Lee, a good hungarian goulash can be made ahead and easily reheated. You can serve with egg noodles or just some good crusty bread to soak up the sauce. I am not refering to the hamburger version, but the beef with red and green peppers and sseasoned with paprika. I make big pot and freeze for "those" nights. You could even start in a crock pot and have it hot without having to re-heat.

Baked ziti is easy. Use your favorite pasta sauce, mix with al dente pasta and some parm. You can even add ricotta to make it creamy or some chopped spinach. If you want a protein in there, dice up some mortadella. Place in a casserole dish, and top with mozzerella. Bake at 350 until hot and top is a bit browned. With a side salad, you are done.

What about a hearty soup or stew? I made a lentil soup yesterday and will add sliced smoked sausage to it and serve for dinner tomorrow.

Or a pot pie, you can assemble in the morning and bake later in the day.

Does your oven have a delay start feature? Program a roast or chicken to start in the evening and just remove when they are ready to enjoy.

Have fun!

Lee - I think you should get Dcarch to come over and cook!

Lee, that's challenging for most of us! I'm glad you are up to it. Make this sauce ahead of time then Max can boil the pasta.

TARRAGON CHICKEN WITH ANGEL HAIR PASTA (serves 6)
6 boneless chicken breast halves
3 TBL butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried whole tarragon, crumbled or 2 tsp chopped fresh
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 lb angel hair pasta, cooked

Lightly pound the chicken between pieces of waxed paper to 1/4" thickness. Saut� in the butter over medium-high heat for about 1 minutes on each side. Add the garlic, tarragon, cream, Parmesan, salt, wine & cayenne. Stir until blended; cook over medium heat until the chicken is done & the sauce is slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. Serve over pasta.~~

this is a "tetrazinni like" recipe I have made lots. For just you kids you will want to do 1/3 of the recipe.....conversion in parentheses)
Sautee
1 cup finely chopped onion (1/2 cup)
in 1/2 cup butter ( 2 1/2 Tablespoons) and 1/4 cup olive oil (4 teaspoons) until soft.
Add 1 cup (1/3)flour and stir and cook about 30 seconds and add 2 (5 1/2 oz) cups of chicken broth slowly and whisk.
Add 1 tsp ( 1/3) garlic powder, and 3 cups (1 cup) of milk.cook and stir until thick and the "flour taste" is gone. Add 3 cups ( 1 cup)shredded cheddar cheese and 1 cup ( 1/3) of grated parmesan cheese, about 1 tsp ( 1/3) fresh ground pepper and 2 T. ( 2 teaspoons) lemon juice. Makes about 9 (3)cups of sauce.
Good with pasta, chicken, mushrooms and assorted veggies.
To construct the casserole mix the sauce with the following:
3 rounded cups cubed meat,( cooked chicken turkey or ham...I imagine it would also be good with surimi crab.
1/2 cup red pepper strips
1/2 cup green pepper strips
2 T chopped green onions
1/3 cup chopped celery
2/3 cups carrot buttons blanched
2 cups broccoli florets, blanched
4 rounded cups cooked pasta
And about 4 cups of the sauce
Baked about 30 minutes at 350, added buttered crumbs and baked long enough to brown the crumbs.
You can use frozen broccoli, thawed and you can nuke the carrots and the rest of the veggies to soften a bit.
This can easily be made a day ahead....or m ore. Make sure it's got lots of sauce....as the pasta will absorb some.

and remember there is nothing wrong with a pot of soup a loaf of bread and a nice salad! Often that sits better with me than a big dinner after a long day.
Linda C

For pasta with chicken, I've made this several times. It is very good. I have always made it in a Lodge or Le Creuset dutch oven. I regret I cannot tell you how to prepare ahead. Perhaps if everything were already chopped/ shredded/ measured, Max could assemble and shove in the oven.

No-Boil Chicken & Tomato Pasta Bake
serves 4 to 6

8 ounces (1/2 pound) dried rigatoni pasta, uncooked
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast meat (omit for a vegetarian dish)
4 large cloves garlic, roughly minced
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups shredded cheese, such as mozzarella or a mix of mozzarella and provolone
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups milk * (see Note)

Cheesy Basil Topping
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh herbs, such as basil, thyme, and sage
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F and lightly grease a 3-quart casserole dish with olive oil. (Ideally you would use a heavy Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, but you can also use a standard 9x13-inch casserole pan, tightly covered with a double layer of aluminum foil during baking.)

