Elder Vaiangina Sikahema, a General Authority Seventy, speaks during the Sunday morning session of the 191st Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021.
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
General conference is a biannual event where members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gather with their families, friends or wards to watch church leaders speak.
Each time that Latter-day Saints spiritually feast, there are sometimes actual feasts. If you’re looking for some easy snacks and meals that you can make ahead of time or have cooking while you’re watching general conference, here is a list of ideas.
General conference snacks
‘Popcorn’ popping on the apricot tree
Take a couple of pretzel rods to make the trunk of a tree. Then, put popcorn around the edge of it to be the leaves on the tree. You can make this cute snack on a big tray to snack on while watching the speakers.
Bread and spread board
Hear me out — a bread and spread board might be the perfect option. Cut up a baguette or loaf of bread into bite size pieces and have a couple of different spreads, like garlic herb butter or hummus. Include spreading knives with the spreads, so that you can have bites of bread with different spreads.
Candy bingo board for kids
Print out general conference bingo sheets and put candies on each of the squares. Each time that your kids hear a particular topic being brought up in conference, they can eat the candy. A seasoned professional user of bingo sheets with kids said that he uses Starburst, because those candies don’t roll.
Cookies and frosting dip
If you want a sweeter snack, consider using graham crackers or butter cookies to dip in buttercream frosting. Make fluffy buttercream with some butter, vanilla extract and confectioner’s sugar. It’s easy and well worth it.
Veggies and hummus
Cut up some vegetables like carrots, cucumbers and grape tomatoes and then serve them with hummus. This is an easy snack and works great as a way to eat more vegetables during the day.
Chocolate dipped strawberries
Melt some chocolate the day before general conference and dip strawberries in it. Put the strawberries on parchment paper on top of a baking sheet and refrigerate. You’ll have chocolate dipped strawberries that’ll be yummy to eat during conference.
Frozen fruit
Buy some frozen fruit to have as a snack. Frozen mango is a great option because it ends up tasting a little creamy or you can even buy the yogurt dipped fruit as another option.
Zucchini muffins
It can be hard for some kids to want to eat vegetables, so zucchini muffins are a great idea. You can add chocolate chips or chopped up nuts to the muffins to give them a little more sweetness and a little more texture. Zucchini has a high moisture content, so it makes your muffins moist and delicious.
Yogurt and berry bark
Take some vanilla yogurt and spread it in a layer on a sheet of parchment paper on top of a baking sheet. Sprinkle freshly washed berries on top and then freeze the sheet. It takes at least four hours for the bark to freeze, so it’s best to do it the day before.
Chips and salsa
Chips and salsa is an underrated snack. Salsa is chock full of vegetables and can be a delicious way to eat more tomatoes, peppers and onions. This snack is also easy. You can make your own salsa or you can open a jar for an easy snack.
Apples and almond butter
Slice up an apple and serve it alongside almond butter. You can use peanut butter or sun butter as well if you like. This is a great way to get in some protein.
Pizza toast
If you’re unfamiliar with pizza toast, it’s just what it sounds like — pizza on a piece of toast instead of crust. Grandma Sycamore’s bread is a great base for pizza toast. Take a piece of lightly toasted bread, add some sauce to it and melt some cheese on top. You can cut each piece into four sticks for pizza toast sticks.
General conference meals
Stuffed French toast
Big breakfasts are a mainstay of general conference morning for some families. Consider picking up some brioche bread and following this recipe from The Spruce Eats for stuffed French toast. It’s a relatively easy breakfast that doesn’t require a ton of clean-up, but looks like it was complicated.
Cinnamon rolls
What would general conference be without cinnamon rolls? There are many different delicious ways to make cinnamon rolls or you can buy them from the store. Whatever you do, make sure to get some milk to go along with them. Bonus points if the milk is from the BYU Creamery.
Breakfast casserole
Breakfast casserole is a delightful mixture of eggs, breakfast meats, veggies and cheese that can feed the whole family. Brown your sausage or cook your bacon before adding it to a mixture of uncooked eggs. Throw in some frozen hash browns or potatoes along with some frozen vegetables and cheese. Then bake it in the oven for an awesome casserole.
Funeral potatoes and ham
Funeral potatoes are a popular food among Latter-day Saints. This cheesy potato dish can be served with ham and salad for a full meal. Even though funeral potatoes do require a bit of prep work, this is still an easy casserole to make.
Baked potato bar
A baked potato bar is a great way to serve a crowd. Bake some potatoes and serve with toppings like whipped butter, sour cream, cheese, broccoli, green onions, bacon and even chili. It’s a filling meal that’s easily customizable for people with different tastes.
Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Follow your favorite crockpot tomato soup recipe or buy tomato soup from the store to heat up on the stove and then make some quick grilled cheese sandwiches. A pro tip is that if you use butter or a little bit of mayo on both sides of the bread, you’ll end up with crispy sides of the bread. Pick your favorite cheese. A mild or medium cheddar is great for kids, but you can also experiment with brie.
Salsa chicken
Take some chicken breasts and put them in a crock pot with jars of salsa. You can serve this meal with rice and beans or tortillas along with your favorite taco toppings. The salsa adds a lot of flavor to the chicken and makes it an easy meal.
Baked ziti
Baked ziti is a great way to use up any cheese that you have on hand. You can mix a jar of tomato sauce with ricotta cheese or cream cheese or even alfredo sauce and then top with mozzarella or parmesan cheese. If you want to, you can add meat to this dish. Serve it with a fresh garden salad.
Spaghetti and meatballs
Spaghetti and meatballs is a great way to feed a crowd. Make meatballs ahead of time and cook them in the crockpot or consider using frozen meatballs if you’re short on time. Serve with spaghetti, cheese and a garden salad. Bagged salads can be a lifesaver during these times, so don’t be afraid to use one.
Pulled barbecue chicken and rice
Pulled chicken is really easy. Cook some chicken in the crock pot with barbecue sauce and then pull it apart using forks. If you don’t want to use the crock pot, bake some plain chicken breasts and then use a mixer to pull the chicken. Add barbecue sauce. You can serve this easy meal with rice.
When is general conference?
General conference will be held April 1-2.
How can I watch general conference?
You can watch general conference on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint website, the general conference YouTube channel or through BYU TV.