post-wedding feasting with friends

After too long apart, last weekend I got to spend time with the Daybird and her pet ogre. We got to be Kitchen Witches together at a house in the Catskills. Friends of ours rented a huge house in the ski area near Hunter Mountain for their wedding and hanging out afterwards. Friday was the wedding and reception at a local restaurant, but Saturday night was food prepared by everyone at the house - essentially an on-site potluck dinner.

So here's what I cooked!

Easy as Pie Shepherd's Pie for a Crowd

3 lbs. lean ground beef
1 one-pound bag of frozen chopped onions
2 one-pound bags frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, peas, green beans, aka soup mix)
1 tub Knorr beef stock concentrate
2 cups water
Wondra flour
salt and pepper to taste
Idahoan instant mashed potatoes (16-serving box)
roasted garlic (I used the stuff in the jar)
butter
milk

Brown ground beef. Remove beef from pan and brown onions in drippings. Drain off excess fat and place beef and onions in large stockpot. Add the frozen vegetables, Knorr stock concentrate, and 2 cups water. Bring to a low boil. Take about a quarter cup of the Wondra and mix with very cold water, stirring until there are no lumps. Drizzle into simmering beef mixture and stir until thickened. Adjust seasoning. Remove from heat.
Following the directions for the mashed potatoes, heat the water, butter (margarine sucks), and a heaping tablespoon of roasted garlic and simmer about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the milk, then add the mashed potato flakes and stir thoroughly.
Place the ground beef mixture into two 9 x 12 pans. Cover each with half the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with chives, paprika, or parmesan if desired. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

This isn't a fancy dish, but it's great for a large group - it goes together quickly and doesn't take a lot of time to prepare.

Chicken and Biscuits

3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
butter
1 one-pound bag frozen chopped onions
2 one-pound bags frozen mixed vegetables (same as above)
1 tub Knorr chicken stock (this stuff is frickin' AWESOME)
2 cups water
Wondra flour (are you seeing the pattern here?)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tubes Grands biscuits (or generic version thereof)

Melt about 2 tablespoons butter in a dutch oven. Brown chicken thighs in melted butter; remove from pot. They don't need to be cooked all the way through, you are just browning the outside for flavor. When they are cool enough to handle, cut thighs into bite-sized chunks and reserve. Meanwhile, brown onions in drippings in dutch oven. When onions are lightly browned, add 2 cups of water. Add tub of stock and frozen vegetables. Bring to a simmer. Add cut-up chicken and simmer for about 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through. Take about a quarter cup of the Wondra and mix with very cold water, stirring until there are no lumps. Drizzle into simmering chicken mixture and stir until thickened. Adjust seasoning. Remove from heat.
Split chicken mixture between two 9 x 12 pans. Cover each with a layer of biscuits. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Check them halfway through; if the biscuits are already starting to brown, cover with foil and continue for remaining time.

Serves...I dunno...twelve? sixteen? Depends on how hungry you are and what else there is to eat.

Okay, Daybird, now it's your turn. Cauliflower gratin recipe, please.

Disclaimer: This is how I cook for large groups- easy, tasty, but not fancy. This is NOT how I cook for small groups where I pull out all the stops.

~the nightowl