i need a food or wine idea to entertain some in laws?

Question

my sister in law and wife's cousin are in town and I was thinking about preparing a starter plate and serving some drinks any ideas or themes are greatly appreciated

Answer 1

Prosciutto wrapped melon slices (usually canteloupe), served with a light, fruity and slightly fizzy Moscato d'Asti. It's a sweet white Italian wine, pretty inexpensive.

That should be a simple, informal starter.

Answer 2

I usually start with a dry white wine or a bubbly and then work towards a darker wine during dinner. This way everyone's palates won't be kiled when I bring out the big guns.

You could do something simple like a bottle of Mirabelle by Schramsberg and serve it with some Gourmet cheeses. Maybe a Rogue River Blue, Humboldt Fog, and a nice Camembert. Or, whatever sounds good and is available locally. Serve it with figs or dates, some sliced apple, and some bread rounds (or water crackers). Bubbly isn't just for special occasions - it tastes great with food. But, if you prefer a still wine, Kim Crawford Sauv Blanc (2006) is under $15 and is quite citrusy. Kendall Jackson Reserve Chard is always tasty, and widely available.

I'm also a big fan of cheating. Buy some 2/$1 French Bread at the store and some bottled Bruschetta Sauce from trader joes. Serve with sliced Fresh Mozarella (this is different than regular mozzarella) and some olives. Looks like it was a lot of work, but it will only take about 5 minutes to set up. Serve this with Maryhill Reserve Sangiovese or Concha Y Toro Diablo Cabernet.

For dinner, unless you are cooking something really light, consider serving a nice Pinot Noir. They are usually crowd pleasers and you can get a nice one for well under $45. Archery Summit Cuvee, Domaine Drouhin Willamette Valley, Argyle Nuthouse, etc will all work with a wide selcetions of foods. Everything from super red sauces to light butter sauces to heavy cream sauces to puff pastry to quiche.

If you are serving something really meaty and heavy (careful about this), a nice Shiraz may also be a pleaser. Penfolds and Two Hands have some very nice ones, in many different price ranges.

Pinots and Shirazes for the main course tend to please more people. A bad choice of Cabernet may throw the whole meal off and Merlot can appear cheap. JMHO.

Good luck to you! : )

Answer 3

I have been drinking a lovely red wine lately called Red Guitar from the Navarro region of Spain and it is a blend of Tempranillo and Garnacha. It is distributed by the Opici Wine Group (at least in CT) and its UPC code is 8143406815.

You could get a cd with some Spanish flamenco music and serve the wine with some of the following Spanish starters known as Tapas:

Asparagus Wrapped in Jamón Serrano
Avocado and Prawn Cocktail
Bread with Mushrooms and Alioli
Canapés of Quesuco Cheese with Caramelized Onion
Jumbo Shrimp with Dry Sherry
Mussels Vinaigrette

All od these recipes (and about 75 more) are available at the following website http://www.tienda.com/recipes/appetizers.html

Answer 4

In terms of drinks, I would definitely recommend having a few wines; a good Cabernet, a Merlot and white wine (such as a Moscato or Liebfraumilch). This allows you to have a variety that can mix in with any starter plates, meals, etc.

You can never go wrong with wine! Try Chilean wines....there are many great 'bang for your buck' that are very good. Good luck!

Answer 5

youngsters must be choosy eaters. A foolproof plan would be to have a make-your-own pizza evening. All you're able to do is positioned out a great number of "sparkling" pizza crusts the two created from scratch or shop offered, a huge tub of sauce and a bowl of mozzarella. positioned an decision of diverse toppings on a divided platter which includes cooked floor sausage, pepperoni slices and diverse greens. you are able to positioned a replica of a pizza cookbook for the babies to leaf by for theory. you ought to borrow an decision of pizza stones from each and all of the girls you recognize, yet cookie sheets would suffice. different innovations: Fajitas are uncomplicated to make for a crowd. So is a taco bar. Do you have any astounding clean close by tomatoes top now? in case you do, BLT's are HEAVENLY. attempt mixing fried eco-friendly tomatoes with the nicely-known ones with the Francis Bacon and lettuce! then you definately ought to easily do diverse drinks and chips to bypass with them. have exciting!

Answer 6

this is a great starter serve with corn chips I hope it helps

Campechana Extra


3 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 large red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup karo syrup
2 Tablespoons Kosher salt
1 Chipotle Pepper, from a can, minced (ONE only)
juice of one lime
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 large avocados, cubed
1 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground
1 pound shrimp, boiled in crab boil and peeled
1 pound of crabmeat

Combine tomatos, peppers, onions, garlic, vinegar, karo, salt, black pepper, and chipotle in a saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes. Chill mix in an ice bath. Add shrimp, crab, cilantro, avocado and lime juice. Let set for half hour or so, giving the ingredients time to meld. Serve with tortilla chips and side cups of finely minced Jalapenos, minced cilantro and lime wedges

Answer 7

get some port or thunderbird a few bags of chips get them feed and drunk then boot them out