A wonderful autumn dinner party main course is butternut squash lasagna.

I agree with LIndaC, a pork loin is nice and pretty much cooks itself, although I brine mine with herbs and apple cider before cooking and serve it with an apple cider reduction. Squash is lovely with pork, as are apples. I have a recipe yet to try with butternut squash, apples, orange, cranberries and a streusel topping, sounds yummy.

I don't care for something that needs to be done last minute, so I never do burgers and dogs for company, I prefer things that get a lot of advance prep and then just last minute serving.

Like pie, for instance. (grin)

Annie

Maybe you could share that squash apple thing while we all have gobs of squash we are trying to use up.

jerzeegirl, do you mean you want the entire meal to be easy to prepare or do you mean you want a meal that requires minimal attention right before serving time?

Annie, I would also be interested in the squash/apple/cranberries recipe!

p_m, I would like a meal that requires minimal attention right before serving time. I love the ideas so far.

Have you done hot dogs and hamburgers before? I've done it for Americana's sake, like for July 4th, and because I have ones who will eat hamburgers but not hot dogs, and ones who will eat hot dogs but not hamburgers, and ones who always say they prefer the one, but given a choice seem to prefer the other, it seems like it's not easy at all! I don't mind doing it, so everybody is happy, but it means double prep. Like tomato slices for hamburgers but chunks for hot dogs, round buns for hamburgers but long buns for hot dogs (plus whole grain vs. white). Add in the difference in cook times, and it really works better for the wandering around kind of party, than a dinner party, in my opinion.

To fill out a menu with hamburgers and hot dogs:

Appetizer: Guacamole, chips, crudites (peeled baby carrots, ready to eat sugar snap peas, celery sticks, jicama sticks, bell pepper lengths--all just get dumped out of the package or prepped the day before. Just put them in separate bags or containers. The guacamole can be made four hours before serving. Just make sure to use plenty of lemon or lime juice.). These can provide a lot of the vegetable component of the meal.

Main: Hamburgers, hot dogs, chili?, ketchup, mustard, relish, chopped onions, pickle chips, banana peppers (whole), lettuce, tomato.

Sides: Potato salad, bean salad. (Both are easy to make ahead. I wouldn't say slaw if people are walking around with their plates, because it's runny.)

Dessert: Fruit salad or grapes, apple pie or chocolate layer cake or fancy cookies or whatever you like.

Lasagna meal:

Appetizer: antipasto plate with olives, peppers, artichoke heart wedges, hearts of palm, salami, etc. Dealer's choice.

Main & sides: Lasagna, green salad with crunchy things in it (nuts, celery, bell pepper, etc.), Winter squash or eggplant spears (cut Italian eggplants into spears like you would pickles, with some skin on each, drizzle with olive oil, S&P and Italian herbs, roast at 375 until good and brown and flat looking. Can be done ahead and reheated or served cold).

Dessert: Any Italian treat such as tiramisu, cannoli or spumoni (does anyone eat spumoni anymore?) is fine, but very rich. To cut through the richness of the lasagna, perhaps a fruit tart that's more fruit than custard or pastry, or a fruit cocktail (macerate berries or cut fruit in liquor and arrange in a cocktail glass, garnish with a pirouette cookie and mint leaves). Or just sorbet and berries, and a few cookies.

Good heavens!! I would never do hot dogs and burgers for a dinner party, but have done it many many times for picnics, tail gates etc. for 50 and more. I don't differentiate between hot dog tomatoes and burger tomatoes....does anyone really do that???
I plan one burger for each person, and 1 1/4 hot dog per person, because they are cheaper and I don't mind leftovers....Everyone gets a white bun, hot dog buns and burger buns....slices of cheese for either, pickle slices for either, tomato slices....onion...etc.
Potato salad and baked beans and slaw....if your slaw is sloppy you don't have a slotted spoon to serve it with.
I lean with a roast or a lasagna....but more towards a roast....
Hot dogs and hamburgers sure are not difficult, but make a different sort of party....more informal, accompanied by a beer or iced tea

The hamburgers/hot dogs was my Dh's idea and that's because he really likes grilling. We are in Florida so the weather wouldn't be an issue (unless it rains). However, what is an issue is that it is dark by the time our guests arrive and all the time he spends outdoors grilling, he is not spending indoors with the guests! Also burgers and dogs have to be served immediately and I think the timing would be difficult to feed everyone at the same time.

