Innisfree Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 We need to invite family over, including BIL who is famously picky about food. What he loves is steak, burgers, brats, and potatoes. He is great at grilling. We are not. I don't want to grill. He hates onions, beans, seafood, and probably a bunch of stuff I'm forgetting. Anything slightly "odd" or "different" from roughly 1960s American cooking is outside his normal range. So, no tabouli, gazpacho, hummus, tacos, etc. I really don't want to roast a chicken (dh's suggestion) or anything similarly hot. We eat a bunch of summer salads, but everything I usually fix has forbidden ingredients. Any ideas? BIL is a great guy, and I want to feed him something he'll enjoy, but I'm drawing a blank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 I'd go with what you know he will enjoy. Burgers are super easy. You can still make salads. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innisfree Posted July 13, 2017 Author Share Posted July 13, 2017 Burgers might be the obvious answer, I guess. I'd been thinking about other stuff because I know he likes them grilled. We don't even own a grill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 I usually cook burgers in a cast iron skillet. It's much easier than wrangling the grill for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Just do sandwiches and salads. Get a couple different deli meat selections, a couple different cheeses, some good baguette and a couple types of mustard and mayo. Most people will eat a sandwich! People can choose between a large salad, a large sandwich, or some of both. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solascriptura Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 I would make a burger bar with several sides. That usually goes over well and the sides add variety. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Yeah they are perfectly fine done in a skillet, grill pan, etc. I mean it doesn't HAVE to be burgers of course, but I'd just go with something easy you know he likes rather than guessing which salad would be less objectionable to him. I kinda feel him. I don't like any of the salads you mentioned either. I love green salads, but not as a main dish. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Just do sandwiches and salads. Get a couple different deli meat selections, a couple different cheeses, some good baguette and a couple types of mustard and mayo. Most people will eat a sandwich! People can choose between a large salad, a large sandwich, or some of both. Even better!!! Love this idea... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 If he is stuck in the 60's you might want to include a Jell-O mold salad of some kind. And maybe pigs in a blanket. (grin) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innisfree Posted July 13, 2017 Author Share Posted July 13, 2017 (edited) If he is stuck in the 60's you might want to include a Jell-O mold salad of some kind. And maybe pigs in a blanket. (grin) He actually might love a Jell-O salad. Hmmm... As long as it didn't have too much... you know... "stuff" in it. ;-) Edited July 13, 2017 by Innisfree 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 (edited) Do you have any electrical appliances that you can use outside, so the cooking smells and heat stay out there? I imagine that that is a consideration. For instance, if you have an electric frying pan you can fry chicken or make potroast outside--those are meaty and traditional. Or with a crockpot you could do pulled pork or meatballs. Edited July 13, 2017 by Carol in Cal. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innisfree Posted July 13, 2017 Author Share Posted July 13, 2017 Do you have any electrical appliances that you can use outside, so the cooking smells and heat stay out there? I imagine that that is a consideration. For instance, if you have an electric frying pan you can fry chicken or make potroast outside--those are meaty and traditional. Or with a crockpot you could do pulled pork or meatballs. You're right, the heat is the issue. Unfortunately we have none of that equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 You're right, the heat is the issue. Unfortunately we have none of that equipment. Well, what DO you have that you can use outside? Give us something to work with! :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 you could order pizza 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innisfree Posted July 13, 2017 Author Share Posted July 13, 2017 Well, what DO you have that you can use outside? Give us something to work with! :) I'm sorry! I'm not trying to be difficult. :-) Any normal indoor cooking equipment: pots, pans, skillets, stove, oven. The sandwich idea is sounding good to me. I may just lay in a bunch of good cold cuts, cheeses, breads or rolls, etc. If I have enough good stuff I can make it look hospitable and not as if I'm trying to fob them off instead of cooking properly, right? Sandwiches and a couple of salads could be a "good" summer meal, couldn't they? