why do you have to plan all the meals? Can't some of the other adults help?
I wouldn't plan "recipes"...but basic food.
Breakfast would be a choice of cereals milk and local fruit, alternating with eggs and bacon or ham, and pancakes with local fruit...likely blueberries.
Lunchw ould be make it your self sandwiches, just lay out choices of breads or rolls and sliced meats and cheeses, mayo, mustard....with the occasional tuna or egg salad, cookies and that should be fine.
dinners I would rely on stir fry, if you are Chinese you should be able to whip up all sorts of veggie meat mixtures to serve over rice from the cooker.
You can also do things like roast chickens, whole chickens on a baking sheet in the oven is easy, just line them up and bake at 375 until done. 4 3 1/2 pound chickens ought to do well for your crowd and might even provide leftovers for fried rice in the morning.
I wouldn't plan every meal, it's vacation, be spontaneous...who knows some night it just might be fun to sit around and eat hot dogs from a stick...or fish from the lake.
One time I remember being on a vacation with several other familys ( our kids were friends) and deciding we wanted to try to find some place to go for pizza, but the other family couldn't because "she" had planned on something and that was that. The teen wanted to go with us and we said, sure come and we'll treat for pizza....but she wouldn't let him because she had planned on..something.
Don't over plan, be flexible, take lots of cereals, flour, sugar, butter and what ever condiments you like, but plan the meals only a few days at a time, but be sure you always have a meal that can come from a can or a package in reserve....I suggest jarred spagetti sauce and pasta as a go to in emergency
To feed 21 people you will need 4 pounds of potatoes about 4 pounds of boneless meat, 6 to 7 pounds with bone in, 3 or 4 pounds of green beans, 2 loaves of bread for sandwiches, etc.
Have fun!
Linda C

You will make things easier on yourself and everyone else if you stick to simple summertime foods:

~fresh fruit for breakfast

~bagels, toast, and sweet breads like banana bread or blueberry bread for breakfast

~maybe pancakes or waffles a couple of mornings

~grilled chicken for dinner one night with extra cooked to add to salad the next day for lunch

~grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for one dinner

~fresh vegetables, simply cooked: corn on the cob, baked potatoes, steamed green beans, stewed squash and onions

~somemores for dessert: graham crackers topped with squares of Hershey bars and hot toasted marshmallows or banana boats - whole bananas, one section of peel carefully removed, banana slit, chocolate bar and marshmallows added, peel section repositioned and the banana wrapped in foil and put in coals in the fire until ooey gooey good

~cold cuts and cheese to make sandwiches

~ice cream sundaes if you have room to store ice cream in a freezer

~Stir Fry Night since you are planning to bring a rice cooker (can you steam veggies in that rice cooker?)

~packets on the grill: a portion of fish, some julienned vegetables, herbs, squeeze of lemon in a foil packet, sealed and placed on the grill (easy clean-up too).

Sounds like fun!
Teresa

Linda and Teresa, thank you both so much for your suggestions. Yes, I will try to make things casual and take it easy. We are the only ones in WI; everyone else is flying in from all corners of the country the night before so I feel responsible for taking care of as many details as possible. Only my father-in-law will be picky about food but...well, he will have to deal. It will be hard to make elaborate Asian meals with the accomodations we will have to work with. Even our 6 cup rice cookers won't be enough for a crowd of our size! :)

Do you have a big freezer or friends who would be willing to share their freezer space for a few days? I assume you'll have refrigerators and freezers in each cabin? If at all possible I would make and freeze a few things ahead of time. Things like chili, hungarian goulash, gumbo, etc. come to mind. You could also cook up a huge batch of ground beef for use with jarred spaghetti sauce, crispy tacos, soft tacos, enchiladas, etc. I'm from Texas, can you tell? lol

But I do think it's a good idea to try and criss cross ingredients. You could bring macaroni noodles to throw into the goulash, and make macaroni salad the next day, etc. Corn and flour tortillas for soft tacos at supper, then 2 days later have breakfast tacos with egg, bacon, whatever. Or get all the stoves and grills going and make quesadillas, yum. Does that make any sense?

