Not sure what to cook for a crowd?

One of my loves, that gives me great joy, is cooking for a crowd. Especially my family. This summer I had tons of family visiting. And, since we all love leftovers (means no cooking the next day), I decided to cook for a crowd of 20 (even though there were only 9 of us).

Now, I don't know about you, but I love a party. I love the planning, preparation, and the cooking. Does that sound weird to you? Does that stress you out? I think that, in order to eliminate the stress, planning ahead is key. Make a list of times and write underneath them what you need to do. Ie: 5 hours before, 90 minutes before, 60 minutes before, 30 minutes before, etc. That way you don't forget anything!

Disclaimer: I was so involved with hanging out with everyone that I forgot to take pictures. So sorry!

Cooking for a crowd – this is what I did to make it easy:

• Planned the menu. I want easy to make food dishes so that I could spend time with my family….and not be in the kitchen all day (hence no pictures). In this case it was Smoked Pork Butt, Chick-fil-A Coleslaw, Grandma's Baked Beans, buns and a green salad.
• Made the grocery list and went shopping.
• Gathered all of the supplies that were needed the night before.
• Determined what could be made ahead of time.
• Looked at all of the cooking times so that I knew when I had to begin. My husband, who cooks the Pork Butt, has to get up early in order to get the Green Egg Smoker hot for cooking.

The night before:

• I knew I had to soak the beans the night before. So, I did that.
• My husband knew that he needed to place the Pork Butt on the Green Egg early so he prepared what he needed the night before.

The day of:

• Prepared the beans up until the baking. I didn't put them in the oven until 1 hour before eating.
• Made the coleslaw and let it sit in the refrigerator so that the flavors could meld.

90 minutes before eating:

• Turned the oven on to 350º.
• Set the table.
• Gathered all of the serving bowls, platters and utensils and put them on the island.
• Made the green salad.

One hour before eating:

• Put the beans in the oven.
• Took the two pork butts off of the Green Egg to rest.

30 minutes before eating:

• Shredded the pork butts.
• Put the buns on the plate.
• Heated the barbecue sauce and put in the sauce bowl.
• Transferred the coleslaw to a serving bowl.

Love this Party Planner Timeline? This, and many other items, are included in the Joyful Living Toolbox. Grab yours right HERE!

Now, sometimes life (especially cooking) can get pretty overwhelming, right?

And sometimes, when you are overwhelmed, stress sets in.

And when stress sets in it is sometimes difficult to be happy or joyful. So, please don’t let stress have the last word! 

Go on and take a look at the ‘Top 5 Stress Reducers’ (Action Plan included). So that you can eliminate what causes you stress and get on the path of living a joyful life.

What is Joyful Living all about?

Joyful Living is ALL about not letting let the circumstances of YOUR life determine who you really are. You learn to choose YOU instead! Not sure how to do that? Let me help! 

To begin, go ahead and read:

• is Joyful Living?
• 5 Simple Steps to Choosing Joy
• Finding Joy in All Things
• What Does God Say About Joy?
• Difference Between Happiness and Joy