Meal Ideas for Family Gatherings:

Tacos:

• hard taco shells & soft shells& taco sauce
• meat sauce: ground beef and seasoning
• refried beans
• chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, sliced olives, sour cream, guacamole, chopped onions

Grilled Sandwiches:

• Bread, sliced cheese, ham, sliced pickles
• tomato soup
• chips, fruit, vegetable crudits & ranch dressing or dip

Cold Sandwiches:

• cold cuts (more ham than turkey), egg salad, tuna salad
• peanut butter & jelly
• bread, leaf lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced picks
• cole slaw, pasta salad, baked beans

Broasted Chicken:

• pre-grilled chicken from store
• white rice & brown rice
• hot green vegetable, peas or beans

Spaghetti:

• meat sauce & meatless sauce
• spaghetti noodles
• tossed salad
• white bread, french or bread machine bread

Desserts:

• brownies, rice krispie bars, ice cream novelties, fresh choc chip cookies (from Nestles frig dough)
• strawberry angelfood dessert
• vanilla ice cream & cookies

Salad Bar:

• spinach, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, tomatoes, peas, black olives, sliced cucumber, matchstick carrots, chopped colored pepper, raisins, sunflower nuts, grapes, cottage cheese, chopped hard-boiled eggs

Staples for Family Gatherings:

• milk, bread, PBJ, mac'n cheese, sliced cheese, spag sauce & noodles, sliced ham, sliced pickles, tuna, mayo, raw vegetables (carrots, colored peppers, cucumber), fruit (bananas, apples, grapes, berries), string cheese, raisins, oatmeal, br sugar, pancake mix, syrup, coke

 MENUS:

Xmas Brunch - 2011

• 2 Egg Bakes [didn't allow enough time to cook so just had scrambled eggs -- better idea anyway!]
• Crock Pot Hash browns [similar to this recipe, but used 1 can cr. mush soup and one can cr. pot. soup, more potatoes, and plain sour cream, and used the 6 qt crock pot]
• 2 pkg of link sausages and 2 thick ham slices cut into pieces, both cooked on grille. [All got eaten, so next time need to increase amt of both. but how, since they took up the whole grille? dunno.]
• breads: corn muffins and frig biscuits, also some dark sliced bread.
• sweet breads: zucchini bread, banana bread, coffeecake.
• fruit: strawberries, kiwi and blueberries [pretty, but out of season fruit. still good]
• OJ, milk, coffee, water

Brunch: (served Sept, 2013)

• Baked French Toast, blueberries, maple syrup
• Scrambled Eggs (24-28, 20 was not enough), some simple, some with herbs, most with cheese
• ham, two thick slices, pre-cooked, heated on griddle
• Breads, toasted or not
• fruit, lots

Brunch: served Christmas, 2013

(similar to above) Scrambled Eggs. Baked French Toast (by Shannon. It takes longer to bake than expected.) Tater Tots. Ham slices on griddle. Toast. Berry Yogurt Parfait - a nice addition! 

Xmas 2010 Brunch:

• 2 egg bakes, with and without meat (shredded hash browns would have been a better choice than cubed)
• Baked Ham Slice in Orange Juice (good) (Three 1/2 " slices wasn't too much, tho hard to fit in pan, but two 1" slices would have been better. Single recipe using 1 c. of OJ was plenty of liquid.)
• Spinach Balls (nice side with egg bakes) (recipe made 37, I baked 20, there were still plenty leftover)
• Baked French Toast (popular, but very sweet)
• Citrus Fruit Medley (very good, tho less citrus and  more mangoes, pineapple, & kiwi would have been better)
• Refrigerator Biscuits + Joelle's Monkey Bread (always good)
• OJ, milk, coffee, water

Easter Brunch, 2014

• 30 eggs, scrambled
• English muffins, toasted in toaster
• Crock Pot Hash Brown Potatoes recipe
• 2 Ham slices, marinated and broiled*
• Fruit: berries**, bananas and grapes
• deviled eggs recipe decoreated by Julia and Sara with spiders on top with black olives
• Joelle's monkey bread

* Marinade: 1 1/2 c pineapple juice, 1/4 c br. sug packed, 2 Tb melted butter, 1 Tb gr mustard, 1/2 ts minced garlic, 1/4 ts paprika. Mix, marinate 2 hours or overnight. Broil 4" from heat 4-5 mins ea side, basting frequently. 2 thick slices = 4.4 pounds; two slices fit on pan. A good amount of ham.
**3-4 pounds cut strawberries + 3 half-pints blueberries + 1 cored pineapple cut in chunks.