In a large bowl, mix the dried pasta, chopped chicken breast, minced garlic, and diced tomatoes (with their juices). Stir in the salt and a healthy quantity of black pepper. (If the tomatoes you are using have no salt in them, add an additional 1/2 teaspoon salt.) Stir in the shredded cheese and the Parmesan. Spread this mixture in the prepared baking dish and pour the milk over top. Cover the dish tightly. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Remove the dish from the oven and turn the oven up to broil.

Meanwhile, prepare the herb topping. In a small food processor or chopper, whiz the breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, blending until the texture resembles wet sand.

Slowly remove the lid (or foil) from the casserole dish. Be careful, as steam will billow out. Spread the herbed breadcrumbs over the bubbling pasta and return the uncovered dish to the oven. Broil for 5 minutes or until the topping is toasted and crispy on top.

Take the casserole out of the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Eat with a green salad and a glass of red wine.

* Note: The more fat in your milk, the thicker and more luxurious this dish will be. I have only made this with whole milk, which worked very well. I see no reason why lower-fat milks would not work as well, but they may be soupier, with a thinner sauce, when you first remove them from the oven.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Kitchn Chicken & Tomato No Boil Pasta Bake

I had some guests once and we were out sightseeing for so long every day that we didn't eat until after 8 PM. That baked ziti is my standby, except I use penne. I just throw a jar of good quality tomato sauce in with a bag of pre-shredded italian cheese, and then whatever protein is going to please my guests, sometimes it's italian marinated tofu, sometimes it's canelinni beans, and sometimes it's cut up chicken breasts. Top it all with italian breadcrumbs mixed with EVOO and parm., bake for 45 min. at 375.

The other thing I used was the crockpot. I made Cincinnati style chili but another great and FUN thing to make is slow cooker shredded beef make your own tacos or wraps/burritos, or even on a bun depending on your mood. This is my go to easy/peasy crowd pleaser for the non-vegetarian set. I got the recipe from Opkikid (I hope I spelled that right, miss her!)

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos
1 1/2 lbs. boneless beef chuck, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
3/4 cup bottled chunky medium-hot salsa
2 TBLSP garlic (Whoa! I usually use less but I'm a garlic conservative)
1 TBLSP packed brown sugar
1 TBLSP soy sauce (I use the low salt kind)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (optional)
1 TBLSP fresh lime juice (optional)

Brown the meat. Combine the salsa, br. sugar and soy sauce and pour over meat in the slow cooker. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low or 5-6 hours on high, or until the meat is fork-tender. Shred the meat with two forks and stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Set out taco shells, soft corn or wheat tortillas, buns, whatever, and fixins. I serve with avocado, sour cream, chopped lettuce and fresh cherry tomatoes and maybe some green or red peppers. This is great with any kind of salad but I love coleslaw with lime and cilantro and scallions. Can serve some kind of beans on the side if you want. I tend to use the kind from the can nowdays, seems like it ends up better than what i make myself when it comes to baked beans. The only exception would be the texas caviar type of salad which would also be good with this, and is a snatch to make in advance if you use canned beans!

Lee, you are too good! Even if they are dear friends I am sure they don't/won't expect you to have a meal ready at 9 or 10 at night. Surely they would have eaten something earlier.

I think you should just have a cheese, cracker and fruit platter or nice anti pasta salad for them. Add some wine or drink of choice and call it a night!

If you feel you must cook, maybe a white chicken pizza or chicken divan.

Have fun enjoy your guests.

Di

Still here but usually lurking!

Lasagne and a green salad.
Love the soup (or chili) idea.
Baked Chicken Enchiladas.
Sticky Chicken in the crockpot, add steamed broccoli or green beans and a slice of good bread.
Cold cuts, cheese for a quick sandwich.
If you just don't feel up to cooking, pick up some good take out and leave it in the fridge for them!

For me, I wouldn't want a huge meal at that hour. Too heavy before going to sleep.
Maybe just some scrambled eggs, fruit and toast.

I am sure your friends will appreciate whatever you do and don't expect a gourmet meal that late. Just enjoy their company and don't worry about the food.

Deanna

I can't believe how many great ideas there are here. I think I was just hitting a mental roadblock.

