HELP- future sis-in-law coming for dinner and want to impress!

[shootfromthehip]

Okay so maybe impress is the wrong word but I want her to eat really well when she is here. Has anyone got any ideas for a 3 course meal (am a reasonable cook so doesn't have to be beans on toast but am not Gordon Ramsay either) that wouldn't cost the earth but would be delicious? I cook a lot of Italian/ French/ British and she is American.

Please help inspire me. Also I live in the middle of nowhere so some ingredients may be tricky (eg, if I can't get them from Tesco's home delivery I'm screwed).

Old faithful recipes welcome too.

Don't want much do I?

Thanks in advance x

I tend to do a cucumber salad with prawns - slightly poshish prawn cocktail.

What about Chicken or pork in a mustard and cider sauce with some sliced apple and perhaps parsnips. Serve with Garlic Bread or tagliatelli.

Perhaps tiramisu for pud - something you can do before the meal.

sounds lovely paranoid howevershould have said that they can't have anything with alcohol in it

Thanks though

in that case change the cider for apple juice - i did it for pregnant friend. tastes just as good oh and add a little bit of creme fraiche or double cream just at the end to the sauce to make it lovely jubbly.

I second pork in mustard/cider/cream - you can use apple juice instead of the cider.

Fry pork steaks until cooked, take out and deglaze the pan with a glass of wine (or apple juice in this case). Add same volume of cream, a dessertspoon of grainy mustard, and bubble to reduce.

Goes well with gnocchi, or mash, or boiled new potatoes, or anything really.

Lamb shoulder with cannellini beans and a crumb crust (scroll down about halfway ). It is lovely, very easy. I have never actually bothered with the crumb crust to date but of course you could. And I just use a tin of tomatoes instead of the tomato pasta sauce specified.

This all sounds lovely. What about desserts- I'm rubbish at them!

Hmm. Apple and rhubarb crumble? Very English. No tiramisu because of the booze.

Meringues with homemade icecream?

I can make cheats' chocolate pots: you just melt dark chocolate with an equal amount of creme fraiche, put into a glass and let it set. Then do a layer of creme fraiche with white chocolate. It looks pretty (and is very rich) but is, as you can see, very very easy.

desserts - buy some nice brownies, serve with a dollop of whipped (or extra thick) cream, and make a quick raspberry sauce ...

(get frozen raspberries (or mixed berries), cook them with a bit of orange juice (or whatever) and sugar if you like, puree, and sieve. I sometimes thicken it a bit. You can do that the day before.

Oh I love you all- lots of great ideas for a lazy midden dessert phobic like me. Cheers guys.

I do not put alcohol in my Tiramisu and it still is delicious! but I like the suggestion of some sort of crumble!

I'd go traditional, slow roast beef with yummy yorkshire puddings.