Lunch Menu

• Chicken Wild Rice Salad in a half cantaloupe
• slice tomatoes and sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil & drizzle EVO
• frig bread, ie Grands
• relish plate
• Dessert: ice cream and fresh-baked Nestle cookies

THANKSGIVING MEAL

• Turkey roasted in oven
• stuffing: Stove Top
• gravy
• cranberries
• mashed potatoes recipe
• bread: white machine bread, corn muffins
• vegetables, green beans & corn; squash or sweet potatoes
• corn casserole recipe
• salad: tossed green salad or other
• relish tray: carrots, baby dill pickles, olives, peppers
• pies: pumpkin pie & a fruit pie

To Cook a Tender Free-Range Turkey:

Preparation: washed, dried, skin buttered and salted.
Wrapped in large, heavy-duty foil, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, with a can  or two of veggie broth on the bottom inside the foil.
Brown uncovered (foil open) at 350 degrees for 45 mins
Seal foil, lower heat to 300 degrees
Cook slightly less time than charts say; don't overcook.  Bake to165 degrees in breast, 175 degrees in deep part of thigh. 
Let sit for an hour after removing from oven before cutting to keep the juices in

TO REHEAT (Iverson Method):

Slice and put in large oval crockpot in turkey broth.  Put white meat on one side and dark meat on the other side.  Refrigerate overnight.
Remove from frig 4 1/2 hours before meal; let it warm on the counter 30-40 minutes before reheating. 
Reheat on low for 4-5 hours, basting with broth occasionally.

2010  Notes:
A 14# turkey was a bit too small for enough leftovers. Baking it 45 minutes uncovered didn't brown it overly, but then cooking it 3 hours wrapped in foil was perfect.
No need to double the corn casserole recipe.
10# of potatoes was a lot of leftovers, but the bags come in 5#, so good to repeat.
4 small boxes of stovetop stuffing, about right.
Le Gout brand turkey gravy from the Marketplace is good, 2 cans (3# each) if not making any gravy from the roasted turkey.
baked pumpkin with wild rice stuffing was good, but only bake 2 or 3 six inch pumpkins to use for serving.

2011 Notes:
Never-frozen turkey from Whole Foods, butcher said to keep it at 32-35 degrees til using it. 16# turkey was good size.

2013 Notes:
15.3# turkey fine for 12 of us. La Gout gravy not good this year (?); Shannon's scratch gravy much better. Doing the turkey the day before and reheated in the crockpot - great solution.

2015 Turkey Meal:

Turkey, two 5# Apple Cider Brined Turkey Breasts (each with a drumstick attached) from Lunds. Delicious, but too much meat for 12  people. Only took 90 minutes to cook, cooked the day ahead and reheated using Iverson method. Next time aim for 1/2# per person, so 6# for 12 people.

Stuffing, 3 boxes Chicken Stove Top with celery and shallots cooked the day before.

Mashed Potatoes, 8# of baking potatoes using Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes recipe. Delicious, but too much. 1/2# per person would have been plenty, so 6# for 12 people.

Corn Casserole - brought by Joelle, always good. 

Green Beans, the only disappointment of the meal. Fresh would have been better than frozen.

Glazed Carrots. Excellent new recipe, worth doing again.

Cranberries - forgotten, frankly. Missed....?

White bread machine bread and 1 doz. corn muffins.

Salad by Sara, excellent.  Relish plate, hardly touched, but left out for afterwards, so worthwhile.

