Feeding 35: Baked Potato Bar

This past week, our Bible study small group put together a dinner for 35 middle & high school youth in our community.

Children in this ministry spend a few evenings at the church a week, eating together, learning and working through some real tough issues.  Many of these children don’t have the simple blessing of food.

So, we came to share. 

Our small group decided on baked potatoes with shredded BBQ chicken & all the toppings… they were a hit. 

Not only did the kids enjoy the food, but it was easy for all of us to prepare, even while working all day before coming to serve dinner.

We got together on Wednesday night to scrub the potatoes & get them in the crockpot, prepare the dessert, and dice all the veggies. 

Thursday, we arrived with potatoes that were ready to eat. 

We warmed up and sautéed the veggies that needed to be served warm, prepared the salad & in less than an hour, we were ready to serve these delightful kids. 

The kids enjoyed something “different” from their traditional meals – tacos, spaghetti, pizza & other pasta-based dishes that are the “go-to” crowd feeder meals.  And, we were blessed just to share a meal with them. 

If you need to feed a herd, consider a baked potato bar.  You’ll need:

• Crockpots – for the baked potatoes
• Russett potatoes
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Chicken
• BBQ sauce {we used homemade}
• Broccoli
• Corn
• Bacon Bits
• Sour Cream
• Cheese
• Ranch Dressing {homemade, if desired}
• Sautéed mushrooms
• Black Olives
• Tomatoes
• Onions (fresh or sautéed)
• Butter
• Salt & Pepper
• Chives & other herbs

We also served salad (most of the toppings go well on salad & potatoes) with a few dressing options.

To top it off, we shared pickles (sweet & dill), oatmeal fudge bars, and milk! 

Easy to prepare & serve… and special to enjoy together!