Conference turris::womannotes-v2

        
    Hmmm.  I like to cook.  When I used to eat meat, I liked making a
    gumbo.  It's impossible to make it in a small quantity.  It has the 
    advantage of being something you don't have to attend to, and you 
    can put almost any combination of meat, poultry, and/or seafood into 
    it, depending on your taste, your guest's tastes, and your budget.
    And, though it's yummy spicy hot, I think you can successfully make 
    it mild and have a bottle of tabasco on the table for anyone who 
    wants to use it.  Lots of hot crusty french bread, green salad, rice
    to go in the bottom of the bowls...

    Another thing I like to make is manicotti -- the pancakes are time
    consuming to make but not difficult (or maybe I just have a good pan)
    and the homemade pasta cannot be compared to frozen or dried "tubes" 
    (whatever they're called).  You can definitely make this a day ahead
    of time and just pop it into the oven the day of the dinner.  An
    antipasto, some hot crusty Italian loaves, a nice Chianti...
    
    Also on the pasta theme is a layered thingie made with the same
    pancakes as are used for manicotti, but stacked and separated by layers
    of different vegetable mixtures (mushrooms on one layer, spinach or 
    broccoli on another, I forget exactly how this one is constructed). 
    The sauce for this is white instead of red.
    
    If any of these sound interesting, contact me by mail and I'll go
    into my cookbooks for the recipes.  I use one of Paul Prudhomme's
    books for the gumbo and, if you wanted to continue the cajun theme
    into desert, I know he has some yummy-sounding desert recipes.
    Something light and lemony, maybe...

    Gee, now I wonder what's on the lunch menu at Tobins! :-(
    
    CQ  

    For a plethora of ideas see PAGODA::COOKS, the conf. is keyworded
    so you might want to look at them for idea. Hit KP7 to add to your
    directory.
    
    Gail

    Kate,
    
       I recently had a meal of greater number than yours and we served
    roast leg of lamb and a standing rib roast,it seem to go well giving
    diffrent taste buds an opportunity to try both or decide for their
    own. Also with these meats it gives you a wide aray of other foods
    to compliment your meal. I wish you good luck and if you need any
    tips feel free to write.
    
                                  "my wife loves my cooking"
                                             
                                             JIM
                                              

I always take the opportunity of making something large for dessert (like a
cake) when we're having company (even if it's only a dinner party of 4). If I
make one otherwise, I'll end up eating most of it.

Everybody likes pasta, and it's quick and easy (more time to socialize with the
guests).

I tend to make Indian food feasts when I have a lot of people over (most
recipes taste better if they sit overnight). 

Or, if it needs to be elegant, something with sauteed chicken breasts.

>    What's your favorite meal to serve at rather large get-togethers?

I don't have one. I always take it as an excuse to re-read all my cookbooks!
	Mez

    I forgot to ask about horsd'oeuvres. (sp)
    Any ideas?
    
    Kate
    
    

    First choice would be Chicken in Wine Sauce, rice, baby peas cooked
    in bouillion, preceeded by a toss salad of romaine and iceberg lettuce,
    chopped parsely, and a bit of freshly shredded parmesan cheese.
    Serve with your favorite beverage.  For dessert, orange sherbet
    and fresh, warm ginger cookies.
    
    It's easy, can be prepared fairly early since it's baked in the
    oven, and gets rave reviews every time.  For recipes, write me.
    
    Good Luck!
    Barb
                                                               

 It is helpful to know a little about your guests (like are any of them 
vegetarian?)

 I think Mez is onto something with the chicken breast idea. Most everybody 
likes chicken, it is white meat instead of red meat (healthier), it is less
expensive than a good cut of red meat, and is easy to digest. It's also easy
to work with, and very versatile. And recipes for chicken usually scale well.
(now that I have earned my fee from Frank Perdue....)

 One relatively easy to make recipe which is fairly common in cookbooks and is
also quite sumptuous is coq au vin (chicken in red wine). For this you don't 
have to use only breasts, and it is very tender.

 I also like chicken Divan, and chicken cordon bleu is good, and can be 
partially prepared ahead of time.

 I'm getting hungry. :-)

 The Doctah

ps- I have a very special chicken recipe that I would be willing to give 
individuals, but I won't post it.

    My favorite and easiest dinner party meal is shish-ka-bob with either
    marinated chicken chunks (Newmans Dressing or any Caesar-type) with
    cherry tomatoes, yellow peppers (they are very sweet!), red onion
    chunks, mushrooms, the combinations are endless.  You could even use
    lamb.  The best part is that you can prepare them ahead of time and 
    they only take about 4 minutes on either side.
    
