Help me...please

[dpf]

Okay Ladies…I need your help! Four of my friends and I are planning a couples progressive supper. We’re sick and tired of winter and decided that we needed to do something to spice up a Saturday night. We’re going to have four stops for appetizers, soup/salad, entrée and dessert. Since I have the largest table and dining area the main course will be at our house. I will be co-hosting with a friend who has to work on Saturdays and drives 40 miles to work and doesn’t get off until 5:00. So I’m basically in charge of making our part of the meal and we’ll split the cost. We plan to spend 45 minutes to an hour at each house. So whatever I make has to be pretty much ready when everyone arrives…because I’ll be walking in with them. So when we leave our house to go for appetizers and then soup/salad it’s going to be at little over 2 hours before everyone gets here. Any ideas? Oh by the way…lasagna isn’t an option...it was my first choice.

[Bethers]

Just about anything that you can make or at least keep warm in a crock pot would be my suggestion. How about Irmi's chicken recipe recently posted?

[sharon]

Something fancy you can do in a crockpot that maybe goes with rice pilaf that can also be left in a crockpot. Maybe beef with red wine, garlic and...oh crap, my mind just went....you know, those green things that are all leaves but you mostly eat the centers...I just love them and can't remember the name! Or you could do twice stuffed potatos instead of the rice and leave them to warm in the crockpot.

[snowball]

by the way that was really good
what type of main dish are you looking at??
a ham and cheesy potatoes would work in that time frame if oven was down
a stew would hold well
sounds like a fun time!!
could come up with more ideas if a better idea of theme maybe
sheila

[Azusateach]

Guess it depends on how fancy you want to be. I like brisket, cooked in a crock pot, and then you can make BBQ shredded beef sliders. Or you can just cook it "plain", and then do a teriyaki beef over rice.

If you haven't wandered through Pinterest, there are TONS of recipies for you to choose from. I spend way too much time there.

[Redwahine]

Something fancy you can do in a crockpot that maybe goes with rice pilaf that can also be left in a crockpot. Maybe beef with red wine, garlic and...oh crap, my mind just went....you know, those green things that are all leaves but you mostly eat the centers...I just love them and can't remember the name! .

Artichoke????

For things like this I like to do a Cornish game hen for each person (if you don't want to stuff them just put a slice of apple, onion or orange in the cavity). Then a rice pilaf with wild rice (Rice-a-roni makes one that is easy, tastes great and you can add mushrooms or ??). Then a veggie you can cook ahead and has color like sliced carrots and green beans or asparagus.

This sure sounds like fun. Pleas take pictures and share.

[mitch5252]

...you know, those green things that are all leaves but you mostly eat the centers...I just love them and can't remember the name!

LOLOL - maybe you're talking about artichokes?
(Sharon, be careful - this is how George started his mental decline into dementia - "You know, it looks like a duck, and it floats in the water, but it's not a duck." He meant "decoy".)

[sharon]

Artichoke...that's it! Thanks girls. Nah, Mitch, I'm good, I asked the doc about me forgetting the names of things and he asked me if I remembered it later. I said most of the time..he said not to worry. I've done this my whole life, it's nothing new.

[dpf]

Thanks for the ideas...I think I will go with Irmi's chicken with a rice. Sharon...we're talking about five men who think that corn and green beans are the ONLY vegetables...they may think they are being punished because there aren't any potatoes! I'm hoping that I can sneak in carrots...or broccoli...but I may be stretching my limits! I know that brussel sprouts will send me to hell in a hand basket and artichokes are completely out of the question! Do you want me to be beat and hung out to dry?

[Bethers]

I think the guys will like this. I did add onions and red and green peppers to it last time I made it. And I put crushed red pepper in, but wouldn't do that for a group.

[snowball]

I made it for supper last night was going to make homemade noodles but they didn't work out so used rice wish it had been the noodles though
and did carrots found a recipe for honey glazed carrots they were yummy if you want will post it for you think I found it on Foodnetwork.com
think you will all enjoy the meal...
sheila