Dinner Party ideas?!

nic_santorini

pretty full storage cupboard, no allergies, but not much time, as family guests leave at 1600 hrs and dinner party guests come at 1800!! so only 2 hours. help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

marmalize

my fave dinner party dish.....
chicken breast stuffed with boursin cheese wrapped in streaky bacon.
boil new poatoes till soft then roast with whole unpeeled garlic cloves and rosemarry sprigs....
big roasting tin with red peppers/courgette/onion quarters/cherry tomatoes/more garlic cloves

all can be boiled/assembled well in advance and shoved in oven 1/2 hour before guests arrive

for pud...
Eton mess....chopped raspberries and strawbs mixed with whipped double cream and crushed merangues....

never had a complaint yet....as i don't like being away from guests in the kitchen this works fine ....i have prepared everything in the morning and just left in fridge till everyone arrives...by the time we have had drinks/nibbles...it is ready..:beer:

zippychick

Ok, don't panic. Bit more detail on what meat etc you have and veg? Everyone here will help you do something you can do all the prep in advance, so you literally have to maybe pop a few things in the oven to reheat etc.

mark55man

sorry wrote long post which got eaten (ha ha by the web), but here are the links

prawn cocktail - big prawns on top - cheap prawns in the sauce - very retro

moroccan chicken http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/main-ingredient/poultry-and-game/chicken/moroccan-baked-chicken-with-chickpeas-and-rice.html

Bailey and crunchie ice cream http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1913,149177-228206,00.html (put crunchie instead of choc chip is very nice)

tara747

Are your guests fussy or will they eat anything?

Pies are always good - fish pie, cottage pie, shepherd's pie etc - top with instant mash to save time, Tesco own brand is only 31p!

Casseroles are also excellent and you can posh them up a bit with chorizo, butter beans etc. Asda do a large chorizo for £2.

Something that you can prepare in advance (even the day before) is always good.

What about Eton mess for dessert? Meringue nests crushed up + whipped cream + fruit = yum!! And so easy.

I'll be back with more!

tara747

marmalize, sorry for the duplication - was writing mine for ages. Gosh, great minds think alike!!!

nic_santorini

ok, if two of you came up with eton mess, then it must be correct. I will try that, especially if I can make it before hand. Will have a look at the rest, thanks. Hubby is expecting great stuff, I can cook well but just have not been that organised, have been trying to paint our new house so it looks nice for the guests and forgot about what they were going to eat.

tara747

Starters need to be easy, cold ones are always good! e.g. smoked salmon on wheaten bread with a little side salad. Tesco also do smoked salmon roll things with salmon mousse inside which are quite cheap IIRC.

Alternatively - soup!! Make it the day before and just reheat before serving. I'll try to dig out some good and cheap soup recipes. Parsnip/butternut squash/sweet potato/carrot are all good for hearty, cheap but impressive soups.

Forgot to ask - how formal will it be e.g. is it good friends or people you don't know that well/spouses you don't know at all? That always makes a difference to how relaxed the food can be. If it's close friends or family spag bol will go down a treat!!

nic_santorini

lots of ideas, thanks thanks thanks, going to be busy preparing tomorrow.

tara747

nic_santorini... is this dinner party the reason you've just bought the 6 settings in BHS? I saw you on the Grabbit thread and put two and two together!