Cooking for a Crowd

I absolutely love to entertain. Any excuse for a party, get-together, etc. It can be a lot of work, can get a little stressful, but I love being surrounded by our family and friends. I love the invitations (I do make an invitation for everything...hey, I'm a scrapbooker!), the preparation, the cleaning, the decorating, the "tablescape", and the themed touches...And so we entertain often.

When planning a menu for our events I try to keep a close eye on my budget. I have a stockpile of finger foods for when the coaches come over, like pizza rolls, chicken bites, and stuffed pretzel bites I get for free or close to free with coupons and sales which come in handy. But we can't always feast on appetizers.
So I thought I'd share my most favorite (and my most sought after) meals when cooking for a crowd.

A great recipe for entertaining in the fall/winter months: My cassoulet (a classic French meat and bean pot recipe)...but cassoulet sounds much better, don't 'ya think??!! My changes: I only use the Italian sausage (spicy and sweet) instead of the andioulle sausage, and I use chicken breasts instead of thighs. A hearty, easy meal that just says "comfort" to me. (and the whole meal is all together in one big pot...a great excuse to use my huge le creuset!!) As the original author coined the phrase..."Yum-O"!!

And a great recipe for all year is Bruschetta and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts. Just make up as many as you need (1-2 per guest). You can even do this the day ahead! These are great on a buffet during holiday parties. What a great presentation... and it's so easy!!!

Party on everyone! Visit The Ultimate Recipe Swap for more crowd pleasing meals!