Not a cook and boss coming for dinner. Help!
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Anonymous
| I seriously suffer from a lack of cooking ability. I manage to put something warm on the table for my family, but it certainly is not elaborate or worthy of company. That said, my boss and his family are coming over for dinner next weekend. Please help me figure out what to serve! TIA! |
Anonymous
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Why do you have to cook? You can easily pull it off by getting some prepared foods.
You can try to figure out what their favorite type of food is and spin it from there..... Are you really wanting to cook or ok with ordering food/or getting prepared? |
Anonymous
| Op here. Prepared food would be okay. Suggestions? They said they "eat everything" when I asked for their likes/dislikes. Appreciate your help! |
Anonymous
| I guess I would try to prepare something myself but if I really couldn't cook, I would do something I could prepare well ahead (like the night before). How about a yummy lasagne, served with a salad "bar" (where everyone can add what they like and it's all set out in little bowls or on a pretty chopping board) and a hot, crusty bread. Good wine and juice for the kids and you are set! And maybe something equally easy and kid-friendly for dessert like make your own ice cream sundaes. Don't overthink it! |
Anonymous
| How about ordering one of those spiral-sliced hams? They make a lovely presentation and there's literally no work other than putting them on a nice platter. |
Anonymous
Re: the ham idea - just make sure your guests eat meat and don't keep kosher. Otherwise, a ham is a great idea. |
Anonymous
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I would stick to a theme...
For Italian, you can order delicious salads and pastas from Maggianos, and even order some chicken piccata. For a sushi night - I would get a sushi boat and steam some edamame and order a few different noodle dishes. Wegmans has AMAZING salmon with different toppings that you literally just bake....serve with asparagus and couscous...could not be any easier to make. You can get 2 of 3 prepared chickens from anywhere and just roast some vegetables on the side. |
Anonymous
| Costco usually has some nice "prepped" dishes like stuffed fish and beef rolled with spinach/cheese. The cooking directions are right on the package, and you can supplement with simple sides -- roasted potatoes and steamed veggies. |
Anonymous
Um -- that's stuffed fish (pause) and beef rolls. Not fishandbeef. 
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Anonymous
| Can you make something easy, like lasagne or chili? |
Anonymous
I am now going to try this. Stuff a fish, then roll it in beef with spinach/cheese. I like a challenge. 
(Not for boss, though.) |
Anonymous
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I like the Costco prepped food or lasagna suggestions. Lasagna can be done in advance, or get takeout from Vace, Italian Store, Maggiano's, etc. Also, Trader Joe's has awesome frozen desserts (cheesecakes, cream pies, etc.). Just remove from box and put on plate before meal. By end of meal, it's thawed. Serve.
If you're out to impress and you're not going to do it with cooking, maybe you can try to impress on the wine front. (If you or the boss are into that.) |
Anonymous
| My go to lately has been from the Lebanese Taverna market. You can buy all the sides there and just grill your own kebabs. |
Anonymous
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Oooh, I love Lebanese Taverna take out.
If you're not a cook, I would keep it simple. At LT, you can get rice, chicken or beef/lamb kababs. Pick up hummus, pita chips, and salad fixings at the grocery store as well as chocolate cookies for dessert. |
Anonymous
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This lemon and oregano chicken with a warm roasted potato and arugula salad is very simple, delicious, and presents well. Make sure you have a meat thermometer though.
The recipe is for one. Quadruple it for four people and add 10-15 minutes cooking time. With skin on, it is always moist and very flavorful. Do a test run one night to make sure you like it. Don't skimp on ingredients. Use fresh lemon zest and not dried, for example. http://www.marthastewart.com/340603/roast-chicken-with-potatoes-and-arugula |