A summery meal, nice enough to serve to guests, that can be mostly prepared ahead of time?!


Question:

A summery meal, nice enough to serve to guests, that can be mostly prepared ahead of time?

We have guests coming tomorrow, but we've planned a full afternoon's worth of activities, so I need something delicious that doesn't need a lot of prep work--either something I can assemble and just put into the oven, or something that can come together very quickly on top of the stove. The obvious answer is grilling, but I'm just not very good at it (lack of skill, fear of fire). Something summery and a tiny bit elegant (i.e., no canned cream-of-mushroom soup involved--you get the idea) would be perfect. I'm just out of ideas. If you have anything to suggest, especially if it's something you have made yourself and really like, I would be so grateful. Thanks.


Answers:

I've been cooking a whole lot of meals for guests lately, and here's what I've been making:

Bruschetta on garlic toasts - you can buy the toasts in the supermarket. For the bruschetta, I simply dice plum tomatoes and onions and combine with a minced garlic clove, freshly chopped basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. This can be made two days ahead and refrigerated.

I've been making shrimp two ways, both with frozen, unpeeled shrimp that are quickly defrosted by placing them in a bowl of cold water for 15-20 minutes.

In a pan I heat a tablespoon of olive oil, then add three minced garlic cloves and saute until brown. To this I add the shrimp and either: chopped basil and the juice of 1 lemon, OR chopped plum tomatoes, feta cheese and the juice of one lemon. Both are delicious and can be made a day ahead; they taste just as good when reheated the next day.

I've also been making baby lamb chops which take about 10-12 minutes and are super easy. Again heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan over medium heat, then place lamb chops in pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Turn over after 5-6 minutes to allow the other side to get brown,and season as well. Remove and place on a plate; let them sit for 5 minutes before serving.

You don't even have to make salad if you serve the bruschetta.

For dessert I've been serving store-bought sorbets, like lemon or mango, topped with fresh raspberries. Hope this helps!




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