Ideas please: family meal on Saturday

[Deliaskis]

Hi all,

I have a family party of 5 adults a 3 children for dinner on Saturday. I love cooking and am normally not short of ideas (and not afraid of adventurous recipes) but to be honest I have had so much on at work my brain is a bit fried so I hope somebody will be able to help me just come up with something that will work. Criteria as follows:

Bolognaise the night before and roast chicken the night after (both at my Mum's) so to me this rules out things like lasagne, chilli, any other pasta, and anything too much like a roast with veg, as it will feel a bit similar.

DD isn't a big fan of beef or steak.

Fish OK but kids 'cautious'.

All like indian but kids tend to like takeaway rather than homemade (their favourite tikka masala is never as sweet when made at home) and I want to cook really.

DD also not into chinese type things.

So I just need a bit of inspiration for something that will be easy for this size of group (OK it's not hundreds!) but sort of please everyone.

Thanks in advance lovely MNers.

D

How about fajitas with different fillings and homemade guacamole or a Moroccan tajine with cous cous?

lamb Tagine with jewelled couscous plain for the kids) , hummus / other dips , flatbreads

Tacos or fajitas with loads of stuff so guests can help themselves?

Bacon ribs
Sweet potato wedges
Roasted kale
Coleslaw

I second / third fajitas, love them! Or a big paella.

Big fish pie?

Pulled pork burritos

This is great thanks everyone....I was actually wondering about fajitas and ruled out as maybe too spicy, but actually it's not hard to do a pan of mild stuff for kids and a bigger pan of spicy for adults, or just add spicy salsa on the plate rather than cook with chillis.

halesie I cracked up a little at paella because actually it's a perfect idea but we have a huge paella pan and outdoor burner and with the long hot summer have made it loads outdoors this summer and although I love it probably everyone else is sick of it!

I also like the tagine idea....not sure whether DD would but actually wih the flatbreads and hummus she wouldn't be hungry.

However, I think what this has done is convince me that actually fajitas might be the way to go and I can just plan where the chill goes so kids can avoid.

Thank you folks, this was just what I needed!

Homemade burgers - beef, chicken, vegetable . Small independent butchers do lovely ones.nserve with skinny fries, sweet potato wedges , salad.

Pizzas - different ones with different toppings.

Homemade chicken ‘ dippers’ - slices of breast, coated in breadcrumbs with different flavours ie lemon and pepper, Parmesan and sesame seed, paprika. Serve with fries, jackets, salads, coleslaw.

Goulash - serves with noodles, rice, sour cream, green salad.

Sausage casserole - serve with mash ( I’ve got a lush recipe for sausage casserole with no tomato in it. Dead easy and freezes well too. Just message me if you want it)

Ooooh fish pie...also good!

That's put the cat among the pigeons. (won't serve up either cat or piegons though )

As a few others have said, I think I'd be tempted by some kind of one-pot or stew based thing. So a tagine with lamb or chicken and couscous, or perhaps a big pot of paella with chicken, chorizo and seafood (the latter might be a bit much for the children but I usually put the seafood in last so wouldn't be too much trouble to take half out and keep separate from the fishy half).

Or if you are feeling more adventurous, how about a Persian stew, they tend to be full of flavour but not spicy so good for a mixed crowd (some easy-ish receipes below)... serve all with rice and whatever veg you like on the side.

www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/one-pots/persian-lamb-stew/
www.sabrinaghayour.com/recipes/#lamb-fenugreek-herb-dried-lime-stew-with-kidney-beans
thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/lamb-and-aubergine-stew

Or if you'd like something a little more traditional, how about a beef carbonade, a coq au vin or a lamb hotpot, you can serve all with mash, crusty bread or dumplings to avoid roast-dinner comparisons?

Ooh love coq au vin!

I just do Mexican when faced with similar quandaries.

Bowls of rice, refried beans, jalapeños, grated cheese, guacamole, salsa, spicy veg, etc etc. Big pot of quorn chicken pieces fried up with spiny, mushrooms and seasoning, couple of trays of nachos (one spicy, one not), corn on the cob, and a million tortillas.

Just leave everything on the table and let folk help selves.

Risotto?

Mexican is great. We used to have tortillas then fill with guacamole,salsa, grated cheese, sliced tomatoes, minced beef with added Mexican spices, sour cream, iceberg lettuce & refried beans. Might do that myself this weekend

Shepherd's pie with butcher's minced lamb (million times better than supermarket mince and loads tastier than beef) served with mint sauce and fresh veg. Really cheesy topping.

Taco Bar!!

We have chilli flakes on the table at every meal alongside the salt and pepper so everyone can help themselves or not! Great for curries and fajitas. We've done The Hairy Dieters recipe Lamb, spinach and potato curry for all served first to the children a bit milder and then to adults spiced up all served with poppadoms and Naan bread etc. Lovely - and easy - do it in the slow cooker. 

I’d definitely do fajitas, I’d cook them mild but get a jar of jalapeños for any adults that want is spicy