I have a couple with two teenaged sons coming for dinner on Friday night, and eight or so hungry impoverished twenty-something gamers coming on Saturday. So I need to fix a bunch of food. Previously, for the gamers, I have made chili with corn bread, always a hit, and beef stew. I want something healthy, but not too unusual, these are Canadians we're talking about. Something fairly inexpensive, a one dish kind of meal. Suggestions, anybody?

Bar-b-qued beef is usually a hit with my son and friends. Pizza is always a hit, and well accepted. Baked ziti is another--simple fast and well accepted.

thinkerlady Wrote:Bar-b-qued beef is usually a hit with my son and friends. Pizza is always a hit, and well accepted. Baked ziti is another--simple fast and well accepted.

Thanks, the bar-b-qued beef might be a really good idea, as I have a freezer full of beef right now, and a good receipe from Erma Bombeck for bar-b-que, to serve on toasted buns. I could put out baby carrots, celery sticks and dip as well.
I've never made baked ziti--what do you put in it?
Anybody else got a menu idea?

Yeah, the gamer/pizza symbiotic relationship is timeless. But you did say healthy so I guess that would be cheese-less veggie pizza.

Turducken? Just kidding...

Helen_B Wrote:Thanks, the bar-b-qued beef might be a really good idea, as I have a freezer full of beef right now, and a good receipe from Erma Bombeck for bar-b-que, to serve on toasted buns. I could put out baby carrots, celery sticks and dip as well.
I've never made baked ziti--what do you put in it?
Anybody else got a menu idea?

Noodles, Ricotta cheese, sauce.. pretty ez to make, my fav mmmmmmm

can even make a Meatball sauce that you can poor over it as well..

Helen_B Wrote:and a good receipe from Erma Bombeck for bar-b-que, to serve on toasted buns.

:eeeeeek!:

Lasagna is in the same food "family" and if you have leftovers, so much the better since it ages well.

Which part is making you eek? A good Erma Bombeck recipe, or the thought of having your buns toasted?

I like toasted buns. What the hell could Erma know about good BBQ?

I will confess, the thought ran through my mind as well. My mother loved Ms. Bombeck's books... especially the housework avoidance techniques.

BBQ Beef

Thaw out roast. Stick in crockpot for a long time. Remove fat. Shred up meat. Add BBQ sauce (slick will probably shoot me, but I just throw in a huge container of Cookie's ) and cook in crockpot some more. Stir occaisionally.

You can't screw that up....

And carrot sticks and celery stick trays? Chips, chips and more chips. Teenaged boys ain't gonna go near no veggie trays.

Don't forget brownies.

Lynn, for heaven's sakes! Slick's an old guy! His heart probably can't take this kind of strain...

lynnzop Wrote:And carrot sticks and celery stick trays? Chips, chips and more chips. Teenaged boys ain't gonna go near no veggie trays.

Don't forget brownies.

Ammend that. I didn't read your first post thoroughly...thought it was JUST teenage boys you were feeding.

I'd do chips AND veggie trays. And don't forget the brownies.

eris esoteric Wrote:Lynn, for heaven's sakes! Slick's an old guy! His heart probably can't take this kind of strain...

If Dennis gave me a QUICK, EASY bbq recipe that I couldn't screw up, I'd throw away the Cookie's forever.

Ok. I paid good money for this recipe and I won't promise you that you can't screw it up because you can if your not careful. This is what I sell in my store and I usually get good comments on it. Even had one guy that came in and drank it after his meal. Haven't seen him in some time, though.

You'll have to work on cutting it down yourself if you don't want about three gallons of sauce. This sauce also travels well because it's found its way to far off lands.

The link below is to one of my first epinions. This is a way to get authentic tasting (not looking) brisket in about 10 hours instead of the 18-20 it normally takes.

The BBQ Corner BBQ Sauce

1 ½ can(#10) catsup
3 ½ quarts hot water
1 quart Worcestershire sauce
1 cup liquid smoke
2 cups vinegar
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
½ cup lemon juice
stir very well and heat slowly
DO NOT BOIL!

Authentic Barbeque in Half the Time

lynnzop Wrote:Ammend that. I didn't read your first post thoroughly...thought it was JUST teenage boys you were feeding.

I'd do chips AND veggie trays. And don't forget the brownies.

Whew! I was just about to pout and say that while I'm a gamer I'm definitely not a teenage boy.

But gamers and healthy food?

It may take a little bit of time to get my mind around that. On the plus side, gamers are always grateful for any food that is put in front of them--we're not a hard crowd to please when it comes to food.

