Dinner for a Crowd

Our youngest son has a summer birthday, the kind of birthday that gets ignored, poor guy. His cakes are usually afterthoughts, picked up from the bakery on the way home from work, or served at whatever restaurant he’s chosen for his party. This year, I was touched when he wanted me to make the cake for his eighth birthday myself, and I agreed, just as soon as I remembered my favorite, ridiculously easy cake.

When I was growing up, we were required to say thank you at the table twice, though we were not limited to just twice, if we were so moved. When we sat down, we said, “Thanks, Mom. This looks great!” Before excusing ourselves and taking our plates to the dishwasher, we reiterated, “Thanks, Mom. That was delicious!” Did we always do it without prompting? I’m sure we did not, but our father would remind us.

I had long considered a fried egg the kind of breakfast (or lunch or dinner, to be honest) a delicacy that could dress up anything from a plate of hash to a simple salad and not the sort of thing you throw together for a crowd. But last year, one of our editors taught me a trick for cooking a big batch of fried eggs at once, turning this once solo dining luxury into a crowd-pleasing performance that does not even require a frying pan.

Planning your family’s meals for the week ahead takes discipline, creativity, and culinary know-how, but feeding the appetites and fueling the energy of an entire gold-medal-vying professional sports team? That’s next-level meal-prep wizardry. So when Allen Tran, head chef and dietician for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, volunteered to share how he keeps his athletes ready to hit the slopes, we furiously took notes.

Today is National Crunchy Taco Day! (Yes, that’s a thing.) What better way to celebrate than with a big batch of spicy chicken tacos? Becky Hardin, the blogger behind The Cookie Rookie, has an ingenious way of making a big batch all at once. Bake them all together in a 9×13-inch baking dish!

Have a Dutch oven recipe you really love, but don’t feel like turning on the oven or stove? Get out your slow cooker! It takes a simple adjustment, but for most recipes these two pieces of cooking equipment can be used interchangeably. So many recipes that call for a Dutch oven, like soups, stews, and braises, all cook using the same principle as a slow cooker — low, slow cooking.

More than the turkey itself, more than the stuffing and mashed potatoes fresh from the kitchen, leftovers command our hearts and minds on Thanksgiving. The meal itself is often busy and talkative with out-of-town family and friends, so the days following the holiday are when you get to really focus on yourself and your prize — that much-treasured turkey sandwich, eaten alone in the kitchen in the sunny quiet of a Friday afternoon while everyone else is shopping or playing tag football.