Ok - if Cadders can get her act together and get a babysitter I'm cooking for her and her dh and need some mn suggestions please....

[Aero]

... for something I can either prepare in advance or quickly and easily on the day. Some other friends are coming too, so there'll be eight of us altogether.

I have three kids who I hope to have in bed, but I don't get a lot of free time to organise things, so mn, I need your help. A simple, but delicious supper for eight people. No vegetarians, although I don't mind cooking vegetarian. Nothing involving fish or offal though.

Obviously, cadders is a choccy fan, so puding may need to involve copious amounts of the chocolate. I like fruity puds myself though so all suggestions welcome.
TIA (v much)

Can't remember the last time I cooked dinner for eight.

Soup for starters, which you can make ahead and reheat OR some kind of salad which you can quickly make on the night.

Some kind of casserole, best made the day before, then heated through. Serve with roast potatoes (par boil whenever you have time during the day) and veg.

Chocolate lover: chocolate mousse - easy to make ahead - with homemade or bought shortbread?

Cheese, biscuits, grapes just incase anyone has room.

If you like any of these ideas in principle, can give you more thougths about soups/salads/casseroles

Thanks lilospell. That sounds great and doable.

Soup was in my head as a starter and had thought of a few incl polish betroot, or curried parsnip and apple. I welcome other suggestions though - I love soup, and would serve with a slice of Irish wheaten bread.

Casserole is a good plan as is always better on the second day, though I have only a few recipies I've already tried that I'd be willing to serve at a supper party, so again, suggestions welcome.

I've never made choc mousse, so willing to give it a go.

My favourite soups are carrot and coriander; green pepper (much nicer than it sounds); or red pepper and tomato.

If making casserole the day before, personally would go for lamb or beef.

• something "oniony": chopped onions/leeks/or whole button onions (which I think give it more of a dinner party feel
• stock and red wine
• bit of garlic
• few herbs
• mushrooms
• peppers (if not doing pepper soup)
• tinned toms (if not doing tom soup, but optional anyway)
• meat lightly fried to seal, add a bit of plain flour to the oil/juices, gradually stir in stock/wine; chuck in other ingredients, bang in the oven.

I love threads like this - there'll be tons more fab suggestions to come I'm sure.

Mmmm - sounds lovely and warming. Like the idea of lamb. I have a slow cooker, so a good excuse to use it. And if I do a casserole, then I don't have to worry about timimg and can easily roast some potatoes to go with it.

Think I've started the thread a bit late tonight, but by the time I get to the pc......yada yada. Might have to bump it tomorrow.

Yes, I have slow cooker too and usually use it for making my casseroles for dinner parties, either earlier in the day or the day before. Anyway, you'll no doubt get some better ideas tomorrow. Keen to see as always on the look out for new speedy ideas!

bumping for the weekend crew......

my failsafe for big numbers is morrocan chicken - you need chicken, chickpeas, tin toms, harissa paste, dried mint, flaked almonds, onion, honey and dried apricots. Bug them all togehter and serve with cous cous with corriander and pitta bread. Can be as spicy as you like. Takes about 10-20 minutes to cook. Also nice with salad. Easy to cook and tastes great day after. Will give instructions if you want.

Aero - I'm making Nigella's ham in cherry coke tonight, it is easy and tasty. Great cold too. All you do is rinse a joint of gammon, put it in a pan, as snug a fit as possible, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, drain and wash the ham in cold water and pour over enough cherry coke (or normal coke) to cover the joint. For 8 Nigella suggests 2.25-2.75kg of gammon and 6 cans of coke. Add a halved onion. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 1hr10/kg. Partially cover. When you are done, pre-heat oven to gas 8/230C, remove ham from liquid, reserving it for later, strip off rind and a little of fat layer if very thick, cut diamond pattern into remaining fat, stud diamnonds with cloves (around 16)

Make glaze: 3-4 tblespoons cherry jam, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika & 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar in pan, whisk, bringing to boil. Let reduce to sypupy consistency. Sit ham on foil in roating pan, pour glaze over ham and put in oven for 15 mins until galze has burnished. Rest before carving.

Nigella serves it with creamed spinach and baked pots, I like mine with creamed pots.

She uses the cherry stock to flavour red cabbage, personally not a big fan.

Hope that helps, not great on puds, sorry!

FMF - that's a fab recipe, but Cadders has actually made that one for us before, so I'll have to do something different. I think I do have a recipe for Moroccan Chicken though and it is gorgeous.

MrsMcSpooky - that sounds truly scrummy. I'd probably do that with either roast or baby new potatoes and some sort of veg. Sounds reasonably easy too. I am getting a few ideas here and as far as I know, Cadbury is seriously working on her babysitting issue! Her dd2 (my lovely goddaughter) is coming though, so I'll need to spare some time for a squeeze with her.

Still need some more dessert ideas and recipes to choose from. This time next week I'll probably be up to high doh!

I'm thinking crumble or cobbler for pudd.

You could do an apple crumble and there is a thread in food or recipes at the mo.

Or a plum/peach cobbler. Basically slice up the fruit and top with a sweet scone dough.

Oh! Or chocolate brownies with a chocolate sauce (not for the faint hearted...)

Oh - thaks shrooms. I lurve crumble and choc brownies. Will try to locate the thread. Feel free to link it if you find it before me.

my lamb, my lamb it's PERFECT

ok, it's not MY LAMB but waitrose's

I'll find the recipe

slow cooked lamb

mmmmmmmm tis delicious

(also wanted to say how pleased I was to read that your sister is doing OK. Couldn't find the thread - meant to comment!)

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/4/404571

Thats the crumble link. Dive in!

Wow - foxy - that lamb looks gorgeous. Not sure about the anchovy paste though - is it necessary or could I substitute it with something else?
The crumble is a good idea too and I think I could manage it, though rhubarb appeals to me more than apple. Think I've only ever made crumble once! . I hate custard though, but am not averse to serving it to others - I prefer ice cream.

Dh also suggested moussaka today which I'm considering too. D'ya ever wish you'd not had the clever idea of having all your good friends round in one go!! I know all this lot really well and have no reason to be even slightly stressed, but I know I will be. The thought of it all going belly-up terrifies me.

Don't be scared of the anchovy paste, it really enhances the flavour, but doesn't make it taste fishy etc.

I use it in all my casseroles etc as it is the kind of ingredients that brings out the best of the other ingredients (like worster sauce does)...

Hope all goes well, and if Cods is coming around, I would worry more about what you are wearing than what you are cooking!..

hello chum,

babysitter all sorted and our rugby loving friend called this morning and will call you later today - it may be 6 you are cooking the 1st 2 courses for.

All these suggestions sound great! I can't wait! It has been so long since someone else cooked dinner for me. Thankyou my friend

ah sorry - I read Codders not Cadders..

I am sure Cadders will not be juding your outfit...

I guess sort of like fish sauce in Thai curries heifer?? Ahhhhhhhhh - that could work then - it's just the thought, you know?

Cadders, I've thought of little else all night and tbh am still reeling a bit from it. Still, we'll see..........this isn't the place though.

good for you aero - you will feel much better at the end of the day when you see all you have achieved instead of being on MN..

But don't forget to leave yourself some time...

oops - wrong thread....

and wrong person - sorry.