makedah
06-03-2001, 08:50 AM
Sorry for the long post, but it's fairly complicated...
My father will be 60 years old in July, and my mother and I are planning to have a birthday party for him. We don't have a total guest list yet, but there will probably be around 15-20 people there. We want a buffet-style meal or heavy hor d'oeurves (haven't decided yet) and we will have a bakery-made birthday cake. It's going to be primarily a stand-up and mill around type of thing. My parents don't drink, and my mother is anti-alcohol, so there will be no booze there or food that contains alcohol of any kind.
My mother and I are very excited about this, and its giving us an opportunity to bond. We haven't always had a good relationship, but recently, we've been chatting almost every day. The problem is that my mother and I ALWAYS clash in the kitchen at holidays so if there's going to be another blow-out, I can see it happening then. I'm the oldest, so I take a lot of responsibility in the household, which she really likes. However, we both have control issues, take different approaches to cooking and to top it all off, the kitchen is tiny. So you can imagine! I can already forsee some big problems. Example: We were chatting about what to serve. My mother asserted that the food should be really simple because the guests weren't coming for the food anyway. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif She suggested a roasted turkey, rolls, and some broccoli casserole. "No! No! No!" I screamed inside, but tried to play nice. I thought, "A roasted turkey in JULY? And I know she's only going to season that turkey with salt and pepper. Broccoli casserole? I believe my mother's broccoli casserole involves Cheese Whiz. We can't serve that at a PARTY!" So I'd like advice on how to avoid fighting with my mother about choosing dishes or the actual cooking. I thought about splitting the dishes - she makes two or three, I make two or three.
The second thing I'd like is some suggestions for what dishes to cook. We're southerners, my parents have a poor/working-class background and they like plain food. (When her cousin visited, my mother served stewed turkey wings, rice, macaroni and cheese, collard greens and pie.) I, of course, want to spice things up a bit, but I don't see the point in springing something too exotic on them or their friends. Keep in mind that I will be flying into town and can't bring my equipment (although I will have my spices in tow). The dishes I cook will have to be prepared without a food processor, for instance. We live in a fairly small town, so local shopping options are limited. I'll be in town about a week before the party, so I probably can't bring stuff like bread or fruit/veggies with me unless they can be frozen when I get there. We don't have a ton of money to spend on the party, so really expensive ingredients won't work. The good thing is that my father has a great garden and there will likely be tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini and eggplant at the ready.
Finally, there are some health issues to consider. My mother and father have hypertension and my father has been successfully treated for high cholesterol -- the foods should not be too salty or fatty. My parents are also lactose intolerant - so no dishes that are heavy in soft cheeses. Milk can be an ingredient, however. Also, my father doesn't eat pork anymore. I know that at least one of the potential guests is diabetic.
I'm asking for recipe ideas early because I want to start trying out some dishes to help me decide.
I keep telling myself that the primary thing here is to celebrate my father's birthday and enjoy my family. I grew up eating this good, plain food so I don't want to seem like a snot (or a snob) now! But at the same time, I want to showcase my talents -- that's part of the fun of throwing the party. I want to enjoy cooking and eating, too!!! Any help on dealing with my mother (and myself) or suggestions for the menu would be greatly appreciated.
[This message has been edited by makedah (edited 06-03-2001).]
[This message has been edited by makedah (edited 06-03-2001).]
My father will be 60 years old in July, and my mother and I are planning to have a birthday party for him. We don't have a total guest list yet, but there will probably be around 15-20 people there. We want a buffet-style meal or heavy hor d'oeurves (haven't decided yet) and we will have a bakery-made birthday cake. It's going to be primarily a stand-up and mill around type of thing. My parents don't drink, and my mother is anti-alcohol, so there will be no booze there or food that contains alcohol of any kind.
My mother and I are very excited about this, and its giving us an opportunity to bond. We haven't always had a good relationship, but recently, we've been chatting almost every day. The problem is that my mother and I ALWAYS clash in the kitchen at holidays so if there's going to be another blow-out, I can see it happening then. I'm the oldest, so I take a lot of responsibility in the household, which she really likes. However, we both have control issues, take different approaches to cooking and to top it all off, the kitchen is tiny. So you can imagine! I can already forsee some big problems. Example: We were chatting about what to serve. My mother asserted that the food should be really simple because the guests weren't coming for the food anyway. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif She suggested a roasted turkey, rolls, and some broccoli casserole. "No! No! No!" I screamed inside, but tried to play nice. I thought, "A roasted turkey in JULY? And I know she's only going to season that turkey with salt and pepper. Broccoli casserole? I believe my mother's broccoli casserole involves Cheese Whiz. We can't serve that at a PARTY!" So I'd like advice on how to avoid fighting with my mother about choosing dishes or the actual cooking. I thought about splitting the dishes - she makes two or three, I make two or three.
The second thing I'd like is some suggestions for what dishes to cook. We're southerners, my parents have a poor/working-class background and they like plain food. (When her cousin visited, my mother served stewed turkey wings, rice, macaroni and cheese, collard greens and pie.) I, of course, want to spice things up a bit, but I don't see the point in springing something too exotic on them or their friends. Keep in mind that I will be flying into town and can't bring my equipment (although I will have my spices in tow). The dishes I cook will have to be prepared without a food processor, for instance. We live in a fairly small town, so local shopping options are limited. I'll be in town about a week before the party, so I probably can't bring stuff like bread or fruit/veggies with me unless they can be frozen when I get there. We don't have a ton of money to spend on the party, so really expensive ingredients won't work. The good thing is that my father has a great garden and there will likely be tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini and eggplant at the ready.
Finally, there are some health issues to consider. My mother and father have hypertension and my father has been successfully treated for high cholesterol -- the foods should not be too salty or fatty. My parents are also lactose intolerant - so no dishes that are heavy in soft cheeses. Milk can be an ingredient, however. Also, my father doesn't eat pork anymore. I know that at least one of the potential guests is diabetic.
I'm asking for recipe ideas early because I want to start trying out some dishes to help me decide.
I keep telling myself that the primary thing here is to celebrate my father's birthday and enjoy my family. I grew up eating this good, plain food so I don't want to seem like a snot (or a snob) now! But at the same time, I want to showcase my talents -- that's part of the fun of throwing the party. I want to enjoy cooking and eating, too!!! Any help on dealing with my mother (and myself) or suggestions for the menu would be greatly appreciated.
[This message has been edited by makedah (edited 06-03-2001).]
[This message has been edited by makedah (edited 06-03-2001).]