The Italian meal is what I am used. The meal you describe above sounds like Sunday dinner when i was growing up (cannoli is still my favorite dessert!)

The pork roast is a great idea because it's a fairly simple meal to make. We make acorn squash with brown sugar and butter all the time and it's one of my favorites.

My DH brews beer and so I am sure the burger/hotdogs had something to do with that. He's got about four batches of different brews available right now.

jerzeegirl, I understand why your DH wants to grill hotdogs and hamburgers, and of course he'll want to serve his beer. That would require minimal attention on your part. I'd love it! but I'd want all the usual sides like potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, garden salad, etc. :) If you go that way, what about a make-your-own sundae bar for dessert? or a yum-yum cake! (can provide recipe)

Like others suggested, we often serve roast pork for company... we do it in a romertopf w/ roasted carrots, onions, potatoes, celery -- but squash is great too. I once served it with a sweet potato casserole that was a huge hit. I always make dinner rolls and applesauce to go with it. If you go that route and want a salad, I have a recipe for a spring mix salad w/ mandarin oranges and a nice OJ/balsamic dressing that should go well. For dessert I like either lemon meringue pie, gingerbread cake w/ optional lemon curd and/or whipped cream, or an apple dessert of some kind (pie, crisp, etc).

I agree, burgers and dogs are more suited for an afternoon pool party or after a day at the beach. The pork sounds great, as does the lasagna.

One of my favs', (and my guests) for a get together is my chicken enchiladas and chiles rellenos, served with rice and beans, along with chips, fresh made pico de gallo, and guacamole for appitizers.

While I may be prepping and cooking all afternoon, this meal gives me time to socialize and have a beer or two with friends prior to serving :)

The recipe is actually from Elery's latest "Taste of the South" magazine and originally called for sweet potatoes. Since I grow butternut squash and not sweet potatoes I promptly determined that it would be good with squash too, instead of the sweet potatoes. It seems not overly sweet, like the brown sugar/marshmallow sweet potato casserole, and more like a side dish and less like a dessert. I need to get my hands on some cranberries, although I think maybe dried cherries would work too. Can you tell that I just change things, willy-nilly, to suit whatever ingredients I have on hand? :-)

Sweet Potato Apple Crisp

3/4 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp kosher salt

5 bles cold butter, cubed

8 cups peeled, halved and sliced sweet potato

4 large apples, sliced

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tbls all purpose flour

1 tsp orange zest

3 tbls fresh orange juice

1 tbls fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

Stir together oats, brown sugar, walnuts, flour, cinnamon and salt. Cut butter into oat mixture until crumbly. Set aside.

Stir together sweet potato and remaining ingredients. Spoon into prepared dish, sprinkle with oat mixture.

Bake until browned and bubbling, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Losoly cover with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary.

Yield: 10-12 servings.

And, as Elery says, put a little South in your Mouth. (grin)

Actually, if you do burgers and dogs, you can do quite a lot ahead of time. You could have simple appetizers, like cheese, olives, fruit, and make potato salad and cole slaw ahead of time and keep baked beans in the crockpot. Serve the burgers and dogs with a platter of condiments, which could also be assembled ahead of time, and for dessert make ice cream sandwiches with homemade cookies or homemade lemon curd between a couple of those waffle cookies and then frozen. Or maybe brownie hot fudge sundaes, a scoop of ice cream on a brownie with hot fudge, whipped cream and whatever else the guests like. They could even build their own....