If you can manage freezer space, then you'd have a few meals done in the privacy of your own home without the added stress. Just an idea.

Pasta is usually well liked and can be made in advance, spaghetti and meatballs or lasagna are things my family always likes.

I agree with the burgers and hotdogs or brats on the grill and cookies or brownies can be made ahead and frozen or will keep a couple of days after baking. "Make your own" is always a good idea, like sandwiches.

If you are remote, will there be at least a grocery store or will you have to bring coolers with you to pack the food when you travel? If you have to pack coolers, you could use them to bring along some of the pre-made items too.

So, recipes. What are you thinking about? Does your family like specific things? I'm assuming that you don't need recipes for Asian foods and stir fries, but how about pasta with clam sauce or muffins or desserts? Marinade for chicken or add-ins for burgers?

I agree that most of the meals should be kept simple, with that many people. Several chickens, as suggested by LindaC or even a turkey could go into the oven, or duck if your family prefers Breakfast casseroles like Creme Brulee French Toast can be made the night before and just popped into the oven in the morning, potatoes can be cooked ahead and sliced for american fries and muffins and quick breads freeze well.

If you want to make one spectacular meal, get help!

Annie

WOW a week of meals for 21 people! You really do need to be organized. Start with a menu for each day, then recipes and grocery lists can follow. This is only an example , we really would need to understand what the food likes and dislikes are.

Breakfast - in addition to menus like these also have three boxes of cold cereal on hand as a choice for each day

Day 1 - fresh fruit, muffins and beverages (juice , coffee , tea)
Day 2 - pancakes, sausages and beverages
Day 3 - bagels, croissants and fruit
Day 4 - overnight breakfast casserole (there are a million recipes)
Day 5 - fresh fruit and quick breads or muffins
Day 6 - scrambled eggs, bacon and sliced tomatoes

Lunch - a light salad or cole slaw is a nice side at lunch

Day 1 - selection of cold cuts and rolls for make your own sandwiches
Day 2 - hot dogs on the grill
Day 3 - Toasted tomato sandwiches
Day 4 - pizzas on the grill or in the oven (buy the pizza dough and provide a selection of toppings and let people make their own)
Day 5 - tuna, egg, salmon salad sandwiches
Day 6 - tacos or burritos
Day 7 - repeat something

Dinner -
Day 1 - Burgers and Brats with potato salad and slaw , fresh corn on the cob
Day 2 - Stir fry and rice
Day 3 - Make your own Fajitas and salad
Day 4 - BBQ chicken, grilled potatoes and grilled veggies
Day 5 - Spaghetti, salad and garlic bread
Day 6 - Asian style pork tenderloin on the grill with rice or a simple Asian noodle dish
Day 7 - Different stir fry

Again this is just an idea, you may not like half the food. That's OK but start with a list for each day and then massage it to get the most mileage from the same ingredients. Then look for recipes and make your grocery list.

If you come up with a list we would love to jump in and fine tune it for you. Recipes, quantities, hints etc.

Thank you so much everyone, for all the ideas and suggestions you've given me! My husband and I will sit down and make a big list of meal possibilities and go shopping for everything next week. My MIL is an awesome cook so I think as long as I have the materials on hand she will be able to help me make everything taste good. :) You all have helped me de-stress a great deal. I no longer feel as overwhelmed!

Don't forget to take along a nice selection of seasoning basics like salt, pepper, garlic, onion, Italian seasoning, grill seasoning, etc. Also, toss in a few lemons & limes...great additions to fish dishes & a bunch of other meals.

Peanut sauce freezes well. It will be thick when thawed. If you take a few of those cartons of chicken broth you can thin down the peanut sauce...use for chicken, rice, noodles. (Assuming no peanut allergies?)

Meatballs freeze great. Make & freeze dozens of them. Take jarred pasta sauce, & hoggie rolls. Grill the meatballs on the BBQ & make hot meatball subs either for lunch or they're ample enough to be dinner. Some melted cheese on the top would be good.

