Yesterday morning my husband brought up a bag of frozen Heritage tomatoes we put away last summer and asked me what I thought he should make. I immediately said “Bolognese sauce” and we went from there.
I looked across the street at my neighbour’s house and said we should invite her tonight. Now, this is on-the-spot- dinner planning (at it’s best, I may add).
Menu should be simple but tasty, right?
Okay, here we go….cheese and crackers with a glass of wine and conversation. Now we leave the comfy and warm livingroom and enter the breakfast room.
Then a terrific crisp salad with Don’s special dressing to start the dinner off. On the table we have a small plate with oil and fig/balsamic vinegar. In this you dip fresh baguette slices….yummmmmm. Now it begins…
Once the salad is finished, the pasta and sauce is next. Now let me tell you….you can’t get enough of that sauce. Good grief, it is sooooo good.
More wine, conversation and now dessert. Don told me I had to make something that would go wtih the pumpkin ice cream we had in the freezer. Okay, thinker on….skimming through all the desserts I have on my site I found one. Sticky Toffee Pudding with caramel sauce. Add a scoop of the pumpkin ice cream and it was fabulous! Watch the presentation, of course.
Table was set…take a peek. This was done with our “kitchen” dishes. As I have always said….treat any and all who enter your home like royalty and you will always do your best, make your best, and feel your best.
It was a fun night. We looked through my cook book “The B & B Cookbook” and chatted even more. A couple cups of coffee later, the evening came to a close. No fuss really, just simple but welcoming and friendly.
Love nights like this!
Family Dinner Menu
We moved here in the Okanagan more than a year ago to retire and, as a bonus to me, be in the ‘neighborhood’ of my cousins. Well, next week we are having my cousin and family here for dinner.
This is our menu for the day….as I have always said, treat family, friends and guests who enter into your home the same. Always.
- Victor’s Bruschetta
- Potato Nests with Gingered Crab
- Duck Terrine….OMG this is fantastic
- Salmon baked in a salt blanket
- Roasted Corn Succotash…..another new favourite dish
- Homemade Dinner Rolls
- and if we remember to save room for dessert…
- Harvest Trifle
Whew!
These dinners are fun for Don and myself. Fun to plan, fun to prepare for and certainly fun when we are all gathered around the table and enjoying one another’s company.
Menu Suggestion #1
Set a pretty table and plan ahead. Much simpler than it sounds.
- Seared scallops
- Colorful crab salad
- Potato stand alones
- Broccoli
- Pork tenderloin
- Lime Dacquoise
The dinner is exquisite and stunning to look at when brought to the table.
Simple Fall Fare
This was a fun menu to plan. I called it a simple dinner and everyone laughed me out of the kitchen, proclaiming I didn’t know simple. What isn’t simple? The “champagne” was a U-Brew, fettucine was bought at the market and the cheesecake was to die for.
For appetizers:
- Herbed cheese in golden bread cases
- Lemon Ginger Prawns
- Sparkling Wine (Champagne)
Menu:
- Homemade Fresh Mushroom Soup
- ‘Salad with Pecans and mustard vinaigrette
- Fettucine with Sambucca and Cranberry sauce
- Pumpkin Cheese Cake
- Wine/Coffee
This was all homemade . Remember, it is HOW you present the meal, not necessarily WHAT it is.
Try it and you will see.
Golf Day and Barbecue
We held an Annual Golf Day Barbecue and wanted to make it a goody. It was rather simple, lots of it and everyone had a great time discussing all the ‘missed shots’. Sounded like the fish that got away time but who cares?
- Barbecued Salmon
- Twice baked potatoes
- Caesar Salad
- Garlic/Cheese Toast
- Corn on the Cob
- Fruit and Cheese Platter for Dessert.
Set out a space to set the food out, and a space for plates, cutlery, napkins. I still put flowers on the table. After all, it is a special time and these people are royalty to us.
Menu Idea #2
Again, some of the recipes are already here, but if not, they soon will be.
This is an idea for a birthday brunch.
- Cranberry Scones
- Waffles with butter and syrup
- Cinnamon Buns (homemade – gooey and yummy
- Southwestern Bake
- Bacon
- Orange Torte
- Stacked Pizza
Decorate the table in a festive way with candles, flowers, table ‘add-ons’ to suit the birthday person’s favourite things.
Menu Ideas #1
A few more ideas to look at when deciding just what to serve your company.
Appetizer –
- Shrimp Toast
- Shrimp Stuffed Avocado
Menu
- Baby Potato Nuggets
- Baby Carrots with about 1 1/2″ of green top left on
- Asparagus (steamed or grilled)
- Baby Corn
- Chateaubriand with demi-glace
- Just-In-Case Pie
Check out Table Settings so you can see what can be done in a simple way.