Gravy by Sara. Good.

Dessert: Brownies (Betty Crocker Fudge, consider nothing else!) and ice cream. Need to remember to store ice cream in basement freezer as kitchen freezer is too cold. Also Ethelyn's delicious apple bars from Joelle.

Later Food: turkey and tuna salad sandwiches, chips, fruit, sweets.

2016 Turkey Meal:
All 16 of us present.

• Turkey, two Apple Cider Brined Turkey Breasts, each with a drumstick attached, from Lunds, totaling 9.5#, still too much. Next year get one large one and rinse off the brine and herbs. Cooked the day ahead and reheated using Iverson method.
• Stuffing, 4 boxes Chicken Stove Top. Three boxes would have been enough.
• Mashed Potatoes, 8# of baking potatoes using Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes recipe. Good.
• Gravy by Sara. Very good.
• Corn Casserole, 1 recipe was fine for 16 of us.  
• Green Beans, 3 pkg, 12 oz each of "Steam in Bag," steamed in Dutch oven. Good.
• Glazed Carrots. Good.
• Cranberries.
• Walnut Mock Meatballs - delicious, but too dry and hard.
• White bread machine bread and 1/2 doz. corn muffins, good.
• Salad by Sara, excellent. 
• Relish plate, forgotten, would have been good for later.
• Dessert: Pumpkin Pie from Sara. & Whipped Cream. Joelle's apple bars. And Ice Cream; need to remember to store ice cream in basement freezer as kitchen freezer is too cold.  Brownies, Betty Crocker Fudge, not touched.

Later Food: turkey and tuna salad sandwiches, chips, fruit, sweets - it was on hand but never put out; should have been.

2016 Brunch
brunch served at 11:00 a.m., turkey at 3:00 p.m.

Baked French Toast + Scrambled Eggs + English Muffins + Berry Yogurt Parfait (served in footed clear bowl). Good!

2016 Christmas
16 of us, no Lengkeeks, dinner at 6:00 p.m. Dining table + 48" round table topper on card table, connected by 4'x4' plexi, long tablecloth over all. First time dishes passed instead of bufffet style.

Ham, 4.23#, just enough. Thought it was sliced, it wasn't. John said Sara's on Xmas Eve was better, it was bone-in, pre-sliced. Need to have mustard too with ham. Crock Pot Hash Browns, far too much.  White bread machine bread, always a hit. Fresh green beans, 2 x 12 oz packages, good; kids didn't like the almonds on it at all. Squash, frozen cubes, not good. Spinach Balls, tasty but not hard enough, maybe not cooked enough cuz oven turned off. Relish plate, good. Dessert of choc chip mint ice cream & wh cr & sprinkles & brownies & neighbors' treats to pass. Liz's caramels were a hit. 

Easter 2017
12 of us, dinner at 6:00 p.m. Dining table like Xmas 2016, 2 tables connected to make one 10' long. Three lavender vinyl tablecloths fit well. Dishes passed, not buffet.

Ham, 3.74#, could have been a bit more, not much more, already cooked, no bone, 6 hours in crock pot with pineapple juice mixture on it, and more pineapple juice mix to pour over. Two breads, white and Anadama. Crock Pot Potatoes. Steamed carrots and steamed green beans. Cauliflower "potato" salad, barely touched, but I liked it. Salad from Sara, very good. Relishes not touched at all. Dessert of brownies and ice cream plus strawberries and bananas with whipped cream from Joelle, very good. Overall, good meal.

2017 Thanksgiving - Walleye from Cottage Gourmets
All 16 of us.
From Barb: walleye (19 filets), tartar, wild rice, sweet potato, relish.
The fish was fantastic, the tartar very good, wild rice just fine, sweet potato needed salt and butter and got it the next day, relish not popular.
Next time we have walleye from Barb, skip the relish, do have wild rice, sweet potato ...maybe. Next time maybe ask for even more walleye for more leftovers; reheated leftover walleye was great.
Also with the meal we had: steamed broccoli (very good), machine bread (always a hit with kids), salad from Sara (always good), stovetop stuffing (very good). Sara brought mini-bundt cakes, very good. It was on the 24th, Noah's bday, so we did candles and gifts too.