Large poundcakes cooked in a Bundt pan both freeze well & also hold for several days without drying out. Because pound cake is rich...thin slices are appropriate & 2 Bundt cakes will amply serve all of you for breakfast with some fruit. You could also toss some berries on top & call it dessert.

/tricia

Two cabins and 21 people? I hope these are LARGE cabins. Our family would kill each other with such small qtrs. to have to share - lol. Plan on bringing some frozen meat that will gradually defrost during the week, especially for the BBQ grills. Most importantly, I'd try and call ahead to either the "landlord" or renter's agent and pry out all the info you can about what equip. the cabins have: size of BBQ's, size of the refrig's, 2-burner or 4-burner stove, groc. store locations and proximities. Any restaurants or other suggestions that they might make. (Prob. best not to volunteer how many are staying in each cabin.) And for sure, I wouldn't hesitate to ASK different people each day to help with that day's food prep. This is a VERY time-consuming endeavor and unless you want to feel like a slave and resentful, you shouldn't think twice about asking for help. Hopefully your family is the type to volunteer each and every day. Some aren't. And how about a day or two off for yourself? When do YOU get to have a little fun? Just don't be afraid to ASK!!! You've got your work cut out for you. Most large family reunions actually prepare a daily list of whose turn it is to pitch in and help/prepare for each meal. If you don't, a lot of members might "just not volunteer" their assistance otherwise. At each night's gathering, you then can go over the list to remind people whose turn it is the following day and what time to show up to start the meal. What if the refrig's are real small?? You might need mulitiple coolers, ice, etc. Be sure to inquire. And good luck!!

arline

We had my family reunion here last summer and the cooking form DEstressed and helped me more than I could ever thank them. If you can take your crockpot and do things like pulled pork and pot roast that could cover a lot of meals.

I spent many summers in northern Wis. when I was a child and unless they have changed radically I would not count on freezers in the cabins. It sounds like a wonderful place for you all to be together. Be sure to take fishing tackle. That could be several meals right there. Especially great for breakfast. Take bunches of lemons and have a great time.......Tache

Oh yes. You can make a ton of plans and they won't all work out and it won't matter a bit so do not worry.

If you're going to crockpot for 21 people, you'd better take a couple! I do like that idea, though, just put supper in the crockpot, play all day, then come home and eat.

Fajitas are good in the crockpot too, as are baked beans.

Annie

I used to run a wilderness outpost and every week had to plan menus for 19-23 people, very picky kids mostly. Fridge and freezer but no stove, only grill and open fire. Transported stuff in coolers.

Plan, and also plan for flexibility like folks have said. Here are some tips I learned.

Unless you family hates it, bring Bisquick or some other type of baking mix like that. There are a gazillion things you can make with it--pancakes, waffles, biscuits, dumplings, quick breads and muffins, coffeecake, shortbreads with fresh fruit, etc. Something like that is sure to cheer everyone up, since most people like those kinds of foods.

Mayo + ketchup is French dressing
Mayo + ketchup and pickle relish is Thousand Island dressing
1/3 red wine or blasamic vinegar or lemon juice + 2/3 olive oil is Italian dressing--add dash of garlic salt and italian seasoning if you want.
Use rice wine vinegar and soy or canola oil and you have asian dressing--add cilantro, ginger and toasted sesame seed oil and dash of chili flakes if you want.

Kids like shish ka bobs. Shish ka bobs can be tofu, lamb, pork, chicken or beef meat, cubed and mixed with veggies to taste. I like green pepper, cherry tomatoes, summer squash or zuchinni and mushrooms. Marinate for an hour or more in a bottle of italian or greek dressing. I like Ken's brand or Newman's Own. If you prefer asian style, buy something citrusy or make your own, your MIL can help. Bring soy sauce or tamari, I love that for marinade.

Do you have a crockpot? Shredded beef or pulled pork are dead easy and make everyone happy. Search here or online for recipes.

Worst comes to worst, keep lots of pasta and bottled sauce on hand. Don't know what kind you like. I kept spaghetti sauce on hand, but you can keep ingredients for peanut sauce if your family likes asian better.

