tloonya
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Post by tloonya on Jan 19, 2015 11:34:58 GMT -5
For guests you don't care about -stuffed shells -meatballs -chicken cacciatore For guests you care about -tenderloin -rib eye -CAB Beef Tenderloin Steak -shish kebob I'm sorry you don't like my choices. I'm Italian, that's what we serve. I love Italians...
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Jan 19, 2015 11:38:00 GMT -5
chiver78 - we're Italian too, and that's what we serve! I second the idea of a seafood lasagne, or ricotta-stuffed chicken breasts. Or Chicken Marsala. How often can you eat meatballs and pasta? Or lasagna. I love it but common, people, it is a party not family dinner. Well at least in my world, all the variations of pasta and meat are welcomed at big dinners and family/friend gatherings. Believe it or not, many people do NOT eat it very often, and when they do it is never homemade/made from scratch (like my family makes it - we roll our own pasta and everything ). I've taken a large lasagne to many a party and come home with an empty dish (while other casseroles get picked at or go untouched). But clearly, just my experience. YMMV.
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janee
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Post by janee on Jan 19, 2015 11:42:39 GMT -5
You've gotten some good suggestions. Some things I have done for a crowd: Chicken Piccatta (I've done this for a crowd, make ahead and reheat covered, looks great and always a winner) Chicken Marsala Chicken Marbella (Silver Palate cookbook,) Pork tenderloins (seasoned and grilled, partially grilled and finished in oven) Brown a pork roast (or two), put in crock pot with two onions sliced into rings, pour bottle of dark beer over it and cook on high 4-5 hours.
Have fun!
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mmhmm
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Post by mmhmm on Jan 19, 2015 11:44:58 GMT -5
You could do Cornish game hens with a plum sauce, or you could do chicken legs with a lightly curried honey mustard sauce. I've had good success with both of those.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2015 11:55:44 GMT -5
Ham loaf? I think we have different definitions of "elegant." If you plate it surrounded by iceberg lettuce and boiled eggs THAT's fancy. The 1950's called. . . so glad I wasn't the first one to post that.....
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2015 11:58:58 GMT -5
I think almost all of the chicken suggestions are good. I agree that a pasta dish would be ho-hum but the chicken dishes can be 'fancied' up. you'll just have to be careful that the chicken doesn't get overcooked - maybe have it so it finishes cooking a few minutes after everyone is supposed to show up. Beef and pork tenderloin are good but for 20 people it's going to be pricey.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jan 19, 2015 11:59:45 GMT -5
We did prime rib for Christmas dinner for 20. However, if you are working with the bone in, you want to make sure that you have a very large roast - like about 18 lbs. It is super easy and once you get it in the oven, you are essentially done (unless you want to make gravy from the drippings.....YUM!!).
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tloonya
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Post by tloonya on Jan 19, 2015 12:08:23 GMT -5
Making Chicken Piccatta tonight! Sounds delish. Any suggestions to make it specially better?
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janee
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Post by janee on Jan 19, 2015 12:28:34 GMT -5
Making Chicken Piccatta tonight! Sounds delish. Any suggestions to make it specially better? I love the sauce and like plenty of it, so I always double that part of the recipe. Put some fresh parsley on top with the lemon slices. Bon appetit!
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Knee Deep in Water Chloe
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Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on Jan 19, 2015 12:30:45 GMT -5
Making Chicken Piccatta tonight! Sounds delish. Any suggestions to make it specially better? Well, according to my husband, one should not include capers.
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Knee Deep in Water Chloe
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Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on Jan 19, 2015 12:37:50 GMT -5
Was there a decision? Is there a theme for the progressive dinner? I've only done a progressive dinner once.
When we have sit down dinners with guests, DH likes to prepare two types of meat. He prefers people to have choices.
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tloonya
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Post by tloonya on Jan 19, 2015 12:39:31 GMT -5
Making Chicken Piccatta tonight! Sounds delish. Any suggestions to make it specially better? Well, according to my husband, one should not include capers. Lovelovelove capers. So dismissed your husband...