Annie

does anyone really do that???

if your slaw is sloppy you don't have a slotted spoon to serve it with.

Yes, Linda, I said it because I've done it. You don't have to if you don't want to. My cole slaw holds the dressing well, and a lot of it doesn't drip through a slotted spoon, but does run after awhile on the plate. The same thing happens at friends' houses. Maybe you make yours with a much thinner dressing than we do. It would be nice however if you didn't jump on my every utterance as if I'd just flown in from Mars. I wouldn't do a lot of things the way you do them, but I respect our different backgrounds and tastes. And, by the way, it was a lovely Independence Day party, everyone ate very well, the food was well received and they all said they had a good time. Your plan for tailgate parties sounds great, but I'm not sure it scales down very well. If I'd had more guests, I could have hidden the special requests in the greater volume of food. I refuse to let guests leave my table hungry because there wasn't anything they felt like they could eat.

Jerzeegirl, you might ask your husband if what he's interested in is serving his beer, and what he'd like to pair it with. I think beer sounds heavy with lasagna, but I'm guessing it would go well with the pork roast. Another possibility, which would be easier than the hot dogs/hamburgers, but in the same vein, would be a sausage dish. You could go full on Oktoberfest with grilled bratwurst, or do something like a baked dish with cut up sausage, onions, peppers, squash, potatoes, etc. Not any fancier than hot dogs, but should be good with beer. And easy. Appetizer possibilities: grilled baby artichoke halves, roasted bacon wrapped asparagus and blue cheese dip, or pumpkin soup. Potential sides with brats: sauerkraut, German potato salad, spaetzle, spinach/kale/chard (if you want hot and green). Potential sides with baked sausage dish: spaetzle or some kind of tasty German bread or rolls, potatoes (if you don't put them in the dish), pickles, German style spinach. Desserts: Rustic pear tart (dead easy), beer sorbet, strudel.

Or you could go with hamburger style accompaniments, but make a beer braised brisket, low and slow.

Ultimate cook ahead meals: salmon mousse, boeuf bourgignon, gateau. Not a lot to do once the guests are there.

This is interesting to me for two reasons. One, when I lived alone in my row house, I did a lot of entertaining, and the way my house was set up made it challenging. There was a narrow hallway between my one-butt kitchen and the dining room/living room area where my guests were. That meant whenever I went into the kitchen, I was completely out of sight and earshot of my guests. And if my guests tried to follow me into the kitchen to interact and "help" then very soon it became a chaotic scene where everyone was standing around bumping into each other and staring at the dirty dishes. So my dinner parties had to be all prepared ahead of time and required minimal time where I had to be gone into the kitchen. My usual plan was cold appetizers in the living room, and I used a cart for drinks, which I could wheel near an outlet if I wanted to make something hot like coffee or mulled cider. I wold usually prepare a hot dish that could set in the oven, with some kind of salad. With that experience in mind, here are some suggestions:

A crockpot dish is great, since it can be prepared ahead of time and can give a yummy welcoming smell to the house if you are into that kind of thing. Baked beans, stews and soups are great to make in the crockpot. One way to incorporate a "hamburgers and hotdogs" kind of meal would be to make some kind of bratwurst dish in the crockpot and make a meatloaf or shepherd's pie in the oven. Since both have to bake an hour I find that even though they are simple homey foods, folks nowdays rarely make them and really appreciate them when served. Stuffed cabbage or peppers is another variation on this theme. But so is lasagne or even a pot roast of some sort, beef or pork. There are also tons of wonderful baked chicken dishes too, like chicken divan, chicken mirabella, etc. My mom left behind a recipe for meatloaf swirled around mashed potatoes which looks very goofy but could be a fun party dish. Roasted vegetables are a great side, since you can do all the prep ahead and they don't have to be served piping hot out of the oven. Same with a gratin. Just suggestions.