Our friends will not expect a fancy meal, in fact I know that they will try to say they can just pick up something on the way to our house each night. But I want to do this and have a short relaxing time with them over a glass of wine and a meal before we all crash. I'm fine as long as I can finish my part of the cooking before eight o'clock. I'm often up later at the computer or reading - just not working in the kitchen. I also know they won't want a huge meal that late but they will have been on their feet in a convention center for over ten hours each day and food choices are grim at convention centers.

I made sticky chicken for the first time today, using the recipe that Teresa_nc posted a long time ago. It was great and would be easy to start so that it is done around nine. The chicken, a salad and bread would be perfect for a light dinner with or without a simple dessert.

Peppi, thanks for the goulash and lentil soup ideas, I do have a good goulash recipe from Max's mom, lots of paprika - no tomatoes, and I make a Turkish red lentil soup that I also add dark red kidney beans and chick peas to for a change in texture. Sometimes I add smoked sausage too.

Cathy, the chicken with tarragon, wine and cream sounds delicious.

Linda, I know how much experience you have in cooking ahead for your church, thanks for chiming in with the "tetrazinni" recipe, scaled down that would be great too.

bbstyx, your recipe sounds good and it's a big plus that it all cooks together. Some quartered artichoke hearts might be good added in. I think that is very workable, done in a covered cast iron casserole, I could easily do that so that it finishes cooking around eight. It would be fine left covered in a really low oven, 125-150 degrees and Max could add the pre-mixed topping and put it under the broiler when they arrive.

LPink, I still make your baked Greek macaroni! The tacos sound as though they would be fun and good, but a little more last minute cutting and serving than I want to ask Max to do, but Ill be trying that for an earlier dinner for us. I would love coleslaw with lime and cilantro, please tell me more about how you do the dressing for it.

Di and Deanna, they will be here for several lunches too; I know a cheese, cold cuts, bread and fruit will be one of them. No they really won't have a chance to eat anything before they get here at night, they'll have a few snacks with them but nothing that even barely resembles a lunch. I know they won't want a large meal, so I am just thinking good food and small portions.

Deanna, for the crockpot sticky chicky, do you just use the same recipe as you would in the oven and just cook it on low? I wouldn't think you would add any liquid - but do you?

Thank you all so much. Now I have plenty to choose from that sound delicious to me and whatever I don't make while they are here, I'll make later for us.

Nothing like a meatloaf sandwich and some potato salad or cole slaw. A bowl of hearty soup and some crusty bread, some white chili (which is kind of like a bowl of chicken soup) and crusty bread.

A lovely pie. Steak and kidney or chicken.

I often do Chicken Divan as a make-ahead.

Well, when I've served the slow cooked shredded beef to my students, I just put out sour cream, salsa avocados, a bag of salad lettuce, a box of cherry tomatoes and a pepper and maybe a red onion and let them cut up their own stuff, kind of a bonding experience for them, lol! But yeah, beef might be a little too rich for that time of night, I wasn't thinking about time, just ease.

At that time of night I might just like some soup and crackers! Or yeah, nuke up some kind of casserole thingie. I do that all the time, I never feel like making a fresh dinner at the end of my long commute day!

If you don't do chicken in the baked ziti, there are tons of easy peasy chicken dishes to make in the crockpot. I make many versions of Moroccan chicken which is great to serve over leftover rice.

This is basically my coleslaw recipe, except I often use purple cabbage for it, and scallions instead of red onions. It's from Bobby Flay. If you made this ahead, you wouldn't need much in the way of condiments for the tacos!

Coleslaw with Cumin Lime Dressing from Bobby Flay for the Food Network
Ingredients
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Few dashes Bobby Flay's Hot Sauce, or your favorite
1/2 cup olive oil
Directions
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

3 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 medium head green cabbage, shredded
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, toss with the dressing and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Note: I don't know if I follow the dressing measurments exactly as written here. I just add the ingredients to my own taste to make up the dressing.

Glad you liked the Sticky Chicken, Lee! That with a salad would suit me anytime.

A pot of hot homemade soup, bread and some fruit would be very welcome after a long day standing around at a convention center.

Teresa

Here's the Sticky Chicken recipe I use! Teresa, is this yours??? If so, I'd like to add the source to my file. I missed doing that on this one. My notes in parentheses.

