Menue planning: need T&T fruit salad
wintercat_gw
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
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ruthanna_gw
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Planning a Wedding Menu... Would love input!
Comments (15)If you like the idea of a grain salad, there is one I make that I have actually written down. It is a popular side dish as it is pretty, fairly low-fat but well flavored, and it is substantial enough to be a meal for a vegetarian if any are attending. I have also made it with different roasted vegetables, depending on the season. It's a nice "make ahead" side dish because the flavors blend nicely as it sits and it can be served warm or at room temp. For your purposes, I'd serve it room temp and make it all up ready to go and just toss the dressing in an hour or so before serving. Mixed grain salad with roasted butternut squash A mixture of grainstry to use at least 3 kinds, of different colors. I use varying combinations of basmati rice, long grain brown rice*, barley, bulgar (tabuleh), quinoa, wild rice, millet, and sometimes, to lighten the texture, I add couscous. Onions, celery, carrots-chopped Green peas (frozen are fineÂif you have fresh, blanch them first) Roasted butternut squash cubes** Cranberry vinaigrette*** Chopped parsley & green onions Chopped, toasted nuts (I like pecans or hazelnuts) Cook grain selections separately, according to directions, but remember that they will absorb dressing and soften, so a bit al dente is better than over cooked. Saute onions, celery, carrots until tender, but not too soft. Toss with grains, parsley, green onions and vinaigrette. Gently fold butternut squash cubes in. *Short grain rices are too sticky for this dish, in my opinion. **Roasted butternut squash. Peel squash. Cut into ½ inch cubes. toss in olive oil and roast in the oven, checking frequently until just cooked, but not mushy. If it doesnÂt brown at all, pass under a broiler after cooking just to brown the edges a bit. ***Cranberry vinaigrette. Make a basic vinaigrette with olive oil, red wine or champagne vinegar, garlic & onion powders, salt & pepper. Put the vinaigrette in a blender with about 3/4 Tablespoon dried cranberries per cup vinaigrette, and puree until smooth. Then, add about a quarter cup of dried cranberries for every cup vinaigrette, and pulse blender until cranberries are chopped, but not pureed. Let vinaigrette sit over night. Before tossing the grain salad in the dressing, taste the vinaigrette for sweetness and add a bit of sugar if need be. It shouldnÂt be too tart or too sweet. Sprinkle the toasted chopped nuts on top and garnish with sprigs of parsley, green onion tassels or carrot curls and a few whole dried cranberries. For appetizers, a bowl of yogurt "cheese" balls with a plate of nice crackers or crouton toasts is always popular and seems a bit fancy without breaking the budget. Yogurt Cheese in Olive Oil w/Herbs Make a batch of yogurt. Line a colander or sieve with muslin or a clean, lint free dishcloth. Pour the yogurt in, fold the cloth over the top of the yogurt & put a weight on top. I use a plastic bowl with a tight fitting lid, filled with water. Put the colander or sieve in the sink or over a bowl to catch the liquid (whey) as it drains. The timing differs depending on how liquid the yogurt was to start with and how heavy the weight is, but leave it until the yogurt has become stiff, like cold cream cheese. It could be a couple of hours, or maybe 5 or 6...just check once in a while. Then, roll the "cheese" into inch-round balls. Put them in a sterilized jar, sprinkling each layer with your choice of herbs & spices. When the jar is full, pour in olive oil until the "cheese" is covered. Store in the fridge. My original recipe said it would keep for 3 weeks, but I have noted that it keeps much longer than that as long as all the balls remain covered with oil. This is a wonderful spread on good quality crackers, baguette slices or toast points...make sure to drizzle a bit of the herb flavored oil on each serving. I like to use fresh marjoram, rosemary and chives from my garden, with the addition of some salt and chili pepper flakes. But really, follow your tastes, it's a very forgiving recipe....See MoreMenu planning help pls...Lunch
Comments (15)Glad to hear it went well. I love those kind of summer, salady meals! And I am a huge fan of anitpasta platters, where folks can pick and choose their own perfect little plates! As for lentils, like I said, I love lentil salad too and I always have to struggle getting the lentils just right--not too mushy, not to hard. I now special order French green lentil and also have tried the black beluga ones. They are both rounder and seem to be better for salads. But anyway, glad to hear the dinner went well. I knew it would! But I still love it when folks report back. What can I say, I am so busy and devoid of a social life I have to live vicariously through others, lol! So thanks for sharing the fun!...See MoreDo you use a menu-planning service?