    I also serve a fancy brown rice (Arrowhead has a wonderful vegetable
    brown rice), a vegetable or salad, and believe it or not, Weight
    Watchers cheese mousse!

    If you don't mind dinner being informal, fun, and easy, how about
    make-your-own tacos? Have refried beans as part of the fixings,
    especially if some of the guests are inclined to vegetarianism.
    
    Fajitas would be another Tex-Mex make-your-own possibility, and
    probably better suited if it's a little more formal occasion.
    
    Either way, appetizers could be tortilla chips with a variety of
    fixings: salsa, cheese, jalapenos. And/or a variety of nachos.
    
    Have fun!
    
    Chuck

    Lasagne.  I've never had a dinner party where I've served mine and
    people didn't wolf it down.
    
    Dessert?  How about strawberry shortcake or apple walnut pie?
    
    Tammi
    

    I have a super easy recipe for chocolate mousse (made from choc. chips,
    with blender, in demi-tasse cups) if you'd like me to send it.
    
    Dorian

    Will it be cold where you are when you have this dinner?  Cold weather
    gives you many opportunities.  A large lasagne as someone else
    mentioned is always a hit but what I'd probably serve is boneless pork
    roast with roast potatoes.  Coat the roast with a mixture of garlic
    powder, rosemary and black pepper before roasting.  A touch of the
    same on the 'taters before they go right into the roasting pan the last
    45 minutes of cooking time.  Stir them once or twice to keep them
    moist.  A fresh vegetable or salad would go great and if you're of the
    mind, there's a wicked easy, (and good), recipe for corn bread on the 
    back of the Quaker Corn Meal box.  
    
    This would give you a wide choice of wines since anything from a rich, 
    buttery Chardonnay to one of the better communes of Beaujolais would do. 
    The only wines I'd avoid are thinner whites, (Muscadet, poorly done 
    Chardonnays, Sauvignon Blanc, Italian whites), obviously sweet wines, 
    and the richest reds.  All dry or semi dry roses would go and of course, 
    a brut champagne goes with everything!
    
    An ambitious dessert that would echo the main course would be an apple,
    spiced and baked in pastry topped with whipped or ice cream.  Maybe 
    apple crisp.  I'd caution against serving a heavy dessert after a
    lasagne.  Fruit and cheese would suffice there or, if you're ambitious 
    and want to impress, Zabaglione.
    
    With this you could serve a more complicated, intricate or filling
    dessert.  But if  your house is hot and/or the table is near a fireplace,
    you'll want a lighter, cooler dessert.  If the winds are howling in the 
    rafters, something richer and maybe warm.  I'm not above buying dessert 
    at a good bakery since I don't make desserts very well and I'd rather 
    concentrate on the dinner and the wine.  Fruit, cheese, and a good port 
    go well anytime, not just after lasagne.  Dessert wines are also great
    in lieu of an ambitious dessert.  The only rule here is to make sure the 
    wine is sweeter than anything you serve it with.  No frosted cakes,
    etc, but plain gingerbread, (with frosted grapes on the side?) is ok.  
    Some great dessert wines are Essensia and Elyssium, German wines with 
    "Auslese" on the label, French Sauterne, and late harvest wines.
    And of course brut champagne.  With anything!  :-)

    .12 - I'm dyyyyyyyiiing!
    
    Ray

Hey Sandy, do you shop at Winecellar's of Silene's? 

And, small nit. In general you're right; Italian whites tend towards thin, and
have that, um, er, Italian-white aftertaste. But there are a few good rich
ones. If you (any of you) are in the area of Winecellar's of Silene's, ask the
staff, or better still, sign up for their monthly newsletter, with tasting
notes, and buy and taste!
	Mez

    My favorite appetizer is shrimps, artichoke hearts, and sweet red
    pepper chunks sauteed in olive oil, garlic, and various Italian spices.
    Peel the shrimp before sauteing.  Serve it all (hot) with 1/4
    inch slices of crusty Italian or French bread, or cold with crackers
    and cocktail picks.
    
    Then I usually serve a pasta course. Carbonarra is nice or with a
    simple tomato-based vegetable sauce.
    
    Then game hens or squab if you can find them, one each guest.  Cooked
    in a blanket of cracked black pepper and stuffed with fruit.  Serve on
    a bed of wild rice with asparagus arranged around it.
    
    Followed by a salad.
    
    I like to have two desserts.  One for the table and one later on with
    coffee in the living room.  For the table dessert, fruit poached in
    wine is wonderful -- light and tasty.  Serve this with a dessert
    wine to complement whatever it was poached in.
    
