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Food

What to feed them?

(16 Posts)
TinyTwo Sun 10-Dec-17 21:53:50

I've got family members coming to stay for two weeks over the Christmas period. I know they will pitch in and help when it comes to mealtimes but I'm looking for very simple ideas for evening meals that I can do? I do have a slow cooker but don't really use it much. I don't want to spend all my time in the kitchen while everyone else is socialising
- our kitchen is quite tiny though so although I know I'll have offers of help, it's genuinely simpler for there to be only person in there at a time. Very interested to hear your ideas please? So I can stock up in advance!

granfromafar Sun 10-Dec-17 22:19:18

I would suggest making more use of your slow cooker. There are plenty of good recipe books just for slow cookers, or just adapt other casserole/stew recipes. It's a godsend at this time of year - use any cheap cut of meat/chicken pieces, plus any root veg you have to hand. Cook on medium for 6-7 hours and serve with jacket potatoes, rice, noodles, etc. If you have freezer space, dishes such as lasagna are great reheated. Have a day or so cooking before they arrive. Also, they may be quite amenable to the odd take-away as I'm sure they wouldn't expect you to provide a hot meal every day of a 2 week stay.

Grannyknot Mon 11-Dec-17 07:44:52

Variations of "hot" salads (rapid assembly) smile:

Always use a base of bagged leaves, add tomatoes, spring onions, anything that takes your fancy. Add sliced quick fried steak, or cold chicken, warm roast butternut or sweet potato, pan grilled slices of halloumi cheese. Sunflower seeds, walnuts, chunks of cheese, hardboiled eggs sliced in half. Any of the above with fabulous home made dressings, e.g. Clementine juice and oil and honey. Or chilli and lime juice dressing. Hope that gives you some ideas!

Another favourite with my family is: bag of leaves, sliced avocado pear, baby tomatoes browned/cooked on the stove in olive oil until just soft, add them to the salad using a slotted spoon. Add balsamic vinegar to the oil and let it bubble and caramelise, cool briefly and use as dressing.

Always serve any of the above with lovely fresh bread or rolls.

mumofmadboys Mon 11-Dec-17 08:24:38

I made a beef stew in the slow cooker the other day. It cooked on low all day and then added dumplings for last hour and a half. Went down very well with visitors in this cold weather.

Humbertbear Mon 11-Dec-17 08:24:45

Remember people don’t need a large meal for lunch and dinner. Put some home made soups in the freezer and serve with bread, cheese and fruit. Why not get each person to volunteer to make one meal? They could let you know the ingredients they need in advance. Pizzas are usually welcomed by all. Your visitors are coming to see you and you should plan to spend time with then, not in the kitchen.

silverlining48 Mon 11-Dec-17 08:38:55

How about going out to eat sometimes it will give you a deserved break from the kitchen. I like the idea of everyone taking a turn at cooking too. I am speaking from the viewpoint of someone who, though loving food, is not so keen on cooking,
Hope you enjoy it all.

Friday Mon 11-Dec-17 09:14:32

mumofmadeboys has said what I wanted to say.

I make a beef stew following a Mary Berry recipes (with horseradish dumplings) and freeze it. Then I just defrost it and pop it into a huge Le Creuset casserole, pop the dumplings on top and let it cook slowly until lovely and hot.

It always goes down well.

Teetime Mon 11-Dec-17 09:18:06

Mary Berry has a book called Cook Now Eat Later - you could look this up on line.

J52 Mon 11-Dec-17 09:36:18

Pasta bake, with chicken or tuna can be made a day in advance and reheated. Stir fries are quite quick using already prepared ingredients.

shysal Mon 11-Dec-17 10:42:27

I would slow cook a large gammon joint and use it for several days in various easy recipes.

JackyB Mon 11-Dec-17 11:55:41

After a heavy lunch during the Christmas season, surely everyone would be quite happy with just a plate of sandwiches or open sandwiches. You can use up leftovers like this, too.

chelseababy Mon 11-Dec-17 16:17:44

If you don't mind "cheating" there are sachets to add to slow cooker ingredients which would make it easier and give you some ideas. Colmans I think.

Lazigirl Mon 11-Dec-17 16:29:49

Two weeks is a lot of meals but there are good ideas on here. A really easy supper I made last night is a risotto in the oven. It had a chopped pepper sautéed, then added risotto rice for a couple of mins, then some white wine, cooked that off then added raw prawns (defrosted), chopped chorizo, and enough chicken stock to cover in lidded casserole, and into oven for 40mins. Was delicious and you can adapt with any cooked meat and veg.

M0nica Mon 11-Dec-17 16:59:50

MAIN MEALS: In advance of the holiday make lots of stews and casseroles in your slow cooker and freeze them, then you can whistle them out of the freezer, place in the oven with potatoes for baking or risotto (use recipe a la Lazigirl but without the added protein) or cook pasta. Followed by Christmas pudding, cake, mince pies, ice cream, cheese and biscuits, anything that provides a pudding without effort

SECOND MEAL: Lots of salad veg, salads, cold turkey, ham, salmon, pizza, pork pie, or whatever, cheese and bread, put it on the side in the kitchen or on a table and let people serve themselves when they want it.

BREAKFAST Show your guests where the bread, cereals, milk, fruit juice, spreads coffee and tea makings are and leave them to sort their own breakfasts.

Been doing this for years as I regularly have up to seven people staying for a week to ten days at Christmas and I far too selfish to make myself a domestic slave at Christmas.

Happychops Tue 12-Dec-17 19:12:23

I agree with MOnica
I would cook easy meals, like stews and casseroles freeze them and then reheat.serve with jacket potatoes and veg.
Sausages with roasted veg can all be put in one tray in the oven,serve with cous cous.
Salmon is good as this with roast veg and cous cous is also a simple one dish meal. Make breakfast a self serve and everyone can sort themselves out when they are ready. Keep lunch simple cold meats and salads, fresh bread and bits and bobs.
Enjoy your company.smile

NotTooOld Tue 12-Dec-17 20:09:07

Some great ideas here. Not sure about guests being asked to cook a meal,though. In my experience guests are happy to cook but much less happy to clear up the kitchen - and guess who would end up doing it? Personally, I would eat out as much as possible!