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Hi Lil_Baker14:

I've been there. I come from a great family of cooks and bakers. When I started really cooking my family was unsure also. It drove me crazy.  ha, ha. So my advice is to make something that they aren't know for. 

So, my Aunt Michele is known for her pies. My mom for her muffins. My uncle for his cheesecake. My Aunt Sue for her coconut cookies... the list goes on and on. So I decided to make biscotti. I just did plenty of research in advance and tried things out in a few test batches. They loved them. So find out where you can find your cooking/baking niche.

How big is the family reunion?

Sincerely, Cate

UPDATE: Sorry! I forgot to add the recipe the Betty Biscotti recipe that my family has asked for time and time again:

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/summer-celebration-lemonade-biscotti/d1f3ac47-207f-447e-8a21-a1748649c0e7

Hi CateC_BettyCrocker_MOD! Thanks for the tips! My family reunion is pretty small, about 15 (maybe 20) people. My favorite thing to do is bake, I like to cook, but prefer baking. My cousin, "The Best Cook In the Family" is known for her casseroles and pasta salads, I'll try to avoid those dishes!!! If anyone's got any more idea's please tell me! THANKS!

Bake a two tier cake covered in fondant and flowers.  Write Happy Family reunion in fondant letters.  Or frost with real buttercream and decorate with gum paste flowers and fondant letters!  It is alot easier than it sounds!

Those ribs sound mouth watering and the cupcakes sound awesome!  Recipes I am gonna try.  

The potato is an unexpected and creative ingredient. its better for healt.

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Online Recipe

This is not a quick or easy recipe, but it is one that I developed myself and now I get requests for at family gatherings for all sides of the family.  It makes wonderfully flavorful and tender ribs:

BBQ Baby Back Ribs [Eemma's recipe]

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pounds baby back pork ribs


• 4 cloves garlic, sliced


• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar


• 1/2 cup cider vinegar


• 1/2 cup dry sherry


• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce


• cayenne pepper to taste – I used 1/4 tsp. for a double batch

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.   Place ribs in a pan -- I use aluminum roasters.


2. In a small bowl, mix together marinade ingredients.  If necessary heat the mixture to dissolve the brown sugar.


3. Pour marinade over the ribs and cover the pan tightly with foil.


4. Bake for at least 3 hours.  (I open the foil on one end and check the tenderness of the meat.  If necessary, I recover the pan tightly with foil and bake up to another hour.)


5. I let the ribs cool and refrigerate overnight.


6. Preheat grill for medium heat.


7. Place ribs on grill. Grill, covered, for about 12 minutes, basting with your favorite sauce, until nicely warmed. Serve with extra sauce for dipping.

The funny thing about this is I don't even like pork!  Please let me know how you like it if you decide to try it!

Eemma

I would make  my famous hot fudge cake for desert. I use one box of Betty Crocker cake mix, two jars of hot fudge and 1 tub of betty crocker frosting. mix the cake mix as directed and add two tablespoons of hot fudge (Not warmed) Also Do Not use a mixer. Mix by hand. it makes the cake much more moist. poor into prepared pans and spoon hot fudge out of the jar on top of the cake mix. Then bake. When cakes are cool. spread hot fudge over the cakes and then add frosting. Everyone loves chocolate, and they are sure to love this cake. 

I have made these cupcakes for every occasion for the past five years. From baby showers to bake sales, they are always a hit with children and adults alike. The best of all, they are so easy!

Chocolate Truffle Cupcakes

• 1 box (about 18-20 Oz. Box) Any Flavor Of Chocolate Cake Mix, Plus Ingredients To Prepare Mix (typically Water, Oil, And Eggs)


• 1 box (4 Serving Size) Chocolate Instant Pudding


• 2 cups Mini Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips, Divided


• ⅔ cups Heavy Cream

Preheat oven as per the directions on the cake mix box. Line cupcake pans with cupcake liners and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.

Prepare cake mix as per directions on box, adding the dry pudding mix before beating the regular 2 minutes. Fold in 1 cup of the mini chocolate chips last and spoon into the prepared cupcake pans. (I have also used mini muffin pans to make mini cupcakes.) Bake as directed.

After the cupcakes have cooled, place the remaining 1 cup of mini chocolate chips in a glass or metal bowl. Heat the heavy cream to almost a boil and pour over the chips. Whisk until smooth and set aside for 5 minutes. Whisk again and dip the tops of the cupcakes into the ganache. Let dry a few minutes and dip again. You can garnish the top of the cupcakes with a sprinkle of the chips, chopped nuts, cherries, sprinkles, etc. 

Use extra ganache to dip fruit, cake, fingers, spoons, etc. You can also feel free to lick the pan clean. I must also warn you that these are very addictive and you may have a fight on your hands for the extra ganache!

Oh my these look good i'll have to make these as i love to bake anyway,thanks for the recipe.

