Easy-peasy meals for a large group... Suggestions?

[Shortpants]

Re: Easy-peasy meals for a large group... Suggestions?

Take a look at this thread:

http://www.campingforums.com/forum/s...-One-pot-meals

Several dishes that you can cook completely on site or prep ahead.

Find a recipe you like but it only serves say 4? Give a holler and we'll help increase the servings.

Another taco type dish is chicken gyros or shawarma

One person mans the meat grill for the chicken; another heats the pita bread and others wash and cut the salad, make the dressing. Much like tacos the eaters puts their own sandwiches together from platters of food placed on the table. Want to bulk up the meal? Serve rice on the side.

A pot of spaghetti w/ meat sauce , a big ol green salad and bruschetta or garlic bread.

Italian wedding sandwiches and an antipasti platter Use those loverly jarred foods like artichoke hearts, marinated 'shrooms; cherry tomatoes and oil marinated olives

Roast a pork shoulder/Boston butt at home, shred the meat, freeze it and make pulled pork sliders served on potato rolls w/ your fav type of slaw (carrot, cole, broccoli). Up to it? Grill some corn ears.

Right now, beef for stewing is on sale (bottom round) for 3-4.99/lb, my way. Could make a nice crock-potted beef stew at home that you freeze and add little potatoes roasted over the fire ( or just boil them before you leave home and reheat over the campfire wrapped in foil with baby carrots), add to stew and serve with wide egg noodles that cook faster than any Italian pasta except the 'spensive fresh variety. Sour cream on the side, sprinkle some fresh chopped parsley over the noodles and they'll love ya.

Thank you NYCgrrl! I forgot about that thread! It was a fantabulous reminder of recipes I had saved on my old computer before it bit the big one and I lost everything. I always drool over your incredible camping menus, and really appreciate your ideas. I really like the gyros and antipasti platter, something we haven't done before and I think will go over well with our group. Actually, pretty much everything sounds like a safe bet, the pulled pork sliders would be a hit, and I have a recipe we do at home using the country style ribs that are constantly on sale cheap for us. Hmmmmm.... Got the `ol brain working now! haha!

[Shortpants]

Re: Easy-peasy meals for a large group... Suggestions?

Cut slit in film. Microwave on high 4 minutes, peel back film, stir, replace film, cook an additional 2-3 minutes.

Would need a reeeeeeeeeeeealy long extension cord for this.....

HAHAHAHA!!!!

[Shortpants]

Re: Easy-peasy meals for a large group... Suggestions?

+1 for tacos, especially if there are kids involved. To make them even easier (and simplify cleanup), do walking tacos. Get snack-size bags of corn chips (like Fritos) or tortillas (Doritos), open them up, scoop in the meat, cheese, etc. and chow down! Also, try to vary up the eat choices. I mix up a bunch of my own taco seasoning (those little packets have way too much sodium and too little flavor) and use it on ground beef, turkey or shredded chicken. It's also really easy to cook the meat up ahead of time, freeze it, then reheat over a campfire or in a camp dutch oven.

Also, for breakfast, I'd suggest Baked Oatmeal. I've made that recipe on several scout trips and it always disappears. I triple everything except the brown sugar (only double that), skip the cranberries and add an extra 1/2 cup of milk, then cook it in a 12" Lodge DO with 9 coals around the bottom and 16-18 on the lid for about 30-40 minutes. To make life easier, I mix up the dry ingredients at home and put 'em into a gallon sized zip-top bag.

Ooooo, walking tacos, yes! I had done those a few years ago for arrival/setup night on one of our trips and they did work out quite well. I might have to run the baked oatmeal up the flagpole with the group, while my family loves oatmeal and I think it's a excellent camping breakfast, I know some of our group are dyed in the wool eggs and meat for breakfast type folks. Meh, you never know though, being outside works up quite the appetite, so they might just entertain some yummy, hearty oatmeal for breakfast. Thank you!

[Shortpants]

Re: Easy-peasy meals for a large group... Suggestions?

For breakfasts, you can get the flavored oatmeal and/or cream of wheat individual packets. Heat water over the fire and let folks fix their own bowl with their preferred flavor. Add some cut up melons and you're good to go. You can also get a "just add water" pancake mix and pre-mix it the night before - or the shake and pour - and let folks fix their own in the morning. Bring some blueberries, chocolate chips, etc. and they can add them into their individual pancakes as desired.

Lunches go simple with fruit, cheese and crackers, salami, etc. They can grab when they're hungry and not worry about stoves or fires.

Tacos really are easy and simple. You can also do a search on foil packet meals that can get placed in the fire. Folks can put in their own ingredients as desired and then put them in the fire. Potatoes, meats, various veggies, cheese, eggs, etc. Corn on the cob cooked in foil in the fire.

Another vote for oatmeal! I try and avoid the packets because of the added sugar, but for space and packing purposes, that would surely be handy! With some fruit on the side it would be perfect. I, for one, cannot eat eggs and bacon/sausage every morning, some variety would be nice. I hadn't even thought of pancakes with add-your-own flavorings. I *might* have an old CI griddle kicking around that would fit the camp stove, but if memory serves I think it's cracked.... Booooo! But if I can come up with something to cook more than 2 pancakes at a time, I might have to add this option to the roster.

