I need help from my friends in the blogosphere. I am fixing supper for my students on Friday night and a couple of months ago I had some really high hopes for this meal. A couple of months ago I was able to smell food without getting sick, too.
I’m pretty sure my students are hoping for mashed potatoes (Katie Lee Joel’s recipe is my new favorite) and other comfort side dishes like macaroni and cheese. I’m fine with making all of the sides, but I don’t feel like making a meat for 16 people. I love meatloaf, but it takes a really long time to make and my pregnant self doesn’t feel like standing in my kitchen for three hours while I prepare it. Are 18 year olds afraid of meatloaf?
I also considered just picking up a couple of huge frozen lasagnas and making that with garlic bread and a salad. I know they won’t be too picky and who doesn’t love lasagna?
So what do y’all think? What should I make for these home cookin’ deprived kids?
Mrs. Newlywed asked in her comment on my previous post if she could see the front of the painting over our mantle. Here it is. Excuse the bad crop job.
One great and easy dish that I make is a simple shepherds pie. I got the recipe from Kraft Food and I’ve used it a few times for various pot lucks:
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/easy-shepherds-pie-108691.aspx
I think students are so excited to not eat dorm food that anything is exciting! If you aren’t feeling up to cooking a big meat I think lasagna is a great idea.
Some people might not like meatloaf (although I personally love it). You could do one meat lasagna and one veggie. It would super easy on you to just buy them and pop them in the oven!
If you don’t want to actually cook meat, you could order a turkey or something like that from a local deli or order a honey-baked ham. If you don’t want to do meat at all, I think a lasagna is great!
I think you shouldn’t feel bad at all if you went the lasagna route.. that would be yummy. Other suggestions: spaghetti or a some home made vegetable soup. Either would be pretty painless to make.
I think that the kids would love lasagna – my family has 30+ people and when we get together we always do lasagna, bread and salad …. stress-free and everyone likes it.
however if you wanted to do the home-cookin thing with mac-n-cheese and mashed potatos you could always get a couple of pork tenderloins. I always buy the hormel brand that are already marinated in terriyaki or peppercorn. they are delicious and all you have to do is stick it in the oven. one tenderloin would serve probably 5 people and they are about 6-7 dollars.
Good luck!!!
i vote for lasagna (maybe a meat and a veggie one???) because you don’t need to be making dinner for 16 people while you’re feeling so icky! They will be happy to have ANYTHING!!!!!
One of my profs in college had the class over to his house at the end of the semester and his wife had made frozen lasagna, salad, bread and some kind of dessert and it was GREAT! We were all just happy to be inside a real home and eat food not from the dorm.
lasagna sounds yummy to me! or you could always just do some sort of casserole. those are always easy and feed a lot. i made one last week and sean and i loved. let me know if you want the recipe…
Lasagna is probably your best bet so you don’t have to strain yourself when you are feeling yucky! good luck 🙂
I think your idea for lasagna, bread and salad is a great one. You can always put it in one of your own casserole dishes so it looks homemade, and just don’t say anything about buying it from somewhere else. I’ve always had really good luck with the Pillsbury crescents…not sure if they come in the garlic variety but you could always sprinkle the top of them yourself…that way you have fresh baked bread and make your kitchen smell extra yummy!
I WAY recommend Taco Soup with sweet cornbread…it’s SO easy to make extra and the hardest part of the meal is just browning the hamburger meat or ground turkey. The recipe is on my blog if you search and I PROMISE everyone that eats it loves it.
I did it for our group of friends recently and they oooed and ahhhed that it was perfect for the season!
I completely agree with Mojito Maven above…these kids will be happy to have ANYTHING! I’d vote the lasagna route with 1 meat and 1 veggie! Can’t wait to hear how it turns out.
As a recent former student, I think the fact that you are making them anything qualifies you for sainthood in their eyes! 🙂 I would do the lasagna- it’s quick and easy and you can make a nice salad, yummy bread and a desert and not have to smell meat! 🙂 What a wonderful treat for your students!
I definitely say go with the lasagna. That stuff is amazing and they will love it, and it will be easy to put together and hopefully won’t make you sick!
I would definitely do the lasagna!!! Easy Peasy!!! Who doesn’t love that stuff. Stoufer’s is our fave! 🙂
Coming from a college student I would love lasgna, and its easy for you. When all you eat is caf food your grafeful for anything!
I have a suggestion!! Since you are looking to make a down home comfort meal for them – why not make fried chicken?? I know…you are thinking this is way to hard but honestly its not!!
Get as much boneless chicken breasts as you need and cut them into two long ways. Then dip each into some egg and then into frosted flakes! Then bake!! So easy and everyone loves fried chicken with mashed potatoes and mac and cheese!