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemsondana Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 I would do some sort of sandwich. You could do something that could be prepared ahead and eaten cold (roast beef, turkey breast, ham) or bought as cold cuts. Or, you can do all sorts of things in a crock pot - BBQ pork, chicken, or beef, pot-roast style meat cooked with onions that can be shredded, etc. I'd serve any of the above with slider buns so that folks can have small portions or get 2-3 if it's the main part of their meal. Or cook a bunch of bacon and offer BLTs on white bread - it's old-fashioned and good in the summer. With the sandwiches you can do a green salad, jello/fruit salad, pasta or potato salad, and whatever else you want...deviled eggs also add an old-fashioned fill-you-up protein. A plate of pickles might also work. Although I now love hummus, guacamole, etc, when I was growing up pasta with jarred sauce, pizza, tacos, and take-out chinese were as 'exotic' as it got. I never tried a lot of things until I was in college or grad school. For folks who didn't grow up eating this kind of food (like much of my family), it's 'weird'. I've gotten to see the flip side of this when introducing friends from other countries to American foods. I'd make sure that there is something that he can eat, and not spend a lot of angst over it. In my family, I make sure that there is a plate of veggies and dip or cut fruit and also, for outside summer meals, a bag of chips. That way even the pickiest have a side that they can eat, and I don't have to worry about particular ingredients that I want to use. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 I'm sorry! I'm not trying to be difficult. :-) Any normal indoor cooking equipment: pots, pans, skillets, stove, oven. The sandwich idea is sounding good to me. I may just lay in a bunch of good cold cuts, cheeses, breads or rolls, etc. If I have enough good stuff I can make it look hospitable and not as if I'm trying to fob them off instead of cooking properly, right? Sandwiches and a couple of salads could be a "good" summer meal, couldn't they? I think that sounds super hospitable. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innisfree Posted July 13, 2017 Author Share Posted July 13, 2017 ...deviled eggs also add an old-fashioned fill-you-up protein. Ooooh, deviled eggs, yes! Not sure about BIL, but the rest of this crowd will love them. Okay, thanks, guys. I knew the Hive could figure this out. We'll have sandwich makings, potato salad, green salad, melon, deviled eggs, maybe a jello salad. Everyone can enjoy something there. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Sometimes I'll cook a sirloin steak or chicken breasts on my stove top, slice them thin, and serve them over a cold pasta/tomato salad or along side roasted tomatoes/zucchinis, etc. It kind of gives meat a summery feel. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Cowboy pasta salad? http://bellyfull.net/2017/06/05/cowboy-pasta-salad/ Sorry, didn't read the whole thread to see if this won't work for you it's just the first thing I thought of! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 or taco salad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Who doesn't like tacos? Prefer soft or hard, fine. Like certain fillings over others, also fine. But no tacos? What a loon. Send him home! No tacos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 You don't want to roast a chicken, but what about picking up a rotisserie chicken from the market? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 You can always make the salad quite plain and offer toppings on the side. My family has always done this. A few more dishes dirtied, but not really any more work. I don't like a lot of "stuff" in my food either. I can like every single ingredient alone or in small combos, while hating it all mixed together. I am a super taster, and I have texture issues. FWIW, I am not as picky as your BIL sounds (but I have food intolerances now that are as picky as your BIL, lol!). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 I would buy a bunch of corn and have HIM grill it. Then I would make whatever else you want, like some kind of meat in the crockpot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Nicoise Salad? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Seriously, I'd probably do potato salad and then slice up a rotisserie chicken into large serving size pieces and then whatever WE wanted in addition to that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 Sounds like some very simple and well-known foods you already know he'd like, so just include them. You can boil sausages/brats and pan fry them at the end and bake potatoes in the oven. No special equipment needed. If you don't have a microwave, then do potato salad without onion. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawana Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 (edited) What about grilled Reuben sandwiches? Would he go for something like that? Or patty melts? Those say 60's to me lol ETA a Honeybaked Ham would be special and no heat in the kitchen. Edited July 13, 2017 by Lawana 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aura Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 If you want to cook burgers inside but want a grilled, smoky taste, try using a little Liquid Smoke. If you patty your own burgers, you can add it to the mix. If you just pan fry it, add it to the pan. Doesn't take much. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 A big pan of sausage, peppers, onions, and potatoes? We serve those a lot at our big backyard parties and they are always the first thing to go. We usually have sub rolls alongside. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 How about baked potato bar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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