Help with menu, please!
#6
  Re: (...)
We are having a group at the lake house next weekend and with everything else that is going on, I haven't had time until today to plan the menus (usually I do these weeks in advance-- bad Vicci!). I'm almost done, but have a couple of menu items which I am having trouble with.

On Friday we are taking atv's to a place called the Blue Lagoon to spend the day and have lunch. I have planned to take veggie hoagies, and one of the guests is going to bring a side, but I want also to have some sort of snack-y food for late afternoon munching before we pack up and head back up the hill. Chips and/or cheese and crackers come to mind first, but if anyone has any ideas that are more interesting (and easy and portable) please let me know.

For dinner on Saturday I will grill skewers of mahimahi with pineapple and bell peppers (and a sauce of honey, onion, red wine, balsamic vinegar, and pineapple juice). I'm thinking that rice would be a good side, but how could I dress it up? And I would like to have another veggie side, maybe a salad? Ideas? We will have spent the day on the boat and I'd like this meal to be easy. Dessert will be Strawberry Ice Cream Pie (F&W, Aug 06)-- very easy and make-ahead. Softened strawberry ice cream flavored with a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg, frozen in a graham-cracker crust and served with a cinnamon-black pepper strawberry sauce.

Now, lunch on Sunday is totally up in the air. We will probably go out on the boat again, and I had sandwiches on Friday, a salad on Saturday--- what to make? It must be easy, and either something I can make far ahead (like, Thursday morning because the first of the guests arrive Thursday evening) or have someone help me with on Sunday after breakfast. Ideas, anyone?

Thanks so much for helping me with this. Usually I have the menus planned ahead, but this year I just have not had the time (and that really irks me, because I enjoy doing it!).
Vicci

my cooking adventures
www.victoriasdays.blogspot.com
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#7
  Re: Help with menu, please! by foodfiend (We are having a grou...)
Snacks - grapes, cherries, breadsticks and hummus or a white bean dip. Shouldn't need a lot of cooling. Or olives and pickled vegies with the breadsticks and dip.

Rice - pinneaple rice or maybe a lime and cillantro rice. C@H has recipes for both. Salad - just a chopped vegi salad - corn, snap peas, cucumber, carrots, cherrie tomatoes, bell peppers, in an italian dressin or balsamic vinegarett. OR Jeans Fiesta Black bean salad - YUM. It is on this board,

Sunday - I know you did sandwiches already, but how about a muffaletta sandwhich. Those are better if they sit anyway. Or a stuffed pita or a wrap. I have a recipe for a turkey wrap that just uses tortillas, roasted turkey breast, cole slaw mix, a curry dressing and peanuts. All things can be transported seperate and everyone can make their own. I've made them in the back seat of a car and handed them out.

It will be fun to see what different ideas are posted. Here is the recipe from Jean. I use the additions she uses for the dreassing/seasonings.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Black Bean Fiesta Salad

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 T. Lemon juice
2 T. e-v olive oil
1 clove garlic -- minced
1/2 tsp. grd. cumin
1/2 tsp. freshly grd. black pepper
1 can black beans -- (19 oz.) rinsed & drained
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn kernals
2 stalks celery -- diced
1 gr. bell pepper -- diced
1 red bell pepper -- diced
1/2 red onion -- finely chopped
3/4 cup reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese -- (3 oz.)

In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, oil, garlic, cumin and black
pepper.

Add the beans, corn, celery, bell peppers and onion; toss to coat.

Serve, topped with cheese.

After I had the dressing ingredients in, it needed something more, so I
added (to taste) dried basil, parsley & oregano (since it's so good, next
time I'll add fresh!) and 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar. Made all the
difference.

Also, I had corn to grill - so omitted adding the corn and instead
grilled, cut the corn off the cobs and added (hot) to the salad. The warm,
grilled corn just added a great flavor!

Source:
"from Simply the Best (W.W.book)"
S(Internet Address):
"http://www.forums.cuisineathome.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Num
er=33060&an=0&page=1#Post33060"
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Erin
Mom to three wonderful 7th graders!
The time is flying by.
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#8
  Re: Re: Help with menu, please! by esgunn (Snacks - grapes, che...)
What about a cold tomato soup with some french bread?
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#9
  Re: Re: Help with menu, please! by DFen911 (What about a cold to...)
Not fancy, but when we were out as you'll be doing, I loved having Bierox made ahead and frozen and thawed as day goes until we're ready to eat them - warm or cold.


* Exported from MasterCook *

BEEROX or BIEROX


Bread dough ready to use
1 lb. Ground Round (add a Portion of Sausage if Desired)
1/2 head medium-sized cabbage -- shredded
1 medium onion -- chopped
Recently Added a Sprinkle of Red Pepper Flakes
2 cloves garlic -- minced
----
A mixture of melted butter & oil or melted bacon grease

Sauté the beef, cabbage, onions and garlic until beef is not longer pink and the vegetables are soft.