I've made the Caramel S'more Cups and now I get requests for them all the time.  My family and co-workers love them. In fact, we are having a family reunion in two weeks and this is what I'm taking.   Here's the link: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/caramel-smore-cups/9916aa44-083c-4507-8db9-49d0a92f62f7

I don't usually reccomend trying a new reicpe out for the first time unless you have practiced it before hand and your own family likes it.  Know your dietary needs of your guests.  If someone is vegetarian then offer something that everyone would like but is vegetarian.  Keep it simple.  Do as much as you can the day before so you can work on concentrate on the last minute things on the day of the reunion.  Do all slicing and dicing ahead.  If a casserole can be made ahead and chilled before baking do it.  Our family has a reunion every year and everyone brings something.  Consider having the guests bring something and then you could just do a main dish and just one side.  We love to grill so when my husband and I had 50 + guests over for the reunion we made marinated chicken, hot dogs - for the kids and hamburgers/with or without cheese.  I also made a few side dishes my kids like.  One thing I also did was a toppings platter so people could choose from pickles, tomatoes, onions, avacado, lettuce, BBQ sauce, ketchup & mustard.  I had lots to choose from.  My husband and I set up the tables and the food tent outside the night before.  All I had to do was bake my side dishes and fire up the grill.  We borrowed tables, chairs and crockpots from neighbors so we had places to keep all the hot food hot.  Be sure you have a place to plug in everything.  You don't want to blow a circut and have cold food.  Remember if guests are binging something, see if you can get an idea of what they will bring.  You dont want all deserts and no salads.  If they don't know then suggest somone brings a salad and someone else brings a dessert.  Last advice.  Have fun and mingle with your guests.  You are the hostess and you want to have fun.  Don't get stuck in the kitchen baking casseroles.  Also don't worry about that relative who is the Best cook..so what!  It is your day not hers!  Have her bring the hamburger buns..LOL!

A few of my favs:

Sweet Bacon Smokies

1 lb lean bacon, cut in thirds

1 14 oz pkg Lil Smokies, beef

1 cup light brown sugar

fresh ground black pepper

Line a 12 x 18 jelly roll pan with foil. Wrap a 1/3 slice bacon around each smokie and place seam side down in prepared pan. Make nice even rows. You don't need to secure bacon with toothpick, just place seam side down. Sprinkle brown sugar over the bacon wrapped smokies in pan. Sjprinkle with pepper. Bake at 375 for 40 - 45 minutes until golden and bacon begins to crisp. NOTE: It will look like a lot of "liquid" aorund the smokies, but it will be the sugar melting and caramelizing. These can be eaten hot or at room temp. Delicious!

Mystery Dip

2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

2 cups pecan pieces

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 jar jalapeno pepper jelly

1 box wheat crackers

Mix cheese, pecans, green onions, and mayo. Refrigerate 2 hrs or overnight. Before serving, top with the jar of pepper jelly. Serve with wheat crackers.

Delicious Fruit Salad

2 small boxes vanilla fat free, sugar free instant pudding mix

1 cup skim milk

1 (32 oz) fat free plain yogurt

1 (20 oz) crushed pineapple, drained

1 (12 oz) carton frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 tsp vanilla 

In a large bowl, mix together milk and pudding. Quickly add yogurt, and mix well. Fold in drained pineapple. Flod in whipped topping and vanilla. Chill. YUM!

PIcante Sauce Chicken

6 boneless chicken breasts

salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

1 large onion, sliced thinly

1 (8 oz) picante sauce (I like Pace)

2 TBSP brown sugar

2 tsp mustard (French's, Dijon, or Country)

Mix the sugar and mustard into the jar of picante sauce. Place chicken breasts in a 9 x 13 pan. Season and cover with sliced onion. Pour sauce mix over breasts. Cover pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 350. Uncover and bake and addition 10 minutes or until chicken is golden and most of the liquid is absorbed.

Try the honetbun cake from Allrecipes.com.  Everyone loves it!

I have made this a few times and it was always a big it by all ages... and cute too.  Everyone loves a Root Beer Float!!  

If you have trouble finding Root Beer Extract in your local store, search for a Brewery Supply Store (Home Made Beer), I had to get mine from there the first time before finding a store that carried it.

Good Luck on your Reunion!!!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/old-fashioned-root-beer-float-cake-recipe/index.html

Robin

Hey there - we're also hosting a family reunion for part of my husband's side of the family, and, like you, I will be dealing with some folks who have never been here and don't know what good cooks my husband and I are! But we'll grill brats, hot dogs and burgers; I'm making my potato salad (which will be a challenge, because everyone thinks my husband's Aunt's is the best!), and I'm going to do a dump cake for one of the desserts - super easy and very popular:

Cherry-Pineapple Dump Cake

1 20-oz can crushed pineapple, undrained

1 21-oz can cherry pie filling (I try to find the light one)

1 pkg Betty Crocker yellow cake mix

3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

1/2 cup chopped pecans toasted (spread on lightly sprayed cookie sheet and bake in 350 oven for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent burning)

ice cream or whipped topping (I use Cool Whip since I'm lactose-intolerant)

Spread crushed pineapple on bottom of a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch pan. Top pineapple with cherry pie filling, and sprinkle cake mix evenly over fruit. Drizzle with melted butter, and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Serve with ice cream or topping. Makes 8 to 10 servings (at least - a lot more if small servings, and you have other choices). Enjoy and good luck!

Hi lil,

This is what I'm taking to my 'summer family picnic'...BC 'Beer Sno-Cones!' The recipe sounds very easy and the 'simple syrup' you make is alcohol-free, so the kiddies can enjoy them too! Too hot to use the oven. Hope you reunion is 'memorable!' OXXO Moonyriver6

hello!  i do not have a particular recipe to share with you, instead i just want to say this: if you bake from your heart something that you love to make then your family is going to think it is amazing no matter what recipe you choose!  always bake/cook/prepare foods that you enjoy making when you are hosting a party or bringing a dish to a get together - when your food is made with large doses of love and fun it will always taste delicious!  have fun at your reunion!!

♥ amber

Hi lil_baker14!

This is one of my "go-to" recipes for our family reunions.  I leave out the nuts due to food allergies and they are still very tasty.  There is a variation on this website that includes Snickers bars but I haven't tried it yet.  Maybe this year.  Enjoy!

Hi lil_baker14:

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