    For the coffee dessert, finger cakes, chocolate truffles, small
    popovers stuffed with zabaglione, or something small and rich is the
    ticket.  This is a nice time to serve brandy or cognac along with
    fresh-brewed coffee with real cream. 
    
    Yumm.  I think I need to have a dinner party.

 Re: .12 and .15

 I can imagine myself eating all of that and needing to be rolled out of
the dining room! Sounds terrific!

 re: appetizers

 I love shrimp cocktail, french onion soup (anybody have a good recipe?),
mushrooms stuffed with ritz and crabmeat and wine with provolone melted 
over the top or fresh fruit with sherbet or sorbet.

 re: wine

 Wine makes the meal. If you don't know how to pick it, ask! My favorite
moderately priced wine for red meat or pasta is Gallo Zinfandel 1981. Suitably
tart with excellent body, it is a steal at about $7 a bottle (better get
two). :-) The '83 makes a good 2nd choice.

 I've always loved delmonico potatoes, or twice baked potatoes. Both are
fairly easy to make and can be made beforehand.

 All this talk of food, and my stomach is growling to beat the band. I can
hardly hear the disk drive! :-)

 The Doctah

I was at an extremely elegent dinner party last week (I usually serve
spghetti and meatballs with frozen green beans at mine, not at all
elegent) and they had a lovely desert...sliced fresh fruit (kiwis, grapes,
strawberries, and cantelope, in this case), on a tray...served with
a couple small bowls of Kahlua and some of powdered sugar...the idea
being dip the fruit in the Kahlua (provide forks) and then in the
sugar.  I had never heard of this but it was *deeelicious*!  (It
helped that the Kahlua was homemade and good of its own right, but I
think you could use commercial stuff fine.)  Our hostess said the same
thing works well with Frangelica (hazlenut liqueur.)

(I wish I knew about wines!  Problem is that I never drink alone [esp.
wine, which seems like such a social drink], and when I am dining with
friends, we are almost always in a restaurant of some kind, and I can
never see paying those prices for a bottle of wine.  That and most of my
friends drink very little, if at all.  And in fact, I too almost never
drink...so I never learn about what wine to drink when I *am* drinking.
The only wine I know/understand is Champagne.  :-)  In fact, is was one
year ago tomorrow that I downed two bottles of Korbel Brut over the
course of a very pleasant evening, night, morning and afternoon with a
very interesting and handsome drinking partner...but that's another story...:-)

D!

    No, Mez, I've never shopped at Silene but I've heard great things about
    them!
    
    Small nit - to the noter, (.14?) who mentioned Carbonara with a tomatoe
    or vegetable sauce - Carbonara means a bacon and parmesan sauce and 
    doesn't refer to the pasta under it.  You can have linguine carbonara, 
    mostaccioli carbonara, ziti carbonara, etc.  But if you have a red sauce,
    or anything other than bacon, (butter and/or oil), garlic and parmesan,
    it's not a carbonara.  Guinea food, I know!  ;-)
    
    One more thing to D! - for a fantastic and cheap "champagne", try
    Chandon's Brut.  It's about $13 and will blow Korbel away.  Moet &
    Chandon, (the house that makes the famously overrated Dom Perignon),
    bought land in the Napa Valley and makes the exact same wine as Moet,
    (French - about $26).  For a real cheap thrill, the chams out of Spain
    can't be beat.  Freixenet, (black bottle), sells for $6 and will
    astound you.  That's a great "reception" wine for your appetizers and a
    cham you can pour for a large crowd, (or a small crowd of heavy
    imbibers!)  ;-)   A Wine Conference used to be on PSW::WINES.  Dunno if
    it's still there.  It's a good place to learn.  Paul Winalski, the
    moderator, is pretty knowledgeable.

>Moet &
>    Chandon, (the house that makes the famously overrated Dom Perignon),
>    bought land in the Napa Valley and makes the exact same wine as Moet,
>    (French - about $26).

 Mo�t et Chandon is my favorite. You can pick up the White Star Extra Dry
for about $19, and the Brut Imp�rial for about $22 (in NH). Marvelous, 
especially if you like your champagne on the dry side. I think I'll try Chandon.
Freixenet tastes worse than light beer to me. :-)

The Doctah

To begin:

   Procuitto & melon [cantaloupe & honeydew]
   a braided cheese/herb bread

   Champagne:  Codornui [Spanish, inexpensive, dry]

The main course:

   Chicken with fresh broccoli & boursin cheese in puff pastry
       with a mushroom veloute sauce
   Steamed baby carrots with red onions, zucchini & basil
   New potatoes

   Wine:  Puligny Montrachet [1984 for choice]

Dessert:

    Chocolate/orange marble cheesecake
    
    Coffee
    Cointreau 



Simple, but not austere.

