In-laws are coming, help me feed them!!!

[#1hoosierfan]

What about a big pot of northern beans simmered all day with a ham hoc ?

 

[ldo]

I stretch 1.5 lbs of meat for chili (and make it healthier b/c less meat and more veggies), I add a can of diced stewed tomatoes, a can of any type of beans (you can even add 2 cans of different beans), and a can of mexican corn. I also add a bit of cinnamon and a dash of cocoa powder to mine. You can stretch further by serving on top of spaghetti and adding a dollop of sour cream on top (it's really good).
I also make a big crockpot of frozen meatballs (that I would get on sale ahead of time) with chili sauce and grape jelly and serve with rice and veggie. Super easy--but this would have to be a night that SIL eats left-over ham, etc. instead of the meatballs.
Like PP said, beans (get dried ones that you soak all night) cooked with a ham bone, served with rice and veggie/fruit--about the cheapest meal you can make, plus it tastes really good and the beans are super healthy.

 

[firecracker725]

Black bean soup...Throw the beans, an onion, a can of rotel, and some smoked turkey wings (or legs) in a pot or slow cooker and cover with water. Cook for several hours.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I have my family over every weekend - 12 people at least, sometimes up to 16. I find it really helps to start with a big pot of a hearty soup that contains beans and veggies. After that, we'll have a main course of some kind (maybe a casserole) and then a dessert with fruit. Soup really helps to fill people up and then they eat less of everything else!

Teresa

 

[TLuvsD]

Are Lentils ok? Lentil soup is filling, tastes great. Add some crusty bread and a salad and you are done. I've been making it with a smoked turkey leg--it's awesome. (just stick the turkey leg in the pot, simmer for about 45 minutes, take it out to shred the meat--I give the skin to our dog--not all at once).
Put a little olive oil in the pot, cook 1 cup each diced onion, carrots amd celery for a few minutes. Add 3 cloves of garlic, minced, continue browning until onions are soft and a little brown. Add 8 cups chicken stock and 2 cups of lentils, the smoked turkey leg, and a bay leaf. Cook for 45 minutes or so.
If you don't want to use the smoked turkey leg, dice up 8 slices of bacon and cook it first, then add the onion,etc.
Hope this helps!

 

[summersalt]

What about a big pot of northern beans simmered all day with a ham hoc ?

Now, I'm craving this. making it tomorrow...With some cornbread and sweet tea!

 

[LJSquishy]

I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned it, but how about a baked potato bar? Offer lots of toppings that everyone can pick and choose from. If you end up making chili one night, offer leftover chili as one of the toppings. A large baked potato (or sweet potato) and a side salad make a delicious and very inexpensive meal!

 

[Gracie09]

Pulled pork in a vinegar based sauce (so east Carolina style) as opposed to a BBQ sauce based one. I do it in the crock pot. It really good and ca be eaten with or without rolls. It even better the next day in my opinion. I can usually find a pork butt or should fairly cheap. Unlike the boneless but bone in works you just have to debone it at the end.

 

[wed100105]

I can really stretch a ham. I usually buy them at the grocery store for around $12 ($1.31 per lb). I cook mine in the crock pot with brown sugar, maple syrup, and pineapple juice.

 

[dismom115]

What about a big pot of northern beans simmered all day with a ham hoc ?

Oh, this sounds sooooo good! I'm starting my grocery list!

 

[dismom115]

Make your own pulled pork in the crockpot. Use a pork butt, chopped onion and water to cover the pork. Cook all day. Remove fat and bone, shred pork with a fork and top with you favorite sauce.

 

[MrEVILdrPorkchop2u]

We have 12 people staying in our house for 5 days at Thanksgiving. It was 11 until we got a phone call yesterday asking if one more could come. We are trying to not break the bank with the cost of feeding everyone for those days. Planning things that we can stretch. Pork BBQ in the crockpot is super easy. The ideas have been great!

 

[kermit116]

This is similar to the baked ziti suggestion, but I like to make lasagna for a large group. I normally do a layer with ground turkey (one packet of that costs about $3.99 at my local Target). You can always use gluten free pasta, too. And of course you can eliminate the meat all together and just to a white sauce or a red sauce with some layers of ricotta. It's usually pretty easy to make in large batches, and you can serve with a simple salad and a loaf of bread and you're all set! Plus, the leftovers are yummy!

Another good, inexpensive option I like to make is zucchini sautéed with tomatoes served over rice. It's really simple, and very inexpensive. You can even used canned diced tomatoes to cut some costs. You can add a little parmesan cheese on top as well.

Good luck with all your cooking!

 

[scrapquitler]

This is family. I would explain that money is tight and suggest that the families rotate days planning the meals, buying the groceries, preparing the food and cleaning up. If some of them have more money than others, they may suggest treating the group to a restaurant meal on the days they are in charge.

I can't imagine staying for a week without offering to chip in on groceries. Unless, of course, your family visits them for a week and they cover everything while you're there. That might change my suggestion above.

Sheila

I agree with this. I'd ask SIL "A" to please be in charge of shopping for and cooking dinner on Monday and Thursday, ask SIL "B" to please be in charge of dinner on Tuesday and Friday, etc. Have them pitch in and buy, cook and clean up some of the time. Not fair for them to expect you to pick up the tab for all those extra people for that long, especially if finances are tight for you right now.

