Cooking for a crowd, but food needs to be cooked ahead of time...

14 years ago

I usually do the majority of the cooking when we go to the beach for our family vacation (10 people). I like to plan ahead and have my "menus" before I leave... and even have the majority of the main dish prepared if possible.

Any suggestions on meals that I could prepare at home and freeze prior to vacation?

Two meals that I am thinking about...

Spicy Marinated Roast (sorry, don't know who submitted this recipe, but it has been a favorite of my families for a few years now... I got it off of this forum). The roast is cooked ahead of time, sliced thin and then marinated in this wonderful spicy marinade for 8 hrs prior to serving (just heat up in the oven). This one works great because I can cook it at home on Friday, stick it in the marinade and in the cooler and we eat it on Sunday (don't have to freeze).

I'm also thinking about cooking a large Pork Roast with veggies... that covers a side dish or two since the potatoes, carrots and onions cook along with the meat.

I've done lasagna a few years. I make it ahead of time and freeze it. The kids really love it.... so it may have to stay in my rotation.

Any other ideas? Either a big casserole type dish that I can freeze ahead of time or a fairly easy/simple big dish that doesn't require a lot of prep work. I'll get the majority of the groceries once we get to the beach, so it can be something that I purchase and prepare while I am there.

There will be a few kids there, so I don't want anything "out of the ordinary".

.........Fruit Torte will definitely be on the menu every night!!!!!........... LOL

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

lindac
14 years ago
Meat loaf.....and try Ann's trick of heating the slices on the grill.
It seems to me people are starving at the beach....things like a cook all day in the oven pot roast would be good, or a corned beef.
We always had a turkey which served for lunches as well as an evening meal or 2, and we always bought fresh fish several times.
Enjoy....I miss the ocean something awful!
annie1992
14 years ago
Let's see, what can be made ahead and frozen? Chicken pot pie, or even better since you're at the ocean, Lobster Pot Pie, I saw Ina Garten make one and couldn't figure out why I'd never thought of it. She used puff pastry dough, making it fast, instead of homemade dough.

Cabbage rolls do well made ahead and frozen, then baked with the sauce when needed, or just cooked all day in a crockpot.

Macaroni and cheese is easy and fast to put together and nearly everyone likes it.

A "taco bar" has been discussed here many times, and it's something that people can put together as they like, you can use ground meat, marinated chicken, pulled pork or beef, or all or any combination, and some tortilla chips along with the toppings could yield nachos and taco salad for those who like that.

LindaC's idea of meatloaf is a good one, and a couple of roasted chickens can yield hot chicken sandwiches, that above mentioned pot pie, chicken tetrazzini, chicken salad sandwiches, chicken enchiladas. You can't go wrong with a couple of roasted chickens.

Your leftover roast can yield a shepherd's pie too, my girls loved it, along with Spanish Rice made with ground beef to make it a full meal.

As well as dinners, how about breakfast? Lots of breakfast casseroles are quick and easy, and I make Woodie's Creme Brulee French Toast the night before and just bake it in the morning. The smell alone got my kids out of bed! Biscuits and gravy are pretty fast, if you bake biscuits the night before for supper and then heat them in the morning. BreaKfast burritos are easy to make ahead and freeze, as are "McMuffins", which then only need thawing and heating. Oatmeal cooks overnight with fruit in the crockpot really well too.

I'm sure you have cookies, brownies, desserts covered. LOL Cookies and brownies freeze well, but the dough can also be made ahead and refrigerated for a day or two, and baked off as needed.

Oh, and I have a cinnamon roll recipe that calls for making the dough the night before, letting it rise in the refrigerator and baking them the next day for hot, fresh cinnamon rolls, if you're interested in that.

