Settling in... company on the way....help

M

mboley

Well-known member
Last week we moved from Indiana to Illinois. The new house has a pool (yippee!)... and now we have guests coming this weekend.

I'm in search of dinner / appetizer / dip ideas that won't have me in the kitchen much.

Friday is going to be your standard grill night, brats / hot dogs, baked beans, corn on the cob, chips, crudites, and "the cake" from here.

Saturday and sunday I'm at a loss.

I'd like either things I can make ahead and have in the frige and cook quick, or things I can grill without to much trouble.

TIA for any suggestions!

and Melissa in Indiana will now be Melissa in Illinois smileys/smile.gif (still mboley id though)

 
pizzas on the grill. there are several threads on this, and we tried it for the 4th and it was

great. I was sceptical, but the dough did not sink down through the grates. We kind of pre-grill the crusts on both sides, take them off the grill and then top them to anyone's heart's desire and then put them back on the grill with the top down to melt cheeses and get nice and hot and crispy. I think any pizza dough would work. You can have all sorts of toppings for people to create their own. A nice salad and some grilled pineapple and ice cream make for an easy dinner. I used the make-ahead dough that can sit in the fridge for 10 days or so. It was a bit soft, but worked well anyway.

http://eat.at/swap/forum1/90529_I_made_pizza_dough__I_cant_believe_it__Thanks_to_Deb_in_Mi_and_Melissa_in_Dal

 
Two great appetizers that can be made ahead-Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms & Blue Cheese Broiled Tomatoes

Will post here if interested. (Both of these are also listed in T&T, and there are a lot of other great ones to check out there).

 
No one likes blue cheese but me... think Feta or Goat cheese would work?

I've printed both of these! Thanks!

 
Rec: Cheddar, Vegetable & Sausage Strata....I know you said dinner

and appetizers but this dish is so good. I love serving this when we have weekend guests on Sunday kinda brunchish time with a platter of different cut fruit and juices. It's hearty and just sooo tasty. I always get the different ingredients ready before guests arrive and then just put the custard on the night before.

Cheddar, Vegetable & Sausage Strata

Recipe By : Bon Appetit
Serving Size : 6

9 1" thick slices French bread -- each 3x5"
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups half and half
2 cups packed sharp cheddar cheese -- grated
1/2 green pepper -- cut in strips
15 cherry tomatoes -- cut in half
6 ounces kielbasa -- cut 1/2 inch thick
2 tablespoons onion -- minced
fresh parsley -- chopped

Butter 13x9x2" glass baking dish. Fit 8 bread slices in prepared dish. Cut remaining bread slice into 1" cubes; fit cubes into any empty spaces. Whisk eggs, mustard, basil and salt in medium bowl to blend; whisk in half and half. Ladle custard over bread. Cover; chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Sprinkle mixture in dish with black pepper. Top with half of cheese, then bell pepper, tomatoes, sausage, onion and remaining cheese. Cover loosely with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil. Bake until strata is set and springy to touch, about 20 minutes longer. Cool 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/CHEDDAR-VEGETABLE-AND-SAUSAGE-STRATA-104479

 
By the way, are you interested in some main dish salads? Curried Couscous Salad w/ Dried Cranberries

and Thai-Style Pasta Salad are both excellent. Will post if you're interested.

 
Here's one I was going to make... post yours too please!

Couscous Salad

Dressing:
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Salad:
Dried couscous - prepared according to package
Red pepper, diced small
Green onions, sliced
Dried Cranberries
Sliced almonds
Feta Cheese

Toss all ingredients. Dress with desired amount of dressing. Chill. Serve.

I usually make 1 cup of dried couscous, then eyeball the rest of the ingredients to match.

 
Here ya go, you two: Curried Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries...

Note: I usually chill this about 4-5 hours. If chilling overnight, omit the green peas and add them a few hours before serving - otherwise, they lose color.

CURRIED COUSCOUS SALAD WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES

INGREDIENTS:

Salad:
1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous (10 oz box) (I use whole wheat couscous)
1 cup dried cranberries (4 oz)
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed (I use about 1 1/2 cups)
2/3 tsp curry powder (or to taste) (I use a little more than 1 tsp)
2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions/scallions (around 2)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
15 1/2 oz can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (I use a little less, about 3/4 can)
Salt and black pepper, to taste
(Sometimes I add a few small shakes of cinnamon)

Dressing:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 1/2 lemons)
1 Tbsp grated orange peel (about 1 - 1 1/2 oranges)
2 Tbsp water
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil (I use extra virgin)
1 Tbsp thawed frozen orange juice concentrate (I use a little more frozen orange juice concentrate, to taste, OR I use some fresh orange juice, to taste, in addition to the concentrate)
1/3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 medium - medium/large garlic cloves, crushed

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine couscous, cranberries, green peas, and curry powder in large bowl.
2. Pour 2 cups boiling water over couscous mixture.
3. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
4. Stir in green onions, basil, and chickpeas.

DRESSING:
1. Combine lemon juice and remaining ingredients in jar, cover tightly and shake vigorously.
2. Strain out garlic pieces.
3. Pour over couscous and mix thoroughly. Mix in salt and black pepper to taste.
4. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or until cold. It's important to leave it in the refrigerator at least one hour, so the flavors can blend. (I usually chill it about 4 - 5 hours).
5. Serve cold.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Adapted from Cooking Light

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=226616

 
Thai-Style Pasta Salad

THAI-STYLE PASTA SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

DRESSING:
3/4 cup natural peanut butter (I used lightly salted natural peanut butter)
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp water (I used a little less)
3 - 6 Tbsp vegetable oil (I used about 3 Tbsp canola oil)
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1 1/2 - 2 limes)
3 Tbsp distilled white vinegar
3 Tbsp Asian (dark) sesame oil
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
3/4 tsp. salt, or to taste
3/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
(original recipe uses 1 Tbsp sugar - I omit it)

SALAD:
4 oz. snow peas, strings removed
1/2 lb. Chinese rice noodles/vermicelli (can substitute angel hair pasta or spaghettini/thin spaghetti). (I used thin spaghetti)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) coleslaw mix
5 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 cup mung or soy bean sprouts
1/2 cup chopped scallions (or 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion) (I used a touch more than 1/2 cup scallions)

DIRECTIONS:

DRESSING:
In medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Set aside.

SALAD:
Bring large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside. Meanwhile, cut ends off snowpeas and slice into thirds on diagonal. Steam until just cooked, keeping them a little crunchy. Rinse under cold water.

In an extra large serving bowl, combine noodles, snow peas, coleslaw, radishes, tomatoes, cucumber, sprouts and scallions (or onion). Toss with about 2/3 of the dressing and serve the remaining dressing on the side OR toss with all the dressing at once.

Makes about 4 main dish servings or 6-8 side dish servings.

Adapted from The Vegetarian Times.

 
I gotta ask: How can you eat 1/2 lb noodles with 3/4 cup peanut butter on the. . .?

I tried a recipe like this once and I just could not stomach it. The dressing had way too much peanut butter in it (at least to my taste).

I think it was textural with me: the noodles seemed to be covered in a paste of peanutbutter and everything else seemed to be overwhelmed by the peanut butter.

 
Not so in this case. If you look at the other ingredients, they more than adequately thin out the

peanut butter, not to mention all the water-based vegetables in there:
Dressing:
3/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp water (I used a little less)
3 - 6 Tbsp vegetable oil (I used about 3 Tbsp canola oil)
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1 1/2 - 2 limes)
3 Tbsp distilled white vinegar
3 Tbsp Asian (dark) sesame oil
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
3/4 tsp. salt, or to taste
3/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

 
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