| okay - this topic hasn't been too popular yet.... so let me start.
**SPECIAL DINNER FOR FOUR**
Shrimp Cocktail
Garden Salad with homemade dressing
Steamed 1 1/2 lb. Lobsters
Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream and Fresh Chives
Steamed Broccoli
French Silk Chocolate Pie
Served 4.
The reason I chose this menu is because I didn't want to have to
spend all of my time in the kitchen while my guests were waiting
for me to return to the dining room.
In advance of guest arrival:
o Steam and Chill the Shrimp Cocktail
o Prepare the Salad and dressing
o Cut up lemon wedges for lobster, cover and refrigerate
o Cut and wash broccoli and set in steamer with water
o Prepare potatoes and begin baking before serving time
o Prepare pot with simmering water for lobster
o Prepare pot with stick(s) of butter
At meal time:
Turn water in lobster pot on high to begin boiling
Serve the shrimp cocktail/sit down and enjoy your appetiser!
Start broccoli, put lobsters in boiling water, turn
butter on low heat to melt.
Serve and enjoy the salad.
Serve lobster/potatoes/broccoli, etc.
This worked out so well. I spent absolutely no time in the kitchen
while my guests were there.
Drawback: it was an expensive meal.
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| We recently had dinner for six, and I made the stuffed beef roll
from the Frugal Gourmet, which is basically a boneless round steak,
pounded and rolled stuffed with sliced hard boiled egg, shredded
carrots and sliced zucchini, then baked in tomato sauce, and also
pasta primavera from Jane Brody's Good Food, and spinach salad.
Also onion-cheese supper bread. This was for a very meat/potatoes
crowd, but went over well! They said they'd be back, anyway!
One thing a friend of mine used to do every Saturday was soups and
breads. She'd make one or two kinds of soup, and one or two kinds
of bread or muffins. It was very homey, and you wouldn't get too
stuffed. Also, there wasn't a lot of fuss, so it was real easy
and comfortable, and she wasn't stuck in the kitchen before or after.
On Christmas Eve, my mom always used to make vegetable soup and
potato rolls - maybe she was trying to keep it light, knowing we'd
have a big meal the next day!
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| Type of Occasion: Thanksgiving Dinner party
Number of people served: 6 - 8 with lots of leftovers
This is the time of year I dust off the culinary skills and throw a
blow-out of a feast...My mother always has said the best of times
are times spend with good food, good wine, and good friends.
Menu
starter:
Molded tomato cucumber aspic with ranch dressing
Crudites'
Main event:
Fresh baked mini loaves of honey whole wheat bread
honey butter and savory butter for the bread
Buttered steamed broccoli
Sweet potato and chestnut souffle
Sour cream mashed potatoes
Roast Turkey with cornbread/mincemeat/pecan dressing
gravy
molded cranberry/raspberry jelly
The Finish:
mini Pumpkin pies with pecans
mini Marlboro Pies
mini Steamed Carrot puddings with hard sauce
I bake a really big bird and make lots of the trimmings.
I bake mini-loaves of bread and make mini pies and puddings and create
small containers of the butters.
I buy a small basket for each couple or guest (repeaters are
asked to bring their baskets back - which they are glad to do).
After dinner, when the coffee and tea or liquers or being comsumed,
I make up a basket of "left-overs" for each guest and tuck in a bottle
of nice wine. Each guest gets a "carry home" basket for the weekend
munching.
Recipes are in the notes files for most everything. Pumpkin pies with
pecans are simple regular pumpkin pies made with maple syrup and a
handful of pecan halves dropped in the crust before you add the pumpkin
custard. The pecans rise to the surface while baking. The marlboro
pie is an old New England Recipe - See Note 700.1 (substitute half and
half for milk if you wish).
The cornbread dressing is made with my buttermilk cornbread recipe
(omit the sugar, add poultry seasoning to the batter). Make a
general dressing using onions, celery, melted butter and then add
1 large jar of good rum and brandy mincemeat and lots of pecan chunks.
Add broth or wine or whatever to moisten and stuff bird.
Sweet potato and chestnut souffle is a simple souffle recipe using
1 and 1/3 cup mashed sweet potatos, 2/3 cup chestnut puree mixed.
add sugar to taste, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, 4 to 5 egg yolks, and
1 teaspoon cinnamon...stir in 1/2 cup melted cooled butter. Beat
egg whites from eggs to stiff peaks, fold into puree mixture and
bake in buttered souffle dish for approx. 45 minutes. Dust with
powdered sugar before serving.
