Menu suggestions -- very informal party

pass out tins of those little Vienna sausages and a pitcher of kool-ade along with saltines and a can of cheese-whiz.

That reminds me, I need to get out the plastic cover for our couch...

Oh, just found out they're Atkins.

Cav? Oh Ca-av...!

Oh and "some people" isn't clear, servings-wise -- four adults (us, them), 2 tinies (sozlet, their girl), one 7-yr-old boy. Will probably make something separate for the kids.

as for the Atkins thing, just tell them you are following the "north beach" diet.

They are Atkins and served potatoes! Shame on them. I was going to suggest different types of pasta dishes since they usually can sit a little bit rather than serve immediately. So if you want to upset your atkins friends, a good seafood pasta is easy and quick. Buy whatever fresh seafood looks good. Clams, shrimp and scallops always work well and you can add some salmon. Saute up in a pan with a little olive oil, Italian spices and some wine. Boil up some pasta, and heat up some Alfredo sauce (you can even cheat and buy a jar sauce or if you have any Italian stores or other gourmet type stores you may be able to buy some really good sauce. Cover pasta with seafood and sauce. Serve with garlic bread (more carbs) and/or some salad.

Bonus the kiddies, usually love pasta and meatballs - you could buy jar sauce for them and make a few meatballs.

The "Atkins Beach" diet makes you sound smart and "with it"

I suggest a nice chili made with Argentine chorizo along with a salad Nicoise minus the tuna fish. Served with corn bread and an inexpensive bottle of Rosemount Estates shiraz/merlot

A very easy salmon recipe, simply broil, pull out and pour honey over it. Voila honey salmon. A good side, some green beans with a little sliced red peppers, season to taste. Some rice and you are done.

Give the kids chicken nuggets and the sides.

They are Atkins and served potatoes! Shame on them. I was going to suggest different types of pasta dishes since they usually can sit a little bit rather than serve immediately. So if you want to upset your atkins friends, a good seafood pasta is easy and quick. Buy whatever fresh seafood looks good. Clams, shrimp and scallops always work well and you can add some salmon. Saute up in a pan with a little olive oil, Italian spices and some wine. Boil up some pasta, and heat up some Alfredo sauce (you can even cheat and buy a jar sauce or if you have any Italian stores or other gourmet type stores you may be able to buy some really good sauce. Cover pasta with seafood and sauce. Serve with garlic bread (more carbs) and/or some salad.

Bonus the kiddies, usually love pasta and meatballs - you could buy jar sauce for them and make a few meatballs.

You think the pasta could sit for an hour? That's about the interval I expect from when they arrive to when we eat. Sounds yummy, tho!

I guess they go off it now and then -- the guy said he was "about due", but if we can manage something yummy and Atkins, that'd be poifect.

Oh! And order a pizza for the kids. Delivered.

Ooh just saw your salmon suggestion -- looks good.

Panzade, got some recipes? My chili recipe is pretty good actually, one of my top 5, but salad Nicoise? (Pedestrian, I'm tellin' ya...)

Pizza's a good idea... Actually sozlet is pretty omniverous, she draws the line at very spicy foods but otherwise would happily eat anything we've talked about so far. But not sure about the other two (only have seen them that one time.)

How about having everything prepped. All you would have to do about 20 minutes before serving is turn the sauce on low, turn the seafood on low and turn the water on high. Walk away for 5 minutes, go in and check, add the pasta if needed, stir everything, etc.

If you do leave the pasta for a bit of time, after draining, put it back in the pan and pour a little olive oil over it, stir - this helps the pasta from sticking. I wouldn't leave it as long as an hour though. Maybe 15 minutes or so.

