Does anyone know recipes for dishes to take to in in-laws for christmas.Main dishes or desserts.?!
Answers: We are spending christmas with my husbands family, and everyone is supposed to bring a dish. My sister-in-law made the comment that my mother-in-law would have to make extra for the people she know wouldn't bring anything, like me, she said. I was already planning on taking a home-made lasanga. But I need something that will blow their socks off!
Stick to your original plan & change it up - don't try to blow their socks off. If everyone bringing something does that then there are going to be a lot cold barefeet around.
You can still use your tried & true sauce but make cannelloni instead, or even use tortolini with the sauce & hand around as an appetizer. Why on earth did your sister in law tell you that your mother-in-law said you wouldn't bring anything and why did she process that information, you don't know what your mother in law said just watch your back in future? It you are sticking to Italian perhaps Chicken Cacciatore. Then again, if the rumour is true do a switch up and make Tiramisu. Mother-in-law probably has everything in hand already. If this not an Italian family then do your own thing & if you want to take your homemade lasagna, go for it. Trust me, the following day, no one will remember anything except perhaps that you did contribute. I don't personally know anyone who doesn't like lasagna except one who is alergic to tomatoes & we make an Alfredo dish for her.
cabbage rolls are easy... buy a head of cabbage and some hamburger and a little cooked rice.. freeze your cabbage for 2 days then pull out and defrost for a day.. peel off leaves.. make a meatball mixed with a little rice and seasoning.. (salt pepper and onion) place meat in middle of cabbage leaf and wrap like a christmas gift.. put in pan and cover with some tomato juice and cook...
Boy, your sister-in-law must be a real prize!
How about a Pavlova for dessert? That outta blow their socks off. Here's a great recipe and photo:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/Pavlova.html
You can make the meringue cake several days ahead of time!
Take into consideration travel time , the time you'll be eating and if the oven is avaliable. If there is a ham or turkey in there there won't be room for a lasagna to cook for an hour. So consult with the mom- in- law and find out what type of dish she'd like you to bring. You get points for being considerate! Then make it easy on yourself it can still be special. I say work smarter not harder. Shrimp cocktail is a great appetizer. Buy the peeled shrimp and purchase a cocktail sauce and put into fancy bowls. A tortellini salad with cooked cooled tortellinis, a crunchy lettuce like iceberg or romaine, roma tomatoes, cukes and black olives with Italian salad dressing would accompany almost any main dish. Serve some Parmesan cheese on the side. Cheesecake with fruit topping for a dessert. It can hang out in the fridge for a day or two just top it with cherry pie filling when you set it out.
Indiana Scalloped Corn Casserole
1 pound bacon
1/2 cup butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups sour cream
2 pounds fresh corn (or frozen corn, thawed)
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the bacon, then chop it into bite-size pieces and set it aside.
2. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion, celery, and peppers until soft. Stir in the flour, then the sour cream, until well combined. Add the corn and most of the bacon bits and season with salt and pepper.
3. Pour the mixture into a 9- by 13-inch baking dish and sprinkle on the remaining bacon bits and the parsley. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until lightly browned. (Note: for a lower-fat version of this casserole, use half the bacon, butter, and flour). Serves 6 to 8.
Peanut Nutty Thumbprint Cookies
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, chopped
1/4 cup chopped skinless peanuts
For the filling:
3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add the sugar and continue creaming, then add the vanilla and mix. Mix in the flour and salt. Add the milk and chopped chocolate and mix. Roll into 1 1/2-inch balls and dip the top of the ball in chopped peanuts. Place on a cookie sheet 1 1/2 inches apart and push your thumb in the middle to make a depression. Bake until light golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool while you make the filling.
To make the filling, over hot water melt the chocolate then stir in the remaining ingredients. Cool 5 minutes then fill the centers of the cookies. Allow to slightly set, approximately 10 minutes.
Yams ad Green Apples (A sweet and sour treat)
3 large yams
3 large Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
Chunk the yams (according to what size you like) and simmer in the water and honey until just before being fork tender. Peel, core and chunk the apples, add to yams along with cinnamon and brown sugar. Add 1/4 tsp. salt (if desired). Cook on low until apples and yams are tender but still have some firmness. Adjust the sweetnings to your taste.
no family gathering can EVER have enough mashed potatoes...
they are super-versatile too...It's the mix-ins that will knock their socks off...
try this: http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?q=...
You can check out some cooking sites and cook books for something unusual. But I would strongly advise trying out anything new on yourself first on a smaller scale before taking it off to the inlaws. The important thing is that the dish should be delicious ...not extra difficult. I tried making a new stuffed archichoke dish when my mother-in-law was coming over and the dish didn't work out well ...so speaking from experience. Luckily she was nice about it so we had the other dishes I made and she made no mention of my failed attempt.
Here's a site with some good suggestions http://lovesomethingbeautiful.com/guide/...
I take an empty dish and fill it up.
try these easy yummy desserts
No Bkae Cheesecake
4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1-1/2 stick melted butter
1 cup sugar
mix well and press in glass baking pan
2 bars cream cheese softened
1 cup powder sugar
1 large tub Cool Whip
mix cheese and sugar until fluffy add whip cream ad spread over crust.
Top with 2 cans of your favorite pie filling. Chill for a couple hours.
Peach Cobbler
3 large cans sliced peaches
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoon cinnamon
3 cans cinnamon rolls
Drain off juice from peaches {save} Place in glass bake pan.
Mix in sauce pan saved juice, sugar, cinnamon and flour, simmer until thick. Pour over fruit. Top with cinnamon rolls and bake as directed on can. Remove from oven and drizzle with icing.
Either one of or both with impress everyone and are so easy