I really enjoy having my family over for a big meal, it doesn’t need to be a special occasion but I don’t like to do it too often as it does require a lot of work to get everything ready. Depending on how many people are coming then you may need to start juggling your furniture around to try and fit everyone in, and finding enough plates and place settings for everyone, however the thing that takes the most work is all that food!
Usually the biggest part of the meal is going to be the meat, or at least the biggest single part of the meal. So you might have a huge joint of something you have roasted, or a whole bird etc, or something with meat in it like stuffed vegetables or lasagna. That means you need to pick the right main piece to feed your guests for the least amount of effort. If the meal is for thanksgiving then you will traditionally have a turkey which makes a great main part of the meal, but you can actually have that any time of the year. Think of all the extra work that goes into creating something like a lasagna or a pasta bake etc if you were going to use that as the main part of the meal instead, this way you get an impressive meal but you save yourself a lot of work.
It can be a devil to cook properly though so you need to keep an eye on it. If you want to make sure your turkey tastes nice and juicy after cooking then the only way really is to use an indoor turkey fryer. By frying it in oil then it traps the juices inside the meat as it cooks, while making the skin crisp. The outdoor ones are a bit dangerous, so try an indoor turkey fryer instead because it works just as well but uses a thermostat to regulate the temperature so it doesn’t set on fire, and is less likely to get knocked over.
Now that part is sorted then you need to decide all the extras that you want to have with it. There are probably a few things you excel at making which you will want to include, or new recipes you have been dying to try out. Then for the rest look in your refrigerator and cupboards to see what you need to use up for the rest, there is no point in shopping for new ingredients when you have some perfectly good food going to waste already! I find the secret to getting the quantities right for a big meal is to allocate each person a certain number of every item, rather than just filling a tray up and hoping. For instance with roast potatoes maybe two per adult and one for the children.
The meal would not be complete without a dessert though. Although I do think this part is the biggest hassle for the least reward. Nobody really cares if you made the dessert yourself when you did such a good job of the main meal, they are all too stuffed full of your food to care. Something some people do is ask the guests to bring the dessert, then that puts the decision onto them about whether to make it by hand or not, or you can just head to the supermarket and grab a tasty pie yourself.
Tags : Cooking, famil meals, family, home


