Nice but cheap dinner party ideas please!

[Clockface]

Hi!

We are having a v. frugal month due to overdraft (eeek). My brother is coming to visit my parents next weekend and we are having them to dinner. Mum has said "oooh, don't go to any trouble etc etc". Brother is veggie.

So any ideas for something nice, slightly special and most of all relatively cheap?

Thanks!

Morrocan vegetable tagine with couscous.

risotto
veg chilli
french onion soup (veg stock), cheese and croutons

piedmont peppers
[roasted red peppers stuffed with garlic, cherry tomatos, basil and feta or goats cheese]
with couscous and bread

bread and butter pudding to follow

They all sound lovely. I'm going to have to chuck a bit of meat in, unfortunately, for my dad . (Families, eh?!!!)

Is risotto special enough for "having people over"? I cook it regularly as a midweek supper for us lot (usually to use up all the bits and pieces in the fridge!)

Moroccan is a good idea as that does feel pretty special. Works well veggie too, I guess?

How about a cheese fondue?

A bit retro and seventies - something people will remember.

Your brother can have veggie sticks etc., and your dad can dip his meat.

Sorry that sound a bit dodgy - I meant he can dip bits of meat in the cheese.

You can do some lamb for yourfather and anyone else who wants meat tagine.

Meat won't cook in a cheese fondue, it isn't hot enough. You need eiher oil or stock for that.

You can cook the meat separately and just dunk it to make it cheesy.

Delia has a bean based shepards pie with goats cheese mash which is lovely.

comeoveneer - Morrocan vegetable tagine sounds so nice, could you give us the recipe?

I am not a veggie but these veggies dishes sound so nice, and I don't eat too much meat anyway...

ilovemydog - how do you make veggie chilli?

clockface - sorry to hijack your thread, but the recipes sound so good and my cooking has become so boring

Hijack away my dear!

Thank for all your ideas. I have started thinking about roasted butternut squash today (yummmmm.....with mushrooms and goats chesse....yummmmmmmm!)

Actually I've started tinking about risotto again. How about two risottos; one roasted buttenut squash, sage and goat's cheese, and one beautiful fish risotto? That would be very nice.

And to finish, the Chocolate spiced cake from Nigella Lawson's Christmas cookbook which I've just bought. I have most of the ingredients already.

That sounds good, doncha think? What to serve wit the risotto though?