Need easy dinner menu for family vacation

We are renting a beach house with DH's family in July and decided to each take turns with making dinner for the night since it will be difficult to go out with so many of us.

There will be 5 families and my FIL and MIL, so we are talking about 12 adults, 3 late teens, 5 kids, and 4 babies (yes, 24 total)!!!!

MIL is doing pasta and sauce
SIL family #1 is doing Mexican
SIL family #2 is doing Clambake
SIL family #3 is doing BBQ

So, DH and I have to figure out a menu for our night without repeating the ones that are already "taken".

No Italian suggestions, please (such as ziti, lasagna, etc.) DH's family is old school Italian, and this little Chinese girl is not going to be able to meet their culinary standards if I try to make an Italian dish.

TIA!!!

Re: Need easy dinner menu for family vacation

Why not have another night of BBQ...depending on what the other BBQ night is.

If SIL #3 is doing hamburgers, hot dogs

You could do
Steak
Ribs
Fish
Corn on the cob
Potatoes

(Or if she is donig the above, then you do hamburgers hot dogs)

Or you do a salad night
Egg Salad
Tuna
Chicken Salad
provide different toppings, rolls, wraps etc and everyone can make there own

Re: Need easy dinner menu for family vacation

KateDevine had a similar post a few weeks ago, I'll see if I can bump it for you.

A suggestion I really liked was Breakfast for dinner-- pancakes, french toast, bacon, scrambled eggs, etc.

ETA: Why don't you make some of your favorite Chinese dishes then, since it would honor your heritage then? That would be awesome!

Message edited 6/18/2009 11:24:49 AM.

Re: Need easy dinner menu for family vacation

if you can make any chinese dishes, I think that would be a great idea.

fried rice, sauteed meat and veggies.

not sure where you live but you probably know you can get frozen dumplings from a few places in chinatown.

you could do a dim sum/dumpling type of thing as well, with steamed and fried dumpling, summer rolls, egg rolls etc.

I friggin LOVE them..sadly they haven't agreed with me since becoming pg

Re: Need easy dinner menu for family vacation

I actually was thinking we would do a Chinese night.

I make a mean Asian Salmon dish and fried rice, but I was concerned about feeding the younger kids.

I didn't even think of dumplings, but that's a great idea, and something the kids can eat along with the fried rice.

We are going to the Outerbanks in NC.

Do you guys think they will have the ingredients in the supermarket there? I can bring the dry ingredients but the frozen dumplings may be a problem . . .

I guess i can just make mac & cheese and chicken fingers on the side for the picky kids, and just worry about the adults, right?

Re: Need easy dinner menu for family vacation

Re: Need easy dinner menu for family vacation

I think the chinese idea is a great one!! Everyone will love it!

As for finding ingridents, the first 3 years we went to DH's family reunion, it was in a VERY remote section of Florida and we could even find proscuitto in the Piggly Wiggly

Have you ever done a trip like this? DH's family has been doing it for 20 years, they have it down to a SCIENCE. DH's aunt emails us a list of everything each family is supposed to bring down to basics, let me know if you want me to forward it to you. It is a BIG help