Deanna

Roast Sticky Chicken
4 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper (I use fresh ground, 4-pepper mix)
1 large roasting chicken
1 cup chopped onion (lemon, lime or orange is good too)

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices.
Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels.
Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin.
Place in a resealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight. (I line a big bowl with a plastic grocery bag, put the rubbed chicken in it and tie the top. Easy to toss for clean up the next day).

When ready to cook chicken put onion in the cavity and put it in the crockpot and do not add
any liquid. As the cooking process goes on it will produce it's own juices.
Cook on low 8 to 10 hours and it will be falling off the bone tender.

Here is the recipe that I used from Teresa on the Recipe Exchange. It's pretty similar to what you posted. I might cut the salt back to one and a half teaspoons especially on a small chicken (mine was just three pounds). I only had time to let the rub stay on the chicken for two hours so while the chicken meat was not overly salty, the skin was a little more salty than I would have preferred. I think that would even out if the chicken was refrigerated overnight and the salt was more absorbed. I also used smoked paprika because that was what I grabbed and it it was already measured in the bowl of spices before I realized what I had done. I think either regular or smoked paprika would be fine, but we did like the smoked. I didn't have any onion powder so that was left out. Except for the paprika and onion powder I made it exactly as posted and we thought it was very good. I thought the balance of spices as Teresa posted them was quite nice. This was also incredibly easy! I only did one small chicken in my toaster oven - five hours at 250 degrees, but the next time I might do two or three in the regular oven and freeze the extra. I roasted the chicken on non stick foil in a tray with half inch sides. Because it didn't stick to the foil I found it easier to simply turn the chicken over several times instead of basting frequently. It came out with a wonderful deep golden brown sticky glaze.

Lee

Roasted Sticky Chicken

Posted by teresa_nc7 (My Page) on
Sun, Jun 25, 06 at 8:36

A high heat roasted chicken is indeed delicious, but I tried a new recipe for slow/low roasted chicken yesterday that is really good also - and won't smoke up your house!

Roasted Sticky Chicken
Recipe By :Sharon Worster Personal Chef's Network
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :5:00
Categories : Chicken

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 pounds whole chicken
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large onion -- quartered

Combine all spices together in a small bowl. Rub mixture into chicken WELL, inside & out, patting into the skin & try to make it evenly distributed. Put in a large bag & refrigerate overnight. If you don't have time for this step it will still be delicious!
Just before roasting, stuff the cavity w/ onions. If the onion will fit into the cavity whole, I do it this way as we love baked onions.
Roast uncovered @ 250* (YES, THAT'S 250*) X 5 hours (YES, THAT'S 5 HOURS). Baste often w/ pan juices until they caramelize in the pan. Chicken will turn golden brown.

Sharon's NOTES : These freeze GREAT & I recommend you make several of them at one time since your oven is on for so long! This chicken is to die for & falls off the bone!!!

For Heating: You can bring these straight from the freezer if you want! I've done this for years in my own home & here's how I do it. From the freezer: Put in the microwave on a plate covered w/ papertowels & heat on high X 5-7 minutes. Then, place in a 350* oven X 15-20 minutes or until hot throughout.

Or, you can thaw in the refrigerator overnight, wrap in foil and heat in a low oven for 20-30 minutes.

Lee, you have lots of ideas now, so I don't have much to add, I was going to suggest pasta dishes like lasagna or Kframe's mac and cheese, or something in the crockpot, like pulled pork or Italian beef. Those have all been mentioned, along with soup and I know you can get good bread, so you have lots of options now.

I just wanted to tell you to have a good time and enjoy being with your friends. The company is usually a lot more important to me than the food. Good food is a bonus, but the friendship is the priority. Enjoy them.

Annie

Thanks again everyone!

Our friends arrived yesterday afternoon and we went out last night with another couple - nice meal - lots of talk and fun. Tonight we are having dinner at the other couples home, tomorrow out again and Saturday I am making bbstx suggested recipe for Baked Chicken and Pasta, for the six of us, along with a salad and an easy dessert of poached pears in wine with a small scoop of ice cream and Dulce de leche. This will all be easy to handle for serving around 9:00.

BBStyx, do you think this will serve six adults adequately: Or should I add another ounce or so of pasta and a little more chicken and a little more liquid? I am planning to add in artichoke hearts.

