Denisemomof4 Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 I'm having a friend over for lunch on Wednesday, the woman who runs our homeschool group. She's put so much time and energy into the group, often gets a million of complaints (which annoys me to no end!), but still devotes herself to running the group entirely by herself. I want to serve her a very special meal. Money is pf no concern, I truly want to bless her for the afternoon because of all she does for us. I don't want something heavy. It's supposed to be 80 out. No lasagna, pot roast, etc. Lighter fare would be preferred unless it's such a killer dish I must serve it. :001_smile: Her son is picky so I will have PB&J on hand for him - her suggestion. I've been thinking about this for a week now and I can NOT come up with the perfect idea! Dh will make his AWESOME cheesecake for us, I'm thinking about getting large shrimp for a cocktail for an appetizer, but I can NOT come up with the main meal! Can you please throw some suggestions my way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DusksAngel Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Grilled Steak Salad Grilled steak (sliced thin after coming off the grill) served on top of salad greens, red onion, tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles, etc with either ranch or a vinaigrette dressing. Very yummy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 (edited) Here is what I would suggest: appetizer: grilled shrimp with cashew dip My cashew dip has brown sugar, yogurt, cilantro and a little green curry powder (eta: in addition to the cashews, of course!!) entree: pot stickers and Asian salad with grilled chicken. Edited August 14, 2011 by Mrs Mungo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Do you have the Sunset French cookbook? Either French Cooking or Country French Cooking? They are pretty old, so might be found in a library. They have elegant dishes that present well and are not that hard to make. In your circumstances, I would make for a main dish either the veal rolls (nice because it is made in advance and holds well) or the steak au poivre vert (extremely elegant, and although it's rich, I have never had anyone not be impressed and love it when I've served it). Those are my go to main dishes, along with the pilaf recipe in the same book. I would also have a green salad with blue cheese dressing (equal parts cream, lemon juice, and EVOO with about 1/3 as much blue cheese). If you want a soup course, the ones in the French book that are really good are the tomato or the mushroom. Again, those can be made in advance and finished very quickly right before serving. The lemon ice in the same book clears the palette wonderfully before dessert. This time of the year if I served cheesecake I would also have berries in a separate bowl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 It is prime veggie season. Can you get some farm-fresh veggies and make a killer Greek salad or a pasta primavera, or a terrific salad and a thin, fresh veggie soup (i.e. with hand shelled peas, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 oh no! Only three responses and I'm already having a hard time deciding between the three! I'm going to make your cashew dip with the shrimp, Mrs. Mungo. Grilled shrimp ARE my favorite! Now do I do the grilled steak salad, the Asian salad, the Steak aupotpourrie:lol: or what ever it's called..... I feel better already! THANKS!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natalieclare Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Tabouleh and hummus, souvlaki and greek salad--all light and fresh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 It is prime veggie season. Can you get some farm-fresh veggies and make a killer Greek salad or a pasta primavera, or a terrific salad and a thin, fresh veggie soup (i.e. with hand shelled peas, etc). Oh, this is PERFECT! I'm going to do an heirloom tomato salad to go with the green salad. I'm fine with making many dishes because we're just going to have the leftovers for dinner. And even maybe for lunch the next day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lvbnhome Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 So, I always take some of their ideas and use them at home. They serve: A plate with a beautiful chicken salad croissant, pieces of fruit, and cheese slices, with tea. There is a little heart shaped scone on your plate served with tea, lemon curd in a little bitty dish (on the side). They also have quiche (which is not too hot in temperature), and a lovely salad, with fruit, and cubed cheese. Of course, we always have a piece of their yummy pie. One special thing they do, is everyone's plate has a little card on it (think about the size of a fortune cookie), but each one has a special scripture on it. Of course there are lots of different teas, iced or hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Oh, this is PERFECT! I'm going to do an heirloom tomato salad to go with the green salad. I'm fine with making many dishes because we're just going to have the leftovers for dinner. And even maybe for lunch the next day. One secret to knock-your-socks-off clear soup is making your own stock and doing a "raft". http://www.saveur.com/article/Techniques/Clarifying-Stock-with-a-Egg-Raft My deep secret on perfect stock is to use a "knob of ginger" in the simmering. It won't taste of ginger but it will remove the "flatness". Also, I think whole white pepper corns simmered in the stock give a better result than black. I'm a big fan of parsley stems, as well. For a pretty, pale stock I don't saute the onions first, to keep the color yellowy-green. If the onions are strong, dice, soak in cold water and rinse before making the stock. That can make up for not browning them first, and keeping the raw onion taste out of the stock. I make the stock, let it settle, pour off the top and raft it, simmer fine veggies diced in it, and pour it into warmed bowls and serve with a few shavings of GOOD parm or romano. Don't over salt if you are going to have a salty cheese over it. I love a crusty bread with this, and a richer salad. If you want to make meat people happy, it can be a grilled chicken salad, e.g. