•8:34 AM
Somehow, I have become a meal planner; which is okay with me because planning is what I do best. I love the research and the opportunity to be creative. To be honest, I can spend more time planning than actually "doing." And I like to organize my plans, too. You can laugh, I don't mind. There have been times where I've made a list of the lists I need to make. I know I have done this when planning a vacation; when children are involved, there are lots of things to remember and sometimes making a list of the lists of things you must bring along is the easiest way to do it. Okay, now you have to stop laughing at me.
After seeing my posts about breakfast ideas for my friend's little punkin, another friend asked if I had some ideas for her big punkin. Let me explain: a friend is going to her cottage with another Mom and four teenage boys (ages 15 to 18 years). She wanted some ideas for meals that would fill them up and could be made in large quantities.
So, I thought about it, and this is what I would bring (for food) if I were going to a cottage with four teenage boys.
(1) There are the obvious things like hamburgers, hotdogs, pot o' chili, steak, barbequed chicken, stew (which I think is completely gross, by the way), lasagna, and various other make ahead casseroles. But, I'm not going to mention those here because they are too obvious. What may not be so obvious is that the adults do not always have to eat the same thing as the kids. I realized this after eating pizza every Friday night for as long as I could remember; I came to hate it. So, remember that you don't have to eat hotdogs just because the boys are.
(2) Teenagers like sandwiches. Jonesy told me that when he was a teenager, he ate sandwiches three at a time. I was a teenaged girl, so I just ate one sandwich at a time but I did like them a lot. You could buy a couple of large French loaves from the bakery, and make your own subs ... but with really good fillings. I'm thinking pesto instead of plain ol' mayo, olive salad, Italian deli meats, really flavourful cheeses. They're easy to wrap and take to the beach, or heat up in the oven for a warm and gooey sandwich. Since these are hungry boys we're trying to feed, serve chips and vegies with dip, too. But don't offer pop or juice ... get out the blender and make a milkshake. Milkshakes are filling and can be nutritionally beneficial if you use fresh ingredients. Plus, since the blender is already out, you could make the Moms one of those fancy blender drinks, right?
(3) Spaghetti and Meatballs are quick and easy, if you bring meatballs with you. Just plop them into the tomato sauce to reheat, while your noodles cook. Make homemade oversized meatballs, and the boys can use leftovers to make Meatball Subs the next day for lunch; just get another one of those French Bread loaves, cut the meatballs in half (so there is a flat surface), some slices of mozarella cheese and heat them up in the oven. And, instead of the moms having to eat spaghetti and meatballs, just separate the unadorned noodles and make something ... ummm, well make something better. Something like this.
(4) I am the first to admit that I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Too much, if the truth be told. I came across this idea and think that it is a great alternative to the traditional lasagna. They are little lasagna cups ... but it does depend on how much time you want to spend preparing ahead of time. It seems to me that it would easy enough to make them, then freeze them; after a long day at the beach, or antiquing, you could just pop these into the oven and make a salad while they reheat. If each mom made 24, surely that would be more than enough for the hungry teenage boys, wouldn't it?
(5) Shishkabobs. I love shishkabobs and I don't make them enough. They are easy, they cook quickly, and they are delicious. Plus, you can do all kinds of different things with them and use just about any type of meat you like. Skewer some potatoes, and your whole supper can be shishkabobs. Alternatively, you can make some rice, or a couscous salad, to accompany them, while the teenagers assemble wraps using Greek pita breads ... you know, like those sandwiches they love so much.
(6) I have a tip that is good whether you are cottaging or it is a regular Friday night at home. Did you know that your local (favourite) pizzeria will sell you their dough? We have bought a large pizza dough for $2.25 from our most favourite pizzeria and made our pizza-pie at home; you need to think of a family(or individually)-owned pizzeria because they will have the best, freshest dough. I'm not sure how far your cottage is from civilization, but if there are no local pizzerias, you could buy some before you leave and freeze it. I also love this idea because the boys can help prepare the toppings and make their own pizza ... barbeque some sausage and then slice it, shred the cheese, shape the dough. Why should the moms have to do all the work? Moms like vacation, too.
(7) This is the most amazingly easy and yet amazingly good recipe I have come across ... Refried Beans. Please do not stop reading ... these beans finish like a creamy bean dip. My kids beg for this it is so good ... they actually think it is a treat! You can serve this as a dip with nacho chips and vegies. We make bean and cheese soft tacos with it, and super nachos, and quesadillas; but our newest discovery is to spread a soft flour taco with the refried beans, then wrap it around a hard taco shell, fill the taco shell as you would for any other taco ... and voila: homemade Gorditas!! This recipe is so great because you simply put the ingredients into a crock pot, turn it on, and come back 8 hours later; not sure if your cottage is equipped with an immersion blender but if it's not, I would definitely make this ahead of time to bring along. Yes, it's that good. Plus, it can be used to make a ton of different things, it's filling and it's good for you. It has no fat, ladies.
(8) I think I would bake a little ahead of going and freeze some treats ... things the boys could just grab when they're hungry. Which will be all the time, won't it? Store-bought snacks have a lot of processed sugars which do not fill you up. I would suggest homemade granola bars because the dried fruit, nuts and seeds are both filling and nutritious (I add 1/2cup of flour to this recipe); muffins; large-size oatmeal cookies; whatever are your kids' favourites. And, if both moms commit to baking two or three treats, you should have lots. Don't forget about fruit ... kids will eat it, if it's around. And adults should too.
