What should I cook my boyfriend's mom for dinner?!
Answers: She is coming to my house to meet my parents for the first time. My boyfriend is coming too, of course. I need to make something nice, but not too involved, because I don't want to be busy cooking while we have company. What could I cook?
Anything with valium in it! Seriously though... a pot roast or oven roast is always good, can have it all done befroe they arrive and just have to serve it. Cook it nice an slow and you'd score good points.
Country style steak, green beans, and Mashed taters.
Always a great meal for company.
Or if they are vegetarians, throw them out and tell them to graze.
find out what she likes to eat, then look up some recipes on foodnetwork.com look for the easier recipes and don't skimp on the ingredients.
Start this in the morning and you will have plenty of time to visit with what will perhaps, be your future in laws. Its easy and delicious. Serve with some warm french baguette and a nice salad ( see recipe below)
Beef Bourguignon
Ingredients:
1 cup Dry red wine
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1 large Onion -- sliced
1/2 teaspoon Thyme
2 tablespoons Parsley -- chopped
1 Bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
2 pounds stewing beef, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
3 slices Bacon (thick-cut is good) -- diced
12 Small White onions
1/2 pound Sliced mushrooms
2 cloves Garlic -- minced
1 teaspoon Salt
Directions:
Combine first seven ingredients, mix well, add beef. Marinate at least 3 hours (overnight if refrigerated) Drain meat, reserving marinade. In skillet, saute bacon and remove. Brown meat in bacon fat.
Combine beef, bacon, vegetables and seasonings in slow cooker. Pour over enough marinade to cover. Cook on low 8-10 hours.
Salad Frisee
Ingredients
(2 servings) Easily doubled, tripled ect.
1 sm Shallot
1 tb Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tb Red wine vinegar
5 tb Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 lb Slab bacon cut into 1/2-inch cubes
12 Cubes French bread (1/2") (crusts removed)
3 c Chicory leaves torn into 2-inch pieces
Instructions
This is based on a classic French salad served at Quatorze Restaurant in New York.
IN A SMALL BOWL, combine the shallot, mustard and vinegar. Mix well then slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. In a small heavy skillet, saute the bacon over medium heat until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the cubes of bread to the skillet and saute until brown on all sides, 5 minutes. Return the bacon to the skillet, and heat it rapidly with the croutons, stirring constantly, until very hot. Remove the pan from the heat and quickly stir in the salad dressing, mixing well. (Take care, it may splatter). In a salad bowl, combine the chicory with the hot dressing, bacon and croutons, tossing quickly. Serve at once.
JOANNA PRUESS - PRODIGY GUEST CHEFS COOKBOOK
I've made a pretty great top sirloin roast in a slow cooker.
Get the meat from a butcher, put it on top of potatoes, carrots, onions etc... Put some garlic in the roast.
hours later and boom, you've got a great mealm without a lot of fuss and muss.
something traditional...chicken pot pie, pot roast. Or pasta dishes, like lasagna.**** luck. :)
Do something in the crockpot and slow cook it all day on low. The house will smell wonderful and there won't be a big mess to clean up! Find some awesome recipes at these links!
Ham and Scalloped Potatoes-- http://www.recipezaar.com/83553
Pork Chops and Gravy-- http://www.recipezaar.com/45940
Pot Roast and Veggies-- http://www.recipezaar.com/11699
Meatloaf and Veggies-- http://www.recipezaar.com/117641
I suggest the ham, but they are all wonderful!
Enjoy!
I'd suggest doing something very casual to set everyone at ease.
Meatloaf
Mashed Potatoes (real, not instant)
Green Beans or Carrots
Maybe a Pound Cake w/ fresh fruit for dessert.
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Mama's Cheesy Meatloaf
1 lb. ground chuck
1 egg, beaten
2 tbls. worcestershire sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp. onion salt
3/4 stack Town House Crackers, crushed
2 cups grated cheese (I like sharp)
Mix all ingredients, except cheese. Press meat out onto plastic wrap about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle cheese over meat evenly. Roll up the meatloaf, jelly roll style. Tuck in the ends, and secure with LOTS of toothpicks. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 min.
Sauce:
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar
Combine, and heat thoroughly. About 15 min. or 20 min. before meatloaf is done, pour on some of the sauce, and finish baking. Keep the rest to pour onto the meatloaf slices at the table.
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Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
Kosher salt
3 pounds boiling potatoes, such as Yukon gold, peeled
1/2 cup milk
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a large pot, boil 4 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of salt. Cut the potatoes into 1?”cubes and add them to the boiling water. Bring the water to a boil again, lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes fall apart easily when pierced with a fork.
Meanwhile, heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan, making sure it doesn't boil. Set aside until the potatoes are done.
Drain potatoes and mash w/ hand masher or food mill. Stir in the hot milk-and-butter mixture with a whisk or rubber spatula. Add enough buttermilk to make the potatoes creamy. Add 2 tsp salt and the pepper, to taste, and serve hot.
--Ina Garten
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Green Beans with Bacon-Balsamic Vinaigrette
2 pounds green beans
2 bacon slices
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 Tbsp. coarsely chopped almonds
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
Cook green beans in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well; set aside.
Cook bacon in a small skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet. Crumble; set aside. Add shallots to bacon fat in skillet; sauté 1 minute. Add almonds; sauté 1 minute. Remove and let cool. Add sugar and vinegar; stir until sugar dissolves. Add crumbled bacon.
Pour vinaigrette over beans, tossing gently to coat.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)
CALORIES 75(31% from fat); FAT 2.6g (sat 0.5g,mono 1.4g,poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 3.4g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 54mg; SODIUM 50mg; FIBER 2.8g; IRON 1.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 11.8g
Cooking Light, November 1996.
--Cooking Light Complete Cookbook
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Cream Cheese Pound Cake
? 1 cup butter
? 2-1/4 cups sugar
? 3 cups cake flour
? 1 tsp. baking powder
? 1 tsp. vanilla
? 8 oz. cream cheese
? 6 eggs
? Cream cream cheese, butter and sugar for 5 minutes. In the meantime grease bundt-pan really well and dust with flour.
Heat oven to 325°.
? To butter/cream cheese mix add eggs, two at a time, but be sure to beat 5 minutes more.
? Add vanilla extract.
? Mix flour and baking powder, add to creamed mixture and beat until smooth.
? Pour batter into pan and bake 1-1/2 hours.
? Place pan on rack and let cake cool in pan for 20-30 minutes. Remove cake from pan, let cool on rack.
? Flavor is best if you wait one day before slicing.