Dinner Party ideas?!

Cruiksl

I've got 2 couples coming for dinner on Saturday.
Any ideas for a 3 course meal which is tasty and won't cost much ?
Looking for some inspiration - my friends are all into cooking and need to aim for their standards !

purpleivy

Don't aim for their standards...maintain your own, a home prepared meal in your home that they have been invited to. Try not to regard it as a competition and choose something that is within your capabilities and budget. Good food cooked simply is something that never goes amiss. Don't forget the little touches like nice bread, whether hm or shop.

If you want it to be easier, then make sure to have something that will sit and wait till you need it... eg pre prepared starter or pud, that either needs to just be served cold or is ready to warm up.

Chicken liver pate with hm melba toast is easy but impressive. This time of year strawberries and cream is great, or crush up some meringues too for eton mess, Save a whole fruit to garnish. Leave the green on it, looks nicer.

Any clues for likes and dislikes? If you are on a budget, then a soup is good for a starter for the above reasons, plus it will take the edge off their appetite. A hm mushroom soup is hard to beat. One or two decent pieces of cheese with some nice crackers will fill anyone who is still hungry, if you are worrying about that, you will probably have cheese to use up later. Better to get a nice piece of one or two sorts, rather than mess about with lots of little bits. few grapes as well.....or you could dispense with the strawberries altogether!

jennyjelly

My favourite starter uses one melon and one orange but looks and tastes really classy.

Use a melon baller on the whole melon, or cut into small pieces if you don't have one, then take the zest off the orange in strips (I have a tool to do it but don't know what it's called, but you could just use a grater) and mix it in. Juice the orange, add a little sugar to taste and pour over the melon. Serve chilled in tall wine glasses. Cheap and easy but looks impressive. Could be used as a pudding too.

I have 2 favourite main courses for foodie friends:

'Luxury fish pie' (as wide a mixture as possible of whatever fish you can get cheap and some value prawns, added raw to Delia's quick cheese sauce but without the cheese, topped with partly cooked sliced potatoes with a bit of butter on top and baked till brown on top). Make a couple when you see cheap fish as it freezes very well.

or

Posh stuffed chicken (chop onion & mushrooms very finely and fry until dense, dryish and quite black, cut open chicken breasts & stuff with mixture, then wrap stretched value smoked streaky bacon to hold them closed and bake for about 25-30 mins. Serve as they are or pour white wine sauce over them and put them back in the oven for 10 mins.)

For pud you can't go wrong with fresh fruit salad and cream and if you get your fruit from a boot sale or market it costs very little. Bread and butter pudding is another favourite that costs pennies - spread marmalade on the bread & butter for extra oomph.

HTH!

ashbart

Hello,

I find a really easy main is Rancher's Chicken - It's a chicken breast, topped with tomatoes (mixed in barbeque sauce), a rasher of bacon and cheddar cheese - all cooked seperately and then finished off together under the grill, until cheese melts. Very easy and SO good - it's always a big hit in my house!

Same goes with stuffed chicken - stuff with Philadelphia cheese and wrap in Parma Ham or Proscuitto. Very yummy!

Hope this helps!

MrsE_2

Brushetta makes a nice cheap & tasty starter.

In fact Italian is the way to go, for cheap tasty food.

Serve the main with crusty garlic bread & a big bowl of tossed salad.

Phoolgrrrl

I normally do salmon. Not sure if thats too expensive! I buy frozen salmon on offer £5 for 8 bits. Do in oven on tinfoil with either

honey lemon juice and butter
lemon juice dill and butter

or a bit fancier
breadcrumbs mixed with a bit of cream cheese/creme fraiche/yog and pesto smeared on top of salmon.

Serve with new pots and whatever veg you have.

starter - sweet potato soup or prawn cocktail with sauce made of mayo ketchup paprika lemon juice.

Last dinner party I did pastry with fruit from the freezer in it and done in oven. Apple and blueberry works well. Or a choc/lemon sponge cake and custard.

Think all together soup salmon and pastry thing was about £10 for 4. It was my aunt and uncle coming to see our new house so wanted to impress!

Alt for chicken I slice a wee pocket in a chicken breast and put cheese in - whatevers in fridge!Applewood is yum. Then cook wraped in tinfoil with a bit of chicken stock poured in so it stays moist.

Penelope_Penguin

You could do worse than start here. Several 3 course meals for 4 for under £5.

Penny. x

newlywed

purpleivy wrote: »

Don't aim for their standards...maintain your own, a home prepared meal in your home that they have been invited to. Try not to regard it as a competition and choose something that is within your capabilities and budget. Good food cooked simply is something that never goes amiss. Don't forget the little touches like nice bread, whether hm or shop.

Thanks for that comment. I keep putting off inviting people round for dinner (other than family) as I'm worried about what to cook, how to impress etc. Between your comment and the cheap ideas here, I've not really got any excuses left now Must dig out my "who to invite" list

Toonie

Hello, I was wondering if anyone could give me some ideas as my head has gone blank. Tomorrow evening we're having friends over for dinner and I can't think what to make, so if anyone could suggest some ideas I'd be grateful.

We have steak, chicken breasts, pork mince, beef mince, gammon steaks and bacon bits in the freezer. We also have sausages, eggs and veggies in the fridge.

The only problem is no onion or garlic as I am allergic to both and they make me very sick. I will probably cook a pear crumble for dessert.

MrsTinks

How's about stuffed chicken breasts wrapped in bacon? You can stuff it with cheese, apricots, fresh herbs - pretty much anything that takes your fancy... Serve on a bed of mashed spuds with mustard mashed in or cheddar mashed in with veg of your choice