Vacation Meals - Feeding large groups on vacation

[Anonymous]

Taco bar

Crockpot pulled pork or chicken

Make your own personal size pizza

Pasta--alfredo sauce, meat sauce, marinara as options

Sausage and peppers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Taco bar

Crockpot pulled pork or chicken

Make your own personal size pizza

Pasta--alfredo sauce, meat sauce, marinara as options

Sausage and peppers

These are all great!!!!

[Anonymous]

We went on a beach vacation with 4 families. We took turns cooking dinner and it was great! Everyone came up with some really good meals and one person didn't have to feel like they had to do all the cooking. I would highly recommend using paper plates to cut back on clean up time.

[Anonymous]

This is a regular topic in the Food forum. Check there; I think there have been 5 or 6 threads this summer.

My faves:
fish tacos
shrimp boil
taco night
burgers/dogs/chicken on the grill
potato salad, slaw, and baked beans are always good sides

[Anonymous]

We pretty much always do this meal when on vacation with family or friends or there's a crowd at our house: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/02/oven-fajitas/. It's really easy. I also fix some quinoa or rice and/or refried beans and everyone makes their own bowl or tacos.

We always buy some local fresh fish to grill or bake 1-2 nights. Maybe shrimp or crawfish, too, depending on where we are. Crabcakes are a crowd favorite but time consuming!

Breakfast for dinner is pretty easy and quick.

We also do the adults trade-off cooking/cleaning schedule, with some date nights for the adults thrown in. Pizza is always a good standby if you don't want to cook every night. Take dishwasher tablets if there's a dishwasher there.

[Anonymous]

We go with a group. Every night one family is responsible for every aspect of dinner, from shopping to cooking, serving and clean up. If it's not your night, you get waited on hand and foot.
Let me strongly recommend this system, otherwise the same old people will do all of the work and the same old people will sit on their rears.

[Anonymous]

We just did this with two other families. Each family took a night to make their meal, a couple nights out, and a burger and dog night. Actually it was much faster to cook and eat in than eat at restaurants every night. Some people, like my husband, really like to cook on vacation!

Wing night was a super popular one: grill 10 lbs of wings and serve with barbecue, honey mustard or wing sauce. Easy and cheap.

[Anonymous]

i would ask each family who is coming to cook something ahead of time to bring along so that all you're doing is heating up and making easy sides: Chili, meatballs or sauce to go with spaghetti, lasagna, etc. Semi-cook one nigh by doing rotisserie chickens from the supermarket, grill as someone said because kids will like this. And always have pasta or rice on hand for the kid who doesn't like anything.

eileen g

[Anonymous]

i would ask each family who is coming to cook something ahead of time to bring along so that all you're doing is heating up and making easy sides: Chili, meatballs or sauce to go with spaghetti, lasagna, etc. Semi-cook one nigh by doing rotisserie chickens from the supermarket, grill as someone said because kids will like this. And always have pasta or rice on hand for the kid who doesn't like anything. And make one night a pizza night

eileen g

[Anonymous]

We enjoy cooking/grilling at the beach. The beautiful heirloom tomatoes are in season and the corn is fantastic on the grill. We probably eat out at least half of the evenings but have a great time playing board games and cards while preparing the wonderful fresh ingredients from the markets at the beach. The local farmers bring in cheese, different types of berries, melons, peaches. honey and many other items. Enjoy.

[Anonymous]

Just stay home and cook OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why on earth would you go on vacation and spend time cooking. Stay home.

ITA.

These beach house vacations that everyone loves to go on are just "mom does all the same work at a different location" trips.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We use the crock pot a lot at the beach, cooks all day while we're down having fun and we just throw together sides when we get back. Pulled pork, beef roast, chicken breasts for fajitas, etc

Another vote for the slow cooker. Feeds a crowed and it really doesn't take much work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why on earth would you go on vacation and spend time cooking. Stay home.

ITA.

These beach house vacations that everyone loves to go on are just "mom does all the same work at a different location" trips.

exactly.
pull out your wallet cheapskate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why on earth would you go on vacation and spend time cooking. Stay home.

ITA.

These beach house vacations that everyone loves to go on are just "mom does all the same work at a different location" trips.

exactly.
pull out your wallet cheapskate.

Shut up already. We get that you don't want to cook on vacation but some people don't mind, or even like it. Just move along if you don't have anything to add.

I agree with a lot of these but you have to think through logistics on some things (like personal pizzas, only a few can cook at a time so it's not a good option for a big sit down dinner). I also like doing some kind of easy chicken recipe (we do a Moroccan chicken that's really not hard/doesn't take long). Key for us has been to think ahead a bit and prepare some things ahead of time. (ie, for the Moroccan chicken I make, I'd mix all the spices at home and bring one small baggie then it's basically mix in garlic, oil, lemons, prunes, olives. Super easy and delicious)

+1 for lots of grilling