Canned baked beans can be jazzed up on your own with some brown sugar, hot sauce, onion, garlic, mustard, etc. Also good and easy in the crockpot. I've got a great recipe for calico beans for a crowd if you think that might be something your folks would like. It's basically a can of kidneys, can of black beans, can of white beans, hamburger, onion, etc. cooked in the crockpot. Let me know if you want me to post the whole recipe.

Potatoes keep well and everyone loves them. Fried up in the morning with veggies of your choice or not, scrambled eggs and sausage or fresh caught fish, cinnamon toast--everyone very happy!! Can be covered in aluminum foil--get the heavy kind--and baked over hot coals. Use sweet potatoes for a fun change of pace. Not too close to the heat or they will burn. Too far away and they won't cook, have fun learning the difference, lol!

Crackers and chesse and mixed nuts mixed with chocolate and dried fruit and/or granola makes good snacks, along with fresh fruit. Apples, grapes and bananas travel well. See my "new uses for old bananas" if they get brown.

Celery sticks spread with peanut butter and dotted with raisins makes a great snack too--ants on a log it is called. Peanut butter, crackers and dried fruit also good snacks. Carrots sticks with store-bought hummus.

Lots of ice tea is a good drink to have on hand. Lemonade goes over well and is dead easy to make with reconstituted lemon juice, which keeps well on the road. Add a few fresh sliced lemons to the pitcher to jazz it up.

Granola bars for the kids--easy to take on the trail. Worse comes to absolute worst--pop tarts, lol!!
Instant oatmeal for late risers who miss breakfast.

Kids love to roast marshmallows. Add grahmn crackers and chocolate pieces--s'mores. Don't roast on dry sticks, use green ones, or better yet buy some metal weenie/marshmallow roasting sticks.

Hot cocoa if the weather turns nasty, or if lactose intolerant--hot tang or hot lemonade!! Ginger tea for the grownups. Tea with lemon, honey and whisky for the really grown up!!

Sangria for a punch--cheap dryish white wine, bottle of 7-UP, glog of peach schapps or cointreau, lemon, lime slices and other fruit you have on hand. Lots of ice. Serve in clear pitcher.

Rice freezes extremely well. Make in batches and freeze lots. Woks do great on the grill or campfire.

That's about the size of our family reunions. We share bringing and preparing meals, we take turns. Is there a grocery store nearby? Salad greens are bulky as well as fresh fruits and vegs and a week is a long time. I would prepare a couple of dinners such as stews and freeze ahead of time. They can act as ice blocks to keep the rest of the cooler food cold. Even bread for sandwiches for such a big crowd gets pretty bulky. Canned chili can come in handy, with afew of your own additions or sides. Crystal light is handy and quick, less room than bottled drinks for the kids. I feel for you, we just plan 3 days of eating and everyone brings their planned food and utensils required, when camping.

You guys are the best! I've received many great ideas for the reunion, thank you!!

I've got a good list going of things I need to buy in preparation for the trip. I am worried about having enough space in the car for everything. From what friends who are familiar with the area tell me, there are grocery stores nearby but prices are of course higher. I may have to focus on bringing just the more essential items, like meat, seasonings, condiments, etc. and leave the fruits/veggies/bread, like someone else mentioned, to buy once we get there. I called the "resort" where we will be staying and they said the kitchens are "well-equipped and fully functional" with a full-size fridge, range, toaster, and slow cooker in each one. Also will have access to charcoal grills. I think we'll bring along some instant noodles that we can jazz up, along with frozen dumplings for quick meals. A friend also offered to make me a batch of "Asian spaghetti" sauce so we can put that over noodles for another easy meal.

The family dynamic is such that the women and the younger men (my generation) will all pitch in to help so it should be fun. There are always some slackers who won't even bother to clear their own dishes from the table but we're used to it so no biggie. Besides, if it gets too hectic then next year we'll all vote to go to an all-inclusive resort instead! :)

Sounds like a fab. time!
Don't forget the paper plates, lol!! I hate to use them, but sometimes you just have to, ya know!
:)