Anonymous
Post 07/31/2023 07:48     Subject: Help me feed my in laws
Anonymous wrote:ILs are coming for 4 days and meals are always really stressful. I can’t ask them what they want because they will say “oh whatever you make will be fine” and DH just waits until everyone is hungry to start throwing out restaurant ideas. They don’t like the same food that my kids like and MIL doesn’t like eating out at all.
I’ve decided I need to have 7 meals planned for at home. I’ll make the kids separate meals since ILs don’t eat spice and like really plain food and my kids do not.

They will eat only American food (including Italian American food, but not authentic Italian food). They won’t eat rice or things like couscous.

So far I have:

- hot dogs
- hamburgers
- chicken Alfredo
- cold cuts for sandwiches
- possibly grilled chicken breast but not sure about sides. Once I tried serving them asparagus but they had never eaten it and it didn’t go over well.

And that is all I could come up with. What else is a meal I can make? DH is no help. I’m not American and am not that familiar with old fashioned American dishes (new American cuisine is great, but not ILs style).


Make a large order of several finished or semi finished dishes from a catering place to warm up and garnish before every meal.

Always a good idea to find and establish a good bond with an immigrant lady or a Julia Child wannabe SAHM running a fresh home made meal service from their kitchen at decent price. Some can also alter clothing at half the cost of what a tailoring shop will charge.
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2023 07:39     Subject: Help me feed my in laws
I have picky inlaws as well, limited palate and disordered eating (actually disordered), one vegetarian, and one of my kids is very picky. I just made a list for an upcoming visit. We have some stressful family stuff going on, so everything has to be pretty simple - I'm not trying to impress.

Roasted chicken and roasted tomato and eggplant with white beans.
Salmon with lentil salad.
Veggie and bean enchiladas with rice. Plain tortillas and cheese for those who can't handle enchilada sauce.
Crockpot bbq chicken, bbq tofu, and cucumber salad.
Baked pasta with roasted broccoli.
One night of take out and go out one night.

It's not perfect, won't please everyone. I'll throw in some leafy greens on the side. If someone wants to just eat rice, bread, or greens, whatever.
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2023 02:22     Subject: Help me feed my in laws
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Ham and Cheese Sliders on soft Hawaiian rolls
Meatball subs
Pasta salad
Raw veggies and dip
Steak and cheese sandwiches
Fruit salad


I would not eat four of these things. I eat almost as plainly as OP’s in-laws.


NP. Then tell your hosts that you are a picky, childish eater and you will provide your own food and prepare your own meals so as not to be a burden. All that you ask is for them to ensure that any restaurants you visit have a kids menu, hopefully with pictures of the food. That way, you’ll have paper and crayons on which to write a thank you note.


This is what I come to DCUM for: a concise and snarky rejoinder. 👏

You come to DCUM for a troll responding to a troll responding to a troll post meant to mock people with different food preferences? Clap, clap.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2023 12:48     Subject: Re:Help me feed my in laws
I think a basic meatloaf with no fancy ingredients in it would be a good bet.

Something like this one:

https://natashaskitchen.com/meatloaf-recipe/#jump-to-recipe

My Italian mother would make meatloaf with a mix of ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal more like this - with celery and herbs inside

https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/italian-meatloaf.html#tabrecipe

You could ask you MIL if she has a favorite meatloaf recipe you can try?

Anonymous
Post 07/30/2023 10:23     Subject: Help me feed my in laws
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Ham and Cheese Sliders on soft Hawaiian rolls
Meatball subs
Pasta salad
Raw veggies and dip
Steak and cheese sandwiches
Fruit salad


I would not eat four of these things. I eat almost as plainly as OP’s in-laws.


NP. Then tell your hosts that you are a picky, childish eater and you will provide your own food and prepare your own meals so as not to be a burden. All that you ask is for them to ensure that any restaurants you visit have a kids menu, hopefully with pictures of the food. That way, you’ll have paper and crayons on which to write a thank you note.


This is what I come to DCUM for: a concise and snarky rejoinder. 👏
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2023 06:58     Subject: Help me feed my in laws
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Ham and Cheese Sliders on soft Hawaiian rolls
Meatball subs
Pasta salad
Raw veggies and dip
Steak and cheese sandwiches
Fruit salad


I would not eat four of these things. I eat almost as plainly as OP’s in-laws.


NP. Then tell your hosts that you are a picky, childish eater and you will provide your own food and prepare your own meals so as not to be a burden. All that you ask is for them to ensure that any restaurants you visit have a kids menu, hopefully with pictures of the food. That way, you’ll have paper and crayons on which to write a thank you note.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2023 06:49     Subject: Help me feed my in laws
Rotisserie chicken
Lasagna
Beef stroganoff
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2023 06:18     Subject: Help me feed my in laws
Anonymous wrote:American chop suey and garlic bread?
Grilled cheese and tomato bisque? Everyone can choose their add-ins (bacon, tomato, etc)


I wouldn’t eat either of those.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2023 06:17     Subject: Help me feed my in laws
Anonymous wrote:Ham and Cheese Sliders on soft Hawaiian rolls
Meatball subs
Pasta salad
Raw veggies and dip
Steak and cheese sandwiches
Fruit salad


I would not eat four of these things. I eat almost as plainly as OP’s in-laws.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2023 06:01     Subject: Help me feed my in laws
Hide snacks in your room and let others be hungry until DH orders food. They are all grown adults with cell phones, wallets, legs and access to Metro or a car. They can feed themselves. Let DH handle his family.
Anonymous
Post 07/30/2023 02:31     Subject: Re:Help me feed my in laws
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:

Why again and again are we subjected to so much sanctimony on the FOOD forum? If you’re not interested in food or cooking, why come here? To defend bland and pedestrian palates?


