Help me with dinner. PLEASE

[OhDearGodLookAtThisMess]

Dh is the cook in our house. Always. I can and do do it occasionally but handed the spatula over to him a few years ago after he offered me one too many "helpful tips" in the kitchen.

But, for dull reasons that aren't relevant to the thread, I've copped for cooking tonight, when we have dear long-standing mates over for a casual thing. Male friend is a fab cook but completely non-judgemental about others.

What can I cook? Simple and reasonably quick to throw together. Ideas please, lovely people!

Sausage and mash?

I'd do a pasta dish.

Fry some onions, and peppers and courgette, in oil, par boil some broccoli and bung that in. Add some chopped fresh or canned tomatoes. Cook the pasta. Throw that in. Add chopped basil, salt and pepper and serve with crusty bread. butter and grated cheese to go on top.

Some kind of stew/casserole that can be left in the oven long and slow so that the flavour improves? Or suggest a take away.

Spag bol?

The weather turning colder is your friend here as your guests will welcome warming comfort food for example casserole/tagine type dishes which I find more forgiving to my cooking! Then you can just put the pot on the table for people to help themselves so it's easier to be sociable than more faffy food.

A sausage casserole is easy and very tasty and you can just throw some jacket potatoes in the oven to go with it. Something like this:

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/6097/tasty-sausage-casserole

Buy some olives. Then a carrot, pepper, cherry tomatoes, cucumber. A pot of smoked salmon pate and cream cheese. Make a smoked salmon dip by mixing pate with soft cheese and loosening with a little milk. Make crudités. Add some pitta chips.

Do a slow roast lamb rubbed with harissa. Just put in oven and slow cook for hours. Serve with warmed pitta, some homemade tzatziki - greek yoghurt with some mint sauce stirred in and finely chopped cucumber with seeds removed. Serve a Greek salad alongside.

Pudding just do ice cream or a lovely cheeseboard depending on budget.

Ooh. Thanks all.
Hmm. Good point about warming food. Dh tends to opt for casseroles, so I may avoid one of those, easy though they can be.

I may opt for the crudites (although I have a feeling we may have done something similar last time they came, but if I can't remember I'm pretty sure they won't either).

I'm avoiding pasta as have been doing WW for the last year, although I will keep that up my sleeve for once I've got to goal (3lbs to go).

So... now I've googled what Harissa is, I may go for the lamb option.

I knew I could count on you guys. Thanks.