Oooh, this looks like a good thread, how'd I miss it?
We''ve missed you and your input would help...
I don't see how my input would help! I don't really do dinner parties either. But, thanks!
You are more or less vegetarian. Let us not put you in a representative spot... but you may want to shape us up and make us ship out.
Very nice advice, Swimpy!
Roberta, interesting idea. In the long-term -- if these people know me and know how things work, and it's getting there -- I like having little respites. It's not very good form to just go into the other room and meditate for a bit several times in the course of a party, and quite a lot of bathroom breaks are a little weird, but "excuse me I need to do something hostessy and of course while I'm doing it I'll be focusing on it so won't be able to talk, carry on" works out well.
littlek, you and dag are forever having these cool gatherings with yummy food, of course your input would help!
Wine, dadpad, is a much more glaring weakness than food even. My dad's a wine drinker and I was a precocious connoisseur, but my husband can't drink it (something about allergies and tannins, I always forget) and so I haven't had much at all in the last 20 years or so. It's something I need to figure out, although for some reason wine doesn't seem to be much of an issue in the circle of friends (mostly 2 other families simultaneously, then two other families separate from each other) I'm thinking of. Maybe the "family" part is key, it's always whole-family get-togethers and not much alcohol. Mostly tea, coffee, that kind of thing.
It's definitely part of the picture though, especially as I gather courage to do more "real" parties (bigger, more strangers) so if anyone wants to suggest what wine they'd serve with a given dish, that'd be welcome.
The red silk dress sounds divine. :-) Will keep it in mind for the "real" ones. Right now dress code tends to be science geek (jeans, jeans, and more jeans).
Gourmands, start your engines!
I want to invite over two families next weekend. That will make a total of six adults and three kids (each family has one child). The youngest kid (4) is a very picky eater, but the older two (an 8-year-old and sozlet, age 6) eat whatever the grownups are eating, and tend to eat a lot. So it'd need to serve eight. (I usually make pizza for the littlest kid, he'll eat that.)
My husband is allergic to mushrooms and other forms of fungus/ mold (i.e. blue cheese and the like). One of the other guys seems to be a real meat and potatoes kind of guy, he likes hearty, filling meals. One family is European and let drop that they can't stand American-style super-sweet desserts (so probably no carrot cake). The other stuff I said at the beginning stands, about advance preparation being a good thing and not wanting to fuss in the kitchen much while they're here. Because the little kid has an early bedtime it will probably be an afternoon meal rather than dinner, to allow visiting time before and after. Weather is likely to be cold and gray and drippy.
WWY*D?
Thanks!
*You
(Plonking this here, from Boomer's meatloaf thread, looks great):
http://www.thatsmyhome.com/momsdiner/beef/market.htm
How about chili? It's very versitile. I make mine with black beans. Serve it with warm tortillas, guacamole, homemade salsa and a nice green salad with lime and cilantro. For dessert something cinnamony.
Served that last time! :-D
Aaaaand now for something really different!
Pear and red wine glazed kangaroo fillet with macadamias
Serves four.
* 1 tablespoon macadamia oil
* 1/2 cup raw or roasted macadamias
* 600g thick loin fillets of kangaroo (can substitute beef or venison)
* Freshly ground black pepper to taste
* 1/2 cup red wine
* 1 fresh or tinned pear, peeled and sliced
* 1/4 cup pear juice
* 2 tablespoons red currant or cranberry jelly
Heat macadamia oil in a large heavy-based pan. If using raw macadamias, add them to the pan and cook over a medium heat until golden brown. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Season kangaroo with pepper, add to the hot oil and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until cooked as desired (medium rare is the most tender). Remove from the pan, cover with foil and keep warm. Deglaze pan with red wine and pear juice, add pears and jelly and cook for 2-3 minutes or until sauce is glaze consistency. Return kangaroo and macadamias to pan, turning to coat with the glaze. Serve with the glaze spooned over and around the plate.
sozobe wrote:Served that last time! :-D
OK, fine...um...how's about falafals?
Kangaroo fillet!
Is that a fancy way of saying "eat me"? :-P
I had alligator at a party yesterday. It was mostly but not entirely disgusting. Someone had to call it "gator" before I got it. (Hint, it was hosted by an OSU professor...)
Falafel, quite possible. (Whenever I see the word I remember the sign one of my employees who hated falafels made for it, a compound of "full" and "awful" that was both a homonym and in ASL grammar meant "absolutely awful.") (I love it though!)
Soz, you can make a better sign for that. Felafel (arabic, fl-aleph-fl) just means "beans".
In dadpad's defense, red meat with red berries amd pears sounds pretty good... and very unusual for ColsOh. (I used to live there, when I went to CCAD)
Soz, dadpad's recipe sounds interesting--and a lot less exotic if you substitute beef for kangaroo.
Lasagna is always a possibility. Completely do-aheadable.
sozobe wrote:Kangaroo fillet!
Is that a fancy way of saying "eat me"? :-P
will you wimmen get your minds out of the gutter for just one minute :wink:
Falafel, quite possible. (Whenever I see the word I remember the sign one of my employees who hated falafels made for it, a compound of "full" and "awful" that was both a homonym and in ASL grammar meant "absolutely awful.") (I love it though!)
full and awfull?
Could this possibly mean "fully sick"?
There is an Australian movie called "He died with a falafel in his hand"
How bout...
Chicken with drambui peaches. A casserole style dish. Mumpad loves it.
Desert... chocolate orange cheesecake. base is crushed chocolate biscuits. Might be too sweet for your guests.
Are you looking for something simple, classic, elegant, unusual? At least tell us the tone you're trying to set.
Nothing too fancy. Good, filling, tasty food, that has a minor wow factor ("you made all that for us?") but isn't pretentious or overdone.
(The chicken with peaches sounds interesting, do you have a recipe?)
As an aside, I've made a menu for what we're eating at home this week and I'm trying to branch out at least once a day, make something I haven't made before to extend my repetoire, practice, and experiment.
My apologies soz I thought this was a casserole style dish it is not.
MUMPAD'S chicken with Drambui Peaches
(Mansfield Playgroup recipie book)
Tblsp = tablespoon
tsp = teaspoon
1 tblsp oil
1 tblsp butter or margerine
6 chicken breast fillets
1 tblsp flour
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tblsp drambuie
1 cup frsh squeezed orange juice
2 tsp french mustard
1 chicken stock cube (crumbled)
440 gram(15 ounce apprx) can sliced peaches (drained)
2 tablespoons peaches.
salt and pepper to taste
toasted almonds
6 sprigs of Mint (or other garnish)
Heat oil and butter in a frying pan, add chicken anf fry until golden brown and almost cooked. Set chicken aside.
Add flour and paprika to pan cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.
Stir in drambui and orange juice bring to boil and simmer until thickened.
Add mustard and stock cube stir well
add peaches and chicken, simmer gently for 3 minutes.
Stir in cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Plate the meal
Sprinkle with toasted almonds and garnish.
