Feeding Hungry Teens

Pizza? Burgers? Again??

Even my teenage boy gets sick of those from time to time. It's true. We're having a bunch of teenage dudes over tonight, and I decided to go outside the comfort zone of cheap, take-out pizza and do a build-your-own taco or nacho bar.

This works out really well, since we have a variety of tastes and dietary restrictions - everyone can customize their own! Here's what I did - it's so very easy:

Shredded, seasoned chicken (a bunch of breasts in the crock pot with some garlic, onion, broth and taco seasoning, then shredded when cooked until tender)
Seasoned beef (a.k.a. taco meat!)
hard and soft tortilla shells, as well as tortilla chips and lettuce for alternatives (you can also do rice for a rice bowl or "naked" burrito)
cheese - shredded cheddar, jack and cotija (you coudl also use a nacho cheese sauce)
sour cream
shredded lettuce
sliced black olives
diced Roma tomatoes
taco sauce/Tabasco/salsa
sliced jalapenos
black beans
for the more adventurous you could add some picked red onions, sliced radishes, chopped fresh cilantro, etc. (I didn't have those this time)

For the sides, we have chips & salsa, fruit, veggies, etc. You can customize the toppings and sides to your liking. Try it sometime, and put your own spin on it - this also works for a big crowd - I've done lunches for my husband's work team, a big ladies luncheon, etc. Somewhere on here, I did a post on feeding a crowd, and there are a few other menu options - when I find it, I'll link it here. In the meantime, enjoy a build-your-own taco bar!

P.S. We built giant platters of nachos for a late night snack using the leftovers - it worked out perfectly!

Layered Mexican Trifle Salad

So this is awesome. It's a lot of work, but it is awesome. Feeds a crowd, looks cool, tastes great. What more can you ask for? I first had this at a party, and then tracked down the recipe - I believe it was originally from Pampered Chef. You can mix it up, but I really like this combo. It's easy to double or whatever is needed, based on the serving dish. The one pictured was MASSIVE, and was basically a triple batch - so much work, and at the last minute! Layered Mexican Trifle Salad I ngredients: Beans: drain, rinse and mix together 1 15 oz. can pinto beans and 1 15 oz. can black beans 1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained (I've also used fresh) 1 large tomato, diced (I usually use several Roma tomatoes) 2 green bell peppers, diced 3 ripe avocadoes, diced and mashed with the juice of 1 lime and salt and pepper to taste 1 large onion, diced (red or white) 2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded 2 cups cheddar or jack cheese, shredded

Skillet Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti & Asiago Cheese

We ALL really love this recipe. This is based on a recipe from the good people at Cooks Illustrated - I am grateful to them for getting my kids to happily eat sundried tomatoes and broccoli! I've also made this in a huge batch and served it family-style for a dinner party (and got to use my giant Pampered Chef Simple Additions square pasta bowl (it's really big), and it was AWESOME). If people could have licked the bowl clean, they might have - there was NOTHING left. Try this, and love it: Chicken, Broccoli, Penne and Asiago Cheese Skillet 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (or olive oil - just don't heat that to smoking) 1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup) 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp.) 1/4 tsp. dried oregano 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes 8 oz. ziti or penne (2 /12 cups) 3 c. water 2 c. low-sodium chicken broth 3-4 c. broccoli florets 1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, rinsed and choppe

Another Take on Comfort Food

Sometimes there's nothing you can do but cook. I've had the displeasure of seeing 2 young moms in our school community recieve cancer diagnoses in the last 18 months. If you're like me, when someone you know is hurting, you want to help, but lots of times, there's not much you can do. If you can cook, you can take away some of the stress of getting the family fed and bring a meal or two. In fact, even if you can't cook, you can pick up a meal at a restaurant or a bag of groceries, or even a gift card for a local restaurant. I think it comes naturally to some - the church and school communities I grew up in always loved with food - church potlucks, school spaghetti dinners, and of course lots of meals for people who needed them. But not everyone has done this before, so it might be overwhelming. As in my "feeding a crowd" blurb, there are a few things to keep in mind. Don't try to impress - don't try new recipes. Find out if you're

A Cooking Baker

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