Team Dinners Overseas

Today I thought I would throw a couple recipes at you while I share about cooking for my husband’s teammates when we are overseas.  Something we really enjoy doing is having his teammates over a couple of times a season for a big meal.  And we try to make it a meal of food that their culture normally wouldn’t cook.  So we are often steered towards a Thanksgiving-type meal.

Today I thought I would share a couple of recipes that I use when I cook those big meals that otherwise don’t usually make the dinner rotation.

Meal Plan:

Turkey
We usually buy the largest turkey we can fit into our oven. One thing that has helped cook more turkey in the oven is to have the butcher remove the legs, so they don’t prevent us from getting the turkey in the oven because it is too wide. The legs can then be put somewhere else on the roasting pan. Then I slather it with olive oil and cook it breast side down in an oven bag (if I remember to pack them). We rarely have much turkey left over!

Mashed Potatoes
I use Pioneer Woman’s Mashed Potatoes recipe not only because it is SO good, but because I can make them a day or so before. I usually make two large pans of these and they are gone in about 20 minutes!

Stuffing
Again, I go with Pioneer Woman’s Thanksgiving Stuffing recipe. I use this cornbread recipe and go with whatever local bread looks the best. Joe is not big into stuffing, but he likes this one. And it is the best leftover stuffing I have ever had.

Macaroni and Cheese
It is back to Pioneer Woman once again for her Macaroni and Cheese. Last year in Italy, the Italians really liked this because it was very different from any pasta they make in Italy.

Baked Pineapple
This is a very easy recipe I got from my cousin’s wife.

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
cinnamon
1 can pineapple crushed

Directions
1. Beat 3 eggs.
2. Mix in butter, cornstarch and sugar. Stir in can of pineapple.
3. Pour into 9×9 pan and sprinkle top with cinnamon.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Other Veggies
I will usually steam up some green beans and corn as well, but no one is usually that interested in eating veggies at these meals!

Carrot Cake
The last two teams Joe has played on have been in Italy and the Italians have gone nuts over carrot cake. I use this recipe from Tasty Kitchen and his teammates can finish off two pans easily.

Nutella Cheesecake Brownies
These are always a big hit too. I am thankful Maria introduced me to these a few years ago!

Swedish Apple Pie
One of Joe’s teammates that he has played with the last two years always requests Swedish Apple Pie and I use this recipe from All Recipes.

What are your go-to recipes when you have a big crowd of people over?