Poll....When you are having a dinner party what do you serve?!
Answers: Something out of my Rachel Ray or Alton Brown cookbooks. Or if it's just a party, pizza of course. (That's not a dinner party though.) :)
Junk Food.
Ribeye steaks, scalloped potatoes, green salad, grilled asparagus
pulled pork and coleslaw
chicken curry
fry drice
french fries
Pizza
Chicken Tikka
Meatballs! My fiance makes them from scratch. He makes a red sauce from scratch too. All I have to do is cook pasta, put together a salad, toast some garlic bread, and go to the store and buy a premade dessert! Not fancy but everyone loves it.
Hot smoked salmon mousse with brown toast. French Onion soup, beef encroute, steamed veg. Mille Feuille cream, cheese and biscuits, coffee and mints. Chardonnay and Mouton Cadet wine.;
anything you like unless you are catering for vegetarians how about a home made steak and kidney pudding with roast potatoes green beans sweetcorn carrotts yorkshires and gravy followed by either apple pie and custard or a chocolate pudding of some kind? or maybe a warm chicken salad with creamy mashed potatoe yum i feel hungry now xx
depends on whos coming. i always try and take their likes and dislikes in to account
Pigs in a blanket
starter.prawn cocktail or soup and roll
main meal.pasta dish or a nice curry.
dessert.ice-cream or cheese cake.
afters.coffee and mints or cheese and crackers.
then loads of laughs and chat.
can i come
It depends on how fancy you are trying to get. Typically, you always want to have something readly available as soon as guests arrive. One suggestion is bread, oil, and vinegar or vegetables/crackers/ chips and dips. A salad or soup is customary once everyone has formally sat down to eat before serving the main course. The main course typically consists of 3-5 dishes with one being the main dish. (Ex: Prime-rib as the main dish and then asparagus, augraten potatoes, dinner rolls, fruit salad as the side dishes.) Desert usually is accompanied with coffee. Pies and pastries are always welcome at the end of a good meal, no matter what the flavor. Now I'm hungry thinking about all this food! Hopes this helps.
Im gonna be having one soon......and I plan on making homeade lasagna.
Going to start it off with some salad and accompany the lasagna with some garlic bread!
Get some wine, as well!
I would serve tacos with salsa!!
it depends on who is coming over and why you are throwing a dinner party.
Simple things that I can make ahead of time and require minimal effort by me at the party. For example, crusty bread with various things to put on it like roasted garlic, olive tapenade, and soft cheeses. I also like crab cakes:
Crab Cakes
1 cup bell pepper finely chopped (various colors, peeled and seeded)
1 cup celery finely chopped 1 cup flour
1 cup onion finely chopped 1 cup chicken stock
1 lb lump crab meat 2 cup bread crumbs
Chili powder, salt, herbs 1 egg
Sauté veggies in oil or clarified butter for 5-7 minutes to soften. In a large bowl, beat the egg. Remove veggies, allow to cool, and fold egg, veggies, 1 cup bread crumbs, herbs (“sweet” herbs like tarragon, sage, or thyme) and crab meat gently together. The mixture should just stay together. Use bread crumbs to tighten and stock to loosen. On a separate plate, mix equal parts flour and bread crumbs. Season with salt and chili powder if desired.
Make palm-sized cakes and dredge in flour/bread crumb mixture. Shake off excess. Fry in a hot pan. Should only take about 1 minute per side. You can fry one side, then flip and finish in a 400?° oven.
Goes well with spinach sautéed in butter and white wine/lemon juice, tarragon crème sauce, or red pepper aioli.
Hi Sweet Judy,
A BBQ and what ever I can afford at that time..BBQ's are a lot more Friendlier don't you think so Sweetie???
A Friend,
poppy1
We like to do potlucks for dinner parties because then everyone is contributing something, and we can spend more time with the guests and less time in the kitchen. All of our friends do this, so we just essentially take turns hosting the potluck.
One of our favorites is a build your own taco bar night. We provide tortillas, taco shells, meat, toppings, and the margaritas and beer. Our friends bring the appetizers, side dishes, and dessert, and everyone has a great time making their own tacos and trying everyone's "family recipes" for the various dishes they brought.
We also like to do a pasta bar, where there's a bunch of different pastas and sauces and add ins (grilled chicken, sausage, roasted veggies...) and then our friends will bring the appetizers, salad, and desert.