Annie
Related Discussions
Do you cook all food using convection? do you modify recipe times
Q
Comments (10)
I took a little course put on by the Wolf distributor here ... it was very informational. They didn't recommend using straight convection for anything that has much of a side on the pan, because the side blocks the air circulation, which is how the food is being cooked, so the top will cook faster than the inside. But it's fine to use convection with cookie sheets and broiler pans, or at least try to use the lowest side available. Also, don't cover food if you're using convection. They recommended convection bake for pies, not straight convection. And, if you are using straight convection, flavors will not transfer (eg, it's okay to bake a tray of bacon-wrapped scallops on one rack and cookies on another). They also said to turn down heat 25 degrees and reduce time 20 to 25 percent with convection, which matches what I've heard elsewhere. Here is the percentage of oven element used for each mode (this is for Wolf) Bake stone = 40% broil, 60% stone Bake = 10% broil, 90% bake (the hidden element on bottom) Convection bake = 90% fan, 10% bake Broil = 100% broil Convection broil = 100% broil, 100% fans Roast = 25% broil, 75% bake Convection roast = 25% broil, 75% fans Convection = 100% fans
...See More
The Relationship Of Cooking, Food And Companionship
Q
Comments (24)
DH & I spent 6 years together only on weekends. We had an apartment in NY where he stayed during the week & I stayed in Mystic. Only sometimes would I spend a couple weeks in NY. I cooked in Mystic & froze individual servings of entrees, sides, desserts, & snacks. DH would transport via our huge boat ice chest every week. I cooked for us both on the weekends. I, OTOH, had the same opportunity to eat great POOF'd meals but rather just grabbed a carton of yogurt, a spoonful of peanut butter, or a slice of cheese & piece of fruit calling it "dinner". I didn't follow a schedule...usually ate when I realized I'd had nothing for the day. I didn't care enough about eating to even bother getting something from the freezer & walking it to the nuker. Just didn't have an appetite. But I loved cooking to fill the freezer for DH. He ate very well. I love cooking more than I love eating. Now, he's retired & we're both in Mystic. Suddenly, I'm ravenous! Now granted, the steroids I have to take now have something to do with it but it's a lot more...it's having DH here to share a meal. There's no doubt in my mind that if I were permanently alone I wouldn't bother with much cooking. I enjoy good food but (pre-spinal injury/stroke) I'd likely be involved with my piano, gardening, or painting/drawing & just never think much about eating. When I'm deeply involved in something food doesn't occur to me. DH, OTOH, wants 3 meals/day & gets grouchy if he misses one. :) Bottom line, I enjoy cooking for others but would rarely (if ever) do much for just myself. Another thing, after I've prepared a huge family holiday meal I then don't want to eat. I either don't eat at all or just pick at a small plate. Then, hours later I'll fix myself leftovers (love leftovers!). When the kids were all home it was frequently the same thing. After fixing a big family dinner I didn't want to eat. So, I'd fix something light, or leftovers again, after the kids were down. After cooking a big meal I'm just not hungry anymore. I could definitely work as a chef & not gain a single pound. Being around all that food...I'd never be hungry. /tricia
...See More
Cooked the turkey breast: long cooking time
Q
Comments (13)
Thanks everyone. Yes, I used an oven thermometer. It's an old one (the standard metal frame) and I have no reason to think it's off, since setting the oven 25 degrees lower seems to work almost all the time.... and NOT setting it lower tends to burn/brown the food too much (though I haven't tried that for a long while....). In addition, I always put the rack in the middle of the oven (unless the recipe says to do otherwise), then put the thermometer in the middle of the rack on which I'll put the pan, and wait until it registers at (or very close to) the temp I want. And, yes, the breast was cold when it went into the oven -- I made the herb paste in the morning, spread it on, covered with foil, and put it in the fridge. I wanted to go for a bike ride and didn't want to cut that short to come back and prepare the turkey; all I'd need to do is stick it in the oven. No doubt, letting it sit at room temp for about an hour would have made a difference in cooking time. I bought it fresh, not frozen, and kept it in the fridge until cooking time. (I removed the foil except for the last 30 minutes.) So, next time I'll let it sit for about an hour at room temp before cooking, then let it reach 165 degrees before removing it from the oven. This was Ina's recipe and tried and true so I'm going on the assumption I did something differently. It wasn't overly dry.... a little on the dry side. The flavor is great and I would definitely make it again, but not for company until I get this right! I also made the dill potatoes (posted here before), and brussel sprouts blanched then tossed w/ EVOO and drizzled with finely chopped walnuts then roasted in the oven. Hubby (who does most of the cooking since he's retired and I am still working) said "This is really good, Hon." .... then, after dinner, "Good job!" All's well that ends well! :-) Thank you all so much!! What a great forum.
...See More
Do You Love To Cook? Cook A Lot? Multiple Cook Family?
Q
Comments (27)
This thread, which I didn't catch the first time around, made me think. In general, I cook to eat and feed my family. However, I do enjoy baking for special occasions. I think that if I didn't work outside the home I would cook more...and be more adventurous. But, I work and have a long commute so by the time I get home I have to make fast meals with little time for creativity or major prep work. So, we eat a lot of frozen veggies--as is out of the bag, pre-cooked meats warmed up, pasta, soup, occasionally waffles/pancakes/eggs, potatoes, etc. I.e., for the most part things that I can cook fast. One up side to this is that our meals haven't changed that much w/o a kitchen since we do have a MW, Toaster Oven, and hot plate to cook with! One very big downside to this, though, is that my children are not learning to cook like I did from my mom. Back on topic... After finding this site and reading about zones, I realized that one thing that I really wanted was a baking center. So when my kitchen was being designed I had it in the back of my head that whatever we ended up with had to have an area I could designate my "Baking Zone", preferably near the ovens--with room to roll out dough, spread out cookie sheets, and have cookie cutters spread out all at the same time! The other thing I got from this site was our window...having the window down to the counter (OK, not cooking-related, but a very important design element!) Our very first plan that our KD came up with had input from us...but a very naive/ignorant us! (Before GW...BGW!) Then....I found this site.....and the changes began. Actually, I posted that original plan and asked for help (and also asked my KD to start over w/no island) Many, many people here helped me come up with a plan over several weeks (months?). We finally came up with a plan that has changed little since then. Interestingly, when I took away the island "must have", my KD came up with a plan very similar to what we came up with here. The only 3 differences were (1) no mini peninsula, (2) a 36" pantry cabinet rather than a corner pantry, and (3) no separate Message Center cabinets. My KD wasn't completely happy w/our differences, but she, wisely I thought, told me to go home and mock up what I wanted to see how it would work (same advice I got here!) Well, the mock up was great! It proved that I did indeed want the mini peninsula (I liked it so much I left the mock up in place until demo and used it!) When I told her the results, she didn't argue, she accepted it telling me it's my kitchen, so ultimately it's up to me. So in the end, my design was/is based on what I wanted, not what the KD wanted. [If only someone else had measured my kitchen and she was given more authority, I think a lot of subsequent problems would have been avoided.] Our kitchen isn't done yet, but it's close...so I can't yet tell you how it is going to work for us...but we are so...
...See More
starlightfarm
Original Author
14 years ago
You guys are endless with your suggestions! We may need to stay at the beach an extra week or two... just so I can try out all these recipes!