When The Boss Comes to Dinner
Several (?) years ago, I invited my boss and her husband to dinner. I called ahead and asked if there are any dislikes or allergies and hearing none, this was the menu for them.
- Mushroom Palmiers (a hit of the season for us)
- Salmon with Crab Sauce
- Asparagus with toasted sesame seeds
- Garlic mashed Potatoes
- Papaya/Shrimp Salad
- Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake
After this dinner, she kept telling everyone at work she had eaten at the Four Seasons. NOW, comments like this keep the two of us going.
Remember, it is not WHAT you serve our guests, it’s HOW you present the entire evening.
Treat your company like royalty and take pride in what you are preparing. By the way, my ‘boss’ is now my friend and SHE is my hero. She just finished the Ironman Race 2011. Sounds like another dinner coming up. She wanted Martinis at the end of the race but we had company at home and couldn’t make it. Her trainer said WATER! He doesn’t know us very well. Right Laura?
Dinner For Ten
We moved two weeks ago into our new home and put on a dinner for the Contractor, Project Manager, Builders and their wives. It was a two day preparation but it went so well. We think it was one of our better parties. Our menu consisted of:
- Rolled Pickled Asparagus/Cream Cheese/Sliced Ham
- Baked Asparagus/Parmesan in Puff Pastry Rolls
- Blueberry Soup (recipe posted)
- Patrick’s Salad (from the Best of Bridge Series)
- Broccoli stuffed Spanish Onions
- Dill Stuffed Tomatoes
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Crown Roast of Pork
- Homemade Green Apple Sauce
- Homemade Dinner Rolls
- Silk Chocolate/Caramel Cheesecake
Some of our guests do not consume alcohol, so for a drink to serve with the “Horsie Durves”, I used Blueberry Juice with Club Soda and added fresh blueberries and lots of ice. It was lovely. It might be something to try next time.
A Very Busy Two Days
The dinner on Sunday comprised of a:
- Crown Roast of Pork with a mushroom, apple, rice Dressing, gravy,
- Mashed Potatoes with attitude,
- Spring Carrots with partial stems, creamed Corn,
- Steamed pencil-thin Asparagus,
- Colourful Pepper Salad,
- Semi Freddo Mousse with fresh Melon and Berries,
- and our lovely grandaughters brought chocolate dipped Strawberries with artful designs on them.
What a meal! What a Day! What fun! What love!
Yahaoo! Lunch With My Daughter…..Again!!!
My daughter lives in another Province and we usually only see each other once a year but she is coming here today for a visit and early supper. Here’s what’s cooking…
- Signature Martini, of course
- Caesar Salad
- Seafood Lasagne (all calories removed, ahem…
- Chocolate Canolis
- Coffee
Not too bad for a rainy Saturday and then tomorrow we have a big family dinner in honour of my husband’s sister who is coming to stay a week with us. Tomorrow I will show you the menu. WOW!
Last entry 2010
- It has been fun, for me, and I hope useful to you. We are entertaining guests tonight and have asked them to stay overnight. Two reasons: Can enjoy the evening with a drink or two and don’t have to worry about what is out there driving in the wee hours (if we can stay awake that long). I am going to show you our menu and how easy it is to prepare.
As this is New Years Eve, we are going to really dress up for the evening. We will also try and spread each course out over the evening so it will, at least, be about 4 hours. Then the evening will begin. For us, this is entertaining at its finest.
- Signature drink – New Years Martini
- Two kinds of Hors d’oeurves (one hot and one cold) not even sure yet just what but…
- Coquilles St. Jacques
- Papaya and shrimp with curry mayonnaise (plate licking delicious)
- Rice
- Asparagus
- Salmon topped with Lobster Newburg
- Ginger Cannolis,
- Champagne for toasting , a different touch, for sure.
- Coffee/wine/liqueur
Yesterday, Don made the Coquille St. Jaques, I made the filling for the cannolis and the dressing for the salad. Set the table, did the laundry, changed the bedding upstairs and put out fresh towels. This morning I will stuff the cannolis and place in the fridge until dinner. The salad is a two minute ‘put-together’ and the rest is as we go. Try it and you will say (for the last time this year) Damn, I can do this!.
Bon Appetit. We will show pictures as the evening progresses. Oh, for your information, the dishes we are using are everyday dishes, We packed up all the good dishes when my daughter was here. I will show you don’t need to have ‘everything’ to put on a dinner and showcase it to the best of what you own.