Parents 25 anniversary dinner.... menu help!?

Question

I was thinking something like a pot roast or tri tip as the meat, but here is the catch... we dont have a BBQ. Does anyone know some great ways to cook them? This is an important meal.... I am open to any suggestions.. pasta dishes, chicken? I REALLY appreciate it, I just got married and don't have the most experience in the kitchen :)

Answer 1

Your in luck, I make the best pot roast on the planet.
5 pound bottom round roast
1 large onion
bag of baby carrots
quart of beef stock preferably Kitchen Basics Brand
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 sprigs fresh time or 1/2 teaspoon dry
1 cup red wine
salt
pepper
In large dutch oven or heavy pot heat oil and brown meat on all sides. When very brown remove from pot and add onions and also brown very well. When they are brown add the wine and scrape all the bits that stick to the bottom of the pot. Add the meat back in and add stock and as much water as you need to cover meat by 1 inch and then add carrots, tyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cover and simmer on low for 2 1/2 hours. After 2 1/2 hours remove meat to a cutting board. With a slotted spoon remove as many carrots and onions that you can and place in a bowl, discard tyme if you used fresh. Thicken gravy using cornstarch and cold water, start with 2 tablespoons of each mixed very well and add more if not thick enough. Slice the meat into 1/2 inch thick slices and place in a baking dish. Pour in the gravy and place the carrots and onions on top and place in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. Serve on top of wide egg noodles.

Answer 2

Marinate over night then apply a heavy coating of dry rub and do it in the slow cooker for a few hours. When the internal temp is medium rare remove it and pop it under a HOT broiler for a few minutes rotating it once. The slow cooker will make it incredibly tender and the broiler will crisp the outside. The marinade and rub will add an extra zip. To complete the meal visit your local farmers market for the greatest fresh addition. Perhaps fingerling potatoes (which can be roasted right in the slowcooker with the roast) Fresh uncommon greens will also be available there and make an attrative and interesting garnish. As for vegetable, anything that is in season in your area will be great.

Answer 3

Classic Pot roast just needs a slow cooker or a dutch oven:
3 1/2 lb of beef shoulder or boneless chuck roast
1 Tbsp olive or grapeseed oil
salt, pepper, italian seasoning to taste
1 large yellow onion, chopped or sliced
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 cup of red wine
Several carrots, peeled and cut lengthwise
1 