Then, when I had my male SO around the house, things changed. He LIKES to fuss with food or drinks or the grill, since he is rather introverted when it comes to the social aspects of the party, and often didn't know my friends that well, etc. He was happy to busy himself in the kitchen making coffee or getting things out of the fridge or oven, while I focused on the people. In a lot of cases, the guys like to gather around the grill and drink beer and talk about "man things" which cracks me up, and isn't necessary, but if it makes them happy and they enjoy doing it, which they often do, then go for it!! But there is nothing worse, (which I know from many outdoor grill party experiences) than folks sitting around for a long time filling up on appetizers and snacks waiting for the food to cook on the grill, and then by the time it is done, everyone is full. Doesn't mean you can't grill things, but the grill should just be used to heat things up, not cook them through. You can do a quick searing and heat up of pre-cooked chicken, something like fajitas, or just grill and put the barbecue sauce on already lightly cooked chicken. You can grill corn on the cob, which benefits from parboiling anyway. You can stir fry or do shish ke bab for already marinated bits of vegetables or meat. You can caramelize fruit for toppings. This allows you to still grill but minimizes time that everyone has to wait for whatever it is to come off the grill. You can also grill vegetables ahead of time and they make a wonderful marinated salad. You could do toasted garlic bread or sexy panini grilled cheese sandwiches mixed in with cool toppings. But make the grill stuff only part of the meal, not the main thing that everything else has to wait for. Our favorite was fajitas. But you can also make shredded beef for fajitas in the crockpot. Folks just like having a lot of "fixins" to make their own special combo wrap, which adds to the enjoyment in a casual dinner party. But if you want something more formal, then I would just maybe do only one grilled thing, like grilled corn or a grilled fruit compote over cake or ice cream for dessert. That makes hubby happy but lets you present other more formal foods.

Thanks for all these wonderful suggestions. One of the reasons I am panicked is because I have a very challenging house for entertaining, similar to pink mountain's. The kitchen is separate from the other rooms. It's great for me since I am a messy cook, but not so great if you want to interact with guests while cooking. Also, the grill is on a patio off the kitchen which usually means everyone ends up packed into the kitchen. That said, I know I can lure a certain number of people (guys) into the living room by having one of the college football games on. I like the idea of a cart for hors d'oeuvres. I actually have a library table in the living room which I can use for pre-meal stuff.

I am really nervous having people over, especially on such short notice, and so I really like most everything prepared ahead of time. We have made steak kebobs in the past but not for 8 people, but that is an interesting suggestion. I also like the idea of boeuf bourgignon (I would serve on pappardelle) but I don't think I have the proper vessel to prepare it in (and I have an induction cooktop so I can't use a clay pot). I remember making stew with dark beer in the crock pot once that was really good.

For openers, I can get a shrimp ring at Sam's Club or lime shrimp at Costco. Assorted olives are nice. Prosciutto and melon is nice. I think the cantaloupes are still good this time of year. These hors d'oeuvres are probably better with wine than beer unfortunately. We have some gourmet ice cream shops in the vicinity. I can get some vanilla bean ice cream and serve it on a purchased apple pie (we live quite near an Amish place that is renowned for its pies).

I agree about not filling up on hors d'oeuvres. I also don't believe in overdoing the main course because everyone needs to leave some room for dessert, right?!

I don't do creamy slaw....I use a dressing more like that for a cortida.
So when you have hot dogs AND burgers you have 2 bowls of tomatoes? One cut in cubes for the dogs and another in slices for the burgers?? Any of the rest of you do that?

well I know about everyone packed into the kitchen....but remember that with 3 other couples, that's only 4 guys on the patio with the grill....but they will have to pass through your kitchen when they come in.
If the weather is nice, I would plan cocktails, beer and whatever on the patio...and the hors d'ouvres too. Then you are free to see about last minute stuff in the kitchen and still be part of the fun....and when it's time just hustle everyone into where you want them to be. If your husband really wants to grill you could fix things like little cubes of hand and pineapple on small skewers and maybe some marinated mushrooms on a skewer and some small shrimp> He gets to grill, you get them outside but near the kitchen and can toss your salad and slice your meat while your guests are enjoying the fall weather...IF it's nice.

