Tomorrow I'm taking advantage of my off day and hosting a lunch for my girlfriends. I invited 10 people, I expect 6 to show up. The most stressful thing right now until tomorrow morning is deciding what to make. My friend Randy really sets the standards with the type of things she prepares at her lunch and dinner parties. So I feel the pressure to raise the bar from my usual Whole Foods pre-prepared bar items. So far I decided I'll make a shrimp paella and a high-quality salad.
SO Bloggers this is where I'm requestiing YOUR assistance. I know a lot of you whose blogs I follow like to post recipes of your experiments and your creations. A lot of people that are into blogging are also into cooking. So give me some ideas. Send me the links, the recipes, the youtube videos. Specifically, I'm looking for something convenient, easy, yet still fun and good. you know, lunch-appropriate. Nothing with a gazillion ingredients or that requires too much time and labor. I'm busy people! it's my one weekday off so I have to do lots of other things on that day. I've already ruled out an awesome desert recipe because it was just a tad bit too complicated.
Uniqueness or creativity will be a plus. I will especially appreciate a drink recipe, a desert, and some cold dishes. You have from now until 12 hours to bring it and if I end up using your recipe I will owe you one forever. Or I can just send you a to-go plate.
15 comments:
my favorite easy to make appetizer:
get a baguette and slice it diagonally into thin, oval slices, smother it with olive oil, top it with red roasted peppers and crumbled goat cheese, then bake it until the the cheese is golden brown and the bread is crunchy. the cheese won't melt though.
mab3oos, this sounds almost perfect because we actually have a whole wheat baguette in the house AND I have an unopened package of goat cheese. However, how on earth am I going to roast the red peppers? That part sounds complicated.
you don't. they come in a jar at the super market. Very inexpensive. take a few out of the jar and slice them into strips and put them on the bread.
actually, you can make them even tastier. After taking them out of the oven, top them with diced, fresh tomatoes and minced basil.
Mab3oos, DONE! I only have to buy one thing for your appetizer and I'll be saving the baguette from going bad.
So shrimp paella, salad, mab3oos appetizer...one more item and I'm good.
I may try to make kinzi's party punch and I think I'll forego making any type of desert cause I couldn't make it as good as whole foods anyway. Randy wins the desert contest.
So one more folks!
for a cold dish, and to compliment the paella, you should make a light version of Shrimp Ceviche. it will definitely raise the bar!
here's a link:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe?id=6891865
it looks like I am the Official Sponsor of this lunch!
HAHAHA mab3oos walla ma3riftak. I wasn't aware of your culinary passion. Ok the shrimp ceviche sounds amazing however whats all this cut into a julienne and and hollow out a papaya???? I've never worked with a papaya so I think I'll pass this up for tomorrow's purposes but will definitely consider for the next gathering.
I found a feta chicken recipe for which I have most of the ingredients for....and I found a recipe for a baked brie with toasted pecans. I'll see how much I end up spending at the store before deciding if I'll make this.
Be on the lookout for the pics!
i said light version!!
just the shrimps cut into 1/2 inch pieces, diced lemons, red onions, and tomatoes, a little jalapeño, a sprinkle of olive oil and lemon juice, a good amount of cilantro to greenify the dish and some salt.
its really simple. I made a mistake giving that link. and Julianne cut means strips like in french fries.
@ Mr mab3oos, you are not bad at all, next time am short on ideas I guess I will ask you :)
I was about to suggest something more practical and not as fancy like baked chicken and middle eastern side dishes..something tested because no room for failure!!
Baked brie is a nice choice but again if you haven't worked with Pasty puff before don't test it today.
I made a pound cake the other day and it totally flopped so I cut it up into cubes..put some in medium size bowls, top with vanilla pudding, sliced bananas, and repeat the same one more time. Put in the fridge and when ready to serve top with whip cream and strawberries. You can buy a frozen container of strawberries and thaw, it was perfect for this recipe because it already had some juice.
sa7tein with whatever you decide :)
a funny story..I invited once a group of friends and I wanted to impress them by making ma3mool !! I spent hours on the phone with mom to get it right. I spent the whole day mixing and measuring and bought wooden shaped molds especially for the recipe....Once I put them in the oven , they melted completely and I ended up with a pan of ma3mool cake !!!
And the cake I mentioned in my previous comment, I have probably made it a hundred times, yet when I had company, it didn't work lool
Baked Brie is sooooooooooooooooooo easy Asoom.
- Buy some puff pastry
- cut brie in half to make it like a sandwich
- get raspberry jam
- put butter on pastry
- put half brie on top
- top with jam( put lots)
- out other half on top
- top with jam
- close puff pastry like a little parcel ( tuck corners together)
- put some butter on top and bake for about 25 minutes or until pastry is nice and golden brown (package always has instructions )
Serve with crackers or apple slices.
This takes like 10 minutes to prepare sooo easy and yummy.
Mab3oos, sounds good especially cause it has cilantra in it, but I ruled it out cause also I already have a shrimp thing. Have you tried it before?
Noura ya noura, shaklik m3adala kteer. Baking a pound cake and making ma3mool? habibti this is way beyond my skill and my isti3dad at the moment lol. But I like anything with whole fruit in it. Maybe I can buy an already made pound cake and try this. Do you think it'll taste as good?
Oh and I totally know what you mean about trying things out on your own sucessfully and having it flop when you actually need to present it. I swear I used to make the best pineapple chicken. When I tried it at the last gathering it just wasn't right.
7aki, thanks soooooooooo much your recipe sounds much tastier. It sounds much tastier than the one I was going to use that I found online. I think I'll use this for sure. Ok question, do you think I could successfuly incorporate some nuts in this one? like toasted pecans or almonds?
Asoom 7abibi, any cake will work even those ready mix boxes..and for the pudding get Jello instant , mix with milk and that is it !!
I have the same Brie recipe as 7aki. In mine though you can sprinkle whole cranberries and sliced toasted almond on top of the preserve then close the pastry ..This is from Pepperidge farm. holidays recipe booklet..
share your finale menu and pics later..w sa7tein again :)
This is the best pasta and a big hit at parties:
Clam Pasta
http://www.flickr.com/photos/el-amiro21/1425174614/
You will need everything you see
http://www.flickr.com/photos/el-amiro21/1424271623/
Easy to make.
Noura, I just posted up some pics of the end results...shoo ra'yik? You know I ended up making 7aki's recipe but I added some toasted almonds to the preserve.
Organica....aahhhhh ya 7abibti that came a couple hours too late. Which is especially unfortunate cause I love clams!
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