01 July 2010

Beach Buffet Boogie

Each year, we go on vacation to the beach with my extended family. We stay in a house on the beach and enjoy lots of good times and good food! In my attempt to relax some while we’re there, I like to cook ahead!

It’s that time of year again, vacay time, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite make-to-take recipes with you (a couple recipes I’ve shared before, but I’ll link to them here – links have red/maroon text).
BAKED SPAGHETTI CASSEROLE – So easy to build an “Italian Night” around!
BLONDE CHICKEN PARMESAN – A light basic dish that can be dressed up quickly with a couple sides (like my spicy green beans) and hot buttered rolls.
CHILI DE LAURIE – Good to have on hand for the first night there when all are tired from travelling and for quick soup and sandwich lunches.
I’ve combined ingredients and directions here – you just throw all these items into a large stockpot and simmer, simmer, simmer..til you’re ready to eat! I serve this chili with tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded sharp cheddar cheese and scallions. Here you go:
1-2 lbs. lean ground meat (browned & drained), 1 onion + 1 green pepper + garlic (diced and sauteed til browning), 1 large jar salsa, 2-3 cans diced tomatoes, 4 small cans tomato sauce, 1 large can light red kidney beans (drained), 1 can chili beans, chili powder + cumin (sprinkled in to taste) – feel free to adjust ingredient amounts per your preference
CREAM CHEESE DANISH CASSEROLE – Soooo yummy with hot coffee or tea in the sunny morning.
FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE – Absolutely sinful for breakfast or dessert and a big hit with kids. You can also provide various toppings such as fruit, powdered sugar, syrup, preserves, even chocolate sauce and whipped cream!
Ingredients: French bread (I have also used hoagies rolls before) to make 5 cups bread chunks/cubes, 4 eggs, 1-1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla flavoring, 1 Tbsp butter, 1 tsp cinnamon/sugar
Directions: Butter a 9x13 casserole dish/pan. Put about half of bread chunks/cubes on bottom of dish. Mix eggs, milk, sugar, salt and vanilla together. Pour about half of egg mixture over bread in dish. Sprinkle 1/2 of cinnamon/sugar over this layer. Use the rest of the bread to make another layer in dish. Pour remainder of egg misture over top bread layer. Sprinkle rest of cinnamon/sugar all over the top layer of bread. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until top layer of bread it starting to brown around the edges.
ASSORTED SWEET GOODIES – Oh, c’mon, you know these will be scarfed.
I’ll take a large Tupperware box full of cookies, brownies, etc to include:
Peanut Butter Crunch                Dippy Cookies                   And More!
Hope you can use some of these ideas, they are def tried-and-true and never fail to be gobbled up quickly! Happy travelling this season! Be safe and eat well!
Hugs & Yums, Laurie

2 comments:

  1. Great roundup of recipes you have here. Thank you for sharing the travel cooking idea and the recipes. This week I'm sharing a banana recipe and lots of more banana related items. Come by and take a look. :-)

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  2. Fabulous Recipe Round-up! It sure looks like everyone ate well! Hope your trip was everything you expected! Thanks for joining Tuesday Tastes, People's Choice Award polls open at noon. Come vote for your favorite recipe!

    Happy Day,
    Jasey @ Crazy Daisy
    http://crazyjayzplace.blogspot.com/2010/07/tuesday-tastes-party-15.html

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