Farm Lunch Recipes
At noon each day, the farm workers have lunch together. It provides a time to refuel, relax and get to know each other better. A favorite of many workers is enchiladas - a really simple dish to make. Rigatoni is another dish that always raises a favorable reaction.

Here are eleven of my easiest meals for a crowd. Our usual group for lunch is around ten. So, if needed, I just double or triple the amounts given here.

Baked Chicken Drumsticks

• 2 1/2 pounds chicken legs (about 10 legs)
• 1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lay the chicken legs out in a foil-lined baking dish with high sides (the foil is to make clean up easier.) The chicken will caramelize best if half of the chicken is poking out of the sauce while cooking.
2. Combine the oil, honey, soy sauce, and ketchup. Add the minced garlic, and stir. Pour the honey mixture over the chicken legs.
3. Put the chicken legs in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Take the chicken out of the oven, and rotate it so that the bottom that was in the sauce is now on top, out of the sauce.
4. Put the legs back in the oven. Raise the heat to 425 degrees F., and bake until the sauce is bubbly and starts to caramelize on the chicken legs. This should take about 15 minutes.
5. Remove the chicken from the oven, and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve the sauce the chicken cooked in with the meal or over rice if you'd like.

Note: If the legs need a little browning, put them on the grill for just a few minutes. The meat is fully cooked, but putting them on the grill, elevates the caramelization even more. 

​Serves 5 - 6

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Baked Pork Chops

• 4 pork chops
• 1 large onion sliced
• 4 medium potatoes quartered
• 2 c. carrots
• 1 rib of celery, chopped into 3-inch pieces
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 tbsp. shortening or other cooking oil
• salt
• pepper

1. ​Brown pork chops with salt and pepper in hot shortening or oil. Set pork chops aside in a casserole dish. Brown the onion, potatoes, carrots, and celery as many as will fit into the pan in which you browned the pork chops. Add a little more shortening or oil, if needed. Place vegetables over the pork chops in casserole dish. 
2. After everything has been browned, put the cream of mushroom soup in the browning pan to take up all the browned bits. Add minced garlic. Heat the soup until it is bubbly and the bits have been cleared from the bottom of the pan.
3. Cover pork chops and vegetables with soup.  Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or more.

​Serves 4

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Chili 

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1  jalapeño  pepper, seeds removed, then chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 quart of home-canned tomatoes, or a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 c beef broth or stock
• 1 cayenne pepper, left whole
• ground cumin to taste
• chili powder to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Brown hamburger, seasoning it with salt and pepper.
2. Add celery, onion and jalapeño pepper, continue to cook until they begin to become tender.
3. Add garlic and kidney beans. Cook about two minutes.
4. Add tomato paste and cook another two minutes.
5. Add tomatoes and beef broth. Mix well.
6. Add cayenne pepper, cumin and chili powder.
7. Taste the chili and add more salt and pepper, or other seasonings as needed.
8. Simmer for at least an hour, if possible. Take the cayenne pepper out.
9. ​Serve with corn bread with honey and butter.

​Serves 4 - 6
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Enchiladas

• 1 pound ground beef, shredded pork, or shredded chicken
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 small fresh jalapeño pepper, chopped (optional)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• 10 flour tortillas
• 28 oz can of enchilada sauce - We like Old El Paso and Cub's Everyday Essentials (this is more spicy than Old El Paso)
• 1 1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend or cheddar cheese

Garnishes (use your favorites:)

• Radish Cilantro salsa (on this page)
• Chopped iceberg lettuce
• Chopped green onions
• Chopped tomatoes mixed with cilantro and lime juice
• Chopped Cilantro
• Guacamole
• Sour Cream

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Stir occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Add onion and jalapeño, and continue to cook until they are tender. Stir in 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce.
3. Spread 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce evenly in baking dish.
4. Spread a large spoonful of beef mixture down center of each tortilla; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cheese. Wrap tortillas tightly around filling, placing seam side down in baking dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 5

