having the inlaws over for dinner-1st time

[silverrr]

in a few weeks i'll be having my mother and father in-law over for the first time for dinner (we are newlyweds). anyway, i want to make something that would be a hit.
it's just going to be my husband, me, and his parents. any ideas of good entrees that will please everybody? this is really my first time doing any sort of entertaining so i'm a little nervous.
would a chicken breasts dish be acceptable? what else?
i would appreciate all the advice i can get. i've been cooking for my husband for 3 months now and he loves my food, but a lot of the meals i've made have been more 'at home' kind of meals--you know, nothing too fancy.

[SueK]

KristinK posted a thread about this same type of situation recently. Of course, I tried to search to find the thread and it keeps timing me out. :mad:

Anyway, I believe she ended up making roasted chicken among other dishes. I will try to find the thread as soon as the search function starts behaving.

[BarbaraL]

Congratulations! Many years of happiness to you and your new DH!

My suggestion is to serve a meal that you're comfortable preparing -- a tried-and-true recipe, if you have one. If you try something new, you might want to try a "dry-run" - try it out to see how you like it before you make it for your in-laws. If you decide to "go for it", make one or two special things (especially if one, like dessert or appetizer, can be made ahead) and the rest simple. The most important thing is for you to be relaxed and enjoy the visit, not stressed out trying to make a gourmet feast. Chances are, your in-laws won't expect a super-fancy meal from a new bride; also, they'd rather you welcome their visits then dread them (which you might do if you think you have to kill yourself every time they come).

I think my first in-law dinner was chicken in wine -- browned boneless chicken breasts cooked in a mixture of Campbell's cream-of-mushroom soup, Lipton's onion soup mix and white wine, served with rice and steamed green beans. It was delicious, and everyone enjoyed it, and it was simple for me. I have branched out since then . . .

Good luck!

[SueK]

Ah-ha!
Here's the thread I was referring to:

http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49332&highlight=parents

[yorkshirepud]

This is a great CL chicken dish that I cook on a regular basis (I don't repeat recipes often). I think it's good enough for company also. I've subbed panko for the cornflakes with good results.

Chicken Parmigiana

- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 6 (4oz) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
- 2 egg white, lightly beaten
- 3 cups cornflakes, coarsley crushed
cooking spray
- 1 (26oz) bottle low-fat spaghetti sauce
- 3/4 (3oz) preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a shallow dish. Dredge 1 chicken breat half in flour mixture. Dip in egg white; dredge in cornflakes. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, egg white, and cornflakes.

Arrange chicken in a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooksprary. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until done.

Place spaghetti sauce a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat utnil thoroughly heated. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Yield: 6 servings

Cals: 312
Fat: 5.9g



Good luck!

[NewMrsG]

I also remember this being asked before and I'm sure there are some good ideas in other threads.

Chicken is usually "safe" - in terms of what people will eat.

But I guess I'd say that it depends entirely on the dietary constraints and likes/dislikes of your inlaws!

I'm also a newlywed and learned VERY quickly that I could make as fancy a dinner as I wanted, but the in-laws wouldn't really appreciate that sort of thing - they much more appreciate traditional, homey kinds of meals. Which, ironically, are much easier to put together, present, etc. And then I don't have to resent their comments, not finishing the meal, etc. (I won't go into the first dinner I ever made for them, but they're lucky I agreed to marry into the family after it was over ...) :)

At any rate, my point, and I swear I do have one ... is that if you can get a sense of the kinds of things they like, try to stick with that. That being said, they are guests in your home, and hopefully they'll be gracious with whatever they're served - I'm sure it will be great!

I agree with BarbaraL too - try to make it something you're comfortable with - or do a dry run. Unless they're the adventurous type and you wouldn't care if something flopped.

[SPITFIRE]

Sliverrr--here's a great, easy dish. Using the three types of seafood can be really damaging to the old wallet, so I usually add just shrimp.

The alfredo sauce makes a great base for any other protein you want to add. It is especially good using cooked chicken and broccoli! I always use penne pasta instead of fettuccine.

Unfortunately, the sauce can't sit for a long time. I would prep the ingredients ahead of time then sneak into the kitchen to assemble the sauce. You can use cooked shrimp instead of raw to save even more time. Just briefly add the shrimp to the butter mixture to coat.

You can serve caesar salad with garlic bread.
And for dessert, how about a White Russian Tiramisu? You can find it on the CL site or I can post it. This is very easy but folks will think you slaved over it! I served it over the holidays to rave reviews!

Seafood Fettuccine

The sauce is like a traditional alfredo, with no flour or other thickener. Don't worry if it looks thin. It's the perfect consistency for coating the pasta. Pat the shrimp and scallops dry before cooking with paper towels so they don't dilute the sauce.

