Cooking for family in town for a week

[Anonymous]

We have my MIL and FIL and my siblings visiting us for a week and I'm trying to figure out what to cook for dinner every night on the non-Holiday nights (we have Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner covered). I would love dishes that can be prepped in advance. Inlaws definitely like flavorful food, not too bland. Cooking dinner and all meals is always the biggest source of anxiety for me when we have guests. Thanks for any easy recipes!

[Anonymous]

Think Italian. Eggplant parm, chicken parm, baked ziti, spaghetti & meatballs.

Think comfort food. Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Pancakes and waffles. You can put oatmeal in a slow cooker overnight, and then put out toppings for people to add (raisins, brown sugar, sliced strawberries and bananas, blueberries, walnuts, etc.).

Order in a deli platter with tons of deli meats.

[Anonymous]

Chili
Turkey meatloaf
Make a hearty soup ahead of time

On the spot, fajita and taco night with all the condiments,
roasted salmon w rice or roasted potatoes, and sauteed veggie of choice -- both satisfying and easy to prepare in under an hour

[Anonymous]

My parents are super picky about food, so I'll be doing roast lamb and steaks , as well as turkey and ham. If I had less picky guests I would do a chilli and a nice beef stew. Both are easy to make ahead and reheat well.

[Anonymous]

Pasta Night - make meatballs ahead of time, buy a good sauce. Serve with a salad

Could you do a lentil stew - Serve with naan?

Roasted Vegetables would be a base for me and I would figure out a protein to serve them with.

[Anonymous]

Do any family members like to cook? Maybe you could ask someone else to help prepare their specialty.

Takeout Indian food one night. Big pot of Mac and cheese, pre-chopped veggies like green beans you can steam and toss with shallots, oil, lemon. Honey baked ham.

Lots of deli meat and cheeses and rolls for lunches.

[Anonymous]

I just had company like this for the week of Thanksgiving. All of my dinners used ready made food but here is what we did:

Lasagna (frozen Stouffers) and garlic bread (also bought frozen), salad

Spaghetti and meatballs (bought the meatballs premade frozen), marinara sauce, salad

pizza night (again, bought these frozen) and salad

Hamburgers and hot dogs (bought premade, frozen) and salad

[Anonymous]

go out to eat? Seriously, we don't eat in every single night when we have guests. The fridge doesn't hold enough for that many big meals, so I'd be spending way too much time at the grocery store.

Soup & salad & bread. Pick an easy soup that you can simmer in the crockpot.

roasts are easy. Depending on what you are serving for Christmas eve and day: turkey, beef, ham...

Pulled chicken or pork BBQ sandwiches

Burritos

Go with "themes" for the different evenings: Lebanese, Mexican, Italian, Greek, Thai, etc.

[Anonymous]

"Lasagna (frozen Stouffers)" is gross.

[Anonymous]

OP here-thanks everyone for the great ideas! I think we will eat out one night but dinner is generally not the best time to be out with my kids.

[Anonymous]

Whoever served frozen lasagna to guests...that is something. It is so simple to make your own lasagna and I'm no Suzy Homemaker. Now for your question OP...it seems to me your guests ought to sponsor some of the dinners either out or by carryout. I would have a pizza night (ordered out) and a Chinese night (ordered out). Then, you could do lasagna one night, make your own tacos another night, a baked ham one night and a turkey the next. You could make a soup on the other night with the ham and turkey leftovers.

[Anonymous]

Chili and baked potatoes
Big pot of chicken/veggie curry with rice
Lasagna
Pulled pork in a slow cooker, serve with buns, coleslaw and beans
Whole roast chicken w/ roasted veggies
Large salmon fillet or 2 (Costco), roasted or broiled, w/ steamed broccoli and rice

[Anonymous]

1. Make ahead a lasagna (can freeze or refrigerate). Serve with bread and salad or roasted broccoli.

2. Pick up two rotisserie chickens on the way home. Make some sort of potatoes (roasted, mashed, baked with fixings) and have a big salad. If you want more food, have a baguette and an additional vegetable.

3. Throw a chili together (or make ahead and thaw, or do in the crockpot first thing). Serve with chips or cornbread, guac, and fixings. These can be elaborate and made fresh, or you can buy some shreded cheese and pre-made guac, etc... Maybe have a meat and meatless version if you have a lot of people.

4. and 5. I would order Pizza and make salad one night, and I would order Thai or Chinese another night.

If you have salad fixings, a few carbs (potatoes, egg noodles, breads frozen), sandwich fixings, fruits/snacks, and a few kid friendly items on hand (goldfish, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, string cheese, yogurt), you should be fine. You'll have leftovers, which'll make lunch easy.