My recipe for ' fuk-n chicken"
Yes, that is what I call my chicken dish. hehehe

Boneless Skinless chicken breast
Tin foil
Olive Oil
Cinnamon
Rosemary
Seasoning salt

Place about 1-2 tbsp of olive oil PER piece of chicken in a piece of tin foil, ( you are going to want to only cook MAYBE 2 pieces of chicken together at a time, so plan on a few pieces of foil)
chicken ( thawed)- slice down the middle and spread rosemary inside the chicken, cinnamon on the outside and cover with about 2 tsp of seasoning salt. Lemon juice if you like will work well too.
Place your chicken in your tinfoil, making sure that the olive oil in the bottom has rosemary and seasoningsalt sprinkled in it too.
Seal up the chicken in the foil and bake on 250 for 4 - 4 1/2 hours.
Serve on a plate covered with baby spinach and have baby tomatoes on te side for garnish/eating.
:-) Have fun at your party!!!!
Drinks???

for 2 - 8 oz frozen smoothies,

1 soft bananna , 4 strawberries, 1.4 cup cane juice or sugar.
1/2 cup ice, 1/3 cup of yogurt.
Blend , serve immediatly.

Do the same with some Sprite and you will have bubbly smoothies.

Atkins friendly Stir fry

Yellow squash, red/yellow/orange bell pepper/ red onion / seasoning salt, vinegar, olive oil, baby spinach.
Dice or thinly slice all veggies,
in you rpan put 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tbsp vinegar, and 1 tbsp seasoning salt,
Fry veggies until soft and sort of crispy... serve on baby spinach with soy sauce.

Yummy! You guys are great, thanks!

I went from nothin' to several viable ideas in just a bit. Coolness.

I like salmon roll. It consists of eggs, smoked salmon, cottage cheese, salt and dill.

Seperate egg whites from yolks, stir egg white until it's very stiff, then add yolk and gently stir it as if to make an omelette, except that you don't fry the mixture but spread it about a quarter inch thick on a baking sheet and bake it. (5-10 minutes at 400 °F). While baking it, add dill and a bit of salt to cottage cheese. Having baked the (for lack of a better word) omelettoid, you put the cottage cheese on it, put the salmon onto the cottage cheese, and roll the whole thing into one big roll. Finally, bake the roll for about 5 minutes more.

Does this make any sense? This is the first time I write down a recipe for somebody else, and I suspect it shows. Anyway, it has proved easy enough even for this pedestrian, and it tastes great. It's also very low on carbohydrates, so should be Atkins compatible. If it sounds like something you'd like to serve, I can get more precise quantities and instructions from my mom until tomorrow morning.

Good luck!

She thanks for the recipe
Soz pedestrian? I thought it was rarely prepared. Must be my blue collar circle.
Love to get a chili recipe from ya. We have it once a week cuse it's so practical.
Right now I'm shepherding a pot of black bean soup to completion. Gonna serve it with rice, fried plantains, eggs over easy with a little salsa on top. It's Cuban night here in Hurricane Land.

Depends on how hot you want to get your kitchen, but I generally make Tyler Florence's chicken. It's very easy and requires almost no babysitting.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut a lemon in half and an onion in half and stick both in the cavity of a whole chicken. Brush on melted butter or margarine, then sprinkle on garlic. Be sure to get the garlic and the butter/margarine not only on the bird but also into the cavity.

Bake until the little thermometer thingie pops up, or the inside is 160 degrees and the juices run clear. I usually baste a few times, every half hour or so. Figure about 20 minutes to start, then about 20 - 25 minutes per pound.

Once it's done, take it out to rest and remove the lemon and onion halves. Discard the lemon halves. Add the onion halves (cut them up or toss 'em in the food processor) to whatever side you like. We make cous cous or kasha but since these folks are Atkins they'd probably prefer something like green beans or the like. Use the drippings from the chicken to make gravy; just add flour or corn starch until the gravy is as thick as you like. Make sure to stir so that you don't get any lumps. Or, you can go without the starch. You can skim the fat, or not; it's most of the fat in the dish so do whatever you like.

Other sides -

Honey carrots. Yep, those are the ingredients, plus butter or margarine. The carrots can even be the frozen kind. Just cook and drain, then add butter or margarine and honey to taste.

Green beans with almonds. Yep, those are the ingredients, except for butter or margarine and garlic. Again, you can use the frozen kind. Cook, drain and add the other stuff. The almonds should be either slivered or chopped.

Sides can also be easy but colorful, such as a lot of different-colored peppers cooked together, or different-colored types of squash.

Enjoy! :-D