Comments (40)Autumn, I don't think you need cooking classes. I never knew how to cook anything until I moved out of the house. My mom was seriously OCD and wouldn't let us in the kitchen. I literally taught myself how to cook basics with a cookbook called "The I Never Cooked Before Cookbook". It explained everything. For example, when it told you to boil something, it had photos of what boiling water looks like. It had photos to explain the difference between chopping, slicing, dicing and mincing. It was incredibly helpful since I didn't even know how to anything. I think I could pour cereal and make taste. I had never even made cookies before. I'm certainly no gourmet cook but after familiarizing yourself with the basics, you can start throwing things together with some success without taking a class, imho. Like, after cooking a few Mexican dishes using recipes, you learn the basic ingredients, flavor profiles for sauces and seasonings, and then just start throwing things together using those basics in different ways. Using beans, rice, various hot sauces and seasonings often used in Mexican dishes, some chiles, and then a variety of vegetables, you can make sautes, soups, salads, casseroles, whatever using meat/fish/poultry as your protein or even the cheese (if you're vegetarian or want to do a vegetarian meal once in awhile) or the beans (ditto for vegan eating). When I do this, things might not be the least bit authentic to that cuisine, and I substitute a lot so I don't have to run to the store for something, but if you have a pantry of basics, it's not that hard to throw together something tasty. I hate grocery shopping so I do wish someone would do that for me. I sometimes send DH but he always gets some odd stuff and spends too much, lol. And I really don't like thinking up what to cook so I'll often have DH grab the protein out of the freezer. Whatever he grabs, I cook. Or I'll just reach in and close my eyes and grab something. Batch cooking does help. I often will cook up a big pot of rice (usually a wild/brown rice combo) and keep a container in the fridge to heat up as a side or throw in a soup or casserole. I do the same with dry beans, peas and bulgurs. I always have couscous and quinoa on hand because they cook up quick if I'm out of rice. So sides are easy. A variety of fresh veggies and a few bags in the freezer of Asian and California blends make it easy to throw a veggie side dish together. I buy cleaned/bagged salad mixes, mixed greens, and baby spinach making it quick and easy to put together for a salad or toss in the last few minutes of a stir-fry or saute. And multi-meal planning works well. If I make a roast, I save some for French Dip sandwiches the next night. Or I might boil up a chicken or two and use the breasts for stir-fry and the meat off the rest of it for chicken enchiladas or some other casserole or a soup. At least once a week dinner is my own Muscoe soup or casserole using the stuff that is starting to go but isn't bad enough to throw out. Thanks for that, bpathome, as I just call it Clean Out the Fridge Food. Muscoe sounds more purposeful. We don't eat out much. I can't see paying $20 for a meal that I can make for $5 at home. And I figure the time to go there, order, wait, eat, and go home takes longer than it does for me to cook and clean up. I don't have a cooking gene or special skills. I just decided to be fearless in the kitchen. Most things you make, if they don't turn out right, are salvageable somehow. The rare times it's not, the dog enjoys a treat. :) I think of it as a way to play....See MoreMilestone birthday menu planning
Comments (26)Non food question for anyone following this thread: What do you think of the wording "gifts not expected" on the invitation? Reason being I'm doing this for fun, not for gifts. When I have a friend with a significant birthday, I enjoy giving them a gift, and feel that if someone wants to bring a gift (like closer friends and family would), that's fine, just don't want anyone to feel obligated to do so, which is why I bring it up at all. When an invitation says "no gifts please" I've noticed at other events that everyone seems to show up with a bottle of alcohol, as they want to respect the request, yet not show up "empty handed." I don't really drink at home (unless I'm having a get together) and would not want 50 bottles of alcohol showing up. I don't think "gifts optional" sounds right - seems inappropriate. I've never seen "gifts not expected" - just thought of that myself; not sure how it would be received - is it awkward and better not to mention it at all?...See Moresleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
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