ever order a fruit arrangement, get lots of chocolate dipped fruit; they disappeared in about 2 minutes! I also had pitchers of water and lemonade out as well so everyone could help themselves. I knew everyone would be starving so dinner came right out. I know I am cooking to save, but with that many mouths to feed, takeout Pizza is the only way to go. Of course, we always have plain but I like to have something fun as well. Last night, it was mashed potato pizza: mashed potatoes, corn, bacon, scallions and cheese. They were the first pizzas to go:


With the pizza, I always serve a huge caesar salad. You cannot go wrong with a caesar! Even kids that hate salad somehow love this one. I went through 3 large bowls of salad last night. If you don't want to make your own dressing, Marie's is my favorite.


I've learned to keep dessert simple. Boys or girls, if you feed them enough dinner, they are not total gluttons at dessert! In the past I've done brownies and cookies or ice cream. Last night one of the moms sent over Death by Chocolate. Amazing. The dish was so heavy, I could barely pick it up! Everyone loved it and it fed a large crowd with leftovers. One giant dish of chocolate goodness! This is a recipe to keep on file for when you have a large crowd to feed. It's easy to make and it looks phenomenal. Just bringing it out had everyone oohing and aahing. A perfect ending to the night!

Death by Chocolate (feeds a large crowd)

Chocolate Cake Mix(prepared according to directions)
1/3 cup Kahlua(2/3 cup for adults!)
4 packages of instant chocolate pudding (or 2 large)
2 containers of Cool Whip
4 Skor Bars or Heath Bars

Make cake in a 9 x 13 pan. Bake, according to directions. When done, remove from oven and punch holes in it with fork. Pour Kahlua over cake. Set aside. Make pudding according to directions. Break candy bars still in wrapping with a mallet or rolling pin. Layer in glass dish or trifle bowl as follows:
1/2 cake, 1/2 pudding, 1/2 cool whip, 1/2 candy pieces, 1/2 cake, 1/2 pudding, 1/2 cool whip, 1/2 skor pieces.
Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Delicious Banana Raisin Muffins!

Yesterday was a cold and very windy day in New England. It felt a lot more like late February then late April. Dinner was an easy one: Turkey Tacos with homemade Salsa. I haven't made the salsa since I last posted about it in the winter and it was even better as the tomatoes have sweetened up! Since I was running around the house with a coat on, the heat cranked up and still freezing, I decided we needed something homey to eat. The kids are not big eaters in the morning and I am always trying to get them to eat a little something; lunch is a long time away. I had 3 big overripe bananas on the counter so I came to view that as a sign that I should make banana bread. I am always tinkering with my recipe and trying new ones when I make banana bread. I am the girl with buyer's remorse; I know there's a better banana bread around the corner. Today I think I have the best. I loved the bread and the kids did too. I actually turned them into muffins and this morning everyone was happily munching on one as they walked out the door. This is not a very dense muffin, rather it is light and buttery. I added sour cream and golden raisins to the batter so they have a certain sweetness(but not overly so). The muffins came out of the oven as we were finishing dinner and Will decided that they would be a perfect dessert as well. Of course, he had to put butter on his as he informed us that anything warm was crying out for butter. Delicious! I actually like the muffins better cool, I thought the butter and banana flavor in them really came out stronger when they were cool. This morning, though, Will was heating his up so he could add his butter! There are worse things, I am sure....

Banana Raisin Muffins (makes 18)

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3 large very ripe bananas, mashed(or 4 small)
1/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs at room temp, beaten slightly
3/4 stick butter melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour muffins cups or use liners.
Melt butter and set aside. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in large bowl. In separate medium bowl, mash bananas, then add sour cream, eggs ,butter and vanilla. Lightly fold into dry ingredients. When mixture is almost combined, add raisins and fold just until mixed. Divide into muffin cups. Place in middle rack of oven for 18-22 minutes. Muffins will be lightly browned and toothpick inserted will come out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and the transfer to rack.

Why I have to stay out of grocery stores...

