Menu for a Dinner Party

Grilled Steaks
Spinach salad w/cranberries & sliced almonds
Mashed potatoes (real ones not the boxed kind)

Hi mzkitty-

One of the 'impressive' yet VERY simple meals I do in a case like this is cornish game hen with wild rice stuffing and an orange sauce (really just melted butter and marmalade brushed on at the end of cooking). Some 'extra' wild rice as a side...salad and /or green beans sauteed with almonds...and always impressive!

I would maybe do a 'creme de menthe ' parfait (vanilla ice cream...pretty LARGE water goblet...one scoop ice cream...drizzle cream de menthe...repeat...add whipped cream and a cherry! Voila!

Best luck!
Relax...enjoy!
michele/cat

Pork tenderloin. Super easy and fast. Can be totally stovetop or sear it on the stovetop and pop it in the oven.

Serve with buttered egg noodles or potatoes au gratin, sauteed apples, steamed or sauteed veggies (broccoli or rapini or other greens).

steak on the grill
baked potatoes with all the fixings
green salad
balsamic roasted brussel sprouts with pistachios

and for dessert
grilled plantains with brown sugar sauce

the sprouts can be prepared ahead and then popped in the oven

for the sprouts:
1 lb brussell sprouts, halved (okay, I buy a bag of frozen - just easier!)
2 oz pancetta (I use bacon, just trim off the fat)
chopped garlic ( I use a ton, you can add what you like)
1/2 t olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
chopped pistachios(again, as much as you like)

heat oven to 450. toss all but balsamic vinegar in a 11 x 7 baking dish. spread in a single layer. roast for 25 min. total, stir halfway thru.remove from oven, pour balsamic over sprouts and stir. serve.
this feeds 4-5 people so adjust accordingly

for the plantains(this feeds 8)
3 T unsalted butter
3/4 Cup packed brown sugar
2 T apple cider vinegar or sherry vinegar
4 very ripe (BLACK) plantains
Place the butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved in it. Add the vinegar and stir well. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Heat your grill to high (550°F) and close the lid. Wait at least 15 minutes before lowering the heat to medium-high (450°F) and continuing. Oil the grill grates with a vegetable oil-soaked paper towel held with a long pair of tongs.

Slice the unpeeled plantains in half lengthwise and place them cut side down on the grill. Close the lid and cook for 15 minutes. Turn the plantains over and baste the cut sides of the plantains with the butter glaze. Close the lid and continue cooking for another 15 minutes. Brush a bit more glaze on the plantains before removing them from the grill.

Serve the plantains in their skins while hot from the grill

If you are interested in any of my ideas, please feel free to PM and I will get details to you. I love the cookbook Everyday Italian by Giada DeLaurentis and I like the FoodNetwork.com

I have a fantastic butcher and I get all my meat from him. It comes from the same sources where the high end steak houses get their beef. Very pricey but very worth it.

Go to main courses:
Prime Rib Roast
Roasted Prime Tenderloin
Grill steaks
Salmon baked in a foil pouch
Rack of Lamb
Cornish Game Hens

Sides:
Fresh green salad
Caprese salad
artichokes
corn casserole
potatoes
asparagus
roasted veggies

Appetizers:
stuffed musrooms
pinwheel rollups (cream cheese mixture on crescent rolls)
bacon wrapped water chestnuts
artichoke dip
shrimp cocktail

Desserts
We are not dessert eaters so I usually get something nice from the bakery

Steak, mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus is nice and easy.

A fun idea is fresh fruit salad in margarita glasses.

An easy way to roast asparagus is on a baking sheet. You drizzle a little olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and tiny sprinkle of parmesean. You only need to roast it for a few minutes.

The steak i would salt and pepper liberaly and hand to the hubs for the grill :)

Get some cut-up chicken, clean it well, either broil or grill it, season with a little salt, pepper, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, top with BBQ sauce.
Make some whipped potatoes, I never peel the potatoes, just scrub them well with a brush cut up, smaller pieces cook faster, and cook, takes about 15-20 minutes. Make 2 bags of frozen veggies and a dinner salad. Either make or buy a cake or pie, may need 2, and some ice cream for desert.

You could also get some ribs, put in a pan with a cover or cover with foil, and pour BBQ sauce over them bake them 25 minutes for each pound, use BBQ sauce as gravey and make other items from above.

Chicken Cordon Blue (spelling?)
Rice Pilaf
Green Beans
Dinner Rolls

Nice bottle of wine if you're drinkers

ooooohhh darn!!! I was gonna say Spaghetti!!! Feeds a ton, easy to make!!

Have you tried making lasagna?