Haha. Who knows if it will be nice. No guarantee here in FL until after October 15!

Sounds like you want a casserole/lasagna or a braise.

At the very top of my list is Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon. It's really not hard to make and it's elegant, but not stuffy.

A real crowd pleaser and your guests will be very impressed!

I like to serve over a vegetable puree and roasted Fall vegetables.

The former can be made ahead also, the the latter takes care of itself in the oven as you tend to your guests.

I love a meal that can be mostly made ahead, so the kitchen isn't a mess when the guests arrive.

For starters, keep it simple with cheese, crackers, pate, nuts, grapes, quince...

I wanted to add that the Barefoot Contessa's pan-fried onion dip is to die for!I add a nice hit of smoked paprika to take it over the top.

It can be made well ahead of time.

Yes Jerzeegirl I had the same problem with the patio being off the kitchen! In my row house the order was courtyard, kitchen, dining room, living room. So if you came in the back, you had to pass through the kitchen to get to the living room, and if you came in the front and wanted to go out to the patio, you had to pass through the kitchen. And it was dang tiny since they added a half bath downstairs by cutting out 1/3 of the space in there. I had all kinds of "entertaining stations" set up in the dining room and living room to put food and drinks on to avoid the dreaded kitchen! But even then, at the end of the party, all the stuff including guests who were trying to help with clean up, ended up piled in the tiny kitchen. My goal for my new house if I ever get one is to never have to deal with a set-up like that again. In fact, when my best friend visited once and she and her hubby and I were all trying to do something in the kitchen together, she said, "Never get a place with a one-butt kitchen again, it just isn't YOU!"

You have so many options, but with 8 people, keep it to as much "make ahead" as possible so you can enjoy your guests! Lots of things are fine at room temperature. Good cheeses, for example, benefit from being served that way. Other things hold heat well, like casseroles or roasts.

I see nothing wrong with burgers and dogs for a casual dinner with friends. Prep the meat, slice and dice the day before and let DH do the grilling. If you want two cuts of tomatoes, go for it! Diced tomatoes are easier on the dogs than sliced. Diced onion for the dogs and slices for the burgers. And don't forget the celery salt for a Chicago dog (no ketchup please). You could also simmer some brats in beer the day before and just grill to heat them up. And if it rains, hubby gets damp and you don't! You can call it a continuation of summer meal.

Let your DH grill a pork loin, while it's still light outside!

He would LOVE to grill a pork loin - he would be in seventh heaven! Thing is he has never grilled a pork loin (although he has grilled tenderloins many times) and I hate to make a meal that is previously untested on the grill. He has a nice Komodo grill so things always taste really good (best ribs ever) but there is a learning curve for larger chunks of meat.

Get an instant read thermometer....grill the pork to 115 in the center....let it rest at least 20 minutes before cutting...
Can't go wrong! Really!! it's dead on easy....much easier than burgers. Grilled pork loin is wonderful and any mess stays outside! Great idea!

Then let him grill a few tenderloins ... three should be plenty for 8 people.

Yes, pork tenderloins, not loin. Easy, FAST. Serve med. rare to medium. Very easy with a good instant read.

1-2 minutes per side (4), rotating as you grill.

Remove 1t 120-125 and hope your guests aren't shy about eating pink pork. That's the only way to eat tenderloin!

Plan on 1 loin for 2 people for generous servings. You might have leftovers, but maybe not.

I just made grilled pork tenderloin with a plum bbq sauce (in season here).

I guess 1 tenderloin for 2 people would be safe, but I can't imagine eating that much meat. Half of a tenderloin serves 2 in our house.