We generally only do two full meals a day at our gatherings, a breakfast/brunch meal and dinner, with snacks and whatnot in between, so definitely making a list of no-fire-needed munchies for those who feel a little peckish before the next meal.

*Sigh* Foil packet meals have been vetoed by Hubby. LOL! I have tried to get him to try then on pretty much EVERY trip we have gone on and he turns his nose up. Not sure what the hang up is, to be honest, but he makes that yucky face when I suggest them. Maybe I can FINALLY get him to give it a try this trip!

[Shortpants]

Re: Easy-peasy meals for a large group... Suggestions?

Maybe on the left coast. Over here, particularly in the northeast, Tri-tip - when you can find it - is prohibitively expensive. My butcher occasionally has a "special" price of $8.99/lb, but it's usually $11.99. If I'm doing beef, it'll be chuck roast or brisket.

But, back to the OP's situation & question: the reality is that there are many options, but the secret to making them successful is preparation. As much as possible, measure and prep ingredients ahead of the trip. As an example, for scout trips, we'd usually prepare 5 or 6 desserts. A week ahead, I'd measure out all the dry ingredients into zip-top bags or plastic containers, clearly labeled with all of the stuff for a particular item in a larger zip-top bag or small box. That way, when we started on dessert prep I could just hand the box to someone and they'd be off. Most veggies (celery, carrots, onions, etc.) can be peeled, diced and frozen with little to no loss in flavor or texture.

Also, if the goal is to come up with some different ideas, why not just ask the people who'll be there what they want? If you have Google account, set up a Google Form survey for folks to fill out. If you don't, there are other options (Survey Monkey, etc.) that will let you collect and organize responses rather than try to coordinate a menu from emails, texts, phone calls and conversations. If there are kids involved, encourage parents to include them in the process. When kids get to pick what they're going to eat, they'll be more inclined to eat it.

Thank you SO much for the reminder that meal planning does not need to fall completely on my shoulders! I tend to be the "Mama" for our group, planning out who does what, making sure everyone is fed, yadda, yadda, yadda. Sometimes that means I spend so much time planning, prepping, cooking and cleaning that I forget to relax and have a good time myself. I really like the idea of getting everyone involved in the planning and making it a group effort rather than me just telling everyone what to do. We do have quite a few kiddos in the mix too, so getting them involved would make feeding them easier in the long run too. We do create a Facebook event for every gathering we have to make planning easier and have all conversations in a central place, looks like a community conversation is in order.

[Shortpants]

Re: Easy-peasy meals for a large group... Suggestions?

I agree with Chad that having the folks going give their input, however, I think in the OP's situation, there are 15 people camping and most have had electrical appliances, etc., to prepare their foods and only a few are familiar with cooking on a fire and/or a campstove. In addition, those campstoves really don't do well with large pots (which you need for feeding 15 people) - so you have to work that into the process.

For those reasons, I think giving the group suggestions on meals that can work and then letting them throw out some variations, etc., is a better way to go. Otherwise you spend all your time explaining why lasagna isn't going to work...

Agreed, given that some in our group aren't really well-versed in what works for a campfire meal and what doesn't, I'm inclined to offer suggestions to make sure mealtime goes smoothly. We have had a couple gatherings where dinner wasn't until 10 PM or later due to poor meal planning, so add that to the complications of having fire or camp stove as your only source of heat, and you have a large group of "hangry" people. Plus, I don't really want to eat hot dogs and sausages on sticks over the fire for five days... maybe one meal, but that is WAY too much meat in tube form for this chicky. LOL!

[Shortpants]

Re: Easy-peasy meals for a large group... Suggestions?

And here is another reference thread dedicated to camping meals. It's pretty extensive (over 100 posts) and chock full of ideas:

http://www.hometalkentertainment.com...icken+shawarma

HTH!

Awesome thread with TONS of ideas! Thank you!

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Easy-peasy meals for a large group... Suggestions?

Awesome thread with TONS of ideas! Thank you!

Thanks, sweetness.
That was my home away from home for many a year. Posted with the same group of people as we moved from one site to another......we actually got kicked out of HGTV's forum fer being smarty pants...oops. Still, literally, had the opportunity to watch kids grow from their middle school football uniforms to joining the fire jumpers as an adult. Forum closed down because the administrator was ready to move on but there is talk of re-opening it; time will tell.


I noticed that some of the hyperlinks won't open so as I find them I'll repost.

Here's one that discusses how to pack a cooler, develop a menu so no leftovers are brought home and gives recipes. I've made several of the recipes like the shortbread and fruit, spice rub and French toast and can say it's on the money:

http://www.cookinglight.com/entertai...oking/view-all

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Easy-peasy meals for a large group... Suggestions?