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 kalanamak's soup ideas are wonderful! Just another thought, our grocery store has had beautiful asparagus lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 kalanamak's soup ideas are wonderful! Just another thought, our grocery store has had beautiful asparagus lately. You can grill or lightly saute the asp with a rather strong marinade, and lay these, hot or chilled, over a salad. You can even put some extra vinegar in the marinade to make them very lightly pickled, sort of antipasta-ish, as a contrast to the rest of the salad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 You can grill or lightly saute the asp with a rather strong marinade, and lay these, hot or chilled, over a salad. You can even put some extra vinegar in the marinade to make them very lightly pickled, sort of antipasta-ish, as a contrast to the rest of the salad. Yum! If you want an antipasto idea, then you could also grill some thinly sliced eggplant and bell peppers, yum!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Yum! If you want an antipasto idea, then you could also grill some thinly sliced eggplant and bell peppers, yum!! Yum is right. I like to salt, let stand, rinse and pat dry the eggplant to make any chance of bitterness go, and to make the meat a bit firmer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Yum is right. I like to salt, let stand, rinse and pat dry the eggplant to make any chance of bitterness go, and to make the meat a bit firmer. That is what I do too. Do most people know this trick about salting eggplant to make it less bitter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 (edited) It's Wild Salmon season. :) Gorgeous salad with strawberries & a small sprinkling of feta? Edited August 14, 2011 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarenM Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Here is what I would suggest: appetizer: grilled shrimp with cashew dip My cashew dip has brown sugar, yogurt, cilantro and a little green curry powder (eta: in addition to the cashews, of course!!) entree: pot stickers and Asian salad with grilled chicken. This sounds very delicious!:iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 And if you like lemony potatoes, this is fabulous. I use Yukon gold's cubed. http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/salad-days/warm-potato-salad-with-lemon-and-chive-vinaigrette.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 (edited) Ooooh! yes. :) I love roasted eggplant! I had a grilled/roasted eggplant hankering the other day but it rained, so I didn't want to stand at the grill (uncovered patio-area :() But I still wanted eggplant. I sliced up some bell peppers (you can do red, green, yellow together; that looks really colorful), eggplants, onions, zuk, & yellow squash and sauteed. (didn't want to use the oven). I added salt, pepper, a fruity olive oil and it really hit the spot. It was also very pretty. :) Edited August 14, 2011 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 I made an easy and yummy lunch today - sliced portobellos, bell peppers and onions, sauteed (better grilled) with some crushed garlic and oregano, salt and pepper. When everything is tender, pour a bit of balsamic vinegar in, tear a few leaves of basil and toss those in, remove it from the heat. Slice a loaf ciabatta bread, pile it on, top with provolone (smoked provolone is super nice) and put the top back on. Yum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Here is the menu from the recent royal wedding -- canapés mostly, but maybe some ideas you could adapt: • Cornish Crab Salad on Lemon Blini • Pressed Duck Terrine with Fruit Chutney • Roulade of Goats Cheese with Caramelised Walnuts • Assortment of Palmiers and Cheese Straws • Scottish Smoked Salmon Rose on Beetroot Blini • Miniature Watercress and Asparagus Tart • Poached Asparagus spears with Hollandaise Sauce for Dipping • Quails Eggs with Celery Salt • Scottish Langoustines with Lemon Mayonnaise • Pressed Confit of Pork Belly with Crayfish and Crackling • Wild Mushroom and Celeriac Chausson • Bubble and Squeak with Confit Shoulder of Lamb • Grain Mustard and honey-glazed Chipolatas • Smoked Haddock Fishcake with Pea Guacamole • Miniature Yorkshire Pudding with Roast Fillet of Beef and Horseradish Mousse • Gateau Opera • Blood Orange Pate de Fruit • Raspberry Financier • Rhubarb Crème Brulee Tartlet • Passion Fruit Praline • White Chocolate Ganache Truffle • Milk Chocolate Praline with Nuts • Dark Chocolate Ganache Truffle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 How about fetuccune Alfredo with smoked salmon or fresh garden veggies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 I was going to suggest Greek salad, but antipasto sounds delicious too! If fresh tomatoes are abundant in your area, some of those with mozzarella, basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinaigrette makes a delicious salad. What a lovely treat for your friend -- I hope you both have a wonderful time of appreciating each other! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Definitely this salad: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/06/caprese-salad/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 My thanks to all of you!!! *MY* favorite is grilled zucchini and eggplant. I could LIVE off of this stuff !!! The bags of the frozen grilled eggplant/zucchini are also SO good that I can have them during the winter when we don't grill as much. Of course there are SO many fabulous choices at this point that I'm going to have to show these to dh and have him help me decide! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 A fancy salad. I just ate one that was spinach, grape tomatoes cut in half, cucumber (seed it to make it fancier), sweet vidalia onion, chicken salad (made from left over chicken and mayonaise), blueberries, gorgonzola cheese, and walnuts. YUMMMY!!! You could do something similar, plan on making it like those fancy salads at Panera and such, with chicken, fruit, nuts, cheese, etc. Maybe make a yummy dressing, although for me the mayo in the chicken salad is enough. Serve with a yummy muffin or fancy bread, flavored butter (honey or citrus are easy to make), and maybe some flavored iced tea. I would think that would be fancy, cool, and would leave room for cheesecake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I'm probably too late, Denise, but I made a chinese-inspired chicken salad for lunch today. I used mayo and added sesame oil, a bit of curry powder and salt and pepper, along with chopped chicken breasts from a leftover roast chicken, sliced water chestnuts, chopped celery, chopped red bell pepper and sliced green onions. I served that on top of baby spinach and butter lettuce and topped it with toasted almond slivers. It was so good, even ds liked it. Just another idea for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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