Here's the scenario. What would you cook?

[NomiMalone]

Couple with toddler (good eater) coming for informal lunch this weekend. I will be working on a project with the female half of couple upstairs so will be hands off in the kitchen.

What could a) I make that morning and shove in oven or b) DP cook by himself (he gets a bit flappy in the kitchen and last time used an entire jar of tamarind in a recipe that needed a spoonful rendering it inedible).

Ideally something that toddler and our 6 year old will eat too.

No dietary requirements

What would you make in this scenario?

How about a beef and veggie casserole? I made one at weekend that was awesome. Fry a red onion and a red pepper till soft and golden. Add stewing beef. Fry for 5 mins. Add tablespoon flour. Mix. Add cubed butternut squash, chopped celery and carrots. Big hand full red lentils. Jar of passata. Teaspoon dried thyme, chopped garlic. Water to just cover everything. Add lemon juice too. Salt and pepper.

Cook at 350 for at least two hours. Tastes better the longer you cook it. Serve with jacket potatoes or crusty bread.

You can leave it to cook whilst you enjoy yourself and DH avoids the tamarind!

My one year old ate this too and loved it!

Pesto salmon (salmon fillet, make incision, stuff with 1 dsp green basil pesto per person, cook for 20 mins at 180) either with mash and green beans(Very nice if you also garlic up the mash and/or beans but you may wish to omit for toddler) or simply stir the salmon into cooked pasta and grate a bit of Parmesan on the top and a side salad (all in one packet Caesar salad is good).

If you have a slow cooker I'd go for pulled pork in ginger ale. Just bung a shoulder of pork into the crock pot with a small bottle of naice ginger ale and a few onions. Leave to cook for as long as possible (8 hours is ideal). 30 mins before serving shred the pork & mix with barbeque sauce (home made is best but a jar is ok). Put back into crock pot for 30 mins. Then serve with warm crusty rolls, plenty of good coleslaw & some green salad. Yum.