Dinner Party ideas?!

lostinrates

kkebay wrote: »

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

what about having aubergine parmigiana or a moussaka in stead...both comforting warm layery type foods? Mossaka if meat is a must and the aubergine if the italian flavour is what is fancied.

FWIW, it might be worth checking if you can eat some type of pasta...integrale perhaps, or wheat substituted (health food shops have some I think)because it can make a special supper quickly, easily and cheaply with the right sauce!

lostinrates

costaerer wrote: »

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i occasionally buy certain meat which is slightly more expensive and OH does appreciate it....but then i cook every day so the fact im cooking isnt the thrill.

You know, I think it is a thrill, I think dh knows I put love into the cooking, and we have a bit of ceremony about suppers at least...we have nice cutlery and crokery and use napkins. Even using the same napkins for a week has a sort of ceremony about it...using your own napkin ring so you get your own napkin back etc. Its not always all about what you cook!

Also simple things are ''special'' often. A salad nicoise in the summer, crudite...which is light on dishes....fresh fruit. Tonight I'm making stovies, which I read about for the first time on MSE and we've had once and LOVED, so for us a meal that many would consider a ''useful'' meal is special and exciting:o

flea72

kkebay wrote: »

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

substitutes for pasta could be tortillas/chapattis, aubergine (but that makes it more moussaka), or sliced potatoes

F

pixie1

Im loving this thread! Hubs and I have been eating out far too much over the last couple of months due to family visiting from the UK and the festive season. We are cutting right back on our spending but want to enjoy ourselves at the same time, so having a 'date night' with a lovely 2 course meal (we are not pudding people) every week sounds perfect. Just need to work out a menu and keep it in budget

Pix

MrsCrafty

I have done a couple of 3 coursers recently.

Starters:-

Melon (boring I know but I shoved a couple of tiny leaves on the top)

Stuffed big mushrooms, cheap as for 4 is only 75p in Lidl. Take off stalks and chop, mix with herbs, chopped onion, bacon and loadsa breadcrumbs. Stick back on mushroom, grate a bit of cheese on top and bake at gas 5/6 til they look done, or have gone brownish.

Boef borginion (sp) in slow cooker
Roast (again Boring)

Pudding;-

Get bag of frozen fruit in lidl, I like raspberries, put in saucepan and put heat on low, mash and add as much sugar as you like, keep tasting until you are happy, don't let it get demented hot, just enough to mash together from frozen. Then remove from heat, and either blitz in blender or just keep mashing. Put in tupperware and freeze for an hour, go back and keep mashing it. Eventually it will set and you just give people one scoop on a plate with a leaf from anywhere, mint is nice. Or use a melon baller and give 3 scoops.

It's sorbet and gorgeous and everyone thinks I am flippin wonderful for making it from scratch. Of course I preen but it's really easy and can be made and balled/scooped the day before. Just make sure you remove from freezer about 10 mins before serving or it's too hard.

vesper

Me and my partner do 'date' nights now as well. We are saving up for a deposit on a house at the moment so just can not afford to go out for meals, so everything is on a strict budget. Plus I work evenings and weekends, and he works days so don't get to spend a lot of quality time together, especially not to go out. Instead every wednesday night we stay in (my night off), turn the tv off and I cook us a meal for a fraction of the price. Showing that not only can we have some quality time but a nice three course meal can cost hardly a thing or at least not that much more expensive than buying a couple of microwave meals (don't eat the things, it was just an example.)
Tonight we had chilli mussels as a starter (£1 a pack and some left over chilli's), salmon carbanara (make my own sauce and use cheap salmon offcuts- cost about £2.50) and home made chocolate sponge (approx 75p to make).
In the end I actually prefered it!

lostinrates

I did wonder,a few posts back if it would help people struggling to be inspired for ''special meals'' at home if hose of us more used to it posted what we were doing? Not sure.

but in case it does today is a good example for how I'm cooking tonight. DH had a crash yesterday and we have no transport to get to shops plus he is working from hme: so I needed to magic up a meal from freezer/store cupboard for tonight.

So, I have some pate out of the freezer...just enough for him to have with a glass of wine as an appetizer...then as a ''primo'' we will have a very small vegetable risotto....predominantly carrot based on what we have here and as ''secondo'' roast pork (thanks to the freezer and a whoopsied piece of meat.) I obviously took that out of the freezer yesterday. I'm making a pudding, though DH would have been happy enough with cheese and a piece of fruit, we have lots of clementines hanging about still and some passionfruit I didn't use as planned so I'm going to make a tart with clementines and passionfruit and some pastry not used for mince pies..again..thanks to the freezer.

Tiing...well...I find a roast fairly easy..I think its the easiest ''special'' meal to do and don'tmake one that often...and its sort of comfort food...good for a shaken DH. The risotto I'll do while prepping veg for to steam. That will team while we eat our starter and hopefully whileI plate DH will clear the washing up from the starter. Tart pastry being baked blind gives me the excuse to put off hoovering...my last big thing on today's flylady list.:)

MrsRogers

For our special meals we like to treat ourselves to meat that we could never usually justify buying eg Duck, Venison, Fillet steaks etc
A little more expensive but still heaps cheaper then going out for dinner.

Got the idea off my parents and my inlaws who all like us love their food... we are all competent cooks and came to the conclusion we can cook equally well if not better in some cases then the restaurants.

We prefer to pay a little more for prime ingredients cooked ourselves then go to a restaurant that charges a fortune for not such a tasty ingredients!!

Naturally not all restaurants are like this but unfortunately DH and I can not afford to eat Michelin Star all the time :rotfl:

ellas9602

Some of my 3 courser's have included
*monkfish or scallpos wrapped in parma (or similar ham) and fried. Nice with a sweet sauce (mango etc) and simple leaves like rocket.
*Aspargus wrapped in ham with poached egg
*scallops and black pudding with risotto
*Baked cheeses..mmmm
*french onion soup with gruyere cruotons
*Kleftico - I do in foil parcels
*Lamb casselout wit beans (if french style menu)
spaghetti with clams (this was delicious)
*beef wellington
*Tarte tatin with creme fraiche
*chocolate melting pots (dead cheap n easy)
*cheeses
My fave french resturant where we live is uber expensive but it always has mashed potato with at least one main. The mash always has a twist and is a good way of poshing up a meal. picallili mash, black pudding mash, white truffle mash.
I also think it's nice o treat yourselves to something luxurious when eating in. We're on the lookout for cavier at the moment cos we've never tried it.

LucyLocket

ellas9602 wrote: »

Some of my 3 courser's have included
*monkfish or scallpos wrapped in parma (or similar ham) and fried. Nice with a sweet sauce (mango etc) and simple leaves like rocket.
*Aspargus wrapped in ham with poached egg
*scallops and black pudding with risotto
*Baked cheeses..mmmm
*french onion soup with gruyere cruotons
*Kleftico - I do in foil parcels
*Lamb casselout wit beans (if french style menu)
spaghetti with clams (this was delicious)
*beef wellington
*Tarte tatin with creme fraiche
*chocolate melting pots (dead cheap n easy)
*cheeses
My fave french resturant where we live is uber expensive but it always has mashed potato with at least one main. The mash always has a twist and is a good way of poshing up a meal. picallili mash, black pudding mash, white truffle mash.
I also think it's nice to treat yourselves to something luxurious when eating in. We're on the lookout for cavier at the moment cos we've never tried it.

That list sounds absolutely lovely. I agree about mash with a twist. I like black olive mash , looks somewhat 'grungey' as my DD 11 would say, but tastes great.