When we've had dinner parties in the past. We've served:

* Fondue - this really isn't easy with 8 people.
* Spaghetti with meatballs, salad, garlic bread
* Hamburgers and Hot dogs - warm weather where we could eat outside - with corn on the cob and chips
* Taco and Burrito bar - make hamburger, cut up tomatoes, onions, lettuce, shredded cheese, sour cream and salsa - guacamole if you're feeling adventurous!! Call me - i can walk you through guacamole that friends and family beg for!!
* whole chicken (most likely 2), mashed potatoes (you can actually buy Betty Crocker frozen ones that are DELISH!!!), favorite veggie and rolls.
* kabobs on the grill with rice or noodles.

Is that enough? Please feel free to contact me - I'll be more than happy to walk you through cooking - I love to cook and try new things!!

Bon Appetit!!!

Ok, so I haven't read any of your responses but, I would highly suggest a fondue themed evening. It is casual, entertaining and great for adults. You can do a cheese fondue, there are some GREAT recipes online.

I made a really simple and very tastey cheese for valentines day. I used Gruyere (Apple smoked & swiss) and a cheap Kraft sharp cheddar (shreaded) and nothing else. It was yummy! I cut up chunks of sour dough bread, apple, carrots, brocoli and mushrooms for dipping.

You can get steak, shrimp, chicken what ever combo and use a broth to boil, or an oil to fry.

People love to make their own food. It takes a while for everyone to finish eating, so it is great for conversation and filling time gaps.

For desert, my simple suggestion... just get milk chocolate chips, melt. Get strawberries, pound cake, bananas what ever you like for dipping.

Hope you have a great time! Take care.

how about chicken enchilladas? You can make ahead of time too. When I do them I usually have 2 pans worth. Let me know if you want a recipe...I don't follow a recipe, but i would be happy to write up what I do for you.

Arizona....I think hubby grilling and you having baked potatoes with some other sides would be nice.

A baked potato bar is always a hit. You can bake them early then keep them warm in a cooler. Be sure to run hot water in it to warm it up first though. The cold insides would cool them down too much.

Have plenty of butter, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, chives, onions, maybe some steamed broccoli with or without cheese sauce, chili, grill up some bacon and cut it up, taco meat, so many other choices. You can google what goes on a baked potato and you'll have tons of ideas.

A large tossed salad is always a hit too. I would say you'll need 4oz of lettuce per person for salad. Again, you can google how much salad for 8 people and you'll get a good idea. The same toppings can go on a salad that can go on a potato so you can cut some costs that way.

If you put mandarin oranges, red onions, and a few dried cranberries on the lettuce you can use an Italian dressing or vinegar and oil dressing and it will be very good.

Super easy, hubby grilling meat, then you bake about 10 large potatoes earlier in the afternoon, and toss a salad and put it in the fridge. When it's time to set the food out you then open a bunch of jars and bags. Put it all on the table about 15 minutes before time to eat.

Can't get easier than that.

dont dig cooking... u need a crock pot!

pot roast is an oldie, but a goody! and this comfort food is always a croud pleaser.

before work
brown a roast. (coat in salt, pepper and flower, brown all over in pan with a little oil)
chop potatoes, carrots, celery, onion. (big chunks so they to not cook away)

toss it all in the crock pot and cover with beef or veg broth.
sprinkle in some garlic, parsley and Italian seasoning blend if u like.

when u get home. take some of the broth and make gravy, or use a pack of McCormick's brown gravy mix.

get a BIG pretty plate, and display it all proudly on the center of ur table with a loaf of nice bread and butter!

This recipe is ALWAYS a hit, and it's not that hard at all. It looks really pretty and everyone always asks for the recipe. It uses crescent rolls, but don't let that put you off!

Chicken Bundles
2 c. cut up cooked chicken (I boil boneless breast and use food processor to shred it all up--the finer, the better!)
2 tbsp. onion (diced very fine--again my small food processor)
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2 pkgs. crescent rolls
4 tbsp. melted butter
1 jar fat free chicken gravy

Mix cream cheese with milk, salt and pepper and onion until creamy. Add chicken. Mix.
Flatten out 2 crescent rolls together into a square on a greased cookie sheet. Do the same with the rest.
Put about 1/2 cup of mixture into each square. Fold up corners to meet at top. Twist and pinch together. Brush melted butter over the bundles.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Top each bundle with some gravy, before serving.

Makes 8 pockets.

These are nice because you can make ahead & freeze them, heat & add gravy when serving.
All you need is a veggie and/or salad and dessert and you're DONE!

They look like this (this is a slightly different recipe but wanted you to see the picture!) http://deesdailynews.com/tag/chicken-pockets/

What about "The Dish" that you made a week or two ago - chicken, potatoes, green beans, cooked in butter at 375. Breadrolls on the side and maybe a salad?