Suggest a meal..

Here's a few we have fun with:

Cook something in the ground. You can find the instructions on line with a google search.

We take several layers of foil about 1 foot in length. Put a hambuger steak,onion, potatos, carrots and other veggies on the foil. Add spices. Fold up the foil so it's sealed punch a couple of small vent holes in the top. Place the packet in hot coals of the campfire. Everyone builds their own and cook it. 15 to 20 minutes cook time. Toast some french bread over the fire on a stick, butter it and eat.

Roast a whole turkey or turkey breast over the campfire on a spit. Everyone takes a turn at turning the spit.

Take a bunch of canned veggies and peel the labels off. Number each one so you will know what each one is but don't let the guests know. Have them either pick the numbers out of a hat or choose a number. Dinner is made from the choices. For six people we will have about 12 different choices, each person chooses one of the cans. Cook up a meat or pasta dish and the veggie choices.

Pizza made on the BBQ grill. Again look on google for instructions. Individual sized pizzas with an assortment of toppings,each person builds there own.

We do Foil Cooking as described by the bear II above, except we don't punch vent holes. 20 minutes, over low coals, flip over for 20 minutes. Learned it in Cub Scouts, and still do it 25 years later.

The beauty of it that everyone can adjust it to their tastes.

Cool suggestions...underground is interesting. One thing I want to add is 7 of the people are kids under 9. Shouldn't make much of a difference though.

Keep em coming please...it's much appreciated!

We do the foil packets, but the best thing we do is Cajun Chicken Stew. I fix this for my Junior Youth Sunday School class on each and every one of our camping trips. They love it and usually prepare it themselves. My two daughters, 9 and 6, LOVE it and we do it at home as well as when camping.

This will fix enough for at least a dozen teens.

1-2.5 lb bag of frozen chicken breasts
2 pkgs andouille sausage
3 stalks celery
1 lb carrots
1 large onion
6 medium potatoes, peeled
1 large carton chicken stock
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
1 tsp cajun seasoning (or more if you like it spicy)

Cut veggies into bite size pieces and set aside. Cut chicken and sausage into bite size pieces and add a small amount of oil or spray to your pot and cook meats until almost done, turning while cooking. Add stock and cajun seasoning. Bring to boil. Add veggies and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are done. Add both cans of soup, stirring until it is incorporated into the chicken stock well. Bring to a slight boil and it's ready to eat. Add more cajun seasoning if needed.

You can adjust the amounts of meat or veggies to fit your crowd and if the stew gets too thick, thin with milk or water to your liking.

This does need a LARGE pot. We have done it in our DO over the fire and also in a large pasta pot on our butane stove. Either way works fine.

I will also add some cheddar cheese once it is done and stir it in well or just place on top of the stew.

When we camp by the sea we always cooked paella. Recipe/video

When we are in the mountains Pulled pork is a favorite.

If you want to impress the crowd, and you have a smoker, this is a sure winner.
Bacron Wrapped Smoked Fatty
One of these is enough for six people.
You can be creative with the fillings - cream cheese and fresh jalapenos is delish.
These are fiddly but easy to make, but you can make them ahead.
They can also be cooked in an oven if necessary.

Cheers!

Oh, and I didn't need to use toothpicks - it all held together just fine.

I've heard of a Surprise Stew or Hobo stew.
Everyone brings one thing, meat, veggie - fresh, frozen or can. Brown meat in a stew pot, add the different veggies, soup, whatever everyone brought. It might even be vegetarian. This way it will not break anyone since you only bring one item of the stew. salt, pepper, etc. is extra for seasoning. For bread, slice up French bread, put garlic butter between slices, wrap in foil, place on bar b que in the cool area, just turn the bread so all are warm.

Speaking of scouts, in Girl Scout camp we used to make out own bacon and eggs on a 3 lb coffee can with a tuna can below that had cardboard rolled around with wax poured over it. let the cardboard "fire can" cool so it can be used the next meal. No oil needed. You cooked the bacon first, then take it off and fry the egg. after taking off the egg, you can put bread on the coffee can - either with extra butter on the bread or use the grease. remember it was tasty, even tho one time it rained so we had rain mixed in.

I agree that foil packs would be the way to go. We do these at least once every trip.
For meat we generally do either smoked sausage or marinated chuck steak. Veggies are mushrooms, squash, zucchini, red onion and once in awhile potatoes or turnips. I generally add a drop or two of sherry or un-oaked wine for moisture and either basil or herbs de provence for spice. I always put the meat on the bottom and build mine up in a stack. The best way to cook them, IMO, is indirect heat. A charcoal grill with coals banked to the side and the packs between works best for me. I have done them on the coals and on a gas grill, but I like the indirect best.
I would think you could have all the meat and vegetables available, including probably some I haven't thought of, and let everyone do their own.

We camp with two other families and a total of at least 8 kids.

It's simple, and you've probably already thought about it......but we love to do a taco bar. It pleases everyone too.

I usually make a side dish of corn casserole in my crock pot. But we always have doritos, fritos, meat, avocado, tomatoes, onion, salsa, cheese, sour cream, hard and soft shells. We just line everything up like a buffet and let the kids go crazy.

Sometimes for dessert we do a sundae bar too. Yummy!!

the bear II, here's the alternative to taking turns turning the spit all the time..
The large disc on the handle end has 4 holes at 45 degrees and a removable pin. Pull the pin rotate a quarter turn, reinsert the pin and wait. Repeat until done. Height and width are adjustable. Hardest part to remember is that there is no continuous rotation so the fire must be hotter than on a regular continuous turning rotisserie.