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Fried Ice Cream

• Half gallon of vanilla ice cream
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 8 oz. cool whip
• 3 cups Honey Bunches of Oats cereal (or similar brand from Aldi)
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/2 c butter 
• Honey for topping
• Chocolate syrup for topping
• Maraschino cherries for topping
• Whipped cream 

1. Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so, to soften.
2. Melt butter in a medium skillet, over medium heat. Add the cereal and sugar. Stir to combine. Fry mixture for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until cereal is golden-brown. *Be careful not to burn. It may take less than 5 minutes*
3. Take a 9×13 baking dish and spread 1/3 of the corn flakes mixture into the bottom of pan. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, add the softened vanilla ice cream and cool whip. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Using a spatula, stir and mix well to combine. Spread ice cream mixture over the top of the corn flake mixture in the bottom of the pan.
5. Spread the remaining cereal mixture evenly over the ice cream. Cover pan, and place in freezer. Freeze ice cream for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
6. Cut into squares and serve with drizzles of honey and chocolate syrup. Add whipped cream and a cherry on top.

15 Servings

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Mashed Potatoes

• Kosher salt for cooking water
• 1 - 2 medium potatoes per serving
• 1 tbsp butter per serving
• 1/2 tbsp heavy cream per serving
• salt and pepper to taste

When I'm making mashed potatoes for a crowd, I do "cheat" and make gravy from the little packets of brown gravy mix you get at the grocery store. I enhance it by adding drippings from the meatloaf, or whatever other meat I've baked. Also, I add a little "Kitchen Bouquet" browning sauce to make it darker and more appealing.

1. Fill a large pot 3/4 full with water and a handful of kosher salt. 
2. Wash potatoes. If using new potatoes, leave the skins on. Otherwise, peel them. 
3. Cut the potatoes in halves or quarters and place in cold, salted water.
4. Bring water with potatoes in it to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and cook the potatoes at a low boil for about 45 minutes.
5. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Add butter, cream, salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher. 

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Notes: Mashing potatoes with a blender, hand mixer, or food processor breaks down the cells and releases starch, giving you mashed potatoes with the consistency of wallpaper paste. Just. Don't. Do. It...Use your potato masher!

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Meatloaf

• 1 lb ground beef
  
• 1 lb pork sausage
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1 c bread crumbs
  
• 1/2 c ketchup
  
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar glaze (optional)

1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Do not over-mix, just combine everything until all the ingredients are fairly well distributed. Over-mixing makes the meatloaf tough.
2. Place mixture in a loaf pan. I push my fingers along the outside of the meatloaf, leaving a gap between the pan and the loaf, all the way around so that the juices can collect on the outside of the loaf.
3. I use the juices when making gravy for the mashed potatoes that are served with the meatloaf.

Notes: I don't put a glaze on the meatloaf, although that can be very good. This is just a really, really easy meatloaf to make and doesn't have flavors that may seem too "far out" for people with differing tastes.

Serves 5

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Mexican Rice

• 1/2 c rice
  
• ​1/2 c hot juice from the salsa kits
  
• 1/2 c chicken broth or stock
  
• Chili powder to taste
  
• Ground cumin to taste
  
• Ground pepper to taste

1. Prepare rice according the instructions on the package, substituting the hot juice and chicken broth for the water. 
2. Season with chili powder, cumin, and pepper to taste.

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Notes: I make this all the time with enchiladas or tacos. It provides something a little more filling if some of the workers are especially hungry. 

