How to feed weekend guests w/o spending the weekend in the kitchen

First want to say #2 Emily was the winner in the giveaway.

This weekend was my daughters First Holy Communion and I had 10 to 15 guests in the house for any given meal.  Instead of going out to dinner every night I thought I would do some make ahead meals that were easy and kept me out of the kitchen the whole time.

Here are some great ideas to keep entertaining easy:

For the first dinner, I purchased pork tenderloins a couple of weeks before, marinated them and froze them.  I used Barefoot Contessa's Herb Marinated Pork tenderloin* recipe.  Make sure you take them out at least the day b/f to defrost. You can do this with chicken or steaks too.
I roasted asparagus, green beans and potatoes which no matter what combination you choose you can prepare them ahead and then put in the oven 40 minutes before serving.

Salad and Rolls

The dessert was also done the night before, it requires 4 hrs of chilling time so it can be made earlier the same day.  A favorite now in this family and light on the hips too!!
Cooking LIght's Chocolate Eclair Icebox Cake

Make ahead Egg casseroles* also come in handy for brunch the next day. I made mine friday afternoon for saturday late morning.

 I did not do the Monkey Bread for this weekend and the scones were a hit.  I baked them up before church.
You can also make ham biscuits up to 3 months in advance, cover them in foil, which you need to for baking purposes and then into a freezer bag.
**I like to cut the rolls down the middle like one big roll, layer the meat, cheese and butter spread and then cut them into the individual rolls.

Cut up fruit the day before just don't add the red fruits like raspberries and strawberries until right before serving.
Before church I baked the bacon at 400 degrees for 40 minutes and cooked the sausage.  I placed them into a warming drawer.

Of course I could not resist making these chocolate party favors that also served as the centerpiece.  I saw the molds at Easter time and was able to make them over a week in advance just keep in a cool place.
Dessert was homemade poundcake and cupcakes (that were made earlier and frozen then dipped in melted frosting)

Melt store bought frosting in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds, add coloring and dip cupcake.  When dried add adornments with extra white frosting placed in a ziplock baggy.









Saturday's dinner will be a separate post later this week!

REcipes:

Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients:
Grated zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4-6 lemons)
1/2 cup olive oil, plus extra for brushing the grill
2 tbsp. minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 1/2 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
2 pork tenderloins, about 1 lb. each
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 teaspoons salt in a sturdy 1-gallon Ziploc bag.  Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade.  Squeeze out the air and seal the bag.  Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferable overnight.

When you are ready to cook the pork, heat a charcoal or gas grill.  Brush the grate of the grill with oil to prevent the pork from sticking.  Remove the meat from the marinade and discard the marinade.  Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper.  Grill the tenderloins, turning a few times to brown on all sides, for 15-25 minutes (depending on the temperature of the grill) until the meat registers 137 degrees F at the thickest part.  Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Slice and serve warm with the juices that collect on the platter. 

Egg and Cheese Surprise

10 slices of bread, buttered with garlic salt.  Cut off crusts then slice bread into cubes. ( I used the white wheat bread for added nutrition)

16-20 ozs grated cheese (any kind) Prefer cheddar and swiss.

Alternate cheese and bread.  One layer bread cubes, one layer of cheeses (4 layers total)

Pour following mixture over above layers;

6 eggs (beaten well with remaining ingredients)

3 cups of milk

¼ tsp pepper

½ tsp dry mustard

½ tsp salt

Cover and refrigerate overnight in pryex 9x13 baking dish.  Bake uncovered for

 1 hr.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

Ham Biscuits

Can easily double this recipe and make and freeze ahead

1 stick butter, softened

2 tsp prepared mustard

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 pkg (20) party rolls

¼ lb thinly sliced ham

4 oz package sliced Swiss cheese.

Preheat oven to 350’

Combine butter, mustard, poppy sees, Worcestershire sauce

Cut rolls in half and spread mixture on both sides of rolls. Fill them with ham & cheese.

Wrap in foil, place on a baking sheet, and heat until cheese metls, 10 to 15 mintues.