The taco salad idea is GREAT! As well as the roasted chicken (I may try the 5 hour Sticky Finger Chicken recipe that I love so much from this bulletin board). I could get it started right after lunch... head out and enjoy the afternoon on the beach and voila! Dinner's ready!

Hubby and I don't eat much red meat, but the rest of the family does.... and they love meat loaf (why didn't I think of that??!!).

Thanks a million!
trsinc
14 years ago
Starlight,

Could you please post the recipe for the spicy marinated roast? It's just me and hubby here and that sounds like a great way to have roast two ways.
starlightfarm
Original Author
14 years ago
trsinc.... certainly! I'll dig it up and post it. I make it all the time when we have a large crowd coming over and I've never had a single person that didn't love it. It's a great "make-ahead" recipe.
starlightfarm
Original Author
14 years ago
Spicy Marinated Eye of Round Roast

1 (3-5lb) eye of round roast
3 sweet onions (sliced)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Spicy Sauce:
chopped fresh parsley
2 cups ketchup
2 cups water
2 large sweet onions, sliced
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp hot sauce
1 bay leaf

Place roast in a roasting pan; add onions, salt and pepper. Bake, covered, at 325 degrees for 3 hours and 30 minutes. Cool and cut into thin slices. Place in a large ovenproof container; add Spicy sauce. Cover and chill 8 hours. Remove from fridge and let stand at room temp 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish, if desired. Serve with mashed potaotes.

For sauce: Bring all ingredients to a boil in a dutch oven over medium heat; reduce heat to low and cook 1 hour. Cool. Discard bay leaf. Yield 7 cups.

Source: Southern Living Magazine, Nov 1999 issue
________________________________

As I have said, this is a wonderful recipe that I can make ahead of time, marinate overnight and heat up the next day. The meat is so tender and the sauce is scrumptious. You MUST have potatoes or rice to soak up the sauce (my crew prefers the potatoes).

I feel certain that I printed this from someone here on the Cooking/Recipe Forum, but I have no idea who posted it.... I wish that I could take credit for it, but I can't!

I will say that the sauce makes WAY more than enough for a smaller roast. For my big group, I usually cook two roasts and one recipe of the sauce, and it is plenty.
starlightfarm
Original Author
14 years ago
I finally found the original poster (thanks to pat_t for posting the original recipe!).... here is a link to the thread (I hope it works!)....

Here is a link that might be useful: Spicy Marinated Eye of Round Roast
trsinc
14 years ago
Thank you! Can't wait to try it.
sheilajoyce_gw
14 years ago
Pulled BBQ pork sandwiches would work great too.
brownthumbia
14 years ago
Oh, that roast sounds superb and I'm gonna try that one for sure. One thing that goes over well with my family, is very simple, (nothing fancy with my guys!!) I brown about 4 pounds ground beef with salt and pepper, when done drain the liquid off, add 1 can tomato soup, stir well, toss it in the crock pot, on low. It can be in there for a long time, the longer the better.Go join them on the beach or wherever they are!! Serve on hamburger buns, dill pickles, catsup, onions, mustard, whatever you want on them. Tossed lettuce for salad, and if you want potatoes I guess whatever is your favorites but we do thing the lazy way and we have chips and dips with ours. Along with this I make a large pan of baked beans because they are as good cold as hot, or almost anyway. As I said we are not fancy, just hungry!! This can certainly be made ahead of time and frozen if you want. Only you know how much to make but you get the idea anyway. Have fun at the beach!!! BT

Cooking for a crowd, but food needs to be cooked ahead of time...

Comments (10)

lindac

annie1992

Related Discussions

starlightfarm
Original Author

trsinc

starlightfarm
Original Author

starlightfarm
Original Author

starlightfarm
Original Author

trsinc

sheilajoyce_gw

brownthumbia

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Cooking for a crowd, but food needs to be cooked ahead of time...

Comments (10)

lindac

annie1992

Related Discussions

starlightfarmOriginal Author

trsinc

starlightfarmOriginal Author

starlightfarmOriginal Author

starlightfarmOriginal Author

trsinc

sheilajoyce_gw

brownthumbia

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

starlightfarm
Original Author

starlightfarm
Original Author

starlightfarm
Original Author

starlightfarm
Original Author