+1 for tacos, especially if there are kids involved. To make them even easier (and simplify cleanup), do walking tacos. Get snack-size bags of corn chips (like Fritos) or tortillas (Doritos), open them up, scoop in the meat, cheese, etc. and chow down! Also, try to vary up the eat choices. I mix up a bunch of my own taco seasoning (those little packets have way too much sodium and too little flavor) and use it on ground beef, turkey or shredded chicken. It's also really easy to cook the meat up ahead of time, freeze it, then reheat over a campfire or in a camp dutch oven.

Also, for breakfast, I'd suggest Baked Oatmeal. I've made that recipe on several scout trips and it always disappears. I triple everything except the brown sugar (only double that), skip the cranberries and add an extra 1/2 cup of milk, then cook it in a 12" Lodge DO with 9 coals around the bottom and 16-18 on the lid for about 30-40 minutes. To make life easier, I mix up the dry ingredients at home and put 'em into a gallon sized zip-top bag.

My version of baked oatmeal was a giant fail due to the Princess' sensory testing:(. Made it in advance with steel rolled oats, blueberries, assorted nuts and maple caramel. We were only 4 so I portioned it out before freezing. It was nice (to everyone else) on it's own heated on the grill and as a crumble over youghurt and fresh fruit. I've made it for adult trips with no problems.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Easy-peasy meals for a large group... Suggestions?

OK.......just spoke w/ the site's frmr mod and she said that any "inhouse" hyperlink within a thread won't open unless I can find the original thread. Aye carumba.

Found one labeled campfire desserts:

http://www.hometalkentertainment.com...mpfire+dessert

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Easy-peasy meals for a large group... Suggestions?

Doing a bit of menu re-tuning for self and found this link which might be of use to you as well:

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/qui...cipes/view-all

I love a recipe (or 3) that allows me to not turn on the heat, especially for afternoon meals and dinners when we've been busy all day. Have found various types of jarred and canned fish/seafood useful in that manner. I've no use for canned chicken but prolly that's just me. I tend to sub roasted chicken for canned chicken.

[James.]

Re: Easy-peasy meals for a large group... Suggestions?

Is this a situation where one person will be cooking for the group or is it being broken up into smaller groups with everyone taking care of themselves. I would think that just about anyone can cook certain things over a fire or on a camp stove (which is basically a gas grill). Hamburgers and hotdogs/brats come immediately to mind. Heck, hotdogs don't even need to be cooked. Tin foil meals are easy and can be fun. Plus everyone makes their own so it isn't lumped on one person to do all the prep.

It would also be cool to break it down into groups. That way people can swap and share which will give a bigger variety...but you will probably have to bring more supplies to make it work.

For my money Johnsonville Chedder Brats are always the way to go.

[MacGyver]

Re: Easy-peasy meals for a large group... Suggestions?

For my money Johnsonville Chedder Brats are always the way to go.

BIG fan! I take 'em out on every trip.

[bluestar99]

Re: Easy-peasy meals for a large group... Suggestions?

Thank you for this bluestar99, I had totally spaced on the fact I have my monster DO that Hubby gave me that I could press into service for this trip. That opens up a whole other world of meal options for us. I have brought it every small family trip we've been on and done everything from sausage gravy and biscuits to pork roasts in it, so definitely a great option for feeding the crew! Any recipe sites you'd like to share would be greatly appreciated!

This is my favorite DO recipe site. The lady that did it was trying to make a cookbook. Her goal was to make something in her dutch oven everyday for a year and then publish a cookbook. I've made many of her recipes and have found them great. http://dutchovenmadness.blogspot.com...1_archive.html

You can also just do a big cobbler in the DO as a group desert.

[ChadVKealey]

Re: Easy-peasy meals for a large group... Suggestions?

Thank you SO much for the reminder that meal planning does not need to fall completely on my shoulders! I tend to be the "Mama" for our group, planning out who does what, making sure everyone is fed, yadda, yadda, yadda. Sometimes that means I spend so much time planning, prepping, cooking and cleaning that I forget to relax and have a good time myself. I really like the idea of getting everyone involved in the planning and making it a group effort rather than me just telling everyone what to do. We do have quite a few kiddos in the mix too, so getting them involved would make feeding them easier in the long run too. We do create a Facebook event for every gathering we have to make planning easier and have all conversations in a central place, looks like a community conversation is in order.

I've been part of a lot of crews that cooked for large groups (mother's day brunches for 100-150, weekend camping trips for 80-100, and a few others), I can say it's absolutely important to have one person who's "in charge", but there need to be others to whom the "crew chief" can delegate either parts of meals or entire meals. With my son's Cub Scout pack, we'd create a duty roster with two crews for each meal (prep/cook and serve/clean-up). With 15 people, you probably don't need to be that regimented and one crew per meal would be plenty.

It's also important to have things organized. If the dinner crew has to spend a half an hour digging around to find all their ingredients or find the recipe, they're going to get frustrated.

The bottom line is that on a trip like this, there are lots of jobs to be done - both in the kitchen and out - and everyone can contribute in some way. Sometimes it just takes a little digging to find out what skills and talents each person brings to the party.