Flan qualifies as bland. Do you not like it? How about grilled asparagus? Bland, too. And what about silky mashed potatoes like they serve at the finest Michelin 4-star restaurants in France (at which, I am sure you have never dined)? They would qualify as bland (and mashed potatoes are as pedestrian as they get) as well yet they are delicious nonetheless. They also are a de rigueur class at Le Cordon Bleu Paris, another place to which I am sure you have never been, would be accepted by or studied at.

The OP's in-laws seem to prefer foods that are not spicy and that might be considered quintessential American. I've met plenty of people in my world travels who prefer their own country's cuisine and who eschew foods from other countries. Is that wrong of them? No, absolutely not.

Your mockery of the OP's in-laws and their food preferences is misguided and rude. You might want to think about why you are so intolerant and limited in your world view that you have to put down that which you don't understand.


What are you on about? The people I know who eat like this would call you a snob, and no, they don't care about the potato class at the Cordon Bleu. They'd never go to a Michelin started restaurant and if they did and ate some potato with the slightest hint of garlic they'd probably spit it out in a napkin in disgust. It's not "wrong" pet se to prefer any type of food, but this is a weird hill to die on. It's limiting, end of. I "understand" people who only eat fruit, rice, boiled white breast chicken, and steamed canned vegetables and only spices allowed are salt and pepper. But...you don't think that's EXTREMELY limiting?! You have some kind of high horse argument to this? I've lived all iver the world and while it's normal to like your own food, no I haven't met many people who are outgoing and adventurous but choose to eat like they're in hospice.
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2023 23:05     Subject: Help me feed my in laws
Anonymous wrote:I don't know if the same troll keeps making fun of American food and claiming to be "not American..."

But if this is real, the easy answer is just to go to Costco and load up on stuff from the premade section. Some of the better items that would fit your requirements are: the ravioli lasagna thing, the rotisserie chickens, the macaroni and cheese, the ribs, the alfredo pasta with chicken, and the street tacos (if they eat tacos).


A favorite in our family. I don't even try to make it homemade anymore!
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2023 19:15     Subject: Help me feed my in laws
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:ILs are coming for 4 days and meals are always really stressful. I can’t ask them what they want because they will say “oh whatever you make will be fine” and DH just waits until everyone is hungry to start throwing out restaurant ideas. They don’t like the same food that my kids like and MIL doesn’t like eating out at all.
I’ve decided I need to have 7 meals planned for at home. I’ll make the kids separate meals since ILs don’t eat spice and like really plain food and my kids do not.

They will eat only American food (including Italian American food, but not authentic Italian food). They won’t eat rice or things like couscous.

So far I have:

- hot dogs
- hamburgers
- chicken Alfredo
- cold cuts for sandwiches
- possibly grilled chicken breast but not sure about sides. Once I tried serving them asparagus but they had never eaten it and it didn’t go over well.

And that is all I could come up with. What else is a meal I can make? DH is no help. I’m not American and am not that familiar with old fashioned American dishes (new American cuisine is great, but not ILs style).


Don't do that.


Meh. Not the end of the world if they do it on the grill and have lots of fixins out or something.


+1 perfectly ok for low class people


Burgers on the grill is only ok for "low class people"? Interesting. I've got a top 1% friend who has me over for them all the time.


I like to make sure I wear my Yale Law hat when I grill so people know I'm not your average griller.
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2023 19:13     Subject: Help me feed my in laws
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:ILs are coming for 4 days and meals are always really stressful. I can’t ask them what they want because they will say “oh whatever you make will be fine” and DH just waits until everyone is hungry to start throwing out restaurant ideas. They don’t like the same food that my kids like and MIL doesn’t like eating out at all.
I’ve decided I need to have 7 meals planned for at home. I’ll make the kids separate meals since ILs don’t eat spice and like really plain food and my kids do not.

They will eat only American food (including Italian American food, but not authentic Italian food). They won’t eat rice or things like couscous.

So far I have:

- hot dogs
- hamburgers
- chicken Alfredo
- cold cuts for sandwiches
- possibly grilled chicken breast but not sure about sides. Once I tried serving them asparagus but they had never eaten it and it didn’t go over well.

And that is all I could come up with. What else is a meal I can make? DH is no help. I’m not American and am not that familiar with old fashioned American dishes (new American cuisine is great, but not ILs style).


Don't do that.


Meh. Not the end of the world if they do it on the grill and have lots of fixins out or something.


+1 perfectly ok for low class people


Burgers on the grill is only ok for "low class people"? Interesting. I've got a top 1% friend who has me over for them all the time.
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2023 19:10     Subject: Help me feed my in laws
PP here. SInce you mentioned meatloaf upthread, Costco I believe also has a premade one.