Shopping, Shopping, and More Shopping!

I have spent the last two days shopping for food that will be served to the kids this weekend! I do all the shopping myself, and there is so much to buy, but I don't mind. I usually hit Costco, Smart & Final, Safeway, and sometimes Target. Sometimes I order things to go with dinner that I don't want to confuse my helpers with cooking. I also pick up items during the week that I know I will be needing. I can get the strangest looks by others in the stores when I have a flatbed cart loaded--heaping--with all this food! There is at least one person each shopping trip that asks, "what are you doing"?

We are having a new dinner item this week. I am calling this my "experimental dinner". We'll see if the kids like it and if I figured out the right amount of stuff. We are having "Hawaiian Haystacks" or some might call them "Chicken Sundaes".

I ordered 20 trays of steamed rice from Panda Express tonight. I will pick it up in the morning, just before noon. The haystacks are made by first a scoop of rice. Next, toppings are added to your flavor: chicken, cheese, green onions, pineapple, celery, tomatoes, chow mein noodles, coconut, almonds and then a scoop of "gravy"--which is cream of chicken soup thinned out with chicken broth.

Also on the menu is my asian salad. I make it different than my original recipe, but the modification is best for feeding a large crowd. I mix up the salad as needed. Otherwise, if it sits for too long, it gets soggy and isn't good. Here is my original recipe:

Chinese Cabbage Salad

1/2 head cabbage, sliced

4-5 green onions, chopped

1 pkg. chicken flavor ramen noodles

2 T. sesame seeds

chopped almonds (toasted)

1/2 c. salad oil

1 T. vinegar

1 T. sugar

Salt and pepper

**chicken, optional

Toss together cabbage, onions, sesame seeds, almonds, and broken up ramen noodles. Put together in a jar with lid, the oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and the contents of chicken flavor packet. shake until blended. Pour over cabbage mixture. Serve immediately. This salad does not keep well.

**add chicken pieces and make a meal

Gilroy Taco Night!

Last night was the Gilroy competition! The kids did great, even though they didn't win first place! It was taco night. One of the best dinners to provide. The kids can make it how they like it, to their taste. But before we can serve a meal, there is setting up to do. It was really raining last night, so we set up a couple of canopies for some protection. There were many wet moments though when the water would collect on the canopy and then over flow down over the edge. There were a couple of doozies I got! The wetness, not so much a problem, but the water was COLD!

We pushed the canopies right up over the two mini vans that had the back door raised. Working from the back end of the cars was actually very convenient.

All the supplies were very handy in the back of the van. This van got really messy. But this was where all the small things were.

This van was neat and tidy. It only held the coolers with food.

It was very cold. . . . Thus, all the jackets and hoods.

Many parents are willing to help get the food out.

Plenty of toppings! Lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, olives, green onions, salsa, guacamole. Yummy carrots with ranch dressing.

But first, there was a tortilla, ground taco turkey, and refried beans.

Tortilla chips if desired.

Plenty of watermelon and bananas. I'm sorry that the bananas were so green. But that's what Costco had.

The kids ate alot! Must have been hungry.

Next week: Hawaiian Haystacks

(but don't tell the kids)

First Competition Meal for 2010

Today, I went shopping for the food to be prepared for this weekend's competition. The competition will be held at Gilroy High School, in Gilroy. We are having "taco night", or "burrito night". It's about the same. The best meals to serve this large a group of kids, are the ones that they can customize to their own tastes. They can start with a tortilla or tortilla chips. The main portion is seasoned ground turkey, refried beans (vegetarian, of course), lettuce, cheese and tomatoes. I always use ground turkey instead of beef. Some kids don't like to eat red meat, but all will eat the turkey. We have a few vegetarians, so making the refried beans all veg., there is no question. The toppings on the meal will be sour cream, guacamole, olives, green onions, salsa. Watermelon and bananas will be on the menu and baby carrots with ranch dressing. I will be making rice cereal treats tomorrow for the dessert.

Some people ask about recipes. This meal is pretty simple to prepare: cook the turkey with taco season, heat the beans, chop just about everything else, and get toppings from a bag or plastic container.

The recipe I will include today is for the rice cereal treats.

Rice Cereal Treats -- Makes 24 treats

1 Cube Margarine

1 16oz. Bags Marshmallows

6 cups crisp rice cereal

Melt margarine in large pot. Add marshmallows, stir and melt together. Add cereal; only half at first, or it is difficult to stir and mix. Add and stir; add and stir until completely coated. Pour into 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with Pam. Let stand to cool and firm up. Cut into 24 pieces.