Dinner Party ideas?!

Cheapskate

When our older kids were very small, when it was a special day (birthday, anniversary, etc) we'd put them to bed early & I'd make a nice meal for me & DH. Not always 3 courses, but def main & dessert - steak/chicken/fish, nice veg & salad, posh dessert, all home-made. Dearer than our usual meal at home, but even with a bottle of wine far cheaper than eating out. Going to resurrect this now we have 2 littlies again & money's tight! Word of warning (from experience!), if it's something you've never made, try it out a few weeks before, so you get it right!
HTH
A xo

suzybloo

We used to do this quite often, but havent recently
starter: Black pudding with hot honey and wholegrain mustard dressing served on a salad bed
main course : Chicken stuffed with cheese wrapped in bacon, served with a mushroom sauce, baby potatoes, carrots and broccolli
dessert: HM Cheesecake or cheese and biscuits
Drinks would be a nice crisp white wine

In fact next Saturday we were to be going out with friends for a meal but still had to finalise things so will do it here instead! For four the above would cost approx
starter : 8 slice blckpudding £3 salad stuff £1 dressing from store cupboard
mains: Chicken £3, bacon £1.50 cheese £0.40, potatoes £0.80, broccolli £0.70, mushroom sauce £0.80 carrots £0.30
cheesecake: digestives, butter, cream, tesco soft cheese, icing sugar and whatever fruit i can rummage from the freezer £3.75 approx
2 bottles wine at £5 each -

Total for meal approx £25 compared to restaraunt prices 4 starters £4.50 each , mains £10, sweets £5 and wine £15 a bottle total £110 approx.
thanks for the idea!

stiltwalker

I have always been a keen cook and have even worked as a chef so I have a large amount of experience and even larger selection of cookbooks to draw upon and OH and I try to have grown up dinner once a week - this is usually starter and main with pudding an occasional thing as I'm a bit heavy handed with the portions and we've not often got room! The rest of the week we eat with DD although still good stuff - she's got a very sophisticated palatte for one who is not yet 2! We also have friends to dinner, with 1 small person and another on the way we can't afford to go out and on the very rare occasions we do we like to be just the 2 of us like a date again - Awww. The only disadvantage I've found is that we get very willing guest but no one wants to cook for me as they think their usual lasagne or stew or whatever won't be posh enough to serve a chef! Thing is in common with most anyone else who's worked in the trade I'm happy with beans on toast as long as someone else has cooked it and done the washing up! LOL

lostinrates

doelani wrote: »

I wondered if anyone else ever does this and makes a special meal at home rather than going to a restaurant. If you do would you make somethign different and not the normal pie and chips lol

For example last night we had soup, I had steak and chips , hubby had sea bass and mash ( I have never made fish at home ) and I had chocolate cake for dessert. Although it was lovely I could probally have made the same ( apart from the fish )

If you were making a meal at home for just yourself and partner what would you make ?

Al the time! well, not weekdays because DH isn't here then, but hen he is home then yes. I serve three courses most evenings to him (though pudding might be fruit or cheese on a tired night ). Often he returns the favour, we had his own pizza and salad tonight.

I love cookery books and have an insane collection and like cooking new things. I try and cook seasonally, for money and by choice for taste. For special nights...monthly or so, I push the boat out and cook a totally new menu or very special things, but for normal weekend meals I might fall back on old favourites or only cook one new thing...a new starter or main course. Often we choose together from the latest ''new to me'' cookery book.

Also, we often cook together, which makes the evening even more special....if you can share the kitchen. we enjoy the time chatting and giggling.

I also enjoy having other people over for meals but haven't done that a lot recently. we find entertaining takes up a big chunk of a monthly grocery budget, but is still worthwhile an enjoyable. We don't have children, so never have to worry about that, but if we did I think I'd still ty an do this at least one night a week. Its 'our' time to be clean, not gardening or working outside in the dirt, when in each others company!

kazmeister

We know your situation well. The last time we went out with our friends the bill was £220 and the time before £202 for the 4 of us, and although they like a nice bottle of wine I only have prob 1 glass. We are meeting up again for DH birthday next week and I told them I would cook as we couldnt afford another £200 hit (although the restaurant we use food and service are excellent).

Not sure what we are having yet, DH wants Lasagne but I have a problem with that as cant eat pasta.

Will watch and see what your thread throws up.

newleaf

Yes, go for it! We do this occasionally and lots of nice recipes are to be found online as well as in books.
We rarely eat out these days. It was a habit we got out of when I joined weight watchers years ago, and we never really took it up again, apart from an occasional stroll to the pie fest at our local pub. It's nice to cook a special meal for birthdays or anniversaries though, and do the whole wine and candles thing

LillythePink

We have a set of friends where we take it in turns to cook.

he is a bit of a foodie - so we compete quite a lot - I have beaten him hands down on several occasions!!

If he wants lasagne - why not make it by portion and not a large one - that way they can all have lasagne and you can have a substitute - not to mention that it looks individual and special.

What sort of stuff do you want to cook?

flea72

if im looking for a nice meal at home, i must admit i tend to buy the M&S meal deal, or the tesco finest one

for £10 you get 2 courses and a bottle of wine, and it also means i can enjoy the occasion too, and not have to slave over a stove. its usually a case of bung in the oven for half an hour, and serve

i cant manage 3 courses, but even if i added in a ready-made starter, it wouldnt add more than £5 to the bill

so £15 for 3 courses including wine, sounds good to me

F

BitterAndTwisted

Do you know, if I was married or with a partner I'd rather like doing the wine and candles thing on a regular basis, especially if I had one of my best frocks on

BitterAndTwisted

flea72 wrote: »

if im looking for a nice meal at home, i must admit i tend to buy the M&S meal deal, or the tesco finest one

for £10 you get 2 courses and a bottle of wine, and it also means i can enjoy the occasion too, and not have to slave over a stove. its usually a case of bung in the oven for half an hour, and serve

i cant manage 3 courses, but even if i added in a ready-made starter, it wouldnt add more than £5 to the bill

so £15 for 3 courses including wine, sounds good to me

F

Eh, I don't think that is the point, really. I would have thought that the whole reason for cooking a really lovely meal for your partner would be the effort and love put into making it.