Well, Ann T's tuna casserole was decadent. My kids never had tuna casserole before and they were a little weird about the breadcrumbs on top. When we were kids growing up in my house, we fought for the toasted buttery crumbs! However, I think our casserole was made with a creamy soup from a can and often had crumbled potato chips on top. The chicken pot pie was pretty good, too. It was from a magazine and was supposed to be a light version of pot pie. I'm not sure how light it was but it was made with a white sauce and lots of veggies and shredded chicken. The kids and DH were fighting over the leftovers. lpink -- I recently mashed some leftover butternut squash and added it to some homemade tomato soup (made with canned whole tomatoes and pureed). It added a different dimension. The puree reminded me of Jerry Seinfeld's wife's cookbook for families where she makes lots of purees one day a week and adds them to various meals to up the nutritional value. I don't want to hide veggies from my kids but I wouldn't mind getting more into them when they don't even know they are there. Split peas continues to be a big favorite - but I don't think of baked beans at this time of year. So many comfort foods, so little time. Tonight, I made a horrible meal! It was supposed to be shrimp with feta over pasta. We forgot to buy shrimp. I substituted turkey bacon. I like turkey bacon by itself but it didn't taste very good as the base of a pasta dish. Then I added misc. veggies from the fridge - zucchini, grape tomatoes halved, lima beans, red peppers. Don't try it. It was not a pleasant combination! It wasn't like a soup that is very forgiving. Comfort food is Tried & True. The experimental was just too weird this time around. Kari

Honestly, for this, I would order pizzas. Kids love pizza, and they can eat it standing up without utensils. Something like pasta that you need a knife and fork for would require seating for all these people and someone to clear away used plates so that the spaces can be used again. For the same reason, instead of salad, I would put out cut vegetables. Add some chips, grapes cut into small bunches, and something like cookies or brownies for dessert. Buy some big bottles of soda. Put out stacks of disposable plates (which they won't use anyway), cups, and napkins, and that's all you need. I like to cook, and big crowds don't faze me. But teens on homecoming night aren't going to appreciate any culinary efforts anyway. (Same principle as buying a supermarket cake for a small child's birthday party -- they don't eat it anyway, much less appreciate the difference -- and saving the homemade masterpiece for the family celebration.) If it were 8 or 10 kids wanting a special dinner in their fancy clothes, that would be different. But this is a big crowd, and they won't be expecting a fancy meal. My kids are grown now, but we poured more pizza, grapes, and soda down teenage throats than I care to remember, and it was always a success. This post was edited by gellchom on Wed, Oct 9, 13 at 21:20

RECIPE: Chicken Riggies - local favorite Posted by Debbie814 (My Page) on Mon, Nov 29, 04 at 20:09 Here's a local favorite. Chicken Riggies, they're on just about every Italian restaurant menu in my hometown Utica, NY. It's a quick, easy meal. Chicken Riggies 1 stick butter, melted 1 onion minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 20 oz. jar of sweet peppers (sliced with seeds removed) 3 sliced hot cherry peppers (packed in jar with oil) Saute above ingredients. Add: 1 cup parmigiano cheese 2 lbs. boneless chicken breast, cubed 1 can chicken broth 1 can tomato sauce (15 oz) Cook for 1 hour. Pour over 1 1/2 boxes of cooked Rigatoni pasta. Serve with fresh Italian bread. Here is a link that might be useful: Thread with debbie814's recipe

This is a great crowd pleaser. Everyone seems to love it. Just substitute chicken broth for the white wine. Can be prepared a day or two in advance. Just do;t over cook it. So if serving a day or two later , just warm it through. Chicken Marbella - Serves 10-12 9 pounds chicken - either whole birds quartered or a combo of thighs and breasts (If using breasts be sure not to overcook) 1 head garlic peeled and chopped 1/4 cup dried oregano salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil 1 cup pitted prunes 1/2 cup pitted Spanish olives 1/2 cup capers and a bit of the juice 6 Bay leaves 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white wine 1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped Combine chicken garlic, oregano,salt,vinegar, oil, prunes, olives. capers and bay leaves. Marinate & refrigerate overnight. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large baking dishes. Spoon marinade over evenly. Sprinkle chicken evenly with brown sugar and pour white wine around them. Bake in a for 50 minutes to 1 hour at 350. Do not over cook. Transfer chicken and prunes etc to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of the sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Pass the remaining sauce in a sauceboat. If preparing a few days in advance refrigerate cooked chicken in the sauce and allow to come to room temp before reheating, just until warmed through. If serving cold allow to come to room temp before serving. Here is another that goes over well. Lots of different recipes around for it but I've had good luck with this one. Just omit the mushrooms. Or you can do one batch with mushrooms and one without. This can be made the day ahead and just reheated. For a progressive I would cut the breasts in half and double the recipe. Or triple the recipe if you want a full breast for each person. Chicken Cacciatore 8 Chicken breasts or a combo of breasts and thighs 1 1/2 T Olive Oil 1 1/4 c Onions,Chopped 8 oz Mushrooms,rinsed, drained , and quartered 1 1/2 t Garlic,Minced 1 t Dried Oregano 2 T Parsley,Chopped 2 c Tomato Sauce 1/2 c chicken broth 1/2 c Kalamata Olives, pitted and quartered (optional) Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Pour 1 tbsp oil into a 10-12" nonstick pan over med-high heat. When hot,add the chicken and brown well(work in batches if it won't all fit). As chicken pieces are browned, transfer to a foil pan (8-9" square). In the same pan, add the remaining oil and the onions, mushrooms, garlic, oregano and parsley. Stir often over med-high heat until vegetables are limp (12-15 minutes). Stir in the tomato sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often; reduce heat, cover and simmer about 20 minutes to blend flavors. Add olives to sauce, remove from heat and pour over the chicken in the pan. Seal pan with foil and bake, covered, in a 375°f oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hours.