knews9

using up leftovers... boiled three very ripe plaintains and mashed with butter. sauteed ground sirloin with onions, garlic, peppers, carrots and added corn at the last moment (corn was a misstep). buttered casserole, layered plaintain mash, "refried beans", and meat and corn mixture, and another layer of plaintains. baked at 350 for 30 minutes until slightly brown. served with steamed spinach. no more leftovers!

my saturday evening dinner party went well, i think, mainly because i kept it simple and very pared down: chicken chunks and zucchini sauteed in harissa over spicy couscous w/ dried cranberries. roasted caulflower with cumin seeds. lemon curd. very easy, a crowd pleaser.

stellabella--did you hear the NPR piece on grits? you can probably get it on line at www.npr.org

thanks for the link, malawry. how did you do the mint choc chip cookies?

please do post them, soba. to present another question: we are having a cocktail/hors d'... and dessert party for 30-40. any suggestions? kn

i'm up in the air on this one--i love to have people over and love to cook for them, and make a point of asking what restrictions folks have, but i think there is a limit. i am accomodating and want people to have a good time, but i am wary of good time being equated with having one's every wish fulfilled. as for the restaurant aspect, i saw a funny outtake of (blanking on his name, of Les Halles fame)'s show where he is complaining bitterly abt diners' absurd request--hollandaise sauce but no butter, etc. this is a different category but not. i think, malawry, your friend's comment re control is right on. which returns to teh question of being accomodating and making folks happy--if they will only be happy by controlling the entire night, the dinner party doesn't sound like much of a party at all in the end.

well. i am a very non-picky eater and am free whenever a non-picky eater is needed to round out a dinner party. malawry, your post really riled me! (not your post per se but the descriptions of the fetishistic approaches many take to food). i know that the point you were trying to make was a much more upbeat one, but i find adults who behave this way rather trying. i am not referring to folks who are veggies, of course, or vegans, but rather to people who treat each opportunity to eat as a moment to display strangely obsessive preferences with no rational basis (e.g., the salmon example; or the snow pea/artichoke person). i appreciate those who manage to quietly avoid those foods they don't like (as my mother used to tell us, "eat around it then!") and not inflict their will on those who have just gathered 'round for a nice meal. is this wrong? like i said, i see your point--the pleasure in winning folks over, etc.--but i just see this behavior as incredibly self indulgent. and at passover, no less! where food is symbol...oy vey.

cathyL--sounds beautiful, thanks. sweet and light but not too light. here's what i've decided on: chicken in harrissa w/ couscous (from simple to spectacular); roasted cauliflower; yogurt/cucumber salad--some middle eastern appetizers as suggested. i'm also making two kinds of empanadas (meat and veg) to bring to a potluck on wednesday.

wow--as usual i am floored by the efforts people go to...quite inspiring. mamster--let us know how the souffles come out. i've been wanting to do that for a while, but usually chicken out and go for molten chocolate cakes instead. cathyL--could you explain your pecan dessert? any ideas for a much more casual endeavor?

like stellabella, i'm curious to know more about how people prepare for their weeks cooking, including menu planning (do you do it? do you just wait to see what you pick up at teh market) and shopping (how many stores or markets do folks regularly visit?) the posts already from soba were great, thanks. this week i think i only cooked one meal worth reporting--chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes and baked in dried porcini mushroom juice--really not very interesting or unusual and i overcooked the chicken to boot! served with steamed baby spinach and pasta w/ leftover sauce... so boring! so busy! the other night i had riceandbeans, a nice slaw type salad of red and white cabbage, tomatoes, lemon juice and olive oil and sweet plaintains with cheese. comforting and easy... there was a time i was making big meals three or four times a week but i can't get it together to do it...any suggestions regarding above would be welcome. finally, i started a dinner party menu post but only one response so far :confused: maybe someone here would post???

Hello all. I am having a group of girlfriends over this week. We will be 6 and it will be very casual. I'd love to hear suggestions for that, but more importantly, I thought it'd be fun to start a post for dinner party menus. take care, karen

hello all. great post. saturday--drinks and hors d'ouerves (spelling!) turned into dinner--hummus, baba, olives, pita bread, champagne. getting drunk. then broke out the duck pate and mini toasts, which we let the cat help us finish off. finally, very drunk, went to a local rest and had moules frites, red wine. sunday--folks over for dinner--lobster ravioli in squid ink pasta (bought at fratelli bros) and tomato sauce made the old way all day sunday. spinach/roasted beet salad w/ goat cheese, toasted pecans, and lemon juice/olive oil dressing. foccaccia-type bread from fratelli. choc covered strawberries. red wine we got duty free at charles de gaulle, can't recall the name. monday--out to dinner today--curried couscous w/ veg & feta let's hear from the other amateurs!