Ski Trip Prep

This morning I pulled out all my big pots and pans and got down to business, cooking food for the Composer and the big kids to take along on their ski trip next weekend. They will be gone five days while Daisy and I stay home. We have never been skiing before but it seems like the kind of thing that will make you hungry. Giles has a really serious dairy allergy and it is hard for him to find food that obeys the rules of Truly Dairy Free. So I'm sending food.

pot of chili
pot of vegetable-beef soup
chicken pieces roasted in a thyme-sherry sauce
pot of split pea soup
two meatloaves
pot of beef-tomato-macaroni casserole

It's all plain and serious food, but I wanted it to be a) filling and b) easy to heat and serve. I did all that in (drumroll, please) an hour and a half! Each dish will serve about 12 people. That's about right for my family of big eaters and two other adults with slower metabolisms. Giles is a vacuum, even when he's not skiing.