A friend of Eris' and I brings a killer dish to gaming sometimes. It's a sandwich in a wheel shape that he bakes. Eris--what is that stuff called that he makes? One is a Philly sandwich, right?

Oops, my bad, Peg Bracken wrote Appendix to the I Hate To Cook Book NOT Erma Bombeck. This is Peg's receipe:
POT-ROAST BUNS
2 tablespoons vinegar
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
a lemon slice
a medium onion, sliced
2 tablespoons of butter(which I never add)
Simmer together for 20 minutes. Then add:

1/2 cup catsup
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups beef bits (left-over roast)
Simmer covered, for forty-five minutes.
Serve on toasted hamburger buns.

Redlass Wrote:A friend of Eris' and I brings a killer dish to gaming sometimes. It's a sandwich in a wheel shape that he bakes. Eris--what is that stuff called that he makes? One is a Philly sandwich, right?

Sounds yummy! I would love to try it.

erk. He sent me the recipe, but I lost it somewhere. From what I recall....

Get a can of that Pillsbury Pizza dough stuff.

Roll it out into a long, skinny rectangle.

Add sliced roast beef, sliced onions, sliced peppers and shredded American cheese (white). (cause yellow cheese of any sort is nasty). Lay these out in the middle, lengthwise.

Wrap the innards in the dough by folding the ends over them. You should have a long, skinny tube-o-stuff now.

On a flat baking sheet, curl the tube around so that the ends meet. Pinch the dough closed.

I don't remember the cooking time, but I'm betting 325 degrees (f) for half an hour would do it. Possibly 45 minutes. Make sure dough is cooked all the way through, and is a golden brown in color.

slick4591 Wrote:Ok. I paid good money for this recipe and I won't promise you that you can't screw it up because you can if your not careful. This is what I sell in my store and I usually get good comments on it. Even had one guy that came in and drank it after his meal. Haven't seen him in some time, though.

I think I can do this.

Is that "I paid good money for this recipe" anything like the $500 chocolate chip cookie recipe scam? Thank you regardless. :thumbs:

And why in heaven's name would someone DRINK barbeque sauce?

lynnzop Wrote:Is that "I paid good money for this recipe" anything like the $500 chocolate chip cookie recipe scam? Thank you regardless. :thumbs:

And why in heaven's name would someone DRINK barbeque sauce?

I bought the recipe when I bought the store. If you'd tasted some of the crap that I produced when trying to make my own, you'd understand why the purchase was necessary.

Never asked the guy why he drank it. Just served him more when he'd ask for it.

slick4591 Wrote:Ok. I paid good money for this recipe and I won't promise you that you can't screw it up because you can if your not careful. This is what I sell in my store and I usually get good comments on it. Even had one guy that came in and drank it after his meal. Haven't seen him in some time, though. [/url]

One of my life goals is to eat at Slick's place sometime. Good BBQ is nonexistant in Oregon.

I'd mention that you could cook that brisket fork tender in 45 minutes in a pressure cooker, but I'd probably be banned from any reputable BBQ joint, including Slick's place. I've got a wonderful recipe someplace - will see if I can find it.

Deb

conradd Wrote:One of my life goals is to eat at Slick's place sometime. Good BBQ is nonexistant in Oregon.

I'd mention that you could cook that brisket fork tender in 45 minutes in a pressure cooker, but I'd probably be banned from any reputable BBQ joint, including Slick's place. I've got a wonderful recipe someplace - will see if I can find it.

Deb

Thanks, Deb, I'm not a purist, and I've got a great pressure cooker. I would like to try Slick's 10 hour "short cut" to BBQ brisket sometime, though.

erik_kosberg Wrote:Yeah, the gamer/pizza symbiotic relationship is timeless. But you did say healthy so I guess that would be cheese-less veggie pizza.

Turducken? Just kidding...

No, Eric, that would not be cheese-less veggie pizza, unless I want my gamers to throw up. I would put on a lot of thinly sliced peppers-red, green, yellow, what ever,and Vidalia onions, along with chopped up salami we get from a Polish deli where they make their own sausages. And lots and lots of cheese. I'm trying to stave of scurvy and beri beri here. Some of these guys think Kraft dinner is for special occaisions, and a nice change from a daily diet of imitation Mr. Noodle.
And the gamers are all coming over again, this weekend! So I'm cooking for them today, to get a head start.

erik_kosberg Wrote:Turducken? Just kidding...

Okay, that looks evil! From the website:

Quote:Makes you wonder what other possibilities are waiting to be created...

I suppose you could substitute pheasant for duck.