2017 Thanksgiving lunch-Sandwich Meal - Noon casual meal before evening walleye meal

Sandwiches: had leftover turkey from Shannon's bird the day before, 12-egg egg salad almost gone, tuna salad. Would have used deli meat if didn't have leftover turkey.
Also: bread, pickles (need lots), mayo, mustard. Sides: chips, fruit, veggies (should have had more) & hummus & ranch. Cole slaw, potato salad. Brownies. Pumpkin pie from Shannon's meal the day before, with whip cream. Had some vanilla bean ice cream, not enough; need lots of that on hand for desserts.

2017 Christmas Meal - Turkey breast with the usual. Learned that Poultry Gravy from Byerly's is pretty good. Good to have on hand to add to homemade gravy.

2018 Thanksgiving Turkey Meal, all 16 of us present.

• Turkey: 2 turkey breasts from MarketPlace, totaling 13.5#, a good amount, tho it might not have been if it had been also eaten for evening sandwiches. Cooked on Thanksgiving day for Lengkeeks4 + John/Jill and reheated on Saturday for whole family using Iverson method. Recc for 2019, leave it out for an hour before slicing to keep the juices in.
• Stuffing, 3 boxes Chicken Stove Top, a good amount.
• Mashed Potatoes, 10# of baking potatoes using Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes recipe. Lots, lots left over. 8# would have been plenty. Putting the potatoes in 2 deep aluminum pans was good because there was plenty of room for the added liquid when reheated.
• Gravy from packets included in the birds, added to by Shannon. Good. For 2019, perhaps still get some Poultry Gravy from Byerly's to have on hand.
• Corn Casserole, 1 recipe was fine for 16 of us.  
• Fresh brocoli, good.
• Cranberries. Mandatory.
• Sweet potatoes (or yams, not sure). Meh.
• White bread machine bread, always inhaled. Also buckwheat machine bread made with 1/3 buckwheat flour, delicious. No corn muffins in 2018, could do 1 box, a half dozen, in 2019.
• Salad by Sara, kale, excellent. 
• No relish plate, but would have been put out later for sandwich meal.
• Dessert: pumpkin and apple pies by Shannon, delicious, ice cream and whipped cream. Need to remember to store ice cream in basement freezer as kitchen freezer is too cold. Sara brought a seasonal bundtlet (pumpkin) and buntinis (cupcakes) from Nothing Bundt Cakes, delicious. Noah's bday cake was Rice Krispy bars, as requested, in a round pan.

Later Food: had on hand ham, egg salad, PBJ, and tuna salad plus the turkey for sandwiches, chips, fruit, crudites, sweets. Only some ate sandwiches (none ate turkey) because we had dessert a couple hours after the big meal so people weren't hungry. Recc for 2019, have dessert immediately after the big meal and again after sandwiches.

Table: All 16 of us at the same table for the first time. Joined the big table with the 48" round card table topper plus a second card table and two 4'x4' plexi pieces. Two white twin sheets fit over the long table nicely.

2018 Christmas Brunch - Cinnamon Baked French Toast, Crescent Roll Sausage Bake, bacon, scrambled eggs (18 eggs, not nearly enough), Duncan Hines Blueberry Streusel Muffins, English Muffins, cut fruit, oatmeal for Sara, OJ.

2018 Christmas Dinner - Honey Baked Ham 7# & Honey Baked Turkey 3# (both delicious, lots left over), Crock Pot Hash Brown Pototoes (2-20oz was plenty), Corn Casserole, Sweet Potato Apple Casserole (so-so), Pineapple Casserole (so-so), broccoli (overcooked ...again), salad from Sara (excellent), white machine bread, Danish Rye Bread (from Rasmus). 

