Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here are some excellent recipies for company:

Ina Garten's Salmon (2 ways - so easy & good! )
https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/panko-crusted-salmon
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-salmon-with-green-herbs-recipe-1925053

Melissa Clark's Chicken
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016067-easy-sheet-pan-chicken

I haven’t tried the other two cited recipes, but Ina’s panko salmon is the best salmon recipe I’ve ever had at home.

+1 I've honestly never had a bad recipe from Ina!

My hands-down easiest recipe for company is grilling salmon served with whatever vegetable is in season, salad, couscous, bread, dessert. I can make that in my sleep for 30 people.

It totally depends on your style and the guests but I’ve done:

1) salmon topped with orange marmalade (I know it sounds weird but it’s really tasty and the marmalade basically becomes a glaze. If you like spicy you could mix the marmalade with some hot sauce and it would becomes sweet and spicy). Serve with salad and rice (can jazz rice up by toasting the rice in a sauté pan with butter and lemon juice and salt) and then cook rice as normal. If you have rice cooker, toast beforehand and then the rice cooker does all the work).

2) Peruvian grilled chicken and green sauce. Rice. Salad.

3) yes, baked ziti although food snobs will hate it I have a recipe that uses Turkey sausage and it’s delicious. Garlic bread.

4) tacoo bowls (meat, black beans, lots of taco sides, rice, and everyone can assemble their own)

5) chili and cornbread (can make a chili or really nice ones with sweet potatoes)

6) lentil soup, salad with unique ingredients, and a nice bread (I wouldn’t do this if DH was home and it’s a couples dinner but on my own with friends, this is the meal I likethe best.

Anonymous wrote:A beef carbonnade (sp?) for meat eaters. Make it the day before in the slow cooker. I always serve it with Nigella's quick potato gratin. And whatever veg looks good.

I make a quick, light tiramisu for dessert. Get some Italian biscuits, dip in coffee mixed with some kind of alcohol. Whip some heavy cream with confectioner's sugar. Layer cream and biscuits. Dust with cocoa powder.

If it's summer, or if I'm cooking for vegetarians, I'll make something easy from an Ottolenghi cookbook. Maybe a couple of salads, some nice crusty bread, hummus, olives etc.

Maybe Eton mess for dessert.

Love Eton Mess-- haven't had it since LSE.

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Anonymous wrote:1. Baked ziti, garlic bread, salad, cookies from Italian bakery
2. Baked chicken, baked potatoes, broccoli, Mrs. Smith's dutch apple pie

Please no baked ziti. If you have to resort to a jarred sauce, ground beef, pasta all baked into a casserole, just get good takeout.

I’m not the PP but if you’re going to turn your nose up at baked ziti then don’t come. I make a vegetarian baked ziti every other week. It’s easy and everyone in the house eats it.

Do you at least make your own sauce?

This is such a typical DCUM remark.

Not really. It is rude to have company over for dinner and put zero effort into a meal. Jarred sauce plus pasta, and a bag of shredded cheese, baked it the oven is a total cop out. Just order good take you can’t cook or don’t want to be bothered.

NP, but I thought the point of having company over for dinner was to enjoy their company over a meal, emphasis on enjoying the company. Making your own pasta sauce is a PITA (having done it). I’d rather hang out with people who aren’t going to stress over the perfect meal. If I want gourmet, I’ll go out to eat.

Then have them over for drinks if you just want their company without stressing over food. But to invite company over for dinner then serve a concoction of boxed and jarred stuff isn’t very good hospitality.

I'm the baked ziti poster and I'll have you know I make my own tomato sauce from scratch from tomatoes grown in my garden, I hand-make the pasta, and I raise the cows that provide the cheese, who I lovingly nurse for ten months each as calves. In my spare time I am also a glass blower and create the glass dish the baked ziti is cooked in. Obviously the garlic bread is made from scratch, and we grow the ingredients for the salad in the garden.

