Menu suggestions.

[Gypsy]

So cooking for my family is becoming a complete PITA.

My mom can't eat red meat. Beef and lamb are off the table.
My stepdad won't eat pork or salmon. Or really any fish except trout. Dh doesn't like trout.
My aunt can't eat anything high in cholesterol so shrimp and crab are out.

Which leaves chicken. Which I am not personally a fan of, but frankly I do not care at this point. But I'm not feeling particularly inspired so I thought I'd ask for help.

What I need. Good recipe for NON-vegetarian dish that meets all the criteria above, and easy to make for a 6-8 people.

I have a recipe (in my head and it's loosey goosey so I can't share it, sorry) for sweet-potato and chicken meatballs in a saffron sauce with stewed carrots. It's a cross between meatloaf and pot-roast but with a middle eastern bent (saffron sauce). I might make that. But I'm not loving it as a idea.

Your suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[movie zombie]

roasted turkey or chicken with roasted veggies?
i'm a fan of KISS......defines my cooking style as well!

 

[VRBeauty]

Engagement chicken!

If it's good enough to generate marriage proposals, surely it's good enough for even picky family members!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

roasted turkey or chicken with roasted veggies?
i'm a fan of KISS......defines my cooking style as well!

Same here!

VR Beauty...

 

[AmeliaG]

Risotto made with scallions, chicken broth, white wine, green peas, and Parmesan. Heck, you can throw some shredded chicken in. Saffron is a traditional spice for risotto if you have it. I haven't put it in risotto but I imagine it would taste yummy.

 

[Gypsy]

I could do a chicken marsala. Or a chicken piccata. All that pounding is a headache though.

Roast chicken is something I considered. Am considering. But honestly Costco makes such great chickens. I feel silly wasting time roasting chickens. Still something I am considering.

Engagement chicken has never sounded particularly appetizing to me, I'm afraid. I don't like chicken that much to begin with but baked chicken parts (as opposed a whole roast bird) are my least favorite.



I don't mind putting effort in. KISS is nice, but I'm a foodie and love to cook so a couple degrees of difficulty would be okay by me.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Quiche - can be made strictly vegetarian or with meat. If I make them for a meal, I usually make one with broccoli and cheese and one with bacon and onions and cheese. Serve with salad or other steamed veggies. You could do a vegetarian lasagna or eggplant parmesan. It's really hard to please everyone so if there is a large enough variety, surely people can find something on the table to eat!

 

[indecisive]

The chicken and sweet potato idea made me think of this. I improvise and use bacon and onion for DH. It is really good and easy to put your own spin on it!

http://longevitymag.co.za/d_recipes/chicken-and-sweet-potato-casserole/

 

[Gypsy]

Quiche - can be made strictly vegetarian or with meat. If I make them for a meal, I usually make one with broccoli and cheese and one with bacon and onions and cheese. Serve with salad or other steamed veggies. You could do a vegetarian lasagna or eggplant parmesan. It's really hard to please everyone so if there is a large enough variety, surely people can find something on the table to eat!

You reminded me that I make a great mousaka with ground turkey. I could make that. It's a bit of a pain, but it turns out really lovely. And everyone would eat it... so it might be worth it.

 

[Gypsy]

The chicken and sweet potato idea made me think of this. I improvise and use bacon and onion for DH. It is really good and easy to put your own spin on it!

http://longevitymag.co.za/d_recipes/chicken-and-sweet-potato-casserole/

Mmm. That looks yummy. Do you add bacon and onion to it? Or substitute those for something else?

 

[kenny]

So cooking for my family is becoming a complete PITA.

My mom can't eat red meat. Beef and lamb are off the table.
My stepdad won't eat pork or salmon. Or really any fish except trout. Dh doesn't like trout.
My aunt can't eat anything high in cholesterol so shrimp and crab are out.

Which leaves chicken. Which I am not personally a fan of, but frankly I do not care at this point. But I'm not feeling particularly inspired so I thought I'd ask for help.

What I need. Good recipe for NON-vegetarian dish that meets all the criteria above, and easy to make for a 6-8 people.

I have a recipe (in my head and it's loosey goosey so I can't share it, sorry) for sweet-potato and chicken meatballs in a saffron sauce with stewed carrots. It's a cross between meatloaf and pot-roast but with a middle eastern bent (saffron sauce). I might make that. But I'm not loving it as a idea.

Your suggestions would be appreciated.

Screw it.
Go to a restaurant.

 

[LAJennifer]

Skippy started a thread a few weeks ago asking for a Chicken Kapama recipe. Several of us made it and it was delicious. Or how about some Coq Au Vin? I make this recipe a few times a year: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/07/crockpot-coq-au-vin-recipe.html

 

[PintoBean]

How about chicken fajitas? Cooking would just be chicken, onions and peppers, then you can lay out the tortillas, salsa, sour cream, cheese, lettuce and other fixins in pretty little bowls

 

[lin_ny]

Chili with ground turkey.

