Any suggestions for tasty not-too-much-effort dinner for 4? Can't be totally unimpressive though!

[WideWebWitch]

We have a couple coming for supper tomorrow night, with their children, who are 8yo twins. The idea is that I pick up the children, feed them and mine, about 5 ish, then I cook some food for all of us adults at about 8ish (their stipulation, the time, hmm). Dd will then go to bed at 7.30 while we eat and the 3 older ones watch a dvd. Apparently he doesn't like creamy sauces, which is fine because neither do I but I can't think what to cook. Criteria:

Not too much effort. I will have 4 children here from 3.30 - 5 on my own, can't be faffing too much
Doesn't require much looking after since I want to chat to the mum when she gets here at 5, not be in the kitchen
Can be produced quickly at 8pm when the father gets here

I have a Tesco delivery slot booked and need to order in the next hour to keep the slot. Ah, so also, I can't start cooking it until 6 because that's the latest time the delivery could get here! So nothing in advance unless it's v easy to get this pm (I could make it to Sainsbury's). TIA for any suggestions.

Roast Chicken with roast veggies and roast potatoes - bung everything in the oven and whip up a bit of gravy whilst chatting to other mum?

lasagne?

Could you make a lasagne in advance and then heat it up and serve with salad and garlic bread?

ooh snap Kelly

lol

True, a roast would be very very easy. I could do Jamie Oliver's carrots in thyme and wine with it.

I don't like pasta so thanks but no to lasagne!

DH made cod provencale last night which is served with olive oil griddled ciabatta. Quite easy and quick. Let me know and Ill fish out his recipe. scuse the pun!

Fish would be good, I could do parcels of fish, oh yes. With mini roasted baby potatoes and a salad do you reckon?

ooh soudns nice , whats in the parcels ???. I do a spring onion , garlic and Teryaki thingy with salmon.

Hmm, I don't know. Any suggestions? And what fish? What's easy to eat? Something filleted I;d have thought or we'll be filleting our fish rather than talking. This sounds like a Jamie Oliver occasion doesn't it, might have to get one of his cookbooks out.

lamb shoulder braised on v low heat all afternoon if you can get one from sains?

smoked mackerel pate to start, fruit for dessert? (v easy have recipie of you want it)

errr....roast chicken? can't go wrong with a big one of those....with tarragon and butter if you want to go french on it, and a glass of wine tipped into the pan at the end to make a nice jus.

errr....meatballs? pork mince shaped round a little cube of cheese (i use goats cheddar so ds can eat it but you could use mozza or any cheese that is hard) fry in a little oil and then bung in a jar of lloyd grossman tomato and wild mushroom (honestly, i know its dead easy to make your own but if you do this they will fall over and beg for more and as long as they don't see the jar you'll be laughing.

errr....cod wrapped in pancetta on lentils in yog (this is a jamie recipie i think, could look it out for you...just goes in the oven, serve with baby potatoes and a salad?

errr...thai green curry or does coconut milk count as creamy

will post more when i think of it

What about Nigellas ham in coke, it's really easy and very yummy?

This is v easy and v tasty. You could do the frying of the onion in advance, then just tip in the chicken and other stuff. Serve with cous cous - the packets of lemon and coriander cous cous from SAins go well with this - and it takes NO prep! Serve with a salad.

Give the kids chicken legs and homemade 'fat chips'!

If you can't get the preserved / pickled lemons, (mediterranean delis have them, too - but big sainsburies have them on that 'gourmet food section) use ordinary lemons, maybe a bit less.

Moroccan Lemon Chicken

Ingredients
1 x 2kg chicken
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
few strands saffron
bunch Coriander, chopped
bunch Parsley, chopped
Kalamata olives 100g ish, soaked for a while.
1-2 Preserved lemons, seeds and pulp removed and chopped (NB sainsbury's sell these as pickeled lemons, i think)
salt and pepper

Method

1. Fry onion with spices in a large casserole, add the chicken with all the ingredients, except the preserved lemons and olives

1. Half cover the chicken with water and simmer over a low heat for about 20 minutes, turning occasionally.

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4.

1. Transfer the chicken to the oven and cook until the chicken is tender and the liquid reduced – about 1 hour. Add a little more liquid if it becomes too dry.

1. Stir in the chopped preserved lemon and olives, cook for a while while you prepare cous cous, and serve on a plate with the olive and lemon sauce oured on top..

or Pesto chicken

make a slit in chicken breast, stuff with frsh basil and chillis

bung in earthen ware dish ,

mix philadelphia cheese with pesto to taste.
smother chicken cover with sliced beef toms and cheese {ise cheddar and parmesan)

Bung in oven about 175-190 and bake for about 45 mins.

Do you have a slow cooker? Get a nice big bit of topside, seal it, bung it in the slow cooker with a bottle of red wine, leave for 8-10 hours on low. To serve - fry up some mushrooms, onions and garlic (all chopped very small) and make up some gravy with the red wine from the slow cooker.
Serve with green veg and gratin potato. Very simple but absolutely gorgeous - the meat just melts in the mouth.

or no cooking at all: lovely bread, cheese, procsiutto (sp), pate, and then do a tomato and mozza salad and a green leaf salad with lovely dressings and make a pudding to show effort????

if you want pud suggestions let me know

ooh, yes tapas style would be lovely. Nice bread, olives, cheese, cold meats, nibbly bits yum!

think it's a big uch that you have to do kids tea and then them at a time stipulated by them!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ooh, I could go to Waitrose and get wonderful tapas stuff. I like the sound of the cod though.

is in naked chef returns i think...or the first one can't remember...do you want me to get it out????

make a crumble for dessert...or easy easy peasy tarte tatin with icecream? or go the whole hog in a no cook way and do a tarted up fruit plate (lychees, physalis, and raspberries and blackberries for eg)

errr....if you want the smoked mack pate recipie for your tapas, would look like you'd made an effort and takes 5 mins and tastes v v nice.

Italian Baked Fish

Four pieces of any white fish can be used for this dish, though my own personal choice is cod.
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 thick pieces cod (or other white fish)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 fat clove garlic, crushed

1 lb (450 g) ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 1 x 14 oz (400 g) tin Italian tomatoes

4 oz (110 g) mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 level tablespoon fresh chopped basil

1 level tablespoon capers, chopped

juice ½ lemon

12 black olives

salt and freshly milled black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5, 375°F (190°C).

have you got Delias Summer collection?

her chicken basque is very good and easy

This is easy peasy and lovely with a green salad, oh... and wine.

Method.

Start by making a good thick tomato sauce: heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the onion for about 5 minutes. Now add the garlic and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, then bring to simmering point and cook gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next add the sliced mushrooms, making sure that they are well stirred in. Simmer for a further 10 minutes until it looks like a thick sauce. Lastly, stir in the fresh basil and chopped capers.

Now place the fish in a shallow baking dish or tin, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle a little lemon juice on each piece. Next spoon an equal quantity of the sauce on to each piece of fish and arrange a few olives on top. Cover the dish with foil and bake on a high shelf for about 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Serve with new potatoes or brown rice and a tossed green salad.