Idea's for dinner for a family. . .?!


Question: I have a friend who just lost her sister. They buried her on Thanksgiving day. She is divorced. She works full time, as well as takes care full time of her 80+ year old dad & mom and her brother whom is 50...her mom has Alzheimer's disease...and her brother has Down Syndrome. It's a terrible situation and I wanted to make dinner for them-but have no clue what to make. Someone already made them chicken spaghetti. Does anyone have any idea's what I could make for dinner and idea's for what to go with it...it doesn't matter how easy or hard. I want to make something good and something that at least 6+ people can eat on. I really appreciate it.


Answers: I have a friend who just lost her sister. They buried her on Thanksgiving day. She is divorced. She works full time, as well as takes care full time of her 80+ year old dad & mom and her brother whom is 50...her mom has Alzheimer's disease...and her brother has Down Syndrome. It's a terrible situation and I wanted to make dinner for them-but have no clue what to make. Someone already made them chicken spaghetti. Does anyone have any idea's what I could make for dinner and idea's for what to go with it...it doesn't matter how easy or hard. I want to make something good and something that at least 6+ people can eat on. I really appreciate it.

First and foremost, you are an incredibly nice person! Your friend and her family are indeed fortunate to have friends like you. The people who have been answering you so far seem like wonderful, supportive and caring human beings.

I do not have time to put a very specific recipe out to you right now, but I DO have some thoughts on what you should and/or should not include in your menu.....

While I do not wish to hurt the feelings of any other respondent, I must say that you should consider the emotional and physical health of your friend's family and, thus, avoid any food that includes bones, casings, or large pieces of meats or other foods at the presentation level. Such foods might be a choking hazard for people with compromised health. Whole poultry or other meats with bones (or even other "large" boneless cuts of meat) might also remind people of family get-togethers and stir up sad emotions.

I think that it is best to keep things toward the more simple and universal side, although you should add your own unique touches of seasonings and presentation. I very much agree with the others who are suggesting meatloaf, lasagne (which can be made on the mild side), and mac&cheese dishes. Couple any of these with tossed salads, toasted garlic bread, a bit of fruit garnish (sliced apples, oranges, etc), and some cookies and/or sliced pound cake and/or icecream, etc. and you have a very "homey" meal that is satisfying, can be prepped well in advance, and leaves you and your guests with plenty of stress-free time to enjoy one anothers' company.

You can also make simple appetizers such as deviled eggs, pigs-in-a-blanket (cut-up hot dogs baked in biscuit dough wrappers), cheese&crackers, veggies&dip, etc. to serve before and/or with a simple casserole and/or stew and/or soup.

I think that you should keep both the preparation of the meal and the meal itself very simple - serve something that you make all the time, for example! - and just allow yourself and your guests to enjoy the fellowship of the visit.

I hope that this helps in some way.
Good Luck and Bless YOU AND YOUR FRIEND'S FAMILY!!!

Chicken Casserole.
Cut Chicken into bite sized pieces and brown with some garlic and onion in a little oil and transfer to casserole dish.
Add diced Peppers and other vegetables.
Use soup mix as a liquid.
Cover with bread crumbs and grated cheese and bake in a 180C for about 20 minutes until bubbling hot and the cheese has started to brown.

Make chicken breats with Brie and Mango chutney!

In a skillet/or on a grill, make the chicken, brushing it with the chutney everytime you turn. At the end, top with thin slices of brie and let it just get a little soft.

Serve couscous with peas in them & a cucumber salad with a dill yogurt dressing!

Enjoy, god bless! :)

Hmm. I guess the best advice would be to keep it simple. Try Spaghetti with a side salad or baked chicken.

How about this ones

Enchiladas with Chicken or Cheese
Lasagna
Mexican Tamales
Salmon w/ pasta
Mexican Tacos

I know the perfect thing.