Thanks for your help.

Lee

Lee, the first time I made the chicken and pasta recipe, I served 4 for dinner and had LOTS left over. I think it will easily serve 6 adults.

If you are a little hesitant about the amount, go ahead and increase the ingredients. In the comment area on the site where the recipe is published, people have noted all sorts of "liberties" that they have taken with the recipe, from doubling it, to leaving out the chicken, to adding sausage. Some even used canned white meat chicken and some used rotisserie chicken from the grocery deli.

Be sure to let it set for 10 minutes after you get it out of the oven. It makes a world of difference in the look and texture.

Oh, I forgot to add that I used panko in place of breadcrumbs for the topping. No special reason, except that I wanted to use up the panko. I also used dried herbs, instead of fresh.

Let us know how the addition of artichoke hearts works! Sounds good.

Bon appetit!

Thanks BBStyx. I think I will just add a little more chicken and whatever amount of artichoke hearts seem right. I did go back and read the comments and several said that the amount of chicken was flexible and more would be fine. We are not going to want huge servings late in the evening. I feel a lot more comfortable knowing that you think it is adequate for six. Of course I'll come back and let you know, but I'm sure it will be good.

Lee

I made the No Boil Chicken and Tomato Pasta Bake that BBStyx posted. Everyone enjoyed it and both ladies asked for the recipe (seconded by their spouses). I made a couple of changes - I did add twelve artichoke hearts halved (jarred from Costco, Cynara brand packed in water). The halves held together perfectly and added a nice taste and texture. I also added about a cup of a spicy tomato sauce that I had leftover in the fridge. I used an extra ounce of pasta and used a pound and three tenths, uncooked weight, of chicken breast. I thought the recipe needed a little more kick and the spicy tomato sauce and about a half teaspoon of Korean red pepper, which is not too hot, made it perfect for us. I poached the chicken breasts in water with a little organic Better than Bouillon chicken base, by just bringing the liquid to a simmer, adding the whole boneless skinless breasts, bringing it back to a gentle simmer for about two minutes and then covering and moving off the burner. The chicken was wonderfully tender and moist and remained that way through the fifty minutes of baking at 400 degrees. It had a two hour wait after it was cooked before we could eat. I reheated it in a 350F oven for about ten minutes and then added the topping and broiled. I used a six quart cast iron Dutch oven. Max did all the carrying of the heavy dish! There was plenty for six servings and about two left over servings. When I make it again I will probably halve the original quantities since there are just two of us, and definitely add some artichoke hearts. I will probably add a little mixed Italian herbs (but not the spicy tomato sauce) for a little kick. We also had a salad that Max finished at the last minute and pear halves (poached in white wine and saffron earlier in the day) and topped with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with homemade Dulce de Leche. I had help assembling and serving that so all in all I held up well until a little after ten PM (and slept in a little today since our guests quietly left for their business day around six AM).

Today, I've already made a spicy Turkish red lentil soup, with chick peas and red kidney beans added for color and texture. I'll add some smoked sausage slices that are already browned just before we serve it. Lettuce is washed and torn and Max will cut some tomatoes and avocados and add dressing. He went out early to one of our better bakeries and got a seeded baguette. I just have to make a quick raspberry sauce to serve with a purchased lemon mascarpone cake and dinner is done.

The other nights we went out, twice to restaurants and once to my friend Charlotte's house. So all is well, life is good, I'm enjoying our guests, and thank all of you again. A lot of the other recipes and ides posted here will go on my to try list since so many are perfect for my current cooking style.

I'm off to make the raspberry sauce.

Lee

If you and your guests like lamb, consider a long slow braise like 'gigot a sept heures'. It's extremely simple, and you're done with all your efforts seven hours before you serve it. You put it in a slow oven in a casserole or Dutch oven which you have sealed with flour and water paste. That means, from a practical standpoint, that you can't mess with it--you have to leave it alone. So if you're serving at 10 pm, just about all your labors are done by 3. A half hour or so before serving, make a salad and perhaps some rice or couscous to sop up the meat juices.

There have been a few snarky remarks about frequently posted recipes, so rather than posting it and incurring their ire, I'll refer you to a previous thread; it's the third posting on the thread.

Here is a link that might be useful: cast iron cooking, gigot a sept heures