<p>My daughter informed us last night that her group of friends (about 20) voted and they want to have dinner at our house before homecoming. While we are happy to have the kids, she says they want flank steak and I don’t think we don’t have a grill big enough to cook that many so the steaks. Does anyone have any suggestions or alternate ideas on what to serve (no italian).</p>
<p>You could cook a beef tenderloin in the oven. Not cheap, but you could get 20 servings out of one, I think.</p>
<p>I’ve had a lot of team dinners. I usually serve some type of baked chicken breast. I think you could do the flank steaks on the grill and keep them warm in the oven or re-heat them in the microwave if you don’t have the oven space.</p>
<p>I love how THEY voted for you to entertain them… too bad about the italian restriction - - pasta, salad, and bread are particularly easy for a big group.</p>
<p>You could borrow another grill from a neighbor.</p>
<p>Perhaps some parents of the other kids can lend you a grill or two?</p>
<p>If you can’t borrow a grill, you can still do steaks but supplement with other items? Baked hams (always like Honey Baked) , big trays of mac & cheese, etc.</p>
<p>Or cook flank steaks and use for fajitas with trays of tortillas, toppings, rice & beans - something that stretches out the meat so your not cooking as much meat for 20 ravenous teens.</p>
<p>You should discuss limitations for serving so many at home with your D. They need to prioritize- menu versus location. They can get the steak at a restaurant, one reason people go to restaurants is to get foods they find too much trouble to prepare at home. They want the ambience/privacy of your home so they need to agree to a practical menu for you to prepare. They should not expect top restaurant quality food from a household kitchen regardless of your cooking skills. I’m sure these teens hadn’t thought out all of the details when they made their request. There are reasons large group affairs have different menu options than single tables in restaurants. You need foods that can sit in a serving dish while all 20 friends serve themselves if they all expect to eat together.</p>
<p>Flank steak is good cold too - you can always get rolls so some of the kids can make sandwiches. They don’t take long to cook either…</p>
<p>Flank steak is one of our standard family choices for Thanksgiving weekend, when at least thirty of us gather together.
The key is the sides. We usually do a jumbo Caesar salad and baked potato bar.
If it were me, I’d rope in some of those other parents to help out.</p>
<p>Okay here’s what I have done for big parties. Sear the steaks on the grill 5 minutes each side, then have the oven pre heated to 475-500, place the steaks in to finish as you move onto the next set.</p>
<p>We love flank in our home, you should be able to easily put on 4 or 5 large steaks at one time even on a small grill (ours is a triple burner and we could put on 8-10). 1 large steak should feed 5 people. </p>
<p>From my viewpoint, I would get a couple of flank steaks, plus chicken thighs (cheaper than breasts) and shrimp. Than I would do fajitas, making sure I have tons of filler like cheese, peppers, onions, lettuce and sour cream. Let them pick and choose.</p>
<p>Make a large ceasar salad for those who would prefer less meat.</p>
<p>When I do flank here is my potato recipe, it is sim to twice bake:
Saute 1 sm diced onion with diced bacon in butter, until slightly brown in large casserole pan (I have calphalon). Cool. Do not drain grease.
Bake 6 med potatoes in oven until soft. Cool DO NOT PEEL SKIN
Place potatoes in pan and add 1 pt of sour cream. Mash, leaving junks, do not make it gluey. (You can use mixer or hand held masher) Cover with 1 package of colby jack shredded cheese. Bake 375 for 20 minutes or until cheese bubbles.