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Jan 19, 2015 13:01:43 GMT -5
How often can you eat meatballs and pasta? Or lasagna. I love it but common, people, it is a party not family dinner. Well at least in my world, all the variations of pasta and meat are welcomed at big dinners and family/friend gatherings. Believe it or not, many people do NOT eat it very often, and when they do it is never homemade/made from scratch (like my family makes it - we roll our own pasta and everything ). I've taken a large lasagne to many a party and come home with an empty dish (while other casseroles get picked at or go untouched). But clearly, just my experience. YMMV. I tend to do lasagna for small family gatherings, and shells for big parties. way easier to handle IMHO. not to toot my own horn, but I've never brought home leftovers of my spinach and mushroom stuffed shells. thyme4change - I don't think you've come back to the thread in awhile, wanted to make sure you saw my question from earlier. do you know what the side dish(es) will be? that might help you figure out what to make for a main.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2015 13:08:45 GMT -5
Ham loaf? I think we have different definitions of "elegant." Thyme said a tad bit more elegant than shredded taco meat. I think Ham loaf qualifies. And so does stuffed chicken breasts tyvm
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tloonya
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Post by tloonya on Jan 19, 2015 13:22:02 GMT -5
Ham loaf? I think we have different definitions of "elegant." Thyme said a tad bit more elegant than shredded taco meat. I think Ham loaf qualifies. And so does stuffed chicken breasts tyvm You are Canadian, anything qualifies over there.
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imawino
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Post by imawino on Jan 19, 2015 14:59:37 GMT -5
First of all - kudos to you for being a confident entertainer! I'm still working on that one....
There have been some good suggestions I think. I'm going to assume you know your group and whether people who do not eat seafood or red meat are an issue.
I liked the tenderloin suggestion because it's super easy and who's not impressed by tenderloin?? We served tenderloin sliders for a cocktail party that were a huge hit. Sliced thin on fancy rolls with arugula and horseradish cream. Yummy! But sliders really may not be what you are looking for if you were going for more elegant.
There are pork chops stuffed with spinach and gouda I make that I think are delicious and make a nice looking presentation. They are very easy - six ingredients. Boneless, so no fuss for the guests - and it's a white meat which tends to be a really safe choice for a larger group. I'll link to the recipe. For the kids, you can just bread in panko and leave plain.
allrecipes.com/recipe/gouda-and-spinach-stuffed-pork-chops/
I like the idea of Cornish game hens for presentation, but they are sort of a pain in the ass - all the bones and skin don't make a super easy meal for guests to eat while having a conversation, and there's a lot of mess left over.
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NastyWoman
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Post by NastyWoman on Jan 19, 2015 15:23:04 GMT -5
We did prime rib for Christmas dinner for 20. However, if you are working with the bone in, you want to make sure that you have a very large roast - like about 18 lbs. It is super easy and once you get it in the oven, you are essentially done (unless you want to make gravy from the drippings.....YUM!!). YUM. But don't forget that the cost can be offset by charging a no show/no eat fee (hey, if it works for a kids party...  
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jan 19, 2015 15:45:45 GMT -5
We did prime rib for Christmas dinner for 20. However, if you are working with the bone in, you want to make sure that you have a very large roast - like about 18 lbs. It is super easy and once you get it in the oven, you are essentially done (unless you want to make gravy from the drippings.....YUM!!). YUM. But don't forget that the cost can be offset by charging a no show/no eat fee (hey, if it works for a kids party... I'm all for the easy. Some of these things sound great, but the idea of stuffing 20 pork chops or pounding out 20 chicken breasts is enough to make me want to pull my hair out. I make a great recipe of chicken breasts stuffed with fontina, artichokes and sun dried tomatoes but the most I'd ever do it for is 4....because after the 4th chicken breast stuffing, I'm done with it. Last Christmas eve, we had 14 for dinner. I did a marinated leg of lamb (actually 2 of them) grilled, rice pilaf, tzatzkiki and flatbread and Greek salad. The whole meal was stupid easy. We threw 4 chicken breasts on the grill for the kids, because we thought that there might be a couple that would balk at lamb but no one touched the chicken.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2015 15:47:34 GMT -5
YUM. But don't forget that the cost can be offset by charging a no show/no eat fee (hey, if it works for a kids party... I'm all for the easy. Some of these things sound great, but the idea of stuffing 20 pork chops or pounding out 20 chicken breasts is enough to make me want to pull my hair out. I make a great recipe of chicken breasts stuffed with fontina, artichokes and sun dried tomatoes but the most I'd ever do it for is 4....because after the 4th chicken breast stuffing, I'm done with it. Last Christmas eve, we had 14 for dinner. I did a marinated leg of lamb (actually 2 of them) grilled, rice pilaf, tzatzkiki and flatbread and Greek salad. The whole meal was stupid easy. We threw 4 chicken breasts on the grill for the kids, because we thought that there might be a couple that would balk at lamb but no one touched the chicken. that's another consideration - do you know if there are things your guests won't eat (I won't touch lamb or veal)?