NP here! Making sauce is easy, but you know what? If you make fun of homecooked food (why?!), then jarred is likely better than whatever you’d cook up.

Most people are low carb these days, so we grill steak and do salad, veggies and potatoes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here are some excellent recipies for company:

Ina Garten's Salmon (2 ways - so easy & good! )
https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/panko-crusted-salmon
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-salmon-with-green-herbs-recipe-1925053

Melissa Clark's Chicken
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016067-easy-sheet-pan-chicken

I haven’t tried the other two cited recipes, but Ina’s panko salmon is the best salmon recipe I’ve ever had at home.

Same here! I am very very picky about salmon and the panko salmon is great.

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Anonymous wrote:1. Baked ziti, garlic bread, salad, cookies from Italian bakery
2. Baked chicken, baked potatoes, broccoli, Mrs. Smith's dutch apple pie

Please no baked ziti. If you have to resort to a jarred sauce, ground beef, pasta all baked into a casserole, just get good takeout.

I’m not the PP but if you’re going to turn your nose up at baked ziti then don’t come. I make a vegetarian baked ziti every other week. It’s easy and everyone in the house eats it.

Do you at least make your own sauce?

This is such a typical DCUM remark.

Not really. It is rude to have company over for dinner and put zero effort into a meal. Jarred sauce plus pasta, and a bag of shredded cheese, baked it the oven is a total cop out. Just order good take you can’t cook or don’t want to be bothered.

NP, but I thought the point of having company over for dinner was to enjoy their company over a meal, emphasis on enjoying the company. Making your own pasta sauce is a PITA (having done it). I’d rather hang out with people who aren’t going to stress over the perfect meal. If I want gourmet, I’ll go out to eat.

Then have them over for drinks if you just want their company without stressing over food. But to invite company over for dinner then serve a concoction of boxed and jarred stuff isn’t very good hospitality.

I'm the baked ziti poster and I'll have you know I make my own tomato sauce from scratch from tomatoes grown in my garden, I hand-make the pasta, and I raise the cows that provide the cheese, who I lovingly nurse for ten months each as calves. In my spare time I am also a glass blower and create the glass dish the baked ziti is cooked in. Obviously the garlic bread is made from scratch, and we grow the ingredients for the salad in the garden.

LMAO! Thanks, PP. It's all brilliant, but especially the bolded.

A beef carbonnade (sp?) for meat eaters. Make it the day before in the slow cooker. I always serve it with Nigella's quick potato gratin. And whatever veg looks good.

I make a quick, light tiramisu for dessert. Get some Italian biscuits, dip in coffee mixed with some kind of alcohol. Whip some heavy cream with confectioner's sugar. Layer cream and biscuits. Dust with cocoa powder.

If it's summer, or if I'm cooking for vegetarians, I'll make something easy from an Ottolenghi cookbook. Maybe a couple of salads, some nice crusty bread, hummus, olives etc.

Maybe Eton mess for dessert.

Anonymous wrote:Pasta with vodka sauce. People LOVE this.

https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/penne-alla-vodka

It’s not fast but mostly hands off with time in the oven.

I prefer rigatoni, and the recipe makes plenty of sauce for the whole pound of pasta.

THIS! The easiest and people love!

Anonymous wrote:Baked ziti and ceasar salad is great for having the team over the night before game day or the end of year party, but not for an adult dinner party. I don't care what fancy sauce, cheese, or even home made pasta you use, I don't want it.

Chicken, grilled or with a nice sauce, or salmon or other fish. If I were having 8 adults, I'd have a choice of chicken and steak, or chicken and fish, along with multiple sides and desserts

Good Baked Ziti is more effort than your proposed menu…

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Baked ziti, garlic bread, salad, cookies from Italian bakery
2. Baked chicken, baked potatoes, broccoli, Mrs. Smith's dutch apple pie

Please no baked ziti. If you have to resort to a jarred sauce, ground beef, pasta all baked into a casserole, just get good takeout.