It's a lot of fun, and there's something for every appetite!
well it depends on your theme you are haveing.
I could give you a few recipes you could use:
well here's what you could serve for the first coarse..
Creamy Bagna Cauda
Raw vegetables of your choice (see below)
2 cups heavy cream
6 cloves garlic
1/4 cup butter
10 finely chopped flat anchovy filet packed in olive oil, drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (1 pound) loaf crusty Italian or French bread, cut into 2" sections
Wash and prepare the vegetables several hours before using them. Cut vegetable into strips about 3 inches long and 1/2-inch wide. Place all the vegetables in ice water to crisp.
In a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, add cream and garlic; bring just to a boil, lower heat to medium, and cook, stirring constantly, approximately 15 minutes or until the cream has thickened and reduced by half. Remove from heat and let cool.
In another saucepan, melt the butter. Mash anchovies with a fork and add to butter, along with parsley and cayenne; cook until the anchovies dissolves into a paste, about 5 minutes.
When cream has cooled, mash the garlic with a fork. Force the cream and garlic through a sieve into the butter mixture. Heat the sauce, stirring, but do not let it boil.
Serve in warming dish over candle (a fondue pot works well). If sauce begins to separate while standing, a few turns with a whisk will bring it back together. Sauce may be made ahead and kept refrigerated in covered jar. To re-warm, place jar in cold water in a pan and gently raise the heat until mixture is liquid again.
Dip vegetables into the bagna cauda (a fondue-style fork will help), holding a piece of bread under the vegetable after dipping. After dipping a few pieces, the bread will be fragrant with oil and delicious to eat.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Suggested vegetables:
Red and yellow bell peppers
Carrot sticks
Celery sticks
Scallions (green onions)
Radishes
Cauliflower florets
Cucumber, peeled
Zucchini, peeled
Fennel bulb
Small whole mushrooms
Cherry tomatoes
Belgian endive
for a second coarse you could make...
Shrimp Cocktail
Frozen cooked, cleaned, shrimp with tails-on and thawed*
Cocktail Sauce (see recipe below)
Fresh parsley for garnish
Fresh lemon slices for garnish
* Thaw overnight in the bag in the refrigerator, or remove shrimp from bag, thaw in a colander or strainer under cold running water for about three minutes. Use immediately.
Prepare Cocktail Sauce. Place cocktail sauce in a martini, drinking glass, or any decorating bowl. Place several fresh shrimp on the rim of the glass with the tails on the outside. Make one cut in each lemon slice starting at the center and cutting through to the outside. Place a cut lemon slice on each glass where you made the cut so that it stands up. Add a sprig of parsley and serve.
Makes 4 servings.
COCKTAIL SAUCE:
Recipe by Dave Bucholz of Clackamas, OR
1/2 cup chili sauce or catsup
2 tablespoons hot cream-style horseradish
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
4 drops Tabasco
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
In a small bowl, mix ingredients together to taste, cover and chill until ready to serve and to develop flavor.
Makes 2/3 cup.
for the third coarse you can make:
Caesar Salad
1/2 to 3/4 cup croutons (see directions below)
1 coddled egg (see directions below)*
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic (1 to 2 medium cloves with inner green germ removed)
1 anchovy fillet, mashed**
Pinch of coarse salt
2 tablespoons (1/2 lemon) freshly squeezed lemon juice***
3 drops Worcestershire sauce
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano), divided
1 head Romaine lettuce, hearts and tender leaves only
Coarsely ground black pepper
* Coddled egg may be substituted with 1/2 cup mayonnaise. If doing this substitution, reduce some of the olive oil.
** Use only good-quality Spanish or Portuguese anchovies in your dressing. Anchovy paste may be substituted (approximately two inches squeezed from the tube will provide the equivalent taste of one anchovy fillet).
*** Fresh lemon juice is essential. Some chefs squeeze the lemon through a cheesecloth to ensure that only the juice ends up in the salad. If you are careful to keep the lemon seeds out of the salad, a simple squeeze will do.
To make croutons: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Trim the crust from day-old peasant-style bread (Italian or French bread) and dice into 3/4-inch cubes. Toss with enough olive oil to coat, but not drench. Sprinkle lightly with salt and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until just golden brown. Halfway through the baking time, give the pan a shake to make sure the croutons toast evenly. Remove from oven and completely cool croutons. Store in an airtight container.