I really have to stay out of grocery stores. I always wish I was one of those organized people that could plan all their meals for the week, do one big shop and be done with it. One of my problems is that I am in the store almost everyday. If I am able to skip a day, I view it as a huge accomplishment. I just can't seem to plan more then one day in advance. Yesterday, I really outdid myself though. Two stores in one day. The second time I didn't even need anything. I was just browsing...killing time while Will was at a soccer practice. I had done a pretty good shop earlier, but decided to wander into Trader Joes as it was right down the street. I really want to love that store, I know so many people do. Me, I can never figure out what to buy besides a few things.(They do have a great big bag of Haricot Verts for a great price!) So, I decided that I would just wander around and do some browsing. Nothing I needed, so I was safe. Or so I thought. Unfortunately, some things cried out to me:



Anyone looking in my cart would have thought I was strange, indeed. Chocolate Chip Dunkers(snacks for the ...um..the kids), Cinnamon Grahams(I liked the package and Mart loves them), Blueberries(on sale!), Raspberries(looked good), Chicken Fingers(sometimes the kids just need a chicken finger fix and the woman next to me in line was raving about them). So, I walked out with a full bag. Nothing horrible, but it did strike me that once again, I spent money that I really didn't need to. My new goal is to only shop 3 times a week(and no double dipping). Especially with spring coming and farmer's markets opening soon, I think this is very doable. I'd like to get to twice a week but that seems too wild and crazy at this point. Baby steps are needed. I am anxious to see what the bottom line looks like each week, I really do think I can save a substantial amount if I stay out of the stores. Judging from my trip around TJ's, I could be rich! I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. I need all the help I can get!

Semi-Homemade

Do you ever watch that show on Food Network, Semi-Homemade? I am not a fan, everything seems a little too processed for me. I do like Giada, though. Her food always looks good and is she not the most beautiful woman? Yes, I am a little offtrack; the purpose of this post is not to discuss my likes and dislikes on the Food Network. Rather, tonight was my foray into what I will call Semi-Homemade. I made my Chicken Caesar Salad with Brioche Croutons(see cookbook for recipes). So delicious and everyone can eat it whenever they walk in the house. The homemade part of dinner. My boys would say though, they need something else with it. This is where the semi comes in. Sometimes, I just do some french bread with it. Ok, but a little boring. Other times, if I am out and about I will stop at Panera and get some Asiago Bread or at Cosi and get some flatbread. A little more exciting. Tonight, I blew the doors off. I stopped at a local pizza place and picked up their garlic bread. This isn't a typical loaf of bread, instead it is pizza dough, with garlic and cheese. Yummy! Now, before you tell me I am supposed to be cooking in... let me tell you that the bill was $7.00. In my mind, it was well worth it! I wouldn't do this all the time, but once in a while was a fun treat. I even have enough left for the kids to take salads for lunch tomorrow with a piece of garlic bread. My kind of Semi-Homemade!! Now, when will Food Network be calling me? :)

Monday Madness

Mad is the only way to describe Monday's in my house. In addition to it being the start of the week, it is also a day where I have kids running in every direction, straight through until 7pm. If you're equally stressed on Mondays for whatever reason, check back each Monday night. Dinner will always be short, sweet and easy! This is a night that calls out for delivery pizza. Unfortunately, or fortunately, whichever way you want to look at it, I've sworn off the delivery man. So Mondays need to be well planned and well executed. I am thinking I need to move into casseroles, but right now I am fixated on the grill. It's spring and the grill and I have only had a few interludes since last fall. I want to spend all my time with the grill. My love affair will wane as the summer goes on, but right now I am loving the aroma, flavors and easy cleanup. So, tonight I decided to make the sausage and peppers I thought of last week. Since Brittany and I don't like the sausage, I decided I would just substitute plain grilled chicken cutlets for ours. I purposely didn't use green peppers as I wanted the flavor of the caramelized onions and sweet peppers to offset the spicy sausage I used. The sweetness from the peppers and onions added enough flavor that I didn't need to add anything to the cutlets, either. The key to this meal is sauteing the peppers and onions ahead of time. I made mine in the afternoon and reheated them when I got back. You could also make them the night before and just microwave them or throw them back in a saute pan for a few minutes. So, all I had to do when I arrived home was pop the sausages and chicken on the grill, heat up the peppers and onion and toast the buns. Simple. Delicious. My grill never lets me down!



Sausage and Peppers (serves 4-6)

6 Sweet or Hot Pork Sausages
6 Brioche Long Rolls
1 Orange Bell Pepper
2 Red Bell Peppers
2 Sweet Onions(large)
2 tblsp olive oil
spicy brown mustard

In large saute pan, heat olive oil. Slice onions and peppers and add to pan. Saute for 10 -15 minutes on medium low, stirring frequently. Cook until onions are soft and caramelizing and peppers are soft and browning. In the meantime, grill sausages(and chicken cutlets if using) on grill. Toast buns, split sausages down the middle and fill with onions and peppers. Add mustard to taste. Dinner is served!