I make these delicious swordfish steaks. Here is the recipe:
These swordfish steaks are baked with mushrooms, onions, green bell pepper, lemon, olive oil, dillweed, and tomatoes.
INGREDIENTS:
? 4 ounces sliced mushrooms
? 1 cup sliced onion
? 2 tablespoons chopped green bell pepper
? 2 tablespoons lemon juice
? 2 tablespoons olive oil
? salt and pepper
? 1/4 teaspoon dried dillweed
? 4 swordfish steak portions, about 1 1/2 pounds total
? 2 small bay leaves, cut in half
? 2 tomatoes
PREPARATION:
In a bowl, combine mushrooms, sliced onions, green bell pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and dillweed.
Line a shallow baking pan with foil. Spread half of the mushroom and onion mixture over the bottom then arrange swordfish steaks on top.

Sprinkle swordfish steaks with salt and pepper, place a piece of bay leaf on each.
Cut tops and stem ends off tomatoes and slice each tomato into 4 thick slices; place 2 slices on each swordfish steak. Sprinkle remaining mushroom and onion mixture over the fish.
Cover pan with foil and bake at 400° for 45 to 55 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
Baked swordfish steaks recipe serves 4.

It says it only serves 4 but if you buy 2 more swordfish steaks it will be 6, get one more tomato put 1/2 a tablspoon more of lemon juice, and olive oil it should be good. Also the bell pepper doesn't add much spice but if you don't want to put it in the dish doesn't suffer much.
Hope this helps. Au revoir
Clarice

Lazanga is always nice with a little french bread.

Make a big lasagna with a salad and some italian bread.
Or a baked chicken dinner with carrots, onions and potatoes all baked together.

Broccoli and rice casserole. It is so good. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped broccoli
3 cups instant rice
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/4 cups water
1 (16 ounce) package processed American cheese, cubed
1 tablespoon butter
1 bunch celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS
Cook broccoli and rice according to package directions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium saucepan over low heat, mix cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, and 1 1/4 cups water. Gradually stir in cheese until melted. Be careful that the cheese doesn't burn.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and saute celery and onion until soft.
In a large mixing bowl, combine broccoli, rice, soup and cheese mixture, celery and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Pour mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, until bubbly and lightly brown.

Hope this helps!

A meatloaf with mashed potatoes and/or a veggie/salad or some sort of casserole like a baked macaroni and cheese with ground beef, ham, chicken or turkey in it would be nice as would a big pot of stew or a favorite homemade soup like bean soup served with corn bread. Your friend is lucky to have someone as caring as you in her life.

Three Cheese Macaroni
8 to 10 side-dish servings
Prep: 30 minutes
Bake: 20 minutes

Ingredients
12 ounces dried elbow macaroni (2-2/3 cups)
1-1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces American cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
20 rich round crackers, crushed

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. In a large pot cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Return to pot.

2. Add milk, melted butter, pepper, and salt. Stir in cheeses. Transfer to a greased 2-quart casserole.

3. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Carefully stir mixture. Sprinkle with crushed crackers. Bake 5 minutes more or until crackers are browned and mixture is just heated through (don't overheat or mixture will curdle). Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 to 10 side-dish servings.

Macaroni and Cheese
4 servings
Prep: 25 minutes
Bake: 25 minutes

Ingredients
8 ounces dried elbow macaroni (2 cups)
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2-1/2 cups milk
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (6 ounces)
1-1/2 cups shredded American cheese (6 ounces)

Directions
1. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, for cheese sauce, in a medium saucepan cook onion in hot butter until tender but not brown. Stir in flour and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly. Add cheeses, stirring until melted. Stir in cooked macaroni. Transfer mixture to a 2-quart casserole.

3. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 4 servings.