Kids love it…and there is no grease to hurt their clothes. :)</p>
<p>Our DD would sit silently while people sat there said oh yeah steak, steak, steak. She does not eat beef. SHe is not a vegetarian, she just does not like the taste. That is why I am saying lower the beef count and increase the chicken or fish.</p>
<p>For an easy way to get a good result on flank inside is to buy a lodge cast iron (5 bucks at Wal Mart) Heat it on high for about 5 minutes than throw it on, flip 5 minutes and you are fine.</p>
<p>If you decide to do chicken go to Costco or BJ’s they have shakers/grinders, 1 is called Kickin Chicken by Schillings, grind it throw it in the oven (hi temp 400) and the kids will love it. Thus, you need no need to grill.</p>
<p>Finally, at our school homecoming is equivalent to the prom (actually bigger). I would suggest theming it with homecoming. Maybe something like our friends did a couple of yrs ago. They went to Costco and got pre-made beef wellingtons, and shrimp, the parents served them under a homemade gazebo with tulle and lights. The parents knew the food wouldn’t make the night, but the atmosphere would.</p>
<p>Borrow or rent another grill. I would hope all of the families are pitching in to cover costs??? I know they like nice HC dinners.</p>
<p>You can also do a chicken breast wrapped in puff pastry with a filling inside. This is easy and elegant looking. I have one single oven and made 16 servings. If interested pm me for recipe.</p>
<p>Agree atmosphere and presentation will make the evening memorable.</p>
<p>We usually have pictures at our house for HC and prom. Kids like choc dipped strawberries, fruit parfaits, and any non-messy food that won’t be dripped on beautiful dresses.</p>
<p>Ohh…Have had shrimp cocktail before but the kids ignored it and the parents ate it. I then tried grilling them on little skewers and that went over better.</p>
<p>Flank steak does not need to be served hot. Score the meat cross grain on both sides, marinate for 6 to 24 hrs in the fridge (my favorite marinade is Stonewall Kitchen’s Sesame Ginger Teriyaki) and grill before the crowd arrives. I like to serve it just slightly warm, already sliced on the angle and on top of a huge salad (very lightly dressed) laid out on a platter. People seem to love it and the grilling can be done in advance. </p>
<p>I really like the idea of the baked potato bar.</p>
<p>North is right, you can easily make and hold over night chicken or beef wrapped in puff pastry. I am assuming you have a place to seat 20, thus, it might be cool to do a food count prior giving them a choice. You can make invites for 5 bucks on the computer, have your DD hand them out with it saying respond to your home number and make a physical count. This way you will not be stuck with an incredible amount of leftovers. Then you can make name/seating cards and trick out the table to make them feel incredibly special.</p>
<p>They are not going to say on Monday the food was great, they are going to be like any other adult and talk about the atmosphere. OMG you should have seen it…we had white linens, crystal water glasses, little votives filled with school colored flowers and XXX parents served us wearing black pants, white shirts and aprons.</p>
<p>Don’t know where you are at, but if it will be dark before you leave, and you have a walk way, here is a neat thing to do.</p>
<p>Buy quart disposable plastic ware.</p>
<p>Fill with water and place flowers of the school colors in it. In the middle place a tea votive. Freeze. To release place the container in a pot of hot water. Than place out side on the walkway to light their way.</p>
<p>I have also made votive bags</p>
<p>Buy lunch bags, letter stencil and exacto knife.</p>
<p>Make bags with the school motto, letters and yr. You can even make the mascot. Light them before they exit to leave. Kids get a kick out of it. For example, our school is known as Cow Pi High. If I was to do it I would make one with a cow, the next with the pi sign (math) and the last with HI, however DD will be going to someone elses home, so I will wait until next yr.</p>
<p>They can be made days before. Make sure you put sand in the bag.</p>
<p>One last thing about flank, it could leave stains on a dress or a suit, so becareful</p>
<p>Wow, makes me really thankful that the kids here dine OUT for homecoming!</p>
<p>Fajitas or brisket.</p>
<p>I have had London Broil for 20 using our broiler. It’s a standby at our house and we number 8 many times with 6 hefty appetites and I always cook extra for any strays that join us.</p>
<p>I did a Homecoming dinner for 32 once- what was I thinking. I had three other mothers help. We did grilled chicken thighs, a veggie, rice and a salad. I had chaffing dishes set up in the kitchen. Once they were seated in the dinning room, the parents served them like in a restaurant. They ate very light- much lighter than I would have thought. We set up a picture taking station outside by the pool. When parents were dropping off their kids, they could go outside and take their photos. After dinner, we loaded them up in our mini-vans and SUVs and dropped them off at the dance. It was up to each couple to have pre-arranged their rides home from the dance.</p>
<p>recently ordered a tray of chicken marsala from macaroni grill, and another tray of chicken parm…I know they said no italian, but this was so easy and reasonably priced - it was not exactly spaghetti or baked ziti. Fed an army and they loved it.</p>
<p>did nothing but add a caesar (prepared by another parent) and good bread, and some simple appetizers</p>
<p>flank steak is a big fave of ours too</p>
<p>bulletandpima - LOL cow pi hi - it is possible I live near you 
love the additional decoration ideas</p>
<p>Years ago in the restaurant business we served “London Broil” at lunch. If the flank steak is cooked on the grill, it can be refrigerated without slicing and then reheated in the oven and sliced when warmed. </p>
<p>Or, as b&p suggested, flame and grill score the flank out on the grill and then finish in the oven is another way to go if you don’t want to refrigerate.</p>
<p>I like to make Korean beef with flank steak. That would be something you could do on the grill because you cut the beef into strips after marinating it. Serve it with bowls of rice. I did this with a couple of other Moms for a surprise 18th birthday party for three kids who were friends of my D. In total there were about 30 kids at the party. We also bought sushi and a Korean version of sushi (Kim bop) to serve as appetizers. We also had birthday cake (a sheet cake from a local bakery) too.</p>