Cookout for 20 hungry teens

[MarkIsCooking]

Hello eG'ers!

Here's the deal. Just found out that my daughter and 20 of her camp friends are coming over for a cook out this Saturday. We have a lake cabin not far from her camp and our yard will be a camp excursion for a few hours.

I've got to feed 20 hungry teens. I'm not worried about budget, but I'd like to do most of it a day ahead so I can enjoy visiting with my daughter (who still has a week of camp left).

It can't be too adventurous from a culinary point of view given the audience, but I don't want to serve junk food.

I'm thinking maybe a big 10 ingredient chopped salad and maybe a cold pasta salad for starters.

Ideas PLEASE!!!

Signed,

Dad Looking for Help

P.S. if anyone wants to come over and help, I'm in SW New Hampshire!

[Sony]

Mexican (or Tex-Mex) is probably an easy option. Kids can self-serve and adjust to own tastes.

Beans can be done in advance and is great for any vegetarians. So is guacamole. which is fast for last-minute prep.

Meats can be marinated in advance- either quick cooking cuts (e.g. chicken breast, skirt steak), or you could do barbacoa or shredded chicken sauce in advance. Of course you could do the usual ground beef.....

Garnishes can be done in advance (e.g. fresh salsas, chopped cilantro, shredded cheese, chopped lettuce) Tortillas can be kept warm in the oven or rice can stay warm in a Crock-pot.

Fresh fruit can make for a refreshing end...sliced mangoes, pineapple, melons, kiwi, all can be cut and kept chilled in advance. Or, for something more decadent, if you used the grill for meats, let kids make their own grilled fruit packets in the warm embers- banana with chocolate chips and marshmallows, peaches and plums with granola,etc.

Good luck!

[nonblonde007]

I feel for you! As the mother of 3 teen boys, I sooooo understand. But hey, my guys are so easy, give them a campfire, sticks, hot dogs and marshmallows and they are in heaven. And for goodness sakes, Don't forget the Music! Why not try making it interactive, cut chunks of various meats, veggies, and such, give them long skewers and let them do the work while you enjoy your daughters company. Make misc. dips and sauces, (don't forget ranch, they are kids), lay out lettuce leaves, pitas, buns etc. and they will figure the rest out for themselves, and have a great time doing it too. You can allways fry up chicken the day before, and have that on hand for those who don't want to get too involved, who doesn't love fried chicken? Or, maybe lay out a sandwich bar, loads of cold-cuts, cheeses, veggies, creative dressings and breads. Again, they do the work, get what they want and you get to relax for a while. I have done these sorts of things too many times, all they realy want is to socialize, and have fun. I wish I were close enough to lend a hand, sounds like you will ahve a great time. Good luck.

[Dave the Cook]

The salads are a great idea, and so are the foil-wrapped desserts.

Some teens like to play with fire, and some don't; some have gone vegetarian; some are just learning to be great carnivores. I'd get maybe three racks of baby back ribs, some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and a bunch of raw shrimp. While you're at it, grab some cherry tomatoes, some bell peppers and some mushrooms. Also, make sure you have a few sets of tongs.

Cook the ribs in the oven the day before: brine for three hours, then roast at 250 for four hours or so. Cool and cut the racks into two- or three-rib portions. Brine the chicken for three hours, then cut into chunks. Peel the shrimp and brine for 30 minutes. Make a good barbecue sauce for the ribs.

An hour before the kids arrive, make skewers of the shrimp, and another set of skewers with chicken, using your assorted vegetables for both. Make a few that are just vegetables. Marinate all of them in a vinaigrette, or even a decent bottled Italian dressing.

Let the kids do their own grilling of the three items, under your supervision. Brining mitigates overcooking, so you don't have to be meticulous with the timing, and that lets you have fun. The chicken and shrimp can be mixed into the salads, too, so there are a number of potential make-it-yourself meals.

[Pierogi]

In the same vein as the layered salad, 7-layer dip. Refrieds, cheese, salsa. etc. served with tortilla chips.

Make your own pizzas? On the grill, maybe even using Boboli crusts. Set out a lot of potential toppings (shredded cheese, bought...sliced pepperoni, bought...sliced salami, bought...veggies, sliced the day before...sausage, sauteed the day before...you get the drift).

Throw a pork roast in the slow-cooker with some BBQ sauce and make pulled pork sandwiches. Make some slaw, some good buns and you're golden.