I’m not the PP but if you’re going to turn your nose up at baked ziti then don’t come. I make a vegetarian baked ziti every other week. It’s easy and everyone in the house eats it.

Do you at least make your own sauce?

This is such a typical DCUM remark.

Not really. It is rude to have company over for dinner and put zero effort into a meal. Jarred sauce plus pasta, and a bag of shredded cheese, baked it the oven is a total cop out. Just order good take you can’t cook or don’t want to be bothered.

NP, but I thought the point of having company over for dinner was to enjoy their company over a meal, emphasis on enjoying the company. Making your own pasta sauce is a PITA (having done it). I’d rather hang out with people who aren’t going to stress over the perfect meal. If I want gourmet, I’ll go out to eat.

Then have them over for drinks if you just want their company without stressing over food. But to invite company over for dinner then serve a concoction of boxed and jarred stuff isn’t very good hospitality.

I'm the baked ziti poster and I'll have you know I make my own tomato sauce from scratch from tomatoes grown in my garden, I hand-make the pasta, and I raise the cows that provide the cheese, who I lovingly nurse for ten months each as calves. In my spare time I am also a glass blower and create the glass dish the baked ziti is cooked in. Obviously the garlic bread is made from scratch, and we grow the ingredients for the salad in the garden.

Anonymous wrote:Baked ziti and ceasar salad is great for having the team over the night before game day or the end of year party, but not for an adult dinner party. I don't care what fancy sauce, cheese, or even home made pasta you use, I don't want it.

Chicken, grilled or with a nice sauce, or salmon or other fish. If I were having 8 adults, I'd have a choice of chicken and steak, or chicken and fish, along with multiple sides and desserts

Oh! Good. My company is much more like "team over before game day" than "adult dinner party." It tends to involve either extended family, or multiple toddlers and elementary schoolers, or both. Guess I'm good with my giant batches of spaghetti and meatballs, homemade pizza, pulled pork, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Here are some excellent recipies for company:

Ina Garten's Salmon (2 ways - so easy & good! )
https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/panko-crusted-salmon
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-salmon-with-green-herbs-recipe-1925053

Melissa Clark's Chicken
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016067-easy-sheet-pan-chicken

I haven’t tried the other two cited recipes, but Ina’s panko salmon is the best salmon recipe I’ve ever had at home.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Baked ziti, garlic bread, salad, cookies from Italian bakery
2. Baked chicken, baked potatoes, broccoli, Mrs. Smith's dutch apple pie

Please no baked ziti. If you have to resort to a jarred sauce, ground beef, pasta all baked into a casserole, just get good takeout.

I’m not the PP but if you’re going to turn your nose up at baked ziti then don’t come. I make a vegetarian baked ziti every other week. It’s easy and everyone in the house eats it.

Do you at least make your own sauce?

This is such a typical DCUM remark.

Not really. It is rude to have company over for dinner and put zero effort into a meal. Jarred sauce plus pasta, and a bag of shredded cheese, baked it the oven is a total cop out. Just order good take you can’t cook or don’t want to be bothered.

NP, but I thought the point of having company over for dinner was to enjoy their company over a meal, emphasis on enjoying the company. Making your own pasta sauce is a PITA (having done it). I’d rather hang out with people who aren’t going to stress over the perfect meal. If I want gourmet, I’ll go out to eat.

Then have them over for drinks if you just want their company without stressing over food. But to invite company over for dinner then serve a concoction of boxed and jarred stuff isn’t very good hospitality.

I’d love it if a guest told me that. It would be such an easy way to sort out who I want to be friends with and same for them, as I’m probably never going to like people who feel this way and vice versa; we’d likely have completely different values on a variety of issues.

This. Someone is actually missing the point of hospitality. I enjoy cooking, but good lord….

Same, as the PP to whom this comment was originally directed. I also enjoy cooking! But being such a food snob is a deal-breaker, a thousand times over.