To coddle egg: Coddling causes the yolk to become slightly thickened and warm. Bring a very fresh egg to room temperature by immersing it in warm water (otherwise it might crack when coddled). Place the egg in a small bowl or mug and pour boiling water around the egg until it is covered. Let stand for exactly 1 minute. Immediately run cold water into the bowl until the egg can be easily handled; set aside
To make dressing: In a bowl, whisk together the garlic, anchovy, and salt until blended. Whisk in the lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk in the coddled egg until the mixture is thick, approximately 1 minute (this enable the lemon juice to "cook" the eggs). Slowly drizzle in the olive oil with one hand while vigorously whisking the mixture with the other. When the dressing is well combined, whisk in 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese
To assemble salad: Separate the Romaine leaves and discard the coarse outer leaves. Wash, drain, and pat with paper towels or spin dry the remaining leaves. Note: Lettuce should be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use. Tear into bite-size pieces and set aside.
In a large wooden salad bowl, add 1/3 of the dressing and toss with the croutons until well coated. Add the Romaine lettuce pieces and the remaining dressing; toss until coated.
To serve: Divide the salad between two chilled plates and sprinkle each salad with the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and coarsely ground pepper. Serve immediately with chilled forks.
Makes 2 to 4 servings
For the fourth coarse you can serve....
Grapefruit Star Anise Granita
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 whole star anise
2 1/2 cups fresh red or pink grapefruit juice
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water, sugar, and star anise to boil until sugar is dissolved. Discard star anise and cool syrup. Stir syrup into grapefruit juice.
Pour mixture into a 13x9-inch baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze approximately 45 minutes or until icy at edge of pan. Whisk to distribute frozen portions evenly. Cover and freeze again until icy at edge of pan and overall texture is slushy, about 45 minutes. Whisk to distribute frozen portions evenly. Cover and return to freezer and freeze about 3 hours or until frozen solid. Remove from freezer.
Using a fork, scrape granita down length of pan, forming icy flakes. Return to freezer for at least 1 hour. Can be made 1 day ahead. When served, the granita should look like a fluffy pile of dry pink crystals.
To serve, scoop flaked granita into tall goblets or parfait glasses. Serve immediately with iced tea spoons.
Makes 6 servings.
for the 5th coarse....
How To Cook Prime Rib Roast:
Prime Rib Roast, at room temperature (very important)
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
Trim roast of excess fat but not the thin layer of fat the butcher leaves on the roast to protect and baste it while it cooks.
To cook evenly, the roast must not be cold—let it stand at room temperature, loosely covered, for about 2 hours. (If you don't let the roast come to room temperature, if will take longer to cook your roast. Your roast won't cook evenly, and you'll end up with well-done slices on the end and raw meat in the center.)
Previously Frozen: If your rib roast is frozen, let it thaw completely in the refrigerator. Remove the roast from the refrigerator about 2 hours before cooking.
Pat the rib roast dry with a paper towel or napkin.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Smear the cut ends of the roast with the butter. Place the roast (ribs down or fat side up) in a heavy stainless-steel or other metal pan. NOTE: Select a roasting pan that has sides at least 3-inches deep. (I do not recommend using a nonstick pans, as these pans yield fewer of the cooked-on bits that make the tasty juice.) The rib bones are a natural rack; you won’t need a metal one.
Sear the rib roast for 15 minutes at the higher oven temperature (450°F), then turn the oven to the lower temperature (325° F) for the rest of the cooking time. Every 1/2 hour, baste the cut ends of the roast with the fat accumulated in the roasting pan.
About 1/2 hour before the estimated end of the roasting time, begin checking the internal temperature (use a good instant-read digital meat thermometer). NOTE: If you ignore every other bit of advice I've given, please pay attention to this. For a perfectly cooked rib roast, invest in a good meat thermometer. Internal temperature, not time, is the best test for doneness and you don't want to blow this meal!
Insert meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of beef, not resting in fat or touching bone. Cook until rib roast reaches an internal temperature of 120°F. Remove from oven, cover with aluminum foil, and let sit approximately 15 to 20 minutes. NOTE: Reme