3 hours?!!!! I have the most easiest and quickest meatloaf recipe in the world. Every time I’ve made it my husband melts! I even have friends that have requested it for a dinner get together. Please feel free to email my blog for more info. I would gladly give you the recipe, it’s a family keepsake 🙂
Lasagna is always an easy fix for a big group. Anything italian, really. Or Tacos!! Those are super easy and all you have to do is cook some ground beef!
the Lasagna idea is great! that will be perfect for them! 🙂 Easy and quick 🙂
I love Amy’s idea of taco soup! It would be great for the season and feed a lot of people, but it would be super easy! If you don’t want to do that, I’d do lasagna. It’s fast and delicious!
Lasagna is always great – or you could throw together a quick chili or spaghetti. My neighbor always goes to Costco and buys the mutiple packs of flank steak and marinates them for a day and her hubby throws them on the grill for about 10 minutes and then slices them up – perfect! I’ll be right over with my peppermint bark for dessert too…
My vote is for Lasagna too… but I would second Belle and her Beau with the Pork Tenderloin if you want to make Mashed Ps and Mac & Cheese. Pork Tenderloin… if you put them in Italian dressing the night before and then bake in a pan it's super fast and super easy! But again, they are 18… they will be happy with anything you do. So sweet of you!! :-))
I would get the frozen lasagna and then make some great homemade sides. No one would be able to tell! Good luck!
I wanted to recommend pork tenderloin, but I saw that a few people already beat me to it! 🙂
The pre-marinated ones are good, but I even like the plain ones. Just cover them with olive oil and salt and pepper – then either pan sear and bake them or just throw them on the grill. Super easy, and SO good!
I am running out the door and didn’t read all the comments but what about a big pot of chili? Or maybe homemade spaghetti sauce? It’s going to be really cold this weekend and both are easy, dump it all in the crock pot kind of things.
teenagers LOVE the following: (my youth group kids seem to get excited by the following dinners)
-mac & cheese
-lasagne
-taco bar
-baked potato bar
all very easy!
I’d go with the lasagna, salad, and bread. They’ll love it, plus it will be easy for you!
I say go for the lasagna! Add garlic bread and a salad and they will be thrilled. Truly. It will feel home-cooked to them, even if it’s not.
I think the Lasagna would be great! And if you can’t stand the smell of the “cooking” food, buy those Stouffer’s frozen lasagnas. They are great. That is comfort food – along with lots of garlic bread! They will love it and you won’t have to suffer while preparing it 😉 You are a dream for doing it… have a good dessert, too…. brownies {with vanilla} ice cream is easy, easy and yummy!! I do that all the time when I don’t feel like doing an elaborate dessert!! Good Luck!
I am totally down for the easy way out. Plus, at 18 I loved lasagna and would not touch meatloaf. But then again I was a picky eater. Good luck!!
They’d love anything… but you could always make potatoes and buy a honeybaked ham or something. You don’t even have to heat that!
I love the idea of lasagna. You can never go wrong with the basics!
I definitely agree with the lasagna plan – Stoffer’s has the best frozen kind! Big salads with lots of yummy toppings and garlic bread too. I’m sure they’ll love it!
I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love lasagna, so that’s the route I would go!! I personally don’t care for meatloaf, or most meats in general, but I would love some yummy lasagna and garlic bread with a big ol’ salad. Even better? Most of it you can just get pre-made 🙂
I say go with lasagna, salad and some french bread and call it a day. They'll be so happy to eat something that was prepared especially for them that they won't care what it is. Seriously. At 18/19 I'd have been thrilled to have something that wasn't chips & salsa or ramen. They'll love whatever it is you prepare. Remember, they're there for you, not your mashed potatoes.
Good luck!
I think lasagna is a great idea too, I love your painting too 🙂
How about spaghetti? I make mine in the crockpot. You could make a simple sauce, let it simmer all day, and then just have to make a salad and some bread. Easy peasy!
Whenever I’m offered anything that isn’t mass-produced in a school cafeteria or capable of being made in a microwave, I’m happy. ^_^ I’m sure your students will love the opportunity to eat free food in a lovely home, and they won’t really be picky about what is served.
That is so nice of you! I think the lasagna is a great idea! Go to Sams and get a couple and they have great salads already pre made!!! Then of course some Texas Toast! I am sure it will turn out great! Good Luck!
lasagna would be great or any italian dish for that matter. feeds a lot and easy to do! They will love whatever you do!
I’ve always been a HUGE fan of cooking meals in the slow cooker… You can make perfectly-cooked meat recipes, and just have to toss stuff into the slow cooker and let it sit. Sometimes I’d even let it cook on my back porch so I wouldn’t even have to smell the thing cooking!
I also love the other girls’ ideas about ordering a ham in, or the lasagna. Just please don’t forget about a few veggie-friendly options, just in case!
Good luck, can’t wait to hear how it all turns out!
xoxo,
Lulu