We eat tenderloin quite a bit, and were I preparing for guests, I would prep generously. Again, ymmv, but for planning purposes, 1 loin for 2 guests is quite safe.

I floated the idea with my DH and he loves the idea of doing pork tenderloin. I am going to look up a plum sauce recipe which sounds great! Okay now that that is settled, what to do for sides. Green beans go well with pork tenderloin but they are kind of boring. I can do a potato salad using a vinaigrette dressing (not mayo). That can definitely be done ahead of time. This is what I have so far.

Appetizers

Shrimp ring

Cheese and crackers

Main Meal

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Potato Salad a la Vinaigrette

Dessert

Apple Pie a la Mode

Do you like spicy? Instead of potato salad I'd probably make chipotle sweet potato gratin. It can be prepared ahead of time and then placed in the oven an hour before dinner.

Chipotle Sweet Potato Gratin

2 canned chipotle peppers with some of the adobo sauce
2 cups heavy cream
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Puree the chipotles until smooth. Stir in cream.

In a large casserole dish arrange a fourth of the sweet potatoes and
pour a fourth of the cream over all. Repeat with the remaining potatoes
and cream, forming 4 layers. May be prepared up to this point an hour ahead, covered, and refrigerated.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for another 30 minutes, or until the cream has been absorbed and the potatoes are browned.

~variation of a Bobby Flay recipe

CindyMac - Just to clarify, you mean actually 2 pepper, not 2 cans of peppers, right?

'Cause, 2 cans of chipotle peppers would be screaming hot!

I make these often, yum, from "The Enchanted Broccoli Forest" by Mollie Katzen. Lots of ingredients but mostly it is just a complex spice mix. Different yet familiar. I make them with Great northern beans, not navy. Can use a mix of beans too. If you don't want to risk these, maybe you have another recipe for a "company" baked beans dish. I also make Italian style baked beans with beer, a la Giada DeLaurentis, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/italian-style-baked-beans-recipe.html

Spicy baked beans with rum and molasses


1 Tbsp canola oil or light olive oil

i bunch chopped green onion

2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger (I use grated ginger from a jar. If using dried, probably 2 tsp. or less, start with one and can add more.)
1 tsp salt, 1 tsp. tamari or light soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp chile powder

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp dried dill

1 tsp allspice

freshly ground black pepper

2 medium carrots, diced

2 medium stalks celery, minced

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

4 Tbsp dijon mustard

4 Tbsp molasses

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice or cider vinegar
2 TBLSP rum
2 TBLSP brown sugar
6 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped OR 1 cup canned tomatoes

6 cups cooked navy beans OR 3 15-oz cans, rinsed and drained)


1. preheat oven to 300

2. heat oil in a large deep skillet. add onion, ginger, and 1/2 tsp of the salt and saute about 5 mins or until onion softens.

3. add 1/2 the garlic, all the chile powder, cumin, dill, allspice,
and some fresh black pepper. saute another few mins, then stir in
carrot, celery and remaining salt. cover and cook 5 more mins until the
veggies are just beginning to get tender.

4. stir in the bell pepper, mustard, molasses, lemon juice, tomatoes
and remaining garlic. saute another 5 mins then remove from heat and
stir in the beans.

5. transfer to a 9x13 inch baking pan and cover tightly with foil. bake undisturbed for 1 1/2 hours. serve hot.

Yeah, that would be a little over the top!

Two chipotles ... not two cans. Flay has since rewritten the recipe calling for just adobo sauce. Trust me, it's really good with 2 peppers and a little adobo. Combo of sweet and hot is a match made in culinary heaven.

A very easy and different side is to serve beets. I ADORE golden beets and steam them in foil in the oven. Serve hot, warm or cold.

Line a baking sheet with foil, and set another large piece of foil on top. Place peeled beets on top foil. Drizzle with evoo and sprinkle with s+p. Add whatever herbs and spices you'd like.