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped green onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled
1 pound sea scallops
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
8 cups hot cooked fettuccine (about 1 pound uncooked pasta)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté 1 minute or until tender. Add shrimp and scallops; sauté 3 minutes or until done. Reduce heat to medium-low.

Add half-and-half, salt, pepper, and crabmeat; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly (do not boil). Gradually sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over seafood mixture, stirring constantly; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Combine pasta and seafood mixture in a large bowl. Top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese and 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

CALORIES 438 (30% from fat); FAT 14.8g (satfat 7.7g, monofat 3.6g, polyfat 0.9g); PROTEIN 38.5g; CARBOHYDRATE 38g; FIBER 2.2g; CHOLESTEROL 160mg; IRON 3.4mg; SODIUM 747mg; CALCIUM 257mg;

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2002

[SPITFIRE]

I found the tiramisu recipe. Sooo easy! A friend told me it was "out of this world". I spoke with another friend today. She commented again on how great it was!

Just a note: I used Frangelico (didn't have any kahlua) and hazelnut coffee. We love hazelnut and felt it kicked the recipe up a notch!

White Russian Tiramisu

This creamy tiramisu uses a combination of double-strength brewed coffee and mascarpone cheese--a soft triple-cream cheese that comes in small tubs. You can use regular cream cheese in its place, if you prefer. And you can find ladyfingers in either the bakery aisle or frozen-food case of your supermarket.

1/2 cup ground coffee beans
1 3/4 cups cold water
1/4 cup Kahlúa (coffee-flavored liqueur), divided
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) mascarpone cheese
1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
24 ladyfingers (2 [3-ounce] packages)
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa, divided

Assemble drip coffee maker according to manufacturer's directions. Place the ground coffee in the coffee filter or filter basket. Add cold water to coffee maker and brew to make 1 1/2 cups. Combine the brewed coffee and 2 tablespoons Kahlúa in a shallow dish, and cool.

Combine cheeses in a large bowl. Beat at high speed of a mixer until smooth. Add sugars and 2 tablespoons Kahlua, and beat until well-blended.

Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise.

Quickly dip 24 ladyfinger halves, flat sides down, into coffee mixture; place, dipped sides down, in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish, slightly overlapping ladyfinger halves. Spread half of cheese mixture over ladyfingers; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon cocoa. Repeat procedure with remaining ladyfinger halves, coffee mixture, cheese mixture, and 1 teaspoon cocoa.

Place 1 toothpick in each corner and 1 in the center of tiramisu (to prevent plastic wrap from sticking to cheese mixture); cover with plastic wrap. Chill 2 hours.

Yield: 12 servings

CALORIES 134 (30% from fat); FAT 4.5g (satfat 2.2g, monofat 1.5g, polyfat 0.4g); PROTEIN 3.3g; CARBOHYDRATE 21.7g; FIBER 0.0g; CHOLESTEROL 31mg; IRON 0.3mg; SODIUM 139mg; CALCIUM 77mg;

Cooking Light, JULY 1999

[VitaBrevisEst]

as a mother of grown children who will eventually get married (or not) and a gourmet cook, i would never expect a new DIL to go overboard first-time out. lol, i would probably insist on bringing dessert. anyway, i'd stick with something simple, especially if you are fairly new to this cooking/entertaining thing. you will be nervous and have your hands full. how about a boneless roast pork tenderloin? cooks quickly in the oven, no tricky carving like chicken. i would make a side like Barefoot Contessa's spinach gratin that can be assembled the day before and popped into the oven before the meal; rice or potatoes can be made ahead or in advance & reheated. a simple salad - you can wash the greens and keep them in the fridge in a plastic bag & make the dressing.

in fact, anything you can prepare in advance, do it! if you want to make an elaborate dessert, make it the day before and have a back-up plan, but a simple cake would be fine, too. never, ever cook something for company that you haven't already made at least once. set your table early in the day so that's out of the way, and looking at it set will increase your anticipation, plus you'll have time to fuss later:)

keep asking for advice, and do let us know how it all turns out! good luck!

[RebeccaT]

I think you have gotten some great suggestions. The most important thing, IMO, when entertaining a crowd or just another couple is to make something that doesn't require standing over the stove. It took me a couple of years to learn this lesson, as my main "company-worthy" meal for a long time was this Cajun Shrimp Pasta thing which is delicious, but requires 30 straight minutes of "add this, stir for 5 minutes, add that, stir for 10 minutes." No fun at all when you have people over that you'd like to visit with. So pick a dish that you can braise, bake, roast, or otherwise leave unattended for the majority of cooking!

