Dinner Party ideas?!

tara747

Yes, Eton mess is fab for dessert, and not that expensive depending on the cost of the fruit. Do try to go for fresh and not frozen if the budget will allow... for an extra 50p/£1 it will taste 100 times better xo

nic_santorini

tara747 wrote: »

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!

You are quick!!!! Yes, I did not buy them my hubby did, hence he did not search for a bargain and bought 6 dinner plates, 6 bowls and 6 side plates for £96!! and came home with a cutlery service for £165!! I nearly blew a gasket, you would think the queen was coming, he said our current cutlery does not match!! It is only work colleagues and their partners!!! He wants to make such a great impression, I bet I mess up the dinner now - no pressure then!!!!:o

nuttybabe

You are so brave. I would love to do a dinner party. I would do bacon and cheese potato skins for starter cos dh loves them. for main probably chicken breasts (when on whoopsie) stuffed with garlic brie wrapped in parma ham with a side of stuffed peppers. and for dessert i agree with eton mess. Mil mixed the cream with icing sugar. it was so nice, but sent the kids hyper!!!! i would make it again for me though!!!

pretz_2

hey

thought i would add my input as i can't resist menu planning

starter - http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/9081/smoked-salmon-with-prawns-horseradish-cream-and-li this is lush use basic smoked salmon or any you can find on whoopsies dead easy to make

main - http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/11304/moroccan-meatballs-with-herb-couscous this is easy peasy and so nice you can even make it in a slow cooker just brown the meatballs before you add them to the sauce in the slow cooker if you do it this way otherwise you will end up with mush failing this choice how about a rissotto they are easy if you do an oven baked one like this - http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2818/ovenbaked-risotto-

dessert - http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3842/baked-raspberry-cheesecake now this, this is really worth the effort you can make it the day before and leave it in the fridge, use basic cream cheese and biccies also i found frozen berries work best in this

tara747

nic_santorini wrote: »

You are quick!!!! Yes, I did not buy them my hubby did, hence he did not search for a bargain and bought 6 dinner plates, 6 bowls and 6 side plates for £96!! and came home with a cutlery service for £165!! I nearly blew a gasket, you would think the queen was coming, he said our current cutlery does not match!! It is only work colleagues and their partners!!! He wants to make such a great impression, I bet I mess up the dinner now - no pressure then!!!!:o

LOL!!!!!!!!! :rotfl:

Men... can't trust them to do anything!!

I feel for you, and you are very good to go to all this effort for his colleagues - he'd better make it up to you!

ubamother

For your veg - mixed winter veg par-boiled and roasted with thyme and garlic cloves - cheap, easy, all in one roasting tin and I find guests rarely do this at home so it seems rather special. You just need a green veg and you're done. It also seems to go with practically everything. I would suggest a pie if you're a pastry person - again it's become something many people rarely make at home - chicken and leek for example. I love eton mess too, or a home-made pavlova always looks impressive.

marmalize

tara747 wrote: »

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

:DEton mess is my 'signature' pud i do it that often(mainly due to the fact that once tasted everyone then requests it)...i always use some frozen raspberries as well as fresh as when they defrosted (sprinkled with some icing sugar) they create a nice sauce that gets swirled with the cream ...a grating of dark choc over it also makes it look a bit more dinnerpartyish:D

another impressively simple starter i use (especially when doing the chicken recipe i mentioned earlier) is a big tortilla omelette thing ....fry sliced cooked new potatoes with red peppers,courgette,onion,a little garlic and chili,pepper ,salt ,pour on 6 beaten eggs , bake on hob then in oven till firm, sprinkle a little parmesan and grill for a couple of mins.....serve slices with a nice mix salad and i add a sweet chili dipping sauce to use as salad dressing......
apart from the eggs you will already have all the veg as they are what are used for the main dish(although no-one has 'twigged' yet) see still moneysaving!!! This is fab as a 'Lady Lunch' ( i do lazy Lady Lunches quite often)goes great with Jacobs Creek pink fizz wine....hic
soz for long post....got carried away:o;)

jammy26

Hi

I need to cook a really impressive veggie meal next week and am looking for inspiration. I have slow cooker, oven, hob, microwave, halogen cooker. I want something really tasty that looks good too, had thought about a veggie curry but would prefer something that looks a bit more special!

Thanks

stef240377

Having just looked through my 'credit crunch cook book', there are a few veggie options.
If you are wanting Thai you could do Pad thai - looks like a thai curry with tofu.
Indian - vegetable biriyani. Spinach dhal, potato and fenugreek samosas.
Mexican - vegetable fajitas, spicy nachos with cheese.
Italian - butternut squah risotto, spinach and ricotta gnocchi with chilli butter dressing, fresh veg pizzas.

HTH.

Colliewobble_2

If you want something really impressive and tasty, my favourite veggie recipe for this time of year is a Chestnut bourgignon pie, tastes very Christmassy. It's not very money saving but is *very* rich and delicious.

I can PM you the recipe if you like.

Do you want homely or stylish?

How about a mushroom risotto? I've a nice recipe for a red pesto risotto with caramelised onions? Thai tofu curry? If you can find green Thai paste without the fish sauce in it.

There's loads of lovely things you can do with beans - Jamaican hotpot, Armenian beans with a yoghurty-onion topping, Moroccan tagines, Mexican chilis.

Curries are dead easy to make for veggies.

If it's a cold day, what about a vegetable pie - make a vegetable stew and make a stilton crumble or stilton breadcrumb topping Yum.

Otherwise, what about tarts? You could do a lovely goats' ceese and caramelised red onion tart and have that with veg or salad?

I've been a veggie for 17 years and love to cook, so if you want any other ideas, let me know.

Leith's Vegetarian Bible is pricey but fantastic for ideas - you may be able to order one in from your library if they have it.

What are the non-cranks (as my dad likes to call them:D) eating?

CW