What are your go-to "family style" meals when parents or ILs are staying with you?

[Anonymous]

My Dad and his wife are coming to town soon, and I'd like to expand my repertoire of easy to throw together dinners. Usually, I do:

Grilled flank steak salad with arugula, cherry tomatoes, and gorgonzola
Chicken piccata with lemon garlic spaghetti and green beans

If it were anyone else, I'd do a bigger batch of my family's favorite enchiladas, but my Dad and his wife are from SoCal and are very snobby--and frankly tired of --Mexican food.

Any other ideas?

[Anonymous]

Fall: Cider chicken with a green salad and plenty of good bread.

Winter: Short ribs with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Spring: Salmon with fresh dill cream, new potatoes, and asparagus.

Summer: grilled shrimp, tomato soup, and roasted veggies.

[Anonymous]

We're Italian, so eggplant parm, baked ziti, lasagna, all with salad and garlic bread.

[Anonymous]

Pulled pork in the crock pot is always a winner for us, served with coleslaw

[Anonymous]

build your own shrimp tacos or tacos al pastor with slaw; on corn tortillas with black beans, queso fresco, and guacamole. Mango salsa is a great addition if you go with the shrimp.

[Anonymous]

Sounds yummy, PP, but she said no Mexican food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pulled pork in the crock pot is always a winner for us, served with coleslaw

Somehow I don't see snobby people eating pulled pork. Maybe I'm wrong, but the two just don't seem to go together. I just made pulled pork in my slow cooker, too.

[Anonymous]

We're Chinese, so for my family, I do stir fries. For my MIL when she visits, I cook Continental Chicken (browned butter, sage and lemon), or a Roast Chicken or foil packet fish.

[Anonymous]

OP- need more info. "they are snobby".. what does that mean? How does that translate to what they like to eat? Does it mean they don't like ethnic foods? Not like to eat with their hands?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP- need more info. "they are snobby".. what does that mean? How does that translate to what they like to eat? Does it mean they don't like ethnic foods? Not like to eat with their hands?

I'm snobby. I don't eat messy foods with my hands. So I'd eat pizza, but never sloppy joes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds yummy, PP, but she said no Mexican food.

Good point. Our second "go to" is shepherd's pie with cheesy mashed potatoes on top.

[Anonymous]

For something super easy but satisfying - Martha Stewart one pan pasta, but adding frozen, deveined shrimp to it.


http://www.marthastewart.com/978784/one-pan-pasta

[Anonymous]

I would get food they normally xcant get ...

Crabs
Peruvian chicken
Etc, depend what they can't get where they live

Otherwise I'd just go with a better cut of steak, kebobs, or salmon

[Anonymous]

Homemade pizza and a big green salad

Eggplant rounds baked with peppers, onions, lots of basil and tomato sauce, and mozzarella/parm on the top (except vegan MIL's portion), green salad, bread

Taco bar with beans, rice, fajita veggies, guac, and all the other fixings in separate serve-yourself bowls.

Honestly, that's about it. MIL is a vegan and FIL doesn't eat dairy or onions or garlic. We go out a lot because I can't do much with that.

[Anonymous]

Are they open to veggies or non-meat centered meals? Quiche can be made in advance, frozen and reheated. Serve with salad and good bread. This one is great: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/spinach-and-feta-quiche.html

I also make this walnut-mushroom casserole, which usually gets us through a couple of meals: http://www.food.com/recipe/mushroom-walnut-au-gratin-109626. The recipe is from a restaurant where I used to work. It was one of our most popular dishes. Our guests love it. Can be frozen.

Also fantastic, pumpkin dumplings with bacon: http://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/pumpkin-dumplings-with-bacon-and-radicchio/11928/.

Last of my "got to" options, pork chops: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/pork-chops-au-poivre-238098