I am having a formal dinner party for 5 couples. Can someone help me decide what to serve?!


Question: One of the couples own a catering business and have had us over for incredible meals and have helped and served at many functions we have had. I am doing this dinner so they can be guests and not help with anything. The pressure is on to make it good. While I like to cook, I need easy so I can relax and enjoy my guests and their host is not a lunatic stress ball. Several of the guests, do not like red meat. We all love wine and I have got that covered. Help in the food depatment would be appreciated!!! PS Im not above buying something and pulling it off as my own if necessary but not even sure where to go or what to get. . .


Answers: One of the couples own a catering business and have had us over for incredible meals and have helped and served at many functions we have had. I am doing this dinner so they can be guests and not help with anything. The pressure is on to make it good. While I like to cook, I need easy so I can relax and enjoy my guests and their host is not a lunatic stress ball. Several of the guests, do not like red meat. We all love wine and I have got that covered. Help in the food depatment would be appreciated!!! PS Im not above buying something and pulling it off as my own if necessary but not even sure where to go or what to get. . .

This is YUMMY and easy. You can use flounder or any other thinner whitefish.
Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery seed
Old Bay Seasoning
2 pounds tilapia fillets

DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery seed. Mix well and set aside.
Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. sprinkle lightly with Old Bay Seasoning. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Roast cornish game hens--serve with a bacon, mushroom and pea risotto and an orange and fennel salad.

I made these lamb shanks after seeing it on TV, with the potatoes, and it was an awesome meal! Plus, it works well for a dinner party, because most of the work can be done the day before, so you don't have to be in the kitchen the whole time your company is there!!

Pamesan chicken alfredo never does a harm. One of my fav....

I would make some kind of chicken dish. Maybe baked chicken with a pasta side and green beans with garlic on the side. Italian or French bread.

basil lemon and balsamic chicken is soo tasty andvery easy you can even have it already in the roasting tray to put in the oven later

put in chicken breasts pour over olive oil, about juice of 3 lemons and throw the lemons in while it cooks, a very big splash of balsamic all over and a big bunch of torn basil and salt and pepper, cook until the chicken is cooked and it tastes amazing, make it easy on your self and serve with new potatos, and any veg you want, give it a go very nice

You have a lot of work feeding that many people. If you really want time to spend with your friends. Go to the store and buy a large pan of lasagna to bake in the oven and serve with a salad and a simple desert. If you need something before the meal you could serve vegetable soup, so they get the green & yellows they need.Hot rolls goes great with this meal. You can also find those pre made up to just pop in the oven.

I'd probably do fish, because it's always really classy looking and easy to do. You can make these recipes ahead and bake them all together, as long as you time it properly.

Just buy eight or ten salmon fillets or steaks (fresh), and wrap them in parchment bags or foil bags, each bag with:
1 tbsp minced fresh dill
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp lemon juice or 2 or 3 slices of lemon
pinch of salt and cracked black pepper
- bake 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees (depending on the thickness of the fish)

Serve with baby potatoes rolled in italian dressing or plain old olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic, baked 45 minutes at 400. If you buy a mix of blue and white or red and white potatoes, it looks quite pretty.

Roasted asparagus is very tasty.
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed, rinsed and patted dry
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
Salt
Cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Toss all in a glass baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes until slightly browned.

I'd probably start the meal with a store-bought soup. I've bought carrot soup in an aseptic box, added a little whipping cream and a jar of organic carrot baby food to make it look 'homemade'.

Serve a decent cake or something from a local bakery, and you're set. I've done this meal set twice, and it's worked quite well both times. It doesn't have any feeling like it's a Rachael Ray or Good Housekeeping kind of menu, but it's simple enough that even I, a pretty bad cook, can do it. ;-)

go and buy fish and chips from the local chippy!

Go to google.com and look up recipes and go to different sites and find things you like and something you'd like to serve there is so many websites.
I have one recipe that you put boneless and skinless chkn breasts in a crockpot with bacon wrapped around them

Coq au Vin is a great recipe, and if you like wine and you are having caterers over this is a great recipe. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/v... One of the reasons I like this recipe is because you can make the whole recipe starting two days before. Right before you are ready for dinner do the last step: "Return chicken to pot. Add pearl onions, mushrooms and bacon to sauce in pot. Simmer until heated through and flavors blend, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. " I think it makes it better. Serve with greens topped with dijon vinegarette and crusty french bread.

For the bread check your freezer section. Pepperidge farms makes a great frozen bread you just pop in your oven for about 10 minutes. It's good, hot and crusty for dinner.

For dessert, I don't know where you are, but we have Hannaford here and they sell all the items and you can't go wrong. Get a bag of premade crepes (pain in the a$% to make) you can keep them warm in a low oven for at least an hour. Then just spread them with marscapone cheese, sprinkle on a few berries and fold into quarters. Drizzle the top with melted nutella. If you want to get really fancy garnish with a sprig of mine and powdered sugar.

This is a really rich meal, so you don't need passed appetizers. If you want something before hand I would suggest some cheese and fruit.

A spiral ham or turkey breast would be perfect. Naturally I'd recommend my own as the best tasting but most of the pre-glazed kinds will be very simple because they are best served at room temperature. That's right - no cooking needed! With the main meat out of the way, you can have fun with some sides. There are simple recipes for some great ones on my site at www.pams-hams.com. Ciao and enjoy!





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