Sunday Brunch

The Dutch Baby from the previous post inspired me! Last night the grownups were out and I had made the kids Tostados. If you haven't tried these, please do! Everyone is always thrilled when I make them and last night was no exception. Tonight my younger kids have a church function so I knew if I didn't do a family breakfast, the weekend would pass without us all eating together. In the past, we would have gone out to brunch somewhere but I decided I would tackle this one and save the big bucks! The kids suggested Eggs Benedict; their favorite. Well, let me tell you, I have never even successfully poached an egg, let alone a whole family's worth. I am happy to report that it was easier then expected. The Benedicts were great; we even made a variation on one Brittany likes from a local restaurant, the Farmer's Benedict. I also put together a simple Tropical Fruit Salad of pineapple, mango and kiwi. So delicious and just what we needed on a rainy day! I have decided that I will buy an egg poacher. I made the eggs first, then dunked them in ice water and then quickly submerged them in simmering water right before we ate. It just took so long to poach 10 eggs individually. For one or two people, this would be a really quick breakfast. I also made blender hollandaise. Although purists may not be happy, it was delicious and easy. And easy on a Sunday morning is what we are looking for. What a great way to start the day!

To poach my eggs, I used the method the Smitten Kitchen suggested, which you can find here: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/how-to-poach-an-egg-smitten-kitchen-style/. I liked this method the best. Don't use too big of a pan, I used a medium saucepan and that was perfect. When I tried to poach in a bigger dutch oven, the eggs broke apart too much.

Eggs Benedict(serves 5)

10 poached eggs(make in poacher or do ahead, submerge quickly in ice water and set aside. Then pop them into simmering water for a minute right before you serve)
5 english muffins, halved and lightly toasted
10 slice canadian bacon, warmed
Hollandaise (see below for recipe)

Place canadian bacon on top of english muffin, then place 1 poached egg on each half. Add hollandaise on top to your liking! Yum!

Farmer's Benedict

shredded or cubed potatoes
2 slices lean bacon or turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 poached eggs
hollandaise sauce

Saute shredded or cubed potatoes in a small amount of oil until browning and crispy. Place on plate, add bacon, eggs and hollandaise. A great twist on a classic!



Blender Hollandaise Sauce

3 egg yolks
Juice from 1/2 lemon
pinch of freshly grated pepper
pinch of salt
1 stick of butter

Melt butter in saucepan until melted and frothy. In blender, place 3 egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and pepper. With blender running on low, blend until mixed. Keep blender running and add very slowly, in a steady stream, hot butter. Sauce will emulsify as you add the stream of butter. It will end up as a creamy, dreamy sauce! Serve immediately!! So good on eggs, also great on vegetables, especially asparagus and broccoli.

Dutch Baby!

Are you in need of an idea for breakfast this weekend? Having a brunch? I've got you covered! Last week, if you remember, my friend Sheila told me about making an iceberg wedge salad and I immediately found some inspiration for dinner. Well, she also mentioned a Dutch Baby. I'd never heard of such a thing. Have you? I was intrigued and even more so after she sent me over the recipe. A cross between a pancake and popover was how she described it. So, this morning for breakfast I made a Dutch Baby. And let me tell you, I will be making many more! It was delicious; easy enough to put together for a family breakfast and special enough to serve to friends. The very slight hint of cinnamon and nutmeg is fantastic! The lemon sugar is a must...it adds so much flavor. I actually made the Dutch Baby 2 ways: in individual ramekins and also in a cast iron pan that you cut into wedges to serve. They were both great! The individual ones would be great if you had a few people for breakfast and you wanted presentation. Try these this weekend....you'll be asking the same thing as me,"How did I not know about Dutch Babies?" Thank you, Sheila!!!

Dutch Baby (serves 4-6) ) adapted from Epicurious

1/3 cup confectioners sugar
2 tsp grated lemon zest
3 large eggs at room temp. for 30 mins
2/3 cup whole milk at room temp.
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
2 tblsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Place 10in cast iron skillet(or 6 ramekins)in oven and preheat oven to 450.
Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl and set aside.
Beat eggs with mixer on high until pale yellow and frothy. Then beat in milk, flour. vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Beat until smooth, approximately 1 minute. Batter will be smooth. Remove dishes or pan from oven and put in pieces of butter. Swirl to coat. Immediately pour in batter and place in oven. Bake 15-20 minutes until puffy and brown. (Less time in ramekins)
Remove from oven and sift lemon sugar onto Dutch Baby. Serve immediately! (See finished products below)