We have some exciting family events coming up in the next few weeks – including a very special 50th Anniversary Celebration for my parents in which my entire family will gather here at our home for a weekend full of surprises and fun.
To make the “Golden Weekend” go more smoothly, we decided to make as much of the food ahead as we could.
So two of my sisters and a couple of nieces came down for a few days this week and we had our very own “Cook-a-thon” (complete with lots of chocolate and laughter and even some vintage music!)
My kitchen was hopping as we had every available surface covered and in use.
We made 4 cavatini’s that were put in aluminum foil pans and frozen.
We peeled over 70 potatoes and made 3 large pans of make-ahead mashed potatoes. These were also put in aluminum foil pans and frozen.
We baked a large batch of crescent rolls…
…a very large batch of crescent rolls (because you can never have too many hot buttered rolls!) 🙂
We also brined, roasted and pulled apart a large turkey, made a batch of hamburger buns, made 8 pounds of taco meat, prepped 4 egg casseroles, made 4 pans of cinnamon rolls that we froze before baking, and covered 40 pieces of chicken in Mom’s original marinade before freezing them in plastic bags.
Whew!
Not only did we make a freezer full of food, we also made some great plans and fun memories.
We discovered once again the truth in the old saying “Helping hands will get things done, half the effort, twice the fun”!
This post is linked up at Design’s by Gollum.
Blue Jeans and Cotton Tees 
Hey Melinda! The time with your sisters sounds wonderfully fun and fulfilling as well as gettin’ a whole lot done! :o) It’s fantastic that all of you can work together to plan such a special event…great memories…great teamwork. Kyle’s parent’s just celebrated their 40th and all I will say is that I wish unity would have been present like you are sharing about in this post…a very sad reality for far too many families…
I’m sure things are coming-to-life in your corner of the world!
Enjoy your celebration…how great that your “hovel” is gone and your mansion is complete!!! Yippee!!! I’m so excited for you!
Mendi
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I am going to try each and every recipe you put on here! It all sounds fun and a great way to make life easier.
~Cinnamon
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Thumbs UP Ladies!
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Melinda-First, congratulations on your parent’s 50th anniversary. You are so fortunate to be able to share this with them! I could tell from your post what a close family you are and what a good time you all had cooking. It sounds as if you will have enough food to feed an army and it all sounds delicious! I did not see the cavatini recipe. Hope you will share pictures of the party and that recipe later!
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How fun to have family to come help cook and spend time together. The food sounds good too. Have a great celebration with your family. thanks for the comment about the mint brownies!
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What fun and great memories preparing for your celebration!
Memories of a lifetime!
Thanks for stopping by my blog.
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I love it when all work together to get a job done. You’ll have plenty time to visit now! Thanks for visiting me today.
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Oh my… I am dying of HUNGER right now! Everthing sounds so wonderful! Hope that you all have a fun family celebration. I know the food will be a huge hit!
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Oh my gosh – you did make alot of food!! Congrats to your parents on their 50th! I’m sure your celebration will go smoothly since you are obviously well prepared!
I have six sisters and we always have so much fun when we get together…
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Wow, that looks yummy. What a great family get together.
Win Rachael Ray bake ware at my blog.
Thanks!
Sherry
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Those crescent rolls look amazing! I love getting together with other people to cook. How fun!
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What fun! I hope your gathering is filled with joy. Thanks for linking up to Foodie Friday!
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Everything looks good and delicious. I can’t wait to try them. But first I have to fix my oven.
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