Tuesdays: Feeding the Masses

Some people are great writers, some people are great speakers or teachers, me, I feed people.

It's something I love to do.

I love to open up my home and welcome people in. There is something special about gathering around a table with friends and family to share our lives as we break bread together.

Feeding 2 or 4 people always came pretty easy for me, feeding a large group of people was something I had to adapt and grow into.  It use to take me all afternoon to get things together when we were having a large group over and since we do group dinners/studies every Tuesday and try to have people in our home other times during the week it can get pretty time consuming and expensive.  

Feeding 10+ people at a time is a common occurrence around this household.  I still like to experiment and try new things, but there are always a few tried and true recipes that I keep for those big group/potluck type meals.  I try to keep them as inexpensive as possible so that it is something that we can sustain.

One decision we have made as a family was to have lots of people into our home.  Personally I feel you can get to know people so much better when you can sit down in the small group setting with them.  Tuesday post are going to be dedicated to my tried and trusted recipes I use for having lots of people over and tips for hosting groups.  Trust me I'm not perfect at this, but I know I can always use a few more recipes, so I hope it helps any of you who may be reading this looking for ideas.


I find a lot of big group recipes tend toward casseroles, now don't get me wrong, I love a good casserole and I will be sharing a few of those recipes here, but sometimes you need something fresh and green.  The following recipe is one that I love and is always a crowd favourite when I bring it. I adapted it slightly from one I found off Pioneer woman (love her sight and most of her recipes).   It's fresh, healthy, full of flavour, cheap to make, can be prepped ahead so essentially no last minute work, and goes a LONG way.


Chopped Asian Salad

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• SALAD INGREDIENTS:
• 1 package Rice Noodles (this makes it gluten free, you could also use linguine noodles, or just leave them out, I've done all the above)
• ½ heads Sliced Napa Cabbage, Or More To Taste
• ½ heads Sliced Purple Cabbage, Or More To Taste
• 1 bags Baby Spinach, Or More To Taste
• 1-2 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
• 1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
• 1 whole Orange Bell Pepper, Thinly Sliced
• (or you can substitutes all the same colour bell peppers just makes it prettier if you have different ones)
• 1 bag Bean Sprouts (also Called Mung Bean Sprouts)
• Chopped Cilantro, 1 Bunch, To Taste
• 3 whole Scallions, Sliced
• 3 whole Cucumbers Peeled And Sliced or one long lebanese one ( I prefer less cucumber)
• 1 can (about 10 Oz.) Whole Cashews or peanuts, Lightly Toasted In Skillet

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FOR THE DRESSING:
1 whole Lime, Juiced
8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
8 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons (up To 3 Tablespoons) Sesame Oil
 2 TbSP Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger Chopped
2 cloves Garlic, Chopped
2 whole Hot Peppers Or Jalapenos, Chopped
Chopped Cilantro (you can omit this if you want the dressing to last longer)

Directions:Chop up all the salad ingredients except noodles and toasted nuts.  This can be a done a day or so in advance and placed in a large ziploc bag.  

Mix together all dressing ingredients and store in airtight container until use.  

Combine salad ingredients and noodles on a large platter, it usually takes me two large ones.  Give the dressing good shake and pour over salad and top with toasted nuts.  

MMMM. . .. luckily I still have some in the fridge.  Make some for your next group gathering it is delish.

Do you have an go to recipes for feeding crowds?  Please share.