Guests at the weekend, need simple recipes

[VladimirVsVolodymyr]

I have a friend coming over from the states with his family and they are staying with us for two nights. Family of 5, I need easy recipes for lunch/dinner. Parents, two teenage girls and an eight year old boy.
I need a few recipes and feel a bit under pressure as his wife is a good cook 🤣. I am a good cook but with ft work and 3 kids including a 2 year old, I'm a bit time poor. I cannot get ready made meals delivered, that will be too embarrassing. So I'm thinking:
1.) Marinated salmon in herbs with potatoes/steamed veggies
2.) Rice with steak/side of salad
3.)Veggie pasta (DH does a nice one) but with what?
4.) Might have dinner in a restaurant one night but the logistics will be a nightmare as mine are 10 and under.
Any recipes and ideas about logistic for dinner will be welcomed.

I know it is only two nights but I like having options 😂

This is one of my favourite meals, it takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish!

creamy prawn spaghetti

Serves 4-5

1. Sauté 1 large, diced onion in a large frying pan until soft.
2. Chop up broccoli, green beans (or any green veg) into small pieces and add to frying pan with 3 minced garlic cloves.
3. Boil 300g spaghetti in large saucepan for 9 mins
4. Add 2 veg stock cubes to a mug and half fill with boiling water. Stir to dissolve, then add to the frying pan with 1 pot of crème fraiche (300g).
5. Turn up the heat so it bubbles slightly. Add a glug of white wine if you have any (no worries if you don’t) and 1 packet of cooked prawns and mix everything together.
6. Stir in an enormous amount of black pepper and a squirt of lemon juice to the frying pan. Taste the sauce – ideally it should be slightly too salty. Drain spaghetti, add the sauce, and mix everything together. Grind black pepper over and garnish with parsley.

I do chicken thighs in air fryer now and again. Takes around 20 minutes I think, depending on size and number. I suspect th trick is to start with 20 minutes if you're filing the air fryer, check, and then decide if they need longer. I'd consider using a lower temperature though as it's a super fan oven in the air fryer so something like 180 or even 170.

I think the fish and chips is a good idea.

For the other night, I'd also do a roast. You don't have to do all the traditional trimmings, especially if it's hot, but a roast chicken with salads, garlic bread or new potatoes is lovely. Or I love a big rib of beef or, if you want to splash out, a sirloin joint served with new potatoes and a lovely tomato salad. Or serve with pita bread, dips like tzatziki, greens etc.

Lunches I'd stick to cold. Put out bread, cheese, meat (leftovers from your roast possibly?), pickles, bit of salad or similar. Add some fruit. When we have guests I usually buy those par baked rolls/baguettes/ciabattas as I can cook those quickly and it creates a lovely additional element to have fresh, warm bread. You could also buy in a quick to slice up and serve one day, or some pork pies or mini samosas or similar for the other.

For one of the meals you could do salads, cheeses and breads, dips etc, if that doesn't seem more complicated than making one main dish.
Strongly strongly recommend this pasta salad, very easy and absolutely delicious! :
https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/05/pasta-salad-with-roasted-tomatoes/

this, I second it or third it

there is a lovely chicken casserole recipe here https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/easy-tarragon-chicken/

serve with new potato

Strawberries and cream for Wimbledon week very British and if you purchase clotted cream, you could get double the amount and get some scones for a mid afternoon snack, nice strawberry jam

Roast a couple of chickens (the ones you roast in a bag) serve with new potatoes (I toss in olive oil, sour cream, salt, chopped guerkins, and chopped spring onions) salads, and perhaps serve antipasti and focaccia.

Nigellas Chorizo Chicken? It’s just chicken thighs , chunks of chorizo, quartered onion and skin on potato’s tossed in oil . Grated orange peel, woody herb of some sort and bung in the oven for 45mins.

Ha, was just going to post this - it's my go to for a crowd. I do love a traybake.

I'd keep lunches really simple OP - especially if you're having a fry up. Fresh rolls, salad, cheese and some meat, make up your own as you go sort of thing.

Put on a pan of pasta to boil - any will do, but I think shells (conchiglia) work best - around 80-90g per person dried weight. Meanwhile, gently heat a tub of Philadelphia and a tub of crème fraiche in a pan till the cheese melts into the crème fraiche. Then mash down a large tin of pink salmon and stir it in.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it and tip it into the salmon/ cheese/ crème fraiche mix. Sprinkle very generously with finely chopped coriander.

Exact amounts don’t matter. I’d make a double quantity for two families.

I'd do them a roast dinner - but slimmed down version. With yorkshires.

Shepherd's pie is a good shout.

American guests at ours love a curry.....

Thanks so much everyone, this is so helpful. As usual things decided to go tits up at home. We have had a broken shower, broken (fixed today) and a window knob that I cannot get someone in on time to fix.
There are so many options to choose from, I'll update with what was eaten and it will include fish and chips.

Dinner: fish and chips
Spag bol (make and freeze in advance) with salad, extra cheese and garlic bread
Roast 2 chickens and oven roast veggies. Oven roast new potatoes in with veggies. Salad
Oven roasted salmon fillets with rice. Stir tomato salsa and chopped salad onions through rice. Also any herbs you have growing… chives and/or mint. Sides of steamed brocolli and sugar snaps
Some form of pie (maybe buy in advance) with mashed potatoes and peas

Lunch: Cheese ploughman’s with chutney and lots of carrot sticks, celery, cucumber, grapes, crackers
: Cooked deli meats with pickles and salad, soft artisan bread
: Pittas or wraps with cold, cooked chicken and salad. Provide sweet, chilli sauce/soy/yoghurt and cucumber dip for moistness.