Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing. Self serve breakfast. We do a light lunch with neighbors at noon (soup and snacks) dinner at 5.

This is not helpful. I just read the post. on Wednesday guests take my family out to dinner. On Friday, husband makes left overs. Breakfast is eggs, usually omlette or husband makes to order. I only make Thanksgiving day happen. Nothing around it.

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Are restaurants packed on Wednesday?

Anonymous wrote:Nothing. Self serve breakfast. We do a light lunch with neighbors at noon (soup and snacks) dinner at 5.

This is not helpful. I just read the post. on Wednesday guests take my family out to dinner. On Friday, husband makes left overs. Breakfast is eggs, usually omlette or husband makes to order. I only make Thanksgiving day happen. Nothing around it.

Nothing. Self serve breakfast. We do a light lunch with neighbors at noon (soup and snacks) dinner at 5.

Breakfast: Eggs, toast, bagel, cream cheese, cereal, overnight French toast bake, baked oats. Lots of fruits, and I try to offer a variety so it’s not the same thing every day.

Meals: I try to theme it. Italian one day, middle eastern another, Asian another, and so on. By making it a theme, it helps me focus my efforts on finding recipes that are simple, fits everyone, and allows me to plan/prep ahead.

One of the things I like doing, is Vietnamese noodle bowl with lemongrass chicken (or shrimp/other meat) with nuoc cham sauce. There is no cooking other than the meat /shrimp that can be marinated ahead of time, and stuck in an oven, a couple of minutes for the rice noodles, and all the veggies can also be prepped ahead of time. It is also something that guests or teens can help with - here’s a bag of carrots, turn them into matchsticks.

The other is pizza, with home made dough. Use the Natasha’s kitchen recipe with the slow proofing. You can make this 3-4 days ahead of time, and it will taste fantastic. No one complains when they make their own, even if it turns out soggy, too thin, too thick, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Day after, we get Hawaiian rolls, cook some bacon (in the oven), put out lettuce and tomatoes, condiments and leftover ham and turkey. Then people make sandwiches as needed.

Do you serve ham at Thanksgiving? How much ham and how big is your crowd?

Day after, we get Hawaiian rolls, cook some bacon (in the oven), put out lettuce and tomatoes, condiments and leftover ham and turkey. Then people make sandwiches as needed.

Anonymous wrote:I think “bars” are going to be your best friend. Taco bar, rice bowl bar, baked potato bar. A base carb that people can add whatever protein/veg/fixings they like.

Agree - I whole do bars at dinner and deli trays for lunch. Throw in a few take out meals

Takeout from Mission BBQ

Pizza

Taco bar with lots of options

Pasta bar

Tell them to go out for dinner and bring you back a plate

Takeout from Nandos

Pizza (incude a veggie and a white), salad, roasted veggies

Soups and salad and bread (premade or make two)

BS to all that nonsense. Unless someone has a religious restriction, a longtime practice such as vegan or vegetarian AND they are willing to help shop/cook/bring, or a true allergy (“sometimes gluten makes my tummy ache, but I eat it whenever I think it’s ‘worth it’” does not count), screw them.

Breakfast, have yogurt, fruit, and cereal available. One day go for bagels.
Lunch, have lettuce, pickles, cheese, and ham and/roast beef available. One day send someone to Panera.
Wednesday night dinner: chili, sloppy joes, or pork BBQ served with a broccoli slaw.
Friday night order pizza. Saturday leftovers from Thanksgiving. If anyone is still there on Sunday night retreat to your room with Netflix and a quart of ice cream and leave them to figure it out.
Get a gallon or two of ice cream and some chocolate syrup, a bag of pretzels, a few bags of chips for snacks.

Who invited them to stay for a week of catered meals? I'd not be as nice as you are.
Aim to keep a choices on the table and let the picky ones find their own way.

I think “bars” are going to be your best friend. Taco bar, rice bowl bar, baked potato bar. A base carb that people can add whatever protein/veg/fixings they like.

Rule of sane hosting: accommodate all medical and religious conditions, none of the rest.

I think I know what to do for Thanksgiving dinner. But what about the other meals all the other days? Looking for breakfast, lunch, dinner, ideas with recipe links or detailed info. Should I make multiple things and serve buffet style? Are there other ideas that would accommodate everybody?

The crowd I am hosting includes:
-1 person who cannot handle any "spice" including black pepper
-1 person who cannot eat any raw vegetables, bread, or seafood
-1 spicy food lover who will not eat seafood, yogurt, jam, cooked tomatoes, or soft stewed meat
-1 meat guy
-2 people who don't like sweets
-1 sweet tooth, she even adds extra sugar and syrup to bottled brown sugar BBQ sauce
-1 vegetable lover