Serves 4

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Pulled Pork

• 5 lb pork butt or shoulder roast
• 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar 
• 1/2 c. chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp Paprika
• 1 Tbsp Salt
• 2 tsp ground pepper
• 1 onion, cut into thin wedges
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced in half
• 2 cayenne peppers
• 1 cup barbeque sauce

1. Place pork roast, fatty side up, in a roasting pan. Add apple cider vinegar and chicken stock to the pan.
2. Sprinkle top of roast with paprika, salt, and ground pepper.
3. Put onion, garlic, and peppers in the liquid.
4. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 325 degrees for about 4 - 5 hours, or until temperature of meat reaches 190 degrees. (It's really important that the pork cooks long enough to make it easy to shred. I usually start the pork at about 6:30 am for noon lunch.)
5. Remove the meat from the bone, if there is one. Reserve the juices in the roasting pan. Shred the pork, using two forks, into a 9" square pan. Pour barbeque sauce over shredded meat. If the meat looks like it should be juicier, ladle some of the juices over the meat and mix well. This will give the pulled pork extra flavor. Return the  covered 9" pan to the oven for another half hour. 
6. Shred the meat again and taste it to see if it needs more salt.
7. Serve on hamburger buns.

Serves about 10

Notes: if I have a bigger roast - or a smaller lunch crowd - before adding the barbeque sauce, I set aside some shredded pork to use for enchiladas or tacos the next day. 
With pulled pork, you want to have a roast with plenty of fat. This makes it more tender, moist, and flavorful.

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Rigatoni

• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 2 c. rigatoni (dry)
• 1 pkg. bacon (optional)
• 1 lb. sausage
• 1/2 pkg. pepperoni
• 1 onion diced (optional)
• 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese 
• salt
• pepper

1. Cook rigatoni until almost tender. If using bacon, cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces, fry until not quite crispy. Brown sausage with salt and pepper. 
2. Layer rigatoni, meats, onion, then sauce in 9 X 13 inch pan. Cover with cheese.​ 
3. Bake at 375 degrees, covered, for about 1 hour.

​Serves 6

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Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

• 6 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 c. flour
• 3 c. milk
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 6 medium potatoes sliced
• 2 c. cooked ham cubed
• 2 large onions sliced

1. Melt butter in 2 1/2 to 3 qt. saucepan. Add flour until it is a stiff consistency. Add milk gradually, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Add salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Sauce should be thick.​
2. Layer potatoes, ham and onions in a casserole dish. Cover with sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours.

​Serves 6

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Sloppy Joes

• 1 lb. ground beef
  
• 1 can chicken gumbo soup, drained of liquid
  
• 2/3 c. ketchup
  
• 1 tbsp. mustard
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
  
• 8 hamburger buns

1. Brown ground beef with salt and pepper to taste. When meat is completely browned, add soup which has been drained, and ketchup and mustard. Simmer 15 minutes. 
2. Spoon Sloppy Joe mix onto hamburger buns and serve. 

Serves 4

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Tater Tot Hotdish

• 1 lb ground beef
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 pounds tater tots
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a dutch oven, brown ground beef with salt and pepper. Add onion, and continue to cook until onion is softened. 
2. ​Add soup and milk to meat and onion mixture. Add more pepper.
3. Add half of the tater tots to this mixture, then pour into a 9" X 13" pan that is sprayed with cooking spray.
4. Spread the remaining tater tots over the meat and potato mixture, and sprinkle the cheese on top. 
5. Bake, covered, for one hour at 350 degrees.

Notes: Because I'm serving a crowd that has different tastes when it comes to vegetables, I skip the green beans and corn that you usually find in a true Minnesota Tater Tot Hotdish. If your family likes these, go for it! Layer them between the meat mixture and the tots on top. 
What I do differently from most Tater Tot Hotdishes is to make the meat, tater tot, and soup mixture a little runny. That way, the liquid soaks into the potatoes while cooking, and I think this makes the dish more yummy. 

Serves 6

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Turkey Tetrazzini

• 8 oz. pkg. thin spaghetti
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 2 – 3  c. cooked or smoked turkey breast
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 2 – 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 c. parmesan cheese

1. Break and cook spaghetti in bouillon cubes. Drain, but do not rinse.
2. Combine all ingredients and put into 9 X 13 inch baking dish.
3. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
4. Bake at 325 degrees, covered for 15 minutes, uncovered for 30 minutes.

Serves 8.

This can be made ahead and refrigerated before baking.