I made a bunch this weekend (scored them at the farmers market) and added grated Pecorino and cajun seasoning.

Close up foil and crimp very tightly.

Bake in 425 degree oven for an hour.

It's squash season......pork and squash.... a match made in heaven.
And it's also apple season and cranberry season.....I would serve the pork with a sauce of cut up apples cooked down in cider or apple juice and seasoned with a little curry powder...just maybe 1/2 teaspoon for 3 cut up and cooked apples.
Or serve it with an orange cranberry sauce...lots of recipes using cranberries, grated rind and juice of an orange.
So I would skip0 the potato salad and serve cubed squash of some sort, roasted with a little drizzle of oil and some salt and a tiny whiff of chili powder add a dollop of cooked apples....and that and slices of pork loin is your plate....I would also have some green salad....just simple mixed baby greens with a balsamic Dijon vinaigrette, and a dinner roll.
And remember it's all a preface for apple pie a la mode....be still my heart!

Adding to this...one pork tenderloin usually weight between 80% or a pound and 125 % of a pound....no bone, no fat, all meat. For a party of this sort I usually figure 3 people to a pound of meat....generous servings....women will eat less.
You could easily get away with 2 good sized tenderloins...weighing more than a pound each.

Yeah, cranberries would be great if you can find them. This recipe is from Cooking Light, but I think LindaC shared a version here years ago.

Cranberry Jezebel

12 oz bag fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 Tablespoons horseradish

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

Wash and pick over the berries. Put orange juice and sugars in saucepan (large enough to prevent boil over) and bring to a boil, add berries and return to a boil, cook on medium heat for 10 minutes from the time it returns to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Cool to lukewarm then stir in horseradish and Dijon mustard. Refrigerate for at least a few hours or better yet overnight.

~adapted from Cooking Light 1994

I've made LindaC's cranberry Jezebel many times, it's much like the recipe above and I agree, it would be a nice addition to the menu.

Annie

Can you get cranberries in the store this time of year? I haven't seen any. I didn't want to rain on your potato salad parade, but one of my best pork accompaniment dishes is roasted vegetables--including squash, potatoes, onions, carrots, etc. whatever kinds you like. But I make italian style potato salad with vinaigrette dressing made with red wine or baslamic vinegar, and green beans! I also make a sweet potato salad that would go good with pork, featuring roasted sweet potatoes. Another thing would be kale salad, which you can make with dried cranberries. Or roasted marinated beets in a salad with goat cheese, yum! I wouldn't try some really new recipe for a big dinner party though, make what you like. Here's a couple of links though, to some of my faves.

Marinated potato salad with green beans

Kale Quinoa Salad with Ricotta Salata

Note: I use feta when I make that salad. And red quinoa, which is the only kind I like.

Grilled Sweet Potato and Scallion Salad a la Bobby Flay

Note: I roast the sweet potatoes and scallions because I don't have a grill.

Syrian Roasted Beet Salad

Note: I add toasted walnuts or sunflower seeds and feta to the mix when I serve this salad over lettuce.

Oooh those recipes sound really good. Both of those potato recipes are definitely in the running. I don't think I like kale although I am certain I have never eaten it properly prepared.

Thanks for all your ideas. I really love this cooking forum!

jerzeegirl, do you have a rotisserie on your grill? place a pan under the pork (on the rotisserie) and add one can of beer, one can of water, and one stick of butter to the pan... use it for basting the pork during cooking, then turn it into the most amazing pork gravy you'll ever have in your life. Really.

Yeah, well the kale and beets are for really hard core vegetable lovers. I dunno if I would serve them at the average dinner party. But a lot of my friends are local-food, garden weenies. I am such a lazy cook. I serve bagged coleslaw with poppyseed dressing and call it gourmet. You can riff off of the red potato green bean potato salad and add whatever you like, but the combo is good! My mom really liked the sweet potato salad and others commented positively too. Mom would always ask me to make it. I would just use a bunch of scallions or some red onion, to taste. I'm not a huge onion fan. I think I sometimes added corn or red pepper too, even celery. I like colorful, jumbled foods and lots of vegetables, but that's just me. But the basic dressing was what was really good about it. But then mom and I both really liked Dijon mustard.