 

[Gypsy]

How about chicken fajitas? Cooking would just be chicken, onions and peppers, then you can lay out the tortillas, salsa, sour cream, cheese, lettuce and other fixins in pretty little bowls

Oohh. I like this idea. I can marinate and BBQ the chicken. And then everyone can do their own thing. I like this idea!


Thank you LAJennifer and Lin, I'll investigate!

 

[Haven]

Mmmmm . . . chicken fajitas. If you do fajitas you can also have different proteins available for those who DO eat them, if you want variety.

I don't like chicken, but DH makes this for me and I LOVE it:
Gordon Ramsay's Sticky Lemon Chicken
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mARkUax2jg0

 

[Autumnovember]

Alright so I make chicken in the slow cooker often nowadays and here is a recipe I saw on pinterest.

It is bacon wrapped chicken with bbq sauce and apples.

Basically, I got boneless/skinless chicken breast that is organic (and so they seem to be smaller). Wrapped one strip of bacon around each, and two around the bigger slices. Cut up Gala apples, put in sweet baby ray's bbq sauce and cooked it on low for about 6 hours. Turned out amazing. My picky brother and law tried it and loved it (SHOCKING ). http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/09/slow-cooker-bacon-wrapped-apple-bbq-chicken/


Here is another recipe that I found on pinterest. Haven't tried it yet but I'm thinking it will turn out well:

Greek Chicken Pita Folds
Makes 4 servings

· 1 medium onion, sliced
· 1 clove garlic, minced
· 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
· 1½ teaspoons lemon pepper
· ½ teaspoon dried oregano
· ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
· 4 pita pocket breads
· ½ cup plain yogurt
· 1 tomato, sliced
· ½ cup chopped cucumber
· 1 medium red bell pepper, sliced in thin strips

1. In slow-cooker, combine onion, garlic, chicken, lemon pepper, oregano, and allspice; mix to coat chicken with seasoning.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 4–6 hours.
3. Heat pita bread as directed on package. Meanwhile, remove chicken from slow-cooker; place on cutting board. Using two forks, shred chicken.
4. To serve, stir yogurt into onion mixture in slow-cooker. Spoon chicken onto warm pita bread. With slotted spoon, transfer onion mixture onto chicken; top with tomato, cucumber, and red pepper strips.

Baked Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken:

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500°F and lightly grease a casserole dish.

2. In small sauté pan, sauté garlic with the oil until tender.

3. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.

4. Place chicken breasts in a prepared baking dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Bake uncovered for 15-30 minutes.



Also, this site is FANTASTIC: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2007/07/low-fat-chicken-recipes.html

Tons and tons of healthy recipes. I linked you straight to the chicken recipes. She has one on there that is a pesto chicken recipe that I did try and its GREAT. It's homemade pesto sauce over chicken with tomato and mozz. on top...YUM!

 

[yennyfire]

This recipe is really good and a bit unusual. I cut back on the sugar because it's way too sweet made with the full amount of brown sugar. I usually serve with a fairly simple orzo since the chicken recipe has so much going on:

Aunt Sadie's Chicken

Ingredients for Marinade:
1/2 cup light olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
1 head garlic, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
4 sprigs fresh oregano, chopped
1 cup pitted black olives, halved
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 bay leaves
8 shallots, diced
2 Tbs. olive oil
3/4 cup brown sugar (I use 1/4 C)
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, halved
Two 16-ounce cans artichokes, halved and drained
1 cup red wine

Preparation:
In a bowl, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper to taste, oregano and halved black olives. Pour over chicken breasts in baking dish and top with 3 bay leaves. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerator overnight.
After chicken has marinated overnight, saute diced shallots in 2 tablespoons olive oil and drizzle over chicken. Add light brown sugar, halved sun-dried tomatoes and halved and drained artichokes. Pour red wine over all and bake in 350-degree oven for an hour.

 

[Mayk]

There are so great ideas... here.. but I love salads...

You could do a base.. like a Caesar or Spinach and then add protien sides...
Chicken for those that can only eat chicken
Salmon or Fish for the others

I like to do a build it yourself on the island in our and I put all kinds of different things there to add to your salad along with the standards tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots, etc... I put different cheese gorgonzola, blue, parm, dried fruit (cranberries & golden raisins are my favorites), hearts of palm, kalmetta olives, sundried tomatoes, you get the idea..

Even if not for your family I love to do this for a girl's get-together...

Sometimes I'll do a pasta on the side.. something light with just olive oil and a marinara sauce and they can all dress it from the salad bar...

