Easy Recipes for a Crowd….Or a Family Like Mine

Looking for some recipes for your next outdoor gathering? Whether you need recipes for Memorial Day, an upcoming graduation party, or just a really large family, the featured recipes below will make help you create enormous amounts of delicious food quickly and efficiently.

The recipe below for Barbecue Beef Sandwiches calls for extra lean ground chuck that is slow cooked in a sweet, spicy sauce and makes enough for at least twenty-five sandwiches. However, for the average sized family, it can easily be cut in half while still giving you leftovers for another meal. Not only is this an easy, tasty recipe when entertaining family and friends, it is also a perfect one for those busy evenings when baseball games are in full swing.  This recipe tastes delicious on any fresh sandwich rolls or buns. For homemade buns like the one featured in the photo to the left, I used a recipe for for making these healthy sandwich buns.

For quality ground chuck at an affordable price, you won’t be disappointed with the ground chuck from Fligner’s Market in Lorain. Even my kids can taste the difference between ground chuck from Fligner’s and other store-bought meat.  Not only is the taste superior, you can choose to have it packaged in whatever quantities you would like. For myself, I like having mine packaged in two pound quantities since I usually use either two or four pounds for most recipes. By stocking up and freezing when there is a sale, it’s easy to have plenty of meat set aside for cooking.

If you are looking for a vegetable side that will go with most meals, the recipe below for Twice-Baked Potatoes is delicious and looks impressive when served next to your favorite sandwiches, burgers, or grilled meat.  Creamy mashed potatoes made with sour cream and spooned into crisp potato skins are what make this vegetable side a winner with my family and friends.

For some added color and fresh flavor, try topping the mashed potato filling with some fresh, snipped chives. If you don’t already have chives growing in your garden or flowerbeds, you might want to consider planting it. This is one of the easiest herbs to grow and can be harvested long after frost and early in the spring.  Since a few ounces of chives at the grocery cost will cost you almost the same as buying a small plant, you will save money by planting this hardy, perennial herb.

There are two types of chives to choose from. One has a mild, onion-like flavor while the other, known as the Garlic Chive, has a slightly stronger garlic flavor. Both types are delicious when snipped fresh and are perfect for flavoring any dish where onions are used.  By snipping them back whenever they get to be six inches, you’ll have plenty of tender, new growth that will provide flavor to all your favorite recipes.

A cool, refreshing dessert to serve after just about any spring or summer meal is Lemonade Pie. This pie has a smooth, creamy texture and has the fresh taste of a tart glass of lemonade. Four simple ingredients are mixed together and poured into a graham cracker crust. This is a favorite dessert of mine that can be prepared ahead of time in about ten minutes and left to chill in the refrigerator. It is also an easy recipe that can be tripled or quadrupled for larger gatherings.

If you want to top off a meal for a crowd with some chocolate, you might want to try the easy recipe featured below for Double Chocolate Brownies, another favorite recipe that can be prepared in less than ten minutes. By adding chocolate chips and pecans to these rich brownies along with a drizzling of chocolate icing, you’ll have an impressive, rich dessert for that next gathering with friends and family.

 Barbecue Beef Sandwiches (about 25 servings)

 4 pounds extra lean ground chuck

1 large sweet onion, chopped

2 ¼ cups ketchup

3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

3 tablespoons vinegar

3 tablespoons molasses

1 tablespoon ground pepper

1. Brown ground chuck. Drain.
2. In a crockpot, combine ground chuck, onion, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, vinegar, molasses, and pepper.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours.
3. Serve on fresh hamburger or sandwich buns.

 Twice-Baked Potatoes (12 servings)

 6 large baking potatoes

3 tablespoons butter

2 cups sour cream

4-5 Tablespoons fresh chives

1. Rub potatoes with oil.
2. Bake at 375 for 2 hours in a shallow pan or baking sheet.
3. Cut potatoes in half length-wise. Scoop out pulp, leaving a ¼ in. shell.
4. In a mixing bowl, beat pulp, butter, and sour cream until creamy.
5. Spoon filling into shells.
6. Bake at 375 on baking sheet for 20 to 25 minutes or until mashed potato filling begins to brown. Top with fresh chives.

 Lemonade Pie (one pie makes 8-10 servings)

 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

¾ cup lemonade concentrate

1 graham cracker crust (9 in.)

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Transfer to a small bowl.
2. Add cream cheese to mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
3. Gradually beat in milk until blended.
4. Add lemonade concentrate and mix just until blended.
5. Fold in whipping cream.
6. Pour mixture into crust.
7. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours or overnight.

 Double Chocolate Brownies (25-30 servings)

6 eggs

1 ½ cups butter, softened (OR oil)

3 cups sugar

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa (OR 6 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups flour

2 cups chocolate chips

2 cups pecans, chopped..

1 cup powdered sugar

1 square unsweetened chocolate, melted

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2-4 Tablespoons milk

1. In medium size mixing bowl, combine eggs, butter, sugar, cocoa, vanilla, baking powder, and flour.  Spread mixture onto 13 in. x 18 in. greased jellyroll pan or slightly smaller jellyroll pan for thicker brownies.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips and pecans.
2. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min. Mix powdered sugar, chocolate, vanilla, and milk until smooth, thin icing forms. Drizzle over warm brownies.