What can i make?!
Answers: I was thinking maybe i could make something to take over to my boyfriends parents house where we spend Christmas. But she always makes all kinds of cookies and stuff, so i don't wanna bring something she might have already made. I think we'll be having a Roast for dinner, if that helps any. I'm not sure what sides she'll make. but she'll prolly make pie for desert. i feel kinda funny going over there without taking everything, cuz in my family we always had sort of a pot luck for Christmas dinner, grandma would do the main dishes, then someone would bring a veggie platter, someone else would bring chips and dip, some one else maybe a fruit salad and so on.. any idea what i could maybe take with us? I'm not the most experienced cook but i do ok, so nothing too complicated please.
i'd call your boyfriend's mom first, or ask him to ask her what she might need, because you don't want to duplicate anything. cheese and crackers are always something easy, or a veggies and dip plate. a cute and pretty easy idea is to get some cherry tomatoes and cut off the tops and bottoms so they're flat, and take the insides out. then take a piece of fresh mozzarella cheese and a basil leaf and stuff it inside of it. kind of a play on a fresh mozzarella sandwich. or bruschetta and fresh bread. stuffed mushrooms are also usually a fan favorite. pesto cheesecake is also a popular appetizer at my house, just google a pesto cheesecake recipe and you'll find one. it's not that hard to make.
You can't go wrong with bannana pudding..decorate the sides with vanilla wafers, top with whipped cream. Mmmmm good.
Good Luck
I would recommend an appetizer. You can do crab stuffed mushrooms fairly easily, and they're still pretty good when they're not piping hot.
Crab stuffed mushrooms:
Mushrooms (assuming 18) (stuffer type, or 1-1.5 "large" whole. if large whole, pull out the stems. and they're stuffers)
Crab meat... In a can! (1)
Ricotta cheese (1/4#)
Motzerella Cheese (1/2#)
Olive oil (1 Tablespoon)
Put mushrooms on cookie sheet, with the hole side up.
Mix crab meat, ricotta, and motzerella with olive oil in either bowl or pan/pot. on low heat or 1/2 microwave power, melt cheese (I never recommend the microwave.)
Let everything cool off for a bit, then use a teaspoon to scoop stuffing into crab. Add parsley or oregono (to taste) and put in oven to re-melt cheese. (350 ~1/5-2 min)
Take out of oven, transfer to fancy platter/tupperware and enjoy. Don't forget to taste test.
Maybe wine or champagne. Or stuffed mushrooms are great. Fudge..everyone loves fudge.
How about something simple like a fruit platter, maybe a couple types of grapes, and some orange slices and apples with p-nut butter on them if you sprinkle a little lemon juice over the apples, they wont turn brown.
A fresh fruit tray might be very bright and something for people to enjoy either with dinner or as an appetizer. If you go that route - leave the peanut butter off. Focus on good melon, pineapple, grapes, and berries - most of those won't brown on the table.
The other way to go is to steam some 'elegant' vegetables like Asparagus or good whole green beans.
For 'steamed' vegetables, I take a decent sized pot with a lid. Heat the pot with about 1/4 cup of water until the water is boiling - let most of the water boil away. Add your cleaned, trimmed, and washed vegetables into the pot. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and maybe add a pinch or two of minced garlic. Slam the lid on and lower the heat to a bare simmer (med-low) for about 15 minutes.
If you are traveling with them, take them out when they are a bit al dente and put them in a dish that can fit in your host's microwave so they can be re-heated.
Hope that helps!