 

[gem_anemone]

You are truly kind to try to appease all those picky eaters! I wouldn't do that. I would probably serve surf and turf and let the picky eaters avoid what they don't like.

 

[Skippy123]

There are so great ideas... here.. but I love salads...

You could do a base.. like a Caesar or Spinach and then add protien sides...
Chicken for those that can only eat chicken
Salmon or Fish for the others

I like to do a build it yourself on the island in our and I put all kinds of different things there to add to your salad along with the standards tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots, etc... I put different cheese gorgonzola, blue, parm, dried fruit (cranberries & golden raisins are my favorites), hearts of palm, kalmetta olives, sundried tomatoes, you get the idea..

Even if not for your family I love to do this for a girl's get-together...

Sometimes I'll do a pasta on the side.. something light with just olive oil and a marinara sauce and they can all dress it from the salad bar...

I would do something like that too! I find the meats easier to make than the sides. you could grill the fish which is easy and takes a few mins and do a chicken dish too!

The thread LA Jennifer posted makes an amazing chicken! I love Coq au vin too! mmmm

 

[movie zombie]

geez, why not just buy the roasted chickens from Costco, warm them up, roast some veggies and serve?
who says you have to cook from scratch? or use those chickens to shred for another dish.
with a group that picky [and i'm picky] they should be doing the cooking, not you.
or take kenny's advice and go out to eat and make each one responsible for their own choices.

 

[Gypsy]

geez, why not just buy the roasted chickens from Costco, warm them up, roast some veggies and serve?
who says you have to cook from scratch? or use those chickens to shred for another dish.
with a group that picky [and i'm picky] they should be doing the cooking, not you.
or take kenny's advice and go out to eat and make each one responsible for their own choices.

I don't have my family over to my house all that often. Like 3 times a year, maybe four. And I like cooking and am pretty darned good at it. It's fun for me. Plus my mother has REALLY exerted herself to make Dh's and my favorite foods the last couples times I've been there, so I WANT to cook. I'm just annoyed at all the restrictions. if it were me I'd make my salmon picata that gets raves everytime I make it. Especially as it's one of Dh's favorites as well. And I still might make it and just do a chicken breast separately for my stepdad with the same sauce.

As for going out. That's a larger headache, honestly. And the point is to have people over in our house.

As for Costco chickens. They are great. And I could do them with some sides.

I really like the chicken fajita option though. Easy and a crowd pleaser. And I can add different meats if I wanted to, and let people pick and chose what they like. So I may just do that!


Haven that sticky lemon chicken has promise. Might make that for DH and I one night.

 

[Gypsy]

Thank you AN, Mayk, Yenny, and Skippy. gem_anemone, I don't do it often. If I did I have a feeling I'd be less patient.

 

[movie zombie]

i feel for your hubby, Gypsy! he should get his salmon for attending the event! LOL.

 

[StacylikesSparkles]

One of my favorite things to make is a nice baked dish with a whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces, over potatoes, fennel, onions, some whole garlic cloves and lemons. DH LOVES this and it's ridiculously easy in prep and clean-up, since its all one dish. All you need to season with is salt and pepper. To flavor up the chicken even more, place a whole (or half) clove of garlic under the skin and let is cook up under there. When you know everything is done, broil for 5 minutes, so the skin gets all crispy and delicious!

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Don't know if this is helpful, Gypsy, but I also like entertaining and have been known to make two proteins when serving to a motley group.

 

[eh613c]

Made this the other night and it was a hit. Really easy to make. I also used regular aluminum foil for the seal. I served with mashed potatoes.

http://doriegreenspan.com/2007/01/when-in-doubt-chicken-in-the-pot.html

You can also make chicken provencal (easy to make as well) and serve it with polenta (I buy the polenta logs from Trader Joe's). You can also do a search for Giada de Laurentiis and she has an awesome white chili and turkey meatloaf.

I hope this helps!

 

[Octavia]

Skippy started a thread a few weeks ago asking for a Chicken Kapama recipe. Several of us made it and it was delicious. Or how about some Coq Au Vin? I make this recipe a few times a year: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/07/crockpot-coq-au-vin-recipe.html

I can't wait to try the Basil Chicken with Feta recipe from this website. It looks so yummy. There are a bunch of others that sound really good, too, and the bonus of crockpot cooking is that it's so incredibly easy!

 

[indecisive]

The chicken and sweet potato idea made me think of this. I improvise and use bacon and onion for DH. It is really good and easy to put your own spin on it!

http://longevitymag.co.za/d_recipes/chicken-and-sweet-potato-casserole/

Mmm. That looks yummy. Do you add bacon and onion to it? Or substitute those for something else?

I substitute the onions and bacon for the fennel and adjust the seasoning to what we like. I do wonder how it would be with fennel though. Fajitas sound yummy too!