I would NEVER be a guest in someones home without bringing/buying groceries for part of the week and taking everyone out for a few meals.


That said: the Thanksgiving idea is a good one, you can use the leftovers in several other meals later, so do it early in the week. Keep lots of salad ingredients for the person with the dietary restrictions to add extra bulk to whatever she is eating. Breakfast for dinner, soups, etc. are good ideas as well.

 

[muffyn]

breakfast for dinner

fried potatoes & eggs (can add onions, green pepper etc)
maybe bacon or sausage
there are yummy French toast casseroles recipes . (One loaf of French bread goes a long way)

or homemade waffles.
or some fruit.

 

[HeatherC]

Jambalaya feeds a crowd and can be cheap. I use Zatarains Mild Mix. I buy two boxes and a sliced up kielbasa and either a box of Perdue shortcuts or chicken tenderloins I have sauteed. Have also used shrimp, but that can get pricey.

Another meal I do for a crowd is Sausage and Spinach soup. Sautee a chopped onion in olive oil. Set aside. Brown 1lb italian sausage..crumbled. When it iscooked, add onions back and one small jar tomato paste. Cook until blended...like two minutes. In big pot or slow cooker add...
8 cups water
1 32oz can diced tomatoes with italian seasoning
1/2 box of chopped spinach...defrosted and water squeezed out of it.
Add in sausage mixture
3/4 rice

Tastes great...even better day two. Serve with grated parmesan on top.

Have a fun visit!

 

[rachael95]

When my family gets together, there's usually at least 20 of us. So we have to chip in on meals. It would break the bank otherwise. Since most are traveling, we'll often have the local person buy a lot of the food and then others (about 8 of the 20 need gluten free) will go to the store for special things when they arrive. Then, everyone just figures out cost and makes sure it comes out about equal through either giving money or purchasing stuff at arrival.

We do chili, sphaghetti, ham/turkey and then left overs of that for a couple days. The people who need special meals are responsible for cooking their own. Some are so sensitive to gluten they have to make sure that even the spoon used in stirring the regular spaghetti is not used to stir the gluten free spaghetti.

If we do a restaurant, it's usually take out pizza. You can get gluten free pizza from Domino's but it's fairly expensive for the size and they're small. But sometimes, it's worth it to not have to cook one night, especially if everyone chips in.

 

[NotUrsula]

Jambalaya feeds a crowd and can be cheap. I use Zatarains Mild Mix. I buy two boxes and a sliced up kielbasa and either a box of Perdue shortcuts or chicken tenderloins I have sauteed. Have also used shrimp, but that can get pricey.

I grew up on jambalaya. I can tell you how to save money on the chicken: use dark. Dark meat chicken is traditional in jambalaya, and will not get as dry during cooking as white meat chicken will. (Also, fwiw, I didn't know Zatarain's made a "mild" mix -- what on earth for? Jambalaya from the regular mix isn't hot at all unless you use hot sausage in it.)

Normally if I know I'll need to make a large batch of jambalaya (or gumbo), I'll look for a good "reduced for quick sale" on drumsticks or thighs, then boil them, strip them, and freeze the cooked meat in ziplocs until I'm ready to make it. (bonus is that using the chicken stock instead of water with the Zatarain's improves the flavor by about double; it will taste much more like made-from-scratch.)

On holidays, we ALWAYS boil down the turkey carcass after stripping it, and use the broth and most of the leftover dark meat to make day-after turkey/andouille gumbo. I make my roux ahead of time and put the gumbo in a crock pot overnight as I'm cleaning up after dinner, so that it's ready to eat the following day.

BTW, kielbasa is a very unusual sausage to use in jambalaya; if you can get andouille, it is much preferable, but plain cased smoked sausage is fine, too. (If it isn't lean, slice it and pre-cook it a bit to render off some of the fat before adding it to your jambalaya.)

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

Thanks again for the ideas everbody. I'm storing the ones that aren't used this time away for future visits!

So far things are going well and the peace is being kept. This bunch has a strange dynamic and asking them to contribute will just cause headaches. They do buy some things, but I never plan on it being anything we need or can use. For example, they went to the store and came back with a huge box of cookies for the kids (despite being told multiple times that they aren't sweets eaters), hamburger meat (I already had 5lbs), two kinds of french fries, and frozen veggies (I already had a freezer full of these as well, plus they forgot to put theirs away so they thawed on the counter all night and had to be thrown out). But if I ask them to buy something else, then their contribution isn't good enough, etc etc etc...


So far we've done chili (not gluten free, who puts wheat in plain canned tomatoes???!?!?!!), hamburgers/hotdogs/lots of french fries, and tonight we're doing spaghetti with gluten free sauce and gluten free noodles. Tomorrow will be baked chicken breasts that I'll let SIL1 season.

We're having a turkey fry here at work on Friday, I'm trying to sweet talk the guy who does the frying into doing mine as well. That should cover Friday and Saturday.


So far, so good. Lots of other issues this visit, but food hasn't been one of them.

 

[ready123go]

So far, so good. Lots of other issues this visit, but food hasn't been one of them.