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Jan 19, 2015 16:24:00 GMT -5
What? No Jambalaya or Gumbo or even Crab Cakes or Shrimp and grits?? It's almost Mardi Gras People!!! OK, maybe that's too much "out there" or off the beaten food path... or too 'spicy' or ::sigh:: I get it though when trying to provide food for lots of people... I was figuring out what to put on a veggie platter for an upcoming potluck and I'm pretty much stuck with baby carrots and celery. Mini sweet peppers cause heartburn, broccoli causes gas, cukes have seeds, tomatoes have seeds and are acidic (heartburn acid reflux), cauliflower's boring and no one eats it. I did use Jicama (and even white salad turnips) once but it was too strange - no one would try it because they might not like it or they didn't know if it would cause gastric upset. ::sigh:: I need new friends.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jan 19, 2015 16:48:17 GMT -5
Have you seen the price of crab recently?
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Jan 19, 2015 16:49:35 GMT -5
Have you seen the price of crab recently? Cost me my first girlfriend.
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geenamercile
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Post by geenamercile on Jan 19, 2015 16:54:36 GMT -5
I'm thinking Kabobs, and if you wanted you could put out some pita bread and sauces. I can also see how since you won't really be sure what time you will be at your house something in the crockpot could work too. A soup, stew or chili, and if you wanted to be fancier you could make a bread bowl. Yep I think I would do a buffalo chicken chili in one crock-pot and then maybe a white chicken chili in the other. Make a little bar with toppings and have bread bowls as an option.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Jan 19, 2015 17:33:16 GMT -5
Ham loaf sounds just awful!
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JustLurkin
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Post by JustLurkin on Jan 19, 2015 17:59:20 GMT -5
What? No Jambalaya or Gumbo or even Crab Cakes or Shrimp and grits?? It's almost Mardi Gras People!!! OK, maybe that's too much "out there" or off the beaten food path... or too 'spicy' or ::sigh:: I get it though when trying to provide food for lots of people... I was figuring out what to put on a veggie platter for an upcoming potluck and I'm pretty much stuck with baby carrots and celery. Mini sweet peppers cause heartburn, broccoli causes gas, cukes have seeds, tomatoes have seeds and are acidic (heartburn acid reflux), cauliflower's boring and no one eats it. I did use Jicama (and even white salad turnips) once but it was too strange - no one would try it because they might not like it or they didn't know if it would cause gastric upset. ::sigh:: I need new friends. My son has recently been placed on a no-carb diet and we pretty much have zucchini noodles with every meal now. They are made with a hand held "spiralizer" I got for $15, I'm sure you can find it cheaper, got it on Amazon cause I'm lazy. Anyway, Amazon also has books that are free, one that's available now is: Vegetable Spiralizer Recipe Book: Top Spiralizer Recipes For Weight loss, Gluten-free, Paleo, Low Carb & so much more to Help You Lose Weight & Feel great www.amazon.com/Vegetable-Spiralizer-Recipe-Book-Gluten-free-ebook/dp/B00SA2FZ5A/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1421708192Even if you don't get the spiralizer, the book may give you some ideas.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Jan 19, 2015 18:22:32 GMT -5
How about a big pot of steamed mussels in wine, garlic and cream? With lots of crusty bread for dipping?" I don't know how much they cost where you are, but they're $3.99 a kilo here. Cheap, quick, easy and delicious.
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on Jan 19, 2015 18:25:48 GMT -5
chiver78 - we're Italian too, and that's what we serve! I second the idea of a seafood lasagne, or ricotta-stuffed chicken breasts. Or Chicken Marsala. How often can you eat meatballs and pasta? Or lasagna. I love it but common, people, it is a party not family dinner. We have tenderloin on a regular basis in my house... Nearly weekly. My husband has steaks twice a month. pasta dishes such as Lasagne and carbonara are special occasion meals. I make it 100% from scratch. Sauce and pasta included and it is amazing. Not something we have every day. Though I suppose if you boil a box of barrillo and open a jar of sauce then it wouldn't be a special meal at all. I personally would do a pasta dish. For lasagne... A nice veggie lasagne, a classic one with sausage, and another with chicken. Now I am drooling! Sent from my HTC One_M8 using proboards
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mollyanna58
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Post by mollyanna58 on Jan 19, 2015 18:26:10 GMT -5
I think beef and chicken are safer bets than seafood, especially shellfish.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jan 19, 2015 18:41:18 GMT -5
How about a big pot of steamed mussels in wine, garlic and cream? With lots of crusty bread for dipping?" I don't know how much they cost where you are, but they're $3.99 a kilo here. Cheap, quick, easy and delicious. I wish! They're over $5/lb here in the PNW, almost 3x what you pay.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Jan 19, 2015 18:52:24 GMT -5
How about a big pot of steamed mussels in wine, garlic and cream? With lots of crusty bread for dipping?" I don't know how much they cost where you are, but they're $3.99 a kilo here. Cheap, quick, easy and delicious. I wish! They're over $5/lb here in the PNW, almost 3x what you pay. In that case...nevermind. Prince Edward Island Blue Mussels are always on special here and they're freaking delicious.
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