Easy dinner idea for difficult people

[vvviola]

Well, they aren't really difficult, it's the combination and circumstances that are the problem...

My parents arrive here (NZ) on Thursday. They will have had an epic trip on 3 planes and arrive early afternoon.

In have no idea what to do about dinner. The complications:

• I don't want to spend ages faffing about with dinner, I haven't seen my parents in nearly 2 years
• they are just off a really long flight so may be very tired, so a big heavy meal may not be the best idea
• DD2 is allergic to dairy and egg
• Mum doesn't like cheese in any case, so something simple like a lasagne is out, even if I found something different for DD1
• spicy food is out
• DDad is technically on pre-diabetic diet, although I suspect he'll be ignoring it for the duration of the holiday
• DH hates meat on the bone
• DD1 and I eat pretty much anything.
• I'd like it to be a little special - after all we haven't seen them in ages.

I'm stumped. I had hoped to go the barbecue route, but spring appears to have disappeared again and it's cold and miserable, so that's not a runner.

Any ideas?

Roast chicken done in a marinade, salad, veg, new potatoes done in a garlic butter.

People can then make it as heavy or light as they want.

Roast and then you can use the rest of the meat in sandwiches. Like an out of season festive dinner. You can cook it whilst your husband is picking them up...or he can whilst you are. Or if you are both picking them up...All veg cooked, meat resting, just the roast spuds to finish off when they get in and are settling down and having a cup of tea...and then all sit down to a nice roasty. Then the pickings the next day.

Beef bourginonne - damn, cannot spell.
Can all be prepared in advance, have with either new potatoes or French bread to soak up the juices.
Not very light, but easy to eat.

Buffet! Then everyone can pick what they fancy. Big journeys are always knackering and you never want a big heavy meal. Let everyone graze?

Lancashire hotpot, shepherds pie - something homely.

I'd do a reheat able meal or slow cooked meal

Lamb kleftico
Chicken pie ( make the base and put pastry on top and in oven on the day)
Cawl/ stew maybe bake a loaf the day before to impress
Coq au vin
Beef bourginon

Jamie does a mean chicken pie.

Roast chicken and veg
Brownies and ice cream (I always crave sweet carbs after a long journey).

Ooh, some great ideas! Thanks.

Of course, typically, in listing all the other factors, I forgot the most crucial complication - I'm working on Thursday morning, as is DH. He's going straight from work to pick them up and will get home with them either minutes before me or minutes after.

Usually I'd do something slow-cookery for that, but it's always a bit touch and go whether it works for me, and I can only seem to manage really spicy, or tasteless and bland.

Maybe a roast with all the veg prepped the night before, so I don't have too much to do on Thursday afternoon.

I love the beef bourgingon (damn, I can't spell either) idea, but I really think it might be too rich. I know I couldn't stomach it after a long flight.

Would they be OK with prawns? Prawn linguine takes minutes (Jamie has a good recipe), and feels like more time/effort has been taken than it has. And I love them ...

Hmm, cross posted there with a few people. Chicken pie sounds nice if I can find a dairy free recipe that holds up to being mostly prepared the night before.

Then various veg and salady things for people to pick & choose.

Could do a practice run on Tuesday...

How about cold roast chicken (cook day before), crusty bread, salads, maybe baby potatoes done in the oven. Personally I'd find a full traditional roast too much to eat, and I'm very familiar with that flight.

Kebabs

You can make them a day ahead and leave in the fridge. You can do some plain chicken/beef/lamb, some with veg, some with chicken tikka or other marinades.

Serve with salad and either pita or tortilla bread and a vaariety of 'sauces' ketchup, mayo, piri piri everyone can serve themselves. If spring comes back you can obviously put them on the BBQ.

Do yo have a raclette?

Mushroom risotto

You can prep the ingredients in advance, and then it's just a question of stirring and chatting. With flavoursome mushrooms and good olive oil, you don't need any Parmesan or butter

I think a nice 'buffet' type meal is best with lots of choice so people can eat as much or as little as they want - I have done long flights and the last thing you want is a great big hot meal when you arrive. Surely people will want to talk and relax rather than stuff their faces?

Then have the big 'celebration' meal a day or two later?

Buffet sounds good. Cold roast chicken and ham, nice cheeses, baked potatoes, coleslaw and afancy dessert.

I've made meals where there's been a mixture of veggies, dairy and gluten allergies/intolerances and other preferences to take into account and have ended up doing a selection of tapas. That way you can have all sorts of different things and hopefully most people will find something that tempts them.

And some of my tapas would be relatively authentic (tortilla, meatballs in tomato sauce, chicken pieces fried with garlic and sherry, slow cooked peppers, patas bravas etc) whilst other bits are things I know people like - assorted salads, garlic bread, new potatoes and butter...

Everything is easy to prepare beforehand and warm up quickly or salads to have in the fridge and just put out... Lots of little light tasty bits to appeal to people who don't want anything heavy to eat but that can be made more substantial for those that want it to be.

Can they have shell fish? You can make a baked paella with prawns and chorizzo, roasted red peppers (from a jar) and other bits and bobs. Serve with salad if you need it to be light.

lamb neck fillet takes about less that 20 mins in the oven. Slice it thinly and serve with salad, humous, tzatziki, pitta breads etc.
Ice cream with fruit compote for pudding

I'd do a cold roast chicken (you could add a bought quiche or similar if you feel it needs more) and either baked or new potatoes or a couscous salad plus a couple of other salads. Maybe some nice bread.

A ham would be the other option. (I cook mine in cider with cinammon and cloves - chuck in an onion and carrot or two too) In which case I'd do baked potatoes and homemade coleslaw.

Wild mushroom risotto with a green salad. Nice and quick. Very tasty

Waitrose do a lovely box of mixed, exotic mushrooms and if you add a glass of either white wine or dry sherry to the mixture BEFORE you start adding the stock it makes it taste really good.

As someone who lives in London and has family in Oz, I have done both the travelling and the preparing for travellers for about 25 years. My experience is you can be really hungry - plane food is often horrible - but not up for rich or particularly structured food for the first meal fresh off the plane. My favourite is warm roast chicken with boiled new potatoes, lots of green salad and fresh crusty bread. Fruit salad or strawberries and cream or fresh melon for after. They are arriving in the afternoon so bung the chicken in the oven the second you get in and by the time you've had lots of hugs and laughter and they've had showers and clean clothes the chicken will be done, cook the potatoes 20 minutes before the chicken is done, dress the salad and put it all on the table for people to help themselves.

Enjoy your time together!