Sour cream mashed potatos - mash cooked potatos, add butter and
sour cream until desired consistency.
Savory butter: soften butter, add chopped chives, parsley, garlic
(roasted, squeezed from clove), white pepper, etc.
to taste.
Honey butter: soften butter, stir in whipped honey until well
mixed.
Cranberry/Raspberry mold: For each two cups of bottled cranberry
raspberry drink, use 1 packet of unflavored gelatin.
(thats 1 tablespoon). Heat 1 cup of juice to almost
boiling and disolve gelatin in the hot juice, then
add the cold juice. Chill until the texture of
egg whites. While chilling, sweeten fresh or frozen
and defrosted raspberries and let them sit to absorb
the sugar. Drain and add berries to thickened
gelatin mixture and pour into mold of choice.
Tomato and cucumber aspic: Heat enough cups of tomato juice to
fill ring mold, with 1 packet of gelatin for each
two cups of juice + 1 packet (for six cups of juice,
use 4 packets gelatin) until smooth. Add lea and
perrins to taste, chopped green peppers, and chopped
scallions. chill until thickened. Place a little
gelatin in ring mold, add paper-thin slices of
unpeeled cucumber, and add the rest of the gelatin.
Chill until firm, unmold, serve on lettuce leafs with
home made ranch dressing (use packet, mayo and buttermilk).
Happy Holidays!
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| Type of occasion: Cinco de Mayo [or] Diez y Seis de Septiembre
[in honor of Mexican Independence ^]
also done one New Year's Day for an Open House
Number of People served: 20ish
Finger Foods
============
Cheese & Jalepeno Squares
Quesadillas
Empanadas
Tortilla chips
Guacamole
Picante salsa
YOU-BUILD-EM FOODS
==================
Fajitas: Tacos:
Chicken Taco Shells
Beef Chicken mole
Baby Shrimp Spiced shredded beef
Guacamole shredded lettuce
Picante Salsa cheddar & jack cheese
Sour Cream diced tomato
Tomatillo relish diced onion
Marinated peppers & onions salsa
Soft warm flour tortillas chopped jalapenos
Potatoe skins:
chili con carne
cheddar & jack cheese
chili con pollo
chopped onions
sour cream
"MAIN-DISH" STUFF
=================
Enchiladas Verde
Tacos al Carbon
Chicken Enchiladas
Beef & Cheese Enchiladas
Chili Rellenos
LIBATIONS
=========
Golden Margaritas
Sangria
Beer [Tecate preferred]
Sangaree [white Sangria]
Why I like this menu: I like Mexican food, as does my husband,
as do most of our friends. [Sentimental reason: I was married
on 14 September and spent my honeymoon in Mexico where they had
a BIG Independence party the day we arrived where many of these
foods were served]
Why I don't like this menu: Wew never have any leftovers, no matter
how much we make [RATS!!]
Annie
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|
birthday party for five.
arrived at 3:00 p.m. dinner was over by 6:00 p.m.
appetizers: assorted cocktails (bloody mary's and rum and coke's)
extra sharp cheddar cheese with town house crackers
soup: carla jeanne's apple onion soup
salad: tossed with assorted greens, tomotoes, grated eggs etc.
main course: fettucini primavera (linguini with fresh broccoli,
carrots, peas, tomatoes and onions in a parmesean cheese sauce)
served with freshly made hawian sweet bread and butter.
desert: toll house cookie pie with coffee
i made the soup the night before and heated it in the microwave,
leaving my space free for other things. the pie was also made the
afternoon before and served at room temperature. the day of the dinner
i cut up the vegies and started the salad (minus the lettuce) an hour
before the company came. when they arrived i threw the lettuce in the
salad and sealed it till we needed it. after soup we brought out the
salad and i went to the kitchen to boil the water and make the sauce.
by the time the salads were finished the water had boiled and while i
was stirring the sauce (a few 5 minutes away from the table) i was able
to keep the pasta from sticking.
overall the meal was wonderful. all recipes can be found in this file
i believe but if you can't find them, don't hesitate to send mail.
cj
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