When I was writing out a grocery list for this past weekend and planning our meals, I realized I have a handful of recipes in my back pocket I make over and over again when we have guests staying with us because they are tried and true favorites. They’re recipes I have practically memorized and recipes I feel confident serving to friends and family because they always get positive feedback and result in plates that are practically licked clean!
The summer months seem to be a time when we have a revolving door of guests and since I know summer is prime-time travel for many, I figured a post focused on some recipes I consider big-time crowd pleasers might be of interest. Hopefully some of the meals below jump out at you to make the next time you have company in town!
Meals I Make When We Have Guests In Town
Why I Make It: It’s the BEST chicken marinade around and our guests rave about it every time we make it! It’s the perfect recipe to have on hand for a cookout when you want something other than burgers and hot dogs. It’s easy to make and lends itself well to prepping ahead of time. We usually serve the chicken with simple sides like baked sweet potatoes, edamame black bean salad and green beans.
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Instant Pot Chicken and Broccoli (via Lexi’s Clean Kitchen)
Why I Make It: Because everyone LOVES it! I have yet to make this recipe for guests and have someone NOT request the recipe. It’s a huge hit and an easy one, too! My shortcuts: I use a giant bag of frozen broccoli (I double the broccoli in this recipe) and I also use ginger paste — a LOT of it! We serve it with brown rice for a little more staying power.
Why I Make It: I don’t have to measure anything and it always comes out great! This recipe is a nostalgic one for me because my mom made it for our family all the time when I was growing up. Once you make it one time, you’ll realize you can eyeball all of the ingredients in the future and it will always come out great. Gotta love a forgiving recipe! This is also a great one to serve with an assortment of sides and I love it paired with my ginger sesame broccolini.
Why I Make It: So much can be prepped ahead of time! I buy frozen pre-sliced onions and peppers (BJ’s Wholesale and Whole Foods often sell them) so I don’t have to chop any veggies. I typically have the chicken and veggies prepped and ready to go and while they bake, I assemble the extras: Tortillas, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, shredded cheese and sour cream! Note: I originally made the recipe from Juli Bauer’s Paleo cookbook but now opt for Tina’s version of Juli’s recipe because it’s a shortcut version and tastes almost exactly the same!
Why I Make It: This is the recipe that won the top prize at a friends’ chili cookoff in the “best non-traditional chili” category so it’s a recipe I feel confident others will love! It’s the simplest of the simple (no chopping — you just dump everything in a slow cooker) and is a favorite recipe of mine to serve during the colder months of the year.
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The Whole Smiths Roast Chicken (via The Whole Smiths)
Why I Make It: It is the perfect comfort food to serve on a chilly night. It makes the whole house smell amazing and can be completely prepped ahead of time so you just throw it in the oven when you’re ready for dinner. Note: I double — and often triple — the veggies in this recipe because they are SO good and we fly through them!
Why I Make It: Something about seared tuna feels special but this recipe is a breeze to make! If I know we’ll be hosting seafood lovers in our home, I love to make this recipe because it somehow has a “wow factor” to it but doesn’t require a ton of time in the kitchen to put together.
Question of the Day
What is a meal you often find yourself making when you have guests in town?
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Thanks for sharing!! Baby #2 will be here any day and between the hazy newborn days and visitors who will be around to help, I’m bookmarking them all for inspiration when we want something other than takeout.
Hope you had a great weekend with your parents!!
I hope it helps — The main reason I make the majority of the recipes in this post is their ease and the fact that most can be prepped ahead. Anything to make hosting a little more seamless is huge for me!
Great post! I made your crockpot chicken chili for our houseful of guests this weekend and it was a huge hit!
So glad to hear it!
Some of my go-tos when we have family visiting are a lemony parmesan shrimp pasta, pulled bbq chicken in the crockpot (so versatile), and a sausage/egg/cheese breakfast casserole. They’re all pretty simple but people love them! I also find myself very distracted cooking when we have guests over, and these are meals I can make while distracted because i have the recipes memorized
I feel ya! I’m also very easily distracted in the kitchen and just want chat with our company so recipes that I know by heart are so helpful!
My go to recipe for guests is my crock pot teriyaki chicken wings. Delish!
The pictures you posted on Instagram were SO cute! Do you mind sharing where you got your cover up? The purplish one! I got my 6-year-old’s haircut this weekend and showed a picture of Ryder from your latest family photo shoot as a hair inspiration picture! It turned out so cute!!
This post could not have come at a better time, Julie, as we will be having lots of out of town guests this summer! Thank you so much for sharing!
Used your recipe for Pork Chops marinade last night. It was very good! Thank you!
That chicken thigh marinade is my go to for guests too! I sometimes do a mix of chicken thighs and breasts for people that don’t like dark meat. I also love it because grilling means less dishes and cleanup, and i can easily throw a veggie on the grill too!
Your blog is so delightful. I somehow found you when I lost my 13 year old dog and you had just lost Sadie. I did a quick glance at your blog and immediately thought it wasn’t for me. I am 20 years older than you, have no children, etc. The list of things you and I do not have in common seemed endless, haha.
I was so wrong. I love your recipes, your workouts, your book suggestions.
Thank you so much for sharing your life.
Carla this comment truly made my day. Thank you!