A Good Time Was Had By All (I Hope)

We had two wonderful weeks of family! It was good to visit with children and grandchildren, cousins were reacquainted and siblings enjoyed catching up. I would often recline in my chair (with a grandchild) and bask in the warmth of family!

We ate, laughed, hiked, fished, went bowling, visited the Aquarium and spent some time on Temple Square. The dishwasher ran several times a day, someone was always hungry or tired! 
Since this is mostly a food blog I will share some ideas that worked for feeding a crowd.

We are a family that enjoys good food, my children can cook so everyone helped. Kids (and adults) seem happier if they are well fed. So the week started with plans and lists. Greg and I went shopping before anyone arrived, the pantry was well stocked. I made a list of meals that I had all the ingredients for. Some of our meal choices were:

Homemade Pizza with fresh basil
Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches
Grilled cheese (we had a sliced cheese tray from Costco)
Quesadillas-we put a 2 lb brick of sharp cheddar thru the food processor, shredded cheese for several meals
Creamed Peas and Potatoes
Mexican Meat Mix, Fresh tortillas, Cilantro Lime Rice--this meal was a hit, we ate it twice!
Homemade Salsa and Chips and guacamole
Homemade Mac and Cheese with diced ham
My sweet 82 year old Mother made a delicious Roast Beef dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy, hot rolls and corn on the cob. Thank you Mom!
There was plenty of fresh fruit, cold cereal, yogurt, peanut butter and jam--no one was ever hungry.
Popsicles, yogurt pops and treats were available, upon Mother approval.

Life at the 'big house' was a little more intense we had 21 people for 3 days. Chore charts worked, everyone was willing to take their turn cooking and cleaning.
We enjoyed:
Rotisserie chicken, salad mix and rolls, fresh fruit all from Costco
Egg Muffins with Canadian Bacon, sliced cheese, fruit
Pita Sandwiches made with deli meat and veggies, chips and cottage cheese
Hawaiian Haystacks with lots of toppings
Barbecued Turkey and Twice Baked Potatoes
Breakfast Burritos with hash browns, sausages, scrambled egg all wrapped in a cooked tortilla.
Max spoke in church Sunday, after Sacrament Meeting we had brunch for about 50. Thanks to my children and their sweet companions for making this a success, we served:
Denver Omlet
Sunshine Casserole
Fresh Salsa
Fresh Fruit Salad
Banana Mini Muffins
Juice
Chocolate Milk

And a good time was had by all!