What's an easy (but impressive) main course to cook for a dinner party of 8?

Answer 1

8 huh who you entertaining...


think thai curry... with jasmine rice... or you could go a chinese buffet stlye with home made sweet and sour pork rice, beef and blackbean etc... all that msg sounds great right now..lol

Answer 2

Beef tenderloin. Very easy but expensive.
Any kind of premium meat that doesn't need attention or additional spice, but which is inherently exquisite will be a good idea. There's filet mignon, salmon, etc.
Then serve some asparagus on the side. You could add a spinach salad for people who don't like asparagus.
Add a baked potato with the normal toppings like chives and sour cream, and you've got a winner on your hands.
Once you've selected your meat of choice, check out www.allrecipes.com for guidelines on how to cook the meat. Don't add too many ingredients. A good piece of meat is best served in its own juices.
For wine, serve some cabernet sauvignon with beef tenderloin. Offer some beer or soft drinks and iced tea as an alternative.
A good meal is not hard to prepare. It can get expensive, but who cares, as long as you're not eating like a king every night?

Answer 3

Roast Stuffed Turkey always is good. Make a stuffing, stuff the totally defrosted and washed out turkey, preheat oven to 325, roast 20 min a pound plus an additional 20 minutes extra to heat through. Better yet, how about chicken paprika? Its easy and so tasty. Of course, if you not used to cooking, possibly get precooked Purdue or other chickens. Many top level groceries have precooked chickens , barbecued or roast, and they are really good and easy at 6 dollars a bird, and no or little mess.

Answer 4

I have to make a meal for 10 in a few days. I am making lasagne. Just follow the layering directions on the back of a box of BARILLA Lasagne noodles ( my favorite) The oven does the rest! If I remember correctly you will need the noodles, mozzerela, ricotta, ground beef or sausage or both, parmesan cheese, two eggs, and whatever sauce you want. And it's not very hard to whip up a salad and throw a frozen garlic bread loaf in the oven after the lasagne is finished. Hope this helps!

Answer 5

Get pork tenderlion about 3 pounds per packet of seasoning. In the spice aisle of the grocery store is a packet of seasoning just for it that comes with a plastic bag to cook it in. It cooks up so tender and juicy and there is nothing to it. When its cooked cut it into nice pieces and serve on a nice platter. I like to keep the juices with it so people can drizzle extra on if they like. The only thing is plan on cooking it longer than the package says by about 30-40 minutes. Make sure to check with a meat thermometer. Serve with your favorite veggies (rachael ray's recipe for brussel sprouts withh bacon is yummy and easy), potatoes (red skins with rosemary is really good) or whatever sides you might like. People will think that you were in the kitchen for hours!!

Answer 6

A few side dish ideas: -Cauliflower and Brocolli with Roasted Garlic (Williams Sonoma does this) -Sauteed spinach, mushrooms, and pancetta -Brussel Sprouts with Pecans and Sweet Potatoes: here: 1 1/2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in 1 inch cubes 3/4 lb Brussels sprouts, cut in half 1 tablespoon butter 1/2 medium onion, chopped 1-2 garlic clove, minced 1/4 cup chicken stock 4 teaspoons brown sugar or honey 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons pecan pieces, toasted Place the potatoes in a medium size saucepan, add enough water to cover, cover and bring to a boil; cook until potatoes pierce easily when pierced with a fork drain and reserve. Rinse the sprouts under running water, removing any yellowed or wilted outside leaves, cut in half and place in a microwave safe dish; microwave for 5 to 6 minutes stirring 2 to 3 times, drain and set aside. In nonstick skillet, melt the butter, saute onion and garlic just until tender. Add sweet potatoes,brussels sprouts, stock, sugar, cinnamon and pecans;cook for 3 minutes or until vegetables are lightly glazed. Chocolate dessert- Brownies from a box, or bought- warmed in the oven at 200 just before serving. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and hershey's syrup. Keep it simple, everyone loves this. Veggie appetizers- Baba Ghanoush, Olive tapenade, Mango Peach Salsa, Vegan Chili Cheese Dip, or Artichoke cheese dip. Have fun!

Answer 7

I'd do a baked dinner.

A rolled roast, rump roast, leg of lamb or 2 chickens.

And of course those yummy baked vegetables.

Answer 8

Seafood Alfredo:
boil linguine, saute shrimp and/or scallops in olive oil, steam fresh broccoli leaving a little crisp, add all ingredients in baking dish with butter and ready made Alfredo sauce- of course be sure all can have seafood. keep warm in oven up to 1 hr before dinner (add more than enough sauce- will dry out otherwise.) serve with spinach salad and french bread

Crispy Chicken:
split two chickens down the back, clean. use meat mallet to pound breast just a little to tenderize. chicken should be almost flat. marinate in frozen orange juice overnight-don't add water. drain in am, salt and pepper to taste. sprinkle with paprika. drizzle with olive oil. no water added to pan. bake at 425 for one hr (on turkey roasting rack if you have it or shallow pan- not too deep- best would be cast iron)-start with clean oven, open windows, will be smoky and splatter. don't open oven to check for at least 45 minutes. stir fry strips of red and green peppers, red onion and fresh green beans with just the ends snipped off in olive oil. green beans in pan first, 3-4 minutes, add peppers second another 2-3 minutes and red onion at last minute or so to preserve color- veggies should be tender/crisp. chickens should rest at least 10-15 minutes after hr of cooking. present uncarved on cutting board at dinner table, along with veggies and basket of assorted (wheat, sesame,corn bread,onion) warm rolls from the bakery bins at local grocery store and honey butter.

Answer 9

just buy some good steaks, rub with salt and pepper, throw them on the grill for about 5 to 7 min per side and you're done! then you can go crazy with the sidings- baked potatoes, green salad, bread, creamed spinach, creamed corn etc!

Answer 10

fried chicken and 40's