Lakeside luncheon

On a recent trip to Northern Wisconsin, we landed at my aunt's cabin on Loon Lake.  Famished from a daunting* 2 1/2 road trip to this fabulous destination, we immediately rallied the troops to whip up a fabulous luncheon. 
*Note: joking...wasn't very long...we are just always ready to eat!)
This is the first key to success when feeding hungry troops: get yourself some sous chefs.  Even my sister, who is a self proclaimed kitchen dunderhead, was an unstoppable force at trimming artichokes. 

The menu:

Steamed artichokes with white wine butter sauce

Miniature Reubens

Assorted Wisconsin cheeses and summer sausage

Fresh fruit

Hummus and flatbread

Sausage and lemon pasta salad

Schezuan green beans

I cut the artichoke stems off at the base; then, my sister neatly trimmed the sharp, pointy tips off of the artichoke leaves.  Meanwhile, in a large stock pot, I sauteed some minced garlic in olive oil, sprinkled in some lemon zest* and deglazed with white wine.  I placed the artichokes upside down in the wine and added broth, fresh herbs, lemons, salt and pepper.  I covered them up and let them simmer for about 30 minutes. 

*Note: A microplane works best for zesting citrus.  It also comes in handy for hard cheeses, garlic, nutmeg and more.  It is used like this:

A must for every kitchen - and at about $14, affordable.

Next, I diced up and sauteed some bacon while my sous chef snapped the tips off the fresh green beans, also known as haricot vert. 

When the bacon was cooked, we sauteed the beans in the bacon fat and added a bottle of Schezuan chili sauce.  We sprinkled them with toasted sesame seeds and voila!  This is so simple and they were amazing.  The dish would be great to bring to a potluck or barbecue.  Very tasty!

My aunt whipped up some mini Reubens on rye bread with pastrami, thousand island, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese.  Also, super easy and delightful.

My other aunt worked on a lemony pasta salad.  It was so summery and flavorful.  She used chicken sausage, spaghetti, lemon, roasted tomatoes and garlic.

I cut the flatbread into triangles, brushed it with a bit of olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt and warmed in the oven.  I placed it on a platter with hummus, cheese, sausage, and fruit.  Perfect lunch nosh.

My hubby pulled out the artichokes, arranged them on a platter and finished the liquid in the pot with butter to create a dipping sauce for the leaves.  

Although we had a slew of goodies to eat, it all took about 45 minutes.  Furthermore, it was so fun to have everyone in the kitchen together.  Lots of fun banter and a bit of learning.  Lastly, we simply sat by the lake and enjoyed.  Cooking for a crowd does not have to be stressful.  Give your sous chefs a task...even kids.  Kids can be a great help in the kitchen.  They would have been able to snap the tips off the green beans perfectly.   Getting your family or friends involved in the cooking process makes the result that much more enjoyable for everyone!