I hope your dinner party goes very well, whatever you fix. Every New Year's Eve we have a cook out and it is always hot dogs and hamburgers. I have never served tomatoes on my hot dogs! I don't think I would really care for it. Serve chopped onions though. Usually my son in law does the grilling. My husband has never grilled or cooked anything in his life! We have a lot of food along with the hot dogs and hamburgers, anything we want to fix. We may grill in the snow or rain but New Year's Eve it is the cook out food.

Sue in Central Indiana

Haha! When we lived in Duluth Minnesota we would do the outdoor New Year's Eve cookout. Hawaiian shirts and shorts were always worn. What is it with cold weather that makes a person insist upon challenging it?

Finally - here's the menu. A lot of this can be prepared ahead. Thanks all for your help. I totally appreciate it!

Cheeses, crackers, grapes

Grilled Pork Loin with Cherry Sauce

Green Bean Casserole (with real onions) (This might become assorted roasted veggies depending on what's at the store).

Leafy Green Salad, with vinaigrette dressing

Crusty bread

Choice of apple or pumpkin crème pie, a la mode.

Coffees, espresso, toasted coconut rum

What time is dinner??? I'll bring bread!

And what's toasted coconut rum??

There is a distillery where I live called Drum Circle Distilling. They make these fantastic rums and one is toasted coconut. They are limited editions so the line that forms when they have a new flavor ready is impressive. We waited almost three hours to buy four bottles of toasted coconut but it was worth it (and fun because they brought around tasting glasses)!

Drum Circle

Damn...I totally missed this thread and it's my favourite type of thread. Love the way the menu evolves. The meal sounds perfect!!!!!!

Enjoy!!!!!

Very nice menu. And totally doable and simple with prepping ahead. I like mixed veggies as it pleases everyone. I usually do a roasted oven tray that has full heads of garlic, sweet and reg potatoes and golden beets and anything that looks good at the market. A small cut up winter squash...

As is your menu looks perfect.

Burger and dog night and even taco night and gyro night are pretty high end here. Making everything from scratch takes time though i can prep most ahead like grinding the meats for burgers. DH bakes the breads and rolls. I make and the sauces and just made three different mustards...were having DirtyDogs tonight. Burgers tomorrow. With the last of the fresh garden tomatoes. I like my smoky salsa with dogs and burgers. Used fresh tarragon in place of the cilantro. And having a first taste of DH's crock of sauerkraut.

-Not so sure about my TomMustard, lol. Used some tomato powder in that one.

Fortunately the dogs we like did not go out of business like i thought. I'm guessing my local market may have a sloppy paying schedule that is difficult for such a small company. It is a problem with this market i've heard.

Lots of things i want to try making. Hot dogs are not on that list. : )

I wanted to let you all know that the dinner went very well. To be perfectly honest, everything was very good, but I would say nothing was truly outstanding. DH's pork with cherry sauce came out very nice although the cherry sauce should have reduced more (timing issue, see below). I used a Ree Drummond recipe for the green bean casserole and did have a little trouble with it - I blanched the green beans, and added the white sauce (bacon, onion, pimentoes, cream) ahead of time and unfortunately the casserole had cooled down so much by the time I had to put it in the oven, that I had to bake it way longer than the 30 minutes that was recommended, which threw off our timing. Other than that, it's a really good recipe and I plan to use it again. After the main meal was done, we had espresso, pumpkin pie, apple pie, vanilla ice cream, Belgian chocolates, Armagnac and the Toasted Coconut Rum. Thanks for all your help! I love this forum and I think I will stick around.