    Ann

    I'm gonna lock this string if you people don't quit! ;')
    
    Goddess that all sounds yummers.
    
    						=maggie

    maybe we should use one or more of those for the next =wn= party.
    
    :-)
    
    Bonnie

    
    And for a totally different mood:
    
    a roasted turkey stuffed with :
    	pepperidge farm stuffing crumbs
    	hot italien sausage
    	LOTS of onions
    	optional : a crispy veggie like celery and walnuts
    we roast our turkey's for about 12 hours at 200 degrees F.
    serve with 
    	home-made dinner rolls, (or pilsbury)
    	potatoes, mashed with the skins
    	peas and mint leaves (mixed)
    	some other veggie
    
    for dessert :
    	warm apple pie and/or apple crisp with vanilla ice cream
    	(you could have it in the oven as soon as the turkey comes out and
    it'd smell up the whole house!)
    
    anytime we've served this, we've gotten rave reviews.  People don't
    often eat turkey, so not much chance of them having eaten that way the
    night before!  Also, this stuff usually makes people feel right at
    home.
    
    if you'd like a fancier dessert, I have a recipe for chocolate-mint
    mousse pie in a graham cracker crust.
    
    if you make rice, try mixing pultry seasoning in it for added flavor.
    Rachael
    

    Ok, now you've done it. I love to cook so much that I was *afraid* to
    enter anything here. Now that you've started talking about my favorite
    beverage - champagne - I can no longer resist! Here are my favorite party
    menus, next I will enter a long note on Champagne.

    I have a couple of "favorite" large dinner meals, depending on the crowd.
    They are Moroccan, Italian, and Chinese.

    The Moroccan dinner:

	Roasted Red Pepper salad (peeled roasted peppers in a vinaigrette)
	Moroccan Bread (coarse bread with anise)
	Bisteeya (phyllo "pie" made with lemon flavored chicken and eggs)
	Omar's Cous-cous (lamb cous-cous with tons of onions, raisins and cinnamon)
	"Snake" (baked phyllo stuffed with sweetened ground almonds)
	Mint Tea

	Full bodied red wine - Cabernet, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Burgundy, etc.

    The Italian dinner:

	Insalata Caprese (fresh tomato, mozzarella, and fresh basil salad)
    	Penne alla arrabiata (hot spicy tomato sauce with onions and bacon)
	Vitello con Salvia (sauteed veal with fried fresh sage)
    	Home made chocolate gelato
	Espresso

	Lighter bodied red wine - Barrolo, Nebbiolo, Chianti

    The Chinese dinner

    	Szechuan peppercorn cucumber pickles (with sesame oil)
    	Hot and Sour soup
    	Kung-Pao chicken
	Dry Braised String Beans

	Full flavored beer - Anchor Steam, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Sam Adams

	-- Charles

    I love Champagne. I love talking about it when I'm can't be drinking it.
    I can go on for hours about Champagne, but here is a summary.    

    I personally prefer the French style which is very dry, yeasty, and
    "toasty" with almost no fruit. The spanish sparking wines people have been
    suggesting, Freixinet, Cordoniu, and my favorite, Paul Cheneau, are all in
    the "classic" style and are often quite inexpensive.

    California sparking wines are often fruitier, but still very dry.
    Excellent examples are Korbel and Hans Kornell. A number of the french
    Champagne houses have started partnerships with local winemakers to
    produce wines that are in a mixture of the styles, or in the classic
    Champagne tradition. Domaine Chandon was the first, best known, and is, in
    my opionion, still the best.  They make three major wines at this point,
    the Blancs de Noir, the Brut, and now they make a Reserve. I prefer the
    Blancs de Noir, which is off white and has a distinct fruit, but is still
    very elegant. It's our default "fancy" sparkling wine. (Korbel or Paul
    Cheneau being the default "everyday" sparkling wine.)

    In the French Champagnes you have a range of possibilities, from good
    non-vintage wines, up to the "super premium" wines like Dom Perignon. I've
    stuck with Bollinger non-vintage and Veuve Cliquot non-vintage with great
    sucess. In the premium wines I really like the 1983 Roederer Cristal, it's
    much better than the '83 Dom Perignon or Veuve Cliquot "Grande Dame". I'm
    not a big fan of the Moet White Star or Mumms Cordon Rouge, but that's
    simply a matter of taste.