For Christmas Eve last year, when my inlaws (including aunt and SIL) came over for dinner, I made the Raspberry Balsamic Chicken (from CL Complete), but with a pork roast. It was quite easy to put together, yet it tasted impressive.

I simply rubbed the pork loin with the simple thyme mixture in the recipe (which I doubled, I believe), roasted it for about an hour (with a meat thermometer to make sure it was done enough), sliced it and served the sauce on top. It looks very pretty this way on a platter, and you can pass extra sauce if you want.

You could serve this with roasted asparagus and a rice pilaf, and it would be lovely!

Here's the recipe:

Raspberry-Balsamic Chicken
1 tsp. veg. oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 1/2 tsps. minced fresh or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
4 oz. skinned, boneless chick breasts
1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves (where are they?????)
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp black pepper

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat until hot. Add onion, sauté 5 minutes. Sprinkle thyme and 1/4 tsp. salt over chicken. Add chicken to pan, sauté 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan, keep warm.

Reduce heat to medium. Add 1/4 tsp. salt, preserves, vinegar and pepper to pan, stirring constantly until preserves melt. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve immediately. Yield 4 servings.

[KristinK]

Yup, I did this recently, and it turned out wonderfully! As others have said, the most important thing is to relax and enjoy yourselves. I was nervous, only because I've never cooked for his parents. Also, I am clueless about wines, and while I received some helpful suggestions here, both parents offered to bring their own anyway.

This was my menu:
Spinach, White Bean, and Bacon Salad with Maple Mustard Vinaigrette - CL 3/03
Perfect Roast Chicken - Barefoot Contessa
Roasted Green Beans - CL 7/99
Roasted Potatoes, Parsnips, and Carrots - CL 11/99 (I skipped the Horseradish Sauce)
whole wheat bread from Whole Foods
Apple Oatmeal Pie - CLBB (mame)

The chicken really was perfect. I thought it was more sophisticated than chicken breasts, without being difficult. Plus, I could cook the side dishes at the same time. The salad might have been the best part though - I would definitely recommend it. Let me know if you're interested in any of these recipes.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but considering I have a terrible problem with lateness, I made myself a schedule for the day - right down to the exact times everything needed to be in and out of the oven. I still have it somewhere...

Oh, and I had sent you a pm earlier. :)

[BakinBits]

Hello Silverrr -- You will get a lot of easy recipes for your dinner with your inlaws, but the most important thing for you to do is relax and enjoy. If something does not come out quite to your expectations, just laugh it off. You will all enjoy this special evening together!

[Lrimerman]

My standby roast chicken is the Barefoot Contessa recipe. It is delicious and easy. Just for my two cents.

I would do an easy salad and vegetable plus some sort of starch, you have gotten lots of nice suggestions.

Good Luck,

I was nervous when I first started cooking as a newlywed as well. I told my DH that I could cook, but never really had the chance till we got married and had our own place. He and his family have been quite impressed with my skills now after nearly 6 years of marriage.

Have fun and make it easy on yourself, buy some easy appetizers (chips and salsa, etc) to have on hand in case things run a little behind schedule (I am famous for that).

Let us know how it goes.

Lisa

[ssusan]

My suggestion would be something you can prep and put in the oven ahead of time so you can be relaxed while they are at your home. The following is great for that, and smells scrumptious. They will walk in the door and it will smell of home and warmth. It's great with roast red potatoes. I usually roast mushrooms, red pepper and zuchinni as well.

Keeping it simple is a great way for it to be successful. Congratulations and good luck.
-Susan



* Exported from MasterCook *

Roast Sticky Chicken

Recipe By : Busy Cooks-Mining Co. Site
Serving Size : Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Chicken

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 large roasting chicken -- as big as you can
find
1 cup chopped onion

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices.
Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat
dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken,
both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed
and down deep into the skin. Place in a resealable plastic
bag, seal and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to roast chicken, stuff cavity with
onions, and place in a shallow baking pan. Roast, uncovered, at
250 degrees for 5 hours (yes, 250 degrees for 5 hours).
After the first hour, baste chicken occasionally (every half
hour or so) with pan juices. The pan juices will start to
caramelize on the bottom of pan and the chicken will turn golden brown.
If the chicken contains a pop-up thermometer, ignore it. Let the chicken rest about 10 minutes before carving



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NOTES : This recipe is a great way to roast a large chickenfor planned leftovers.

[McSix]

You want to go easy and not experiment with too many bold flavors because you probably don't know their tastes. I have a CL Chicken in White Wine Sauce that is WAY SIMPLE and amazes people. It is great with a packaged wild rice or any rice. With a salad and maybe a fun bread, you'd be good to go. If you'd like the recipe, just ask!