2019 Thanksgiving Turkey Meal (and recc for 2020)

TURKEY. 2 Jennie-O breasts from Mktplc totaling 13.7#. Recc 14-14.5# for 2020. Cooked and reheated via Iverson method.. Nicely moist because left out 1 hr after cooking before slicing and poured much broth (frozen from previous year) over it to reheat and set Alexa to remind to baste every 30 minutes.

STUFFING. Used 3 boxes, recc 4 boxes in 2020.

POTATOES. Shannon did 8# using Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes recipe, but she used less cream, a good amount. Put in deep aluminum pans so liquid doesn’t spill.

GRAVY. Used 2 packets that came with the turkey. Didn’t start soon enough, didn’t make enough. Recc for 2020, start much earlier, keep warm in the 4 qt crockpot. Have also on hand prepared store gravy from Byerly’s or Mktplc. (There’s also some in the freezer.) Put two gravy boats on the table.

CORN CASSEROLE: Corn Casserole 1 recipe wasn’t enough, do 2 recipes in 2020.

BREADS: Dark bread (1/3 dk flour) made the evening before, white bread made over night, 12 corn muffins. All good. In 2020 have 2 bread baskets with all 3 kinds in both.

SALAD: Sara’s salad, always good.  CRANBERRIES. Of course. VEGETABLE: Broccoli and carrot disks. Good. Recc green beans for green veg in 2020, lots.

DESSERTS: Shannon made 2 scratch apple pies, Sara made a scratch pumpkin pie. Very good. Served an hour or so after the meal was done with whip cream and vanilla bean ice cream.

TIMING: Good 2019 timing, recc the same for 2020. Turkey meal at 12:30, dessert an hour after that meal. 4:00 leftovers and sandwiches + veggies, fruit, chips, RK bars, and brownies. TABLE: Ryan enjoyed setting table, deciding the dishes, using fancy silver from the basement.

2019 Christmas Brunch - 12 of us - egg bake with corn flake topping, scrambled eggs (20 eggs, could have been 24), sliced ham (5.5# was too much, 3# would have been fine), Crock Pot Hash Brown Pototoes (3-20oz was too much, 2 pkg would have been plenty), fruit salad (too much, and apples were not a good addition), corn muffins and artisan bread, OJ.
Comments: Sara's glaze on the sliced ham was very good. No sweet breads for the brunch meal was a good idea; they were available after brunch during gift opening: Duncan Hines Blueberry Streusel Muffins and monkey bread. Next time try a different egg bake, tho this one was fine.

 2021 Thanksgiving - 15 of us (no Daniel, who had just returned from Dubai) -
From Barb Westman: Fish, quinoa salad, green salad, sweet potato dish.
By us: mashed potatoes, gravy, stovetop stuffing, steamed broccoli, white machine bread.
Dessert: 2 pies made by Ryan, pumpkin (usuing recipe on the can) and Dutch Apple Pie made from Liz K's canned apples. With vanilla bean ice cream and whip cream.
Comments: Too much food! Eight things on the table, too many, and too much. Barb brought a ton, though it was good; the quinoa salad was mountainous, but good. 10# potatoes was a lot, but all like leftovers. It fits in two deep pans. Gravy was deemed ...okay, mostly from a jar. 4 boxes stuffing, too much this time, but a good amount usually. Broccoli, a lot, good. White bread, the young ones inhale it. Pumpkin pie a requirement, but most chose the apple and liked it. Two pies was enough.
Reccomendation for next time: From elsewhere, turkey and gravy, plus one other dish, grain or sweet potato. By us, bread, potatoes, stuffing, brocc, same pies, and maybe one other dish.

2022 Easter - 12 of us. Everyone like it.
Ham from Honey Baked Ham Co.
Glaze, Sara made it
Mashed Potatoes
Corn Casserole, double recipe
Caesar Salad (2 bags from store)
White Machine Bread
Fresh broccoli, steamed
relish plate
Dessert: brownies and vanilla bean ice cream

2022 Thanksgiving Meal - notes

TURKEY. Two Jennie-O fresh breasts from CUB totaling 12.93#.  For 2023, 13# is plenty. Cooked and reheated via Iverson method.. Nicely moist because left out 1 hr after cooking before slicing, and poured much broth (frozen from previous year) over it in the crockpot.