    Champagne sweetness is another factor to consider in choosing your wine.
    Champagne sweetness ratings are a little odd.  The sweetest Champagnes,
    suitable ONLY for dessert are called "Sec" or "Dry". They are actually
    VERY sweet. (This note is long enough or I'd go into how this naming
    confusion came about.) The next sweetest, is "Extra Dry", which is still
    too sweet for my taste, then there is "Brut" which is the "classic"
    Champagne. It is the "Brut" Champagne that the houses put their most
    effort into. Because the wine is so dry, any defects are that much more
    noticable. "Extra Dry" champagnes can be made with less care, since they
    are more forgiving. There is another dryness, "Natural" which has
    absolutely no sugar added at all (Brut has some sugar added for
    carbonation.)

    Another bit of Champagne trivia - in the U.S. "Pink" Champagne is
    relegated to "cutsey" parties and to kids. Not so in France.  Many of the
    best Champagne houses make truly superb Rose Champagnes, and some put
    their best efforts into those wines. In particular, Gosset makes a
    wondeful Rose, one of my favorite wines. Korbel has recently added a Brut
    Rose that is quite good.

    For very special occasions, with very special people, I drink either
    Roederer Cristal '83, or Gosset Rose.

	a sante!
	-- Charles

    
    Thanks, Charles for the champagne lesson, I have never been too
    fond of champagnes, but I have always been served brut, I think
    I will try something sweeter.
    
    +pat+

    I've gained 7.2 pounds just reading the replies to the base note.
    
    Pls allow me to add my 20 millibucks worth -- esp. if it's to be
    informal -- if not, hey! forget it!
    
    I've had a reasonable degree of success with an "involve thy guests"
    buffet:
    
    Chicken Fajitas on the grill -- albeit easier to eat 'off' the grill
       (fewer injured guests and resulting lawsuits)
    Frijoles Borrachos (pinto beans slow cooked in garlic, onions, and
       beer)
    Green tamale pie (en casserole)
    Warm flour tortillas (in which to wrap the fajitas and/or frijoles)
    Ensalada -- salad containing fresh veggies, esp. avocados and jicama,
       if/when available
    Assorted tropical fruits 
    
    Solves the problem of those who don't do meat or those who don't do
    red meat.  Ingredients are by-and-large readily available -- and cost
    won't cripple most budgets.
    
    I'm not much of a dessert person, so cannot recommend specifics, but
    there's always something special about homemade icecream, particularly
    if the guests play a role in making it.  Basic ingredients plus in-
    season fruits and nuts keep things in perspective and economical.  
    
    Informal, yes, but the guests will mingle -- much of the stuff can
    (must) be made in advance -- and it's fun food!   Keep the condiments
    available for the guests, and you can't go wrong.
    
    Cheers, Bill

>                     <<< Note 984.27 by PCOJCT::HUNZEKER >>>
>                        -< Como esta frijole, cabrito? >-



	 Bill....if you're from back east, might I ask where you FIND
	 this stuff fresh??????


	 Inquiring mexi-holics want to know.


	 kath

Well, I'm not Bill, but I am from 'back East'...

I find all the fresh fixin's for great Mexican or TexMex at my local Alexander's
supermarket in Merrimack New Hampshire.  Of course to be fresh they must be in
season.  I've been known to by the produce in bulk and flash-freeze.

Then there are those things which I can requisition from afar, by calling San
Antonio or Austin TX or Las Vegas NM ... gotta keep the supply lines open, so
occasionally I ship my suppliers a lobster ...

Sure, it's not like being able to hop in the car and browse the mercado, but
it _can_ be done by the determined.

  Ann

    My favorite don't break the diet company meal is:
    
    Appetizer of vegetable sticks (usually carrots, celery, green
              pepper) and Florentine dip (spinach in yogurt)
    
    
    Roast chicken (sometimes I baste it with a sauce of curry spices
              and soy)
    Brown rice seasoned with curry
    "Mexican succotash" -- fresh zucchini, corn, sliced onions,
              tomato, lemon juice, and oregano all baked together for about
              35-45 min.
    
    For dessert:  Fruit over ice cream (or ice milk for even lower
              fat)
    
    Serve with the beverage of your choice. 
    
    --bonnie

    
    Hot and sour soup with small octopus swimming it it.
    
    Mu shu pork
    
    Hunan beef
    
    Kung Pao eggplant
    
    broccoli in oyster sauce
    
    paper wrapped chicken
    
    whole roast carp
    
    green tea ice cream
    
    fortune cookies