Well, I hope that helps a little. In any case, have fun at the cottage.
After seeing my posts about breakfast ideas for my friend's little punkin, another friend asked if I had some ideas for her big punkin. Let me explain: a friend is going to her cottage with another Mom and four teenage boys (ages 15 to 18 years). She wanted some ideas for meals that would fill them up and could be made in large quantities.
So, I thought about it, and this is what I would bring (for food) if I were going to a cottage with four teenage boys.
(1) There are the obvious things like hamburgers, hotdogs, pot o' chili, steak, barbequed chicken, stew (which I think is completely gross, by the way), lasagna, and various other make ahead casseroles. But, I'm not going to mention those here because they are too obvious. What may not be so obvious is that the adults do not always have to eat the same thing as the kids. I realized this after eating pizza every Friday night for as long as I could remember; I came to hate it. So, remember that you don't have to eat hotdogs just because the boys are.
(2) Teenagers like sandwiches. Jonesy told me that when he was a teenager, he ate sandwiches three at a time. I was a teenaged girl, so I just ate one sandwich at a time but I did like them a lot. You could buy a couple of large French loaves from the bakery, and make your own subs ... but with really good fillings. I'm thinking pesto instead of plain ol' mayo, olive salad, Italian deli meats, really flavourful cheeses. They're easy to wrap and take to the beach, or heat up in the oven for a warm and gooey sandwich. Since these are hungry boys we're trying to feed, serve chips and vegies with dip, too. But don't offer pop or juice ... get out the blender and make a milkshake. Milkshakes are filling and can be nutritionally beneficial if you use fresh ingredients. Plus, since the blender is already out, you could make the Moms one of those fancy blender drinks, right?
(3) Spaghetti and Meatballs are quick and easy, if you bring meatballs with you. Just plop them into the tomato sauce to reheat, while your noodles cook. Make homemade oversized meatballs, and the boys can use leftovers to make Meatball Subs the next day for lunch; just get another one of those French Bread loaves, cut the meatballs in half (so there is a flat surface), some slices of mozarella cheese and heat them up in the oven. And, instead of the moms having to eat spaghetti and meatballs, just separate the unadorned noodles and make something ... ummm, well make something better. Something like this.
(4) I am the first to admit that I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Too much, if the truth be told. I came across this idea and think that it is a great alternative to the traditional lasagna. They are little lasagna cups ... but it does depend on how much time you want to spend preparing ahead of time. It seems to me that it would easy enough to make them, then freeze them; after a long day at the beach, or antiquing, you could just pop these into the oven and make a salad while they reheat. If each mom made 24, surely that would be more than enough for the hungry teenage boys, wouldn't it?
(5) Shishkabobs. I love shishkabobs and I don't make them enough. They are easy, they cook quickly, and they are delicious. Plus, you can do all kinds of different things with them and use just about any type of meat you like. Skewer some potatoes, and your whole supper can be shishkabobs. Alternatively, you can make some rice, or a couscous salad, to accompany them, while the teenagers assemble wraps using Greek pita breads ... you know, like those sandwiches they love so much.
(6) I have a tip that is good whether you are cottaging or it is a regular Friday night at home. Did you know that your local (favourite) pizzeria will sell you their dough? We have bought a large pizza dough for $2.25 from our most favourite pizzeria and made our pizza-pie at home; you need to think of a family(or individually)-owned pizzeria because they will have the best, freshest dough. I'm not sure how far your cottage is from civilization, but if there are no local pizzerias, you could buy some before you leave and freeze it. I also love this idea because the boys can help prepare the toppings and make their own pizza ... barbeque some sausage and then slice it, shred the cheese, shape the dough. Why should the moms have to do all the work? Moms like vacation, too.
(7) This is the most amazingly easy and yet amazingly good recipe I have come across ... Refried Beans. Please do not stop reading ... these beans finish like a creamy bean dip. My kids beg for this it is so good ... they actually think it is a treat! You can serve this as a dip with nacho chips and vegies. We make bean and cheese soft tacos with it, and super nachos, and quesadillas; but our newest discovery is to spread a soft flour taco with the refried beans, then wrap it around a hard taco shell, fill the taco shell as you would for any other taco ... and voila: homemade Gorditas!! This recipe is so great because you simply put the ingredients into a crock pot, turn it on, and come back 8 hours later; not sure if your cottage is equipped with an immersion blender but if it's not, I would definitely make this ahead of time to bring along. Yes, it's that good. Plus, it can be used to make a ton of different things, it's filling and it's good for you. It has no fat, ladies.
(8) I think I would bake a little ahead of going and freeze some treats ... things the boys could just grab when they're hungry. Which will be all the time, won't it? Store-bought snacks have a lot of processed sugars which do not fill you up. I would suggest homemade granola bars because the dried fruit, nuts and seeds are both filling and nutritious (I add 1/2cup of flour to this recipe); muffins; large-size oatmeal cookies; whatever are your kids' favourites. And, if both moms commit to baking two or three treats, you should have lots. Don't forget about fruit ... kids will eat it, if it's around. And adults should too.
Well, I hope that helps a little. In any case, have fun at the cottage.
