Ripley Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 I've signed up to take dinner to a family at my nephew's school. They've requested "salads with proteins and loves Italian food." Meals will be dropped off at 3pm for the student to take home. I could really use help with meal suggestions and/or recipes. And a guideline for how much to send - 2 adults, 1 boy (age 11). I have two Italian recipes in my repertoire: spaghetti with meatballs and spaghetti without meatballs. I want to avoid duplicating a meal, if at all possible. But only 1 person posted hers: pasta, salad, dessert. Super helpful :lol:. My meal follows hers and will be their last one. I did an internet search but don't know what is "Internet Popular" ... and what is Stuff Real People Eat In Real Life, if you get me. I found a slow cooker Italian chicken with cream cheese and dressing? Sounds disgusting to me, but it's on a lot of websites and blogs. And I found a chicken cacciatore which looks ... involved LOL. Mostly I don't want to send something gross, however involved the recipe. And at the risk of sounding demanding, a crockpot meal would be ideal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Calzones or stromboli, freshly made and ready to bake? Lasagna, freshly made and ready to bake? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 I would bring stuffed pasta shells: http://www.forkknifeswoon.com/food-drink/main-dishes/2013/05/spinach-and-ricotta-stuffed-shells/ I usually make it with one of those frozen boxes of spinach, thawed and drained (10.5 oz or so, I think?), and 1 tsp. of dried basil instead of fresh, to make it really easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Make a salad with greens, tomatoes, onion, salami, olives, cheese like provolone. Toss with Italian dressing or put some in a small container for them to add. Shrimp scampi is very easy to make if they like seafood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 In my experience "Italian food"and kids is code for "we eat pasta and pizza". I think anything of the map of Ameri-Italian and onto the map of true Italy wouldn't be appreciated. I'd stick with easy - pasta bar type stuff, calzones, pizza roll (fresh dough rolled up with cheese and pepperoni), etc. I think the time you'd spend on authentic wouldn't be well spent. Now, if they're Italian... Go simple. Stuffed shells (frozen), with a great sauce, salad, bread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewber Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 I'd do meatballs in a crockpot with sauce. Then send good rolls and cheese for meatball subs, fresh fruit salad and brownies. I'm sure they also have pasta they can put the meatballs over if they want. I think a veggie tray is also nice in this situation with a homemade dip to fancy it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzymom Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 I agree with the meatballs, sauce, rolls, and salad. Gives the family the opportunity to eat whenever is convenient, and an easy lunch for the next day. Very nice of you to do this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 I'm guessing American Italian...not REAL Italian. My favorite salad is Capresce (fresh mozzarella sliced with sliced tomatoes, drizzled with. Olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, pepper and fresh chopped basil, Risotto...I like Risoto truffle de Avalinese. Main course,,, rotisserie chicken (usually with a mild rub which includes lemon juice), and panna cotta for dessert. When we do something more American, green salad, stuffed shells focaccia bread or Asiago ciabatta rolls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripley Posted October 10, 2014 Author Share Posted October 10, 2014 You all are amazing, and I appreciate the ideas. I have two meals to make next week. This and an AHG mom who delivered her 8th on Monday. There are lots of casseroles and Mexican dishes on her calendar. I'm going to do the meatball subs and Jean's garden salad for them. The flexibility will be great for the kids' evening activities. I like the idea of stuffed shells or ravioli for the other family. I'll add Lisa's capresce salad and fresh rolls. I'm glad for the suggestion to include fruit salad and/or veggie tray. Great idea and I'll be sure to send some to both familes. I'm intrigued by shrimp scampi, but I've never prepared or eaten shrimp. I'm intimidated by calzones and strombolis, never having had those either. Obviously I need to schedule a field trip to an Italian restaurant! Re-con ;). I'm going to make the cabbage rolls this weekend, for us at home. We eat Asian cabbage rolls all the time, so I associate those with home. I can't wait to see how the European version compares to ours. We try to deliver meals when we can. Lots of need in our area. I didn't realize what a rut we were in until reading this thread. It's definitely time to expand our culinary horizons! Thanks one and all, again, for your time and ideas. :patriot: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.