Roll or pat out a circle of dough (about 2 - 2 1/2 oz. for each) 3 - 3 1/2" in diameter and about 1/4" thick. Lay in the palm of your hand and put about a tablespoon of the meat mixture in the middle. Bring the edges of the dough up and over and seal completely.

In a baking pan, liberally coat the bottom with butter/oil mixture or bacon grease; put the beerox smooth side down, then turn over and place touching each other in the pan. Repeat for all the beerox.

Bake in an 375° F. oven for 15-20 minutes until rolls are golden brown. Remove beerox from baking pan and let cool on a baking rack if not eating immediately.

They freeze beautifully and can be enjoyed hot, room temperature or cold.
-----

NOTES : I never saw this recipe written down until I finally decided it needed to be - so, I have no idea of the correct spelling - over the years, I have run across 'Beirox' and 'Runza' which are so similar to the beerox I was taught to make. Whatever it's called, my family never tired of eating these little goodies - and they are just as good cold as hot. In recent years I've been brushing them with a mixture of butter and vegetable oil, but years ago they were the best dipped in bacon grease before baking.
----

a 'little' more upscale would be to make Caviar Pie ahead of time - what a wonderful surprise to pull out at the last minute!!


* Exported from MasterCook *

CAVIAR "PIE"

6 large hard-cooked eggs -- finely chopped
3 Tbsps mayonnaise
1 large sweet onion -- finely chopped
8 ozs cream cheese -- softened
2/3 cup sour cream
3 1/2 ozs Caviar
Lemon wedges & Parsley sprigs for garnish

Rub bottom and sides of an 8" spring form pan with butter, or spray with cooking spray.
In a bowl, combine eggs and mayonnaise until well blended.

Spread in the bottom of pan to make an even layer; sprinkle with onion.

Combine cream cheese and sour cream; beat until smooth.

By the spoonful, drop onto onion and with a wet table knife, spread gently to smooth.
Cover and chill at least three hours or overnight.

At party time, top with a layer of caviar, distributing it to the edges of the pan.

Run a knife around sides of pan; loosen & lift off the sides.

Arrange lemon wedges in open pinwheel and fill center with parsley sprigs.
Serves 12-15

Description:
"You can use either Black Lumpfish or Whitefish Caviar in this dish. This appetizer is a great way to have those who have never tried caviar enjoy their first experience. It's best served with small slices of pumpernickel bread, or cocktail bread rounds."
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one more -

* Exported from MasterCook *

Lump Crab Salsa
Food & Wine magazine, Feb. '08

3 T. chopped cilantro
2 medium shallots -- very finely chopped
1 red bell pepper -- finely diced
1/2 jalapeno -- seeded & finely diced (1/2 to 1)
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1 garlic clove -- very finely chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs. lump crabmeat -- picked over
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup salted roasted almond -- coarsely chopped
Thick-cup potato chips -- for serving

In a large bowl, combine the cilantro, shallots, bell pepper, jalapeno, lime zest, lime juice, garlic and olive oil.

Fold in the crab and season with salt & pepper. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Let the salsa come to room temperature, then fold in the almonds.
Serve with potato chips.
Make ahead: The crab salsa can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours. Fold in the almonds just before servings.

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or as someone mentioned a muffaletta - always wonderful for an outside crowd.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#10
  Re: Re: Help with menu, please! by cjs (Not fancy, but when ...)
I'm sitting here with a pile of recipes, and my head is going 'round and 'round and 'round...

These suggestions are certainly helping. The black bean salad for dinner would go very well with the mahimahi skewers, so without further ado that is going on the menu.

Cilantro rice will go well, too.

Your suggestion for a white bean dip reminded me that there's a roasted pepper and white bean swirled dip that I wanted to try sometime. Now to locate it... and put breadsticks on the Master List.

Oh, and Erin:
I've made them in the back seat of a car and handed them out.

You are VERY talented!!!


Jean, I have put the crab salsa on the menu for next weekend (when I will have just my friends there, and not my crab-hating DH!) and, well, the caviar... let's just say that I had a bad experience once...

Now, the beerox. I have never heard of this, but did a search-- German hamburgers! That's what they're called on a few sites. Now this will be absolutely perfect for a fall hike which we are planning for October. It looks as though, 3 months in advance, I'm planning that menu!

And, Denise, although one of my favorite lunches is cold tomato soup (with crumbled Gorgonzola!), it would be a hard sell to some of these guys...

Okay, thanks so much for the suggestions everyone.
Vicci

my cooking adventures
www.victoriasdays.blogspot.com
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