STUFFING. Used 4 boxes, good.

POTATOES. Shannon did 10# using Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes recipe, but she used less cream, a good amount. Put in deep aluminum pans so liquid doesn’t spill. Lots left over, but recc do 10# again.

GRAVY. Shannon made LOTS the day before (Friday) and we reheated it in the 4 qt crockpot. She used both drippings from the turkey and frozen broth from the year before. Several containers are again frozen for 2023 plus one container of gravy. Two gravy boats were on the table.

CORN CASSEROLE: Corn Casserole of course, double recipe takes considerably longer than he 55 minutes on the recipe.

BREADS: One loaf machine white bread - inhaled.

SALAD: Sara’s salad, always good and interesting.  CRANBERRIES. Of course. VEGETABLE: Broccoli, made lots, not much left. Corn from summer corn on the cob, not much eaten. Relish plate, on the table, but mostly eaten after the meal. 

DESSERTS: Ryan made 2 scratch pies, pumpkin with braided edge and apple with lattice topping, very fancy. We got two new glass pie plates, a good idea. The apple was inhaled, pumpkin not so much, but it was delicious and obligatory. Also RK bars and brownies and ice cream and wh cream for the pumpkin pie.

Easter 2023 - NOTES
Sara brought ham from Honey Baked Ham Co.
Sara made glaze for the ham with brown sugar, honey and mustard
Crock Pot Hash Brown Potatoes just 2 pkgs of potatoes, not 3 as the recipe calls for
Deviled Eggs from Marketplace
Salad, romaine and veggies
White Machine Bread
Fresh broccoli, steamed
relish plate
Dessert: Strawberry Angelfood Dessert and cinnemon rolls from Joelle

2023 Thanksgiving Meal - notes

TURKEY. Two Apple Brine Turkey Breasts from Byerlys totallying 12.41#, boneless other than the drumstick. Too much! But there were comments on how good it was. For 2024 aim for 9-10# if boneless. Cooked and reheated via Iverson method. Nicely moist because left out 1 hr after cooking before slicing, and poured much broth over it in the crockpot. Currently 5 containers of leftover broth frozen for 2024.

STUFFING. Used 4 boxes, good.

POTATOES. 10# using Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes recipe using less cream, a good amount. Put in deep aluminum pans so liquid doesn’t spill. Very good.

GRAVY. Shannon made LOTS the morning of our 1:00 p.m. meal. It was added to the 2 pts I had on hand frozen from Homestyle Cafe. All heated in the 4 qt crockpot. Two gravy boats were on the table.

CORN CASSEROLE: Corn Casserole of course, double recipe takes considerably longer than he 55 minutes on the recipe.

BREADS: One loaf machine white bread.

SALAD: Sara brought two salads, very good, none leftover.

CRANBERRIES. Of course.

VEGETABLES: Broccoli, made lots, not much left. Glazed carrots. Some liked it. Relish plate, on the table, but mostly eaten after the meal. 

DESSERTS: Ryan made 2 scratch pies, pumpkin and apple, in two 9" glass pie plates. Using bread flour didn't work well, he needed All Purpose flour.  Also RK bars and brownies and ice cream and wh cream for the pumpkin pie.

2023 Xmas Brunch

HAM: 3.75# boneless from Honey Baked Ham. Good amount. With Sara's delicious glaze.
POTATOES: 3 bags of Crock Pot Hash Brown Potatoes. Good amount.
EGGS: 29 scrambled eggs. Lots of butter.
BREADS: 12 corn muffins, 6 English Muffins, monkey bread. 
Berry Yogurt Parfait in footed bowl. 3+ boxes fresh berries.
OJ.

After gifts: Duncan Hines Blueberry Streusel Muffins, cheese & crackers, RK Bars, Ham & Cheese Sliders