Large recipes needed!!

[cknmom]

My husband, granddaughter and I just moved to TN and rented a large house with our daughters family. She is over in Afghanistan right now so I am doing all of the cooking ( with oldest granddaughters help often). I have been cooking for 3 for almost 13 years, now I need to cook for 7, soon 8. I am either making way too much or not enough. Any suggestions from those of you with large families? I do have some recipes for large get-togethers, but I have not gotten to them in our shipping container that we shipped out here yet.
Thank you,
Monica

 

[FarmerJamie]

From my family's church cookbook:

Elephant Stew:
1 medium size elephant
2 rabbits (optional)
55 gal barrel brown gravy
salt and pepper to taste

Cut elephant into bite size pieces, this takes about 2 months. Add enough gravy to cover. Cook over an open fire for about 4 weeks at 465 degrees.

Serves 3,600.

If more are expected, the 2 rabbits may be added to provide additional portions, but do this only as a last minute emergency. Most people do not like finding a hare in their stew.


Sorry, I couldn't help myself

 

[FarmerJamie]

In all seriousness, my wife makes this for family gatherings of 10-15 people, if it's just our immediate family, we will eat on it for a few days.

BAKED BEANS
1/2 lb cooked bacon
1 1/2 lb browned ground beef
1 med chopped onion
1 can beans each, all drained except for kidney beans
Northern
Butter
Pinto
Kidney
1/4 cup honey mustard
3/4 cup brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Bake in casserole dish at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Can be put into a crock pot after baking, to stay warm until served

 

[k15n1]

My husband, granddaughter and I just moved to TN and rented a large house with our daughters family. She is over in Afghanistan right now so I am doing all of the cooking ( with oldest granddaughters help often). I have been cooking for 3 for almost 13 years, now I need to cook for 7, soon 8. I am either making way too much or not enough. Any suggestions from those of you with large families? I do have some recipes for large get-togethers, but I have not gotten to them in our shipping container that we shipped out here yet.
Thank you,
Monica

For most things, you can take the recipe, divide the amounts by the number of servings, then multiply by the number of people you have.

So if a baking-powder biscuit recipe calls for 2 C flour and serves 4, you need 1/2 C/person. For 7 people, you use 3-1/2 C, for 8, us 4 C. Then do the same thing for the other ingredients.

Eggs can be tricky, but most recipes are more forgiving than you'd think.

 

[abifae]

For most things, you can take the recipe, divide the amounts by the number of servings, then multiply by the number of people you have.

So if a baking-powder biscuit recipe calls for 2 C flour and serves 4, you need 1/2 C/person. For 7 people, you use 3-1/2 C, for 8, us 4 C. Then do the same thing for the other ingredients.

Even easier with the main dish. Just make sure the meat amount is right and multiply from there. 1/4 pound per serving. Children oft eat less than one and adults eat 2-3.

 

[VickiLynn]

Until you get the hang of it, maybe stick to making things where the leftovers would freeze well (chili, meatloaf,...) so they could be used down the line for someone's lunch. You've taken on quite a lot! I'm sure your daughter appreciates knowing her family is taken-care-of while she's in Afghanistan.

 

[Britesea]

I spent years cooking for seven, and I usually just made a double recipe of stuff ( since most of them serve 4). If you are running out of food, just add more side dishes; most people eat way more than they should of the meat anyway. Another idea is to start the meal with a simple soup-- egg drop, or miso or something like that.

When feeding larger groups of people, it is more economical to make dishes that use pieces of meat cut up in a base-- such as stews, stir fries, and casseroles. People will be satisfied with less meat that way than if you have chops or steaks or a roast. I only did those once or twice a week.

 

[Farmfresh]

From my family's church cookbook:

Elephant Stew:
1 medium size elephant
2 rabbits (optional)
55 gal barrel brown gravy
salt and pepper to taste

Cut elephant into bite size pieces, this takes about 2 months. Add enough gravy to cover. Cook over an open fire for about 4 weeks at 465 degrees.

Serves 3,600.

If more are expected, the 2 rabbits may be added to provide additional portions, but do this only as a last minute emergency. Most people do not like finding a hare in their stew.


Sorry, I couldn't help myself

Thanks Jamie, I needed that!!

 

[cknmom]

I like the elephant stew!!

I have started making more sides. Now that it is going to be getting cooler soon, I will start making soups also. I did see a farmers market sunday, but we did not stop. IMy husband and SIL found people selling produce and other stuff in the parking lot at rural king. We will check them out also. Thanks for the ideas and recipes. Gotta go, timers going off.
Monica

 

[freemotion]

How about:

A large pan of baked chicken thighs, enough for two meals.....put a platter on the table with enough for one meal, and reserve the rest for soup the next day. Simple veggies with it....maybe something that can go in the oven with it, like acorn squash halves, and a big pan of greens. My grandmothers, with large families, would actually make the soup with a cut up chicken, not boning it....each serving would get a hunk of chicken and you had to pick at it yourself. I always bone the chicken when I make soup....but that method sure must've been easy. If the thighs are pre-baked, you can strip off the meat when they are cooled and put the browned skin and bones on to simmer overnight for the broth, then add the meat and veggies in the next day.

Pot roast or corned beef cooked with veggies all in the same large pot: potatoes, carrots, turnips/rutabagas, and if corned beef, a head of cabbage cut into eight wedges. Leftovers become soup or are frozen for a future soup when there are enough appropriate leftovers.

A big pot of soup with make-your-own sandwiches or grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches.

Get more crock pots in various sizes....it is amazing what you can put in a crockpot and leave it all day!

Big pans of lasagna....leftovers freeze nicely in one-serving sizes.

Pizza is always a hit and leftovers for breakfast, lunch, or snacks.

When there are enough single-serve portions in the freezer, make it a pick-one night and everyone gets to pick what they want heated up for supper.

Nachos are a favorite supper.....have lots of dips such as bean paste or refried beans, sour cream or drained kefir, chopped tomatoes, olives, guacamole, diced hot peppers, etc. When everyone is seated at the table, put the chips on foil-lined cookie sheets and sprinkle with grated cheese and broil until melted....stand by the oven, this is fast! Divide onto plates and everyone can plop blobs of their favorite dips right on their plates. It is super fast to throw another cookie sheet of chips into the oven.