Saucepan Macaroni and Cheese: Prepare as above, except reduce milk to 2 cups. After draining macaroni, immediately return macaroni to the saucepan. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni; stir to coat macaroni with sauce. Cook over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through, stirring frequently. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Ham and Bean Soup
Prep: 1 3/4 hours
Cook: 1 1/4 hours

Ingredients
1 cup dry navy beans
1 to 1 1/2 pounds meaty smoked pork hocks or one 1- to 1 1/2-pounds meaty ham bone
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1-1/2 cups sliced celery (3 stalks)
1-1/2 cups chopped onion (3 medium)
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/2 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
Salt and black pepper

Directions
1. Rinse beans. In a 4-quart Dutch oven combine beans and 4 cups water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. (Or, place beans in water in Dutch oven. Cover and let soak in a cool place for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.) Drain and rinse beans; set aside.

2. In the same Dutch oven brown pork hocks on all sides in hot butter over medium heat. Add celery and onion to Dutch oven. Cook and stir until softened. Stir in beans, thyme, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and 4 cups fresh water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until beans are tender. Remove pork hocks. When cool enough to handle, cut meat off bones; coarsely chop meat. Discard bones and bay leaf. Slightly mash beans in saucepan.

3. Stir in chopped meat; heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Makes 5 servings (8 cups)

5. Easy Ham and Bean Soup: Prepare as above, except omit dry navy beans,ham hocks, and water. Cook onion and celery in butter as directed in Step 2. Add 4 cups chicken broth, 1 cup cubed cooked ham (5 ounces), and two 15-ounce cans navy beans, rinsed and drained, along with thyme, black pepper, and bay leaf. Omit salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through. Makes 5 servings (7 cups).

6. Ham and Vegetable Bean Soup: Prepare as above, except after slightly mashing beans, stir in 2 cups sliced carrot and 2 cups sliced parsnip or chopped, peeled rutabaga. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes more or until vegetables are tender. Stir in chopped meat; heat through. Makes 5 servings (8 cups).

Old-Fashioned Beef Stew
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 1-1/2 hours

Ingredients
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
12 ounces beef stew meat, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 tablespoons cooking oil
3 cups vegetable juice
1 cup water
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
1 tablespoon Worcesershire sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons instant beef bouillon granules
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
3 cups cubed potato (about 3 medium)
1-1/2 cups frozen cut green beans
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1 cup sliced carrot (2 medium)

Directions
1. Place flour in a plastic bag. Add meat cubes, a few at a time, shaking to coat. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven brown meat in hot oil; drain fat. Stir in vegetable juice, water, onion, Worcestershire sauce, bouillon granules, oregano, marjoram, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until meat is nearly tender.

2. Stir in potato, green beans, corn, and carrot. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 30 minutes more or until meat and vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf.

3. Makes 5 servings (about 7 cups)

4. Slow-cooker directions: Prepare and brown meat as above. In a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker layer meat, onion, potatoes, green beans, corn, and carrot. Decrease vegetable juice to 2 cups. Combine vegetable juice, water, Worcestershire sauce, bouillon granules, oregano, marjoram, pepper, and bay leaf. Pour over meat and vegetables in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender.

I feel so bad for your friend. It's nice of you to want to do something special for her and her family.

Here's my suggestion:

SAUSAGE, MACARONI AND CHEESE

8 oz. elbow macaroni
1/2 lb. grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 lb. grated mild Cheddar cheese
1/4 c. butter
12 oz. pkg. sausage links
1/2 c. flour
2 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook macaroni, drain. Pan fry sausage. Remove and drain.

In a 2 quart casserole alternate layers of cheeses, macaroni and sausage ending with sausage on top.

For sauce, melt butter, blend in flour, stir in milk and seasonings. Bring to a boil, stir continuously; boil one minute. Pour sauce over casserole mixture. Bake 15 minutes. Serves 6-8.

A good soup is always nice. It will feed a lot of people and keep for days after. Serve it with a salad and some nice bread and they will love it.
Plus this is the perfect time of year for it.

hi I am so sorry to hear that . I have a heavenly recipe for chicken paprikash and it is dreamy . my familys fave . If you would like it then please just email me . I dont like to tell family recipes on the net . good luck and god bless.





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