What shall I cook for the ILs?

[NeverUseThisName]

We're going to the ILs on Friday. MIL usually likes two weeks' notice of a visit from us as she needs to prepare. (5 of us, 2 of them, very set in their routines). They get back from their holiday today, so the idea of us turning up so soon after was very stressful. I suggested that we do the shopping for them and bring all the food for our stay. I know I won't be allowed to cook in MIL's kitchen.

What dh has agreed is that we bring a cooked meal with us, and heat it up when get there. He thinks a slow-cook would be a good idea. Easy to prepare, easy to transport on a 4-5h drive, easy to reheat when we arrive. It would be me cooking, and would have to be me cooking, and I have no objection to doing the cooking, but:

FIL is coeliac. MIL trusts me to prepare food safely for him, but he does not. He will feel ill afterwards.

MIL hates wet food, what she calls 'brown dinner'. She'll make gravy for the rest of us, but always passes on it herself. The only wet food I've ever seen her eat is thick soup.

They both hate fat.

What can I make?! Can anything cook from raw in the slow cooker in 4-5h?

That is tricky - dh brother is coeliac and prefers fish / very plain food.
Could you do a salad / coeliac bread for fil and maybe roast a chicken. Baby potatoes.

I can't do a roast, as that won't transport and I can't cook in MIL's kitchen. If we bring our slow-cooker, dh can plug it in there. MIL won't - I hope - feel that her domain has been invaded.

New potatoes are a good idea.

Large piece of salmon baked in the oven with salt, pepper, dill, lemon slices and a drizzle of olive oil, jar of hollandaise sauce on the side for those who like it, boiled potatoes, steamed carrots and broccoli. Yum!

Definitely yum! In fact, that is exactly the sort of meal that MIL would make for us.

But I cannot cook in her kitchen (it would stress her too much) and I cannot cook their food in my kitchen (it would stress FIL too much). 🤷🏻‍♀️

Would this work:

Chicken thigh fillets (brought to ILs in shop packaging, therefore visibly uncontaminated).
New potatoes, diced carrots, sliced leeks, button mushrooms (all prepped and bagged up at home).
Stock cube, herbs.

Dump it all in the slow cooker at ILs, top up with boilng water.

Cook on high for 3-4h.

That's the best balance I can think of between not stressing FIL with my home-cooking and not stressing MIL by me cooking in her home.

Obviously make sure it is a gluten free stock cube.

Must give congratulations on your patience op.

No food ideas tho!

It will be wet though, so MIL may not like it.....

If they eat soup, can’t you just take a big stock pot of soup with you?

Because if I cook it at home FIL will believe he has been glutened.

Scrambled eggs and gf toast?

Would only require you to use MILs kitchen for 10 minutes, one pan, minimal ingredients, FIL can supervise you to ensure he's not poisoned and you don't need to touch MIL's oven...

I'm having a trial run at home. Have forgotten to put the leeks in. Not that it matters, as it doesn't all fit in the slow cooker anyway. I've told dh that I'm only handling the slow cooker. The minute we need to take anything out of a cupboard in MIL's kitchen - that's his job.

It doesn't make sense, I know. But that's how they are. I think it would be less stressful for them if I brought ingredients and MIL could do what she wants with them.

you said you couldn't put the salmon in the oven.what bout doing wha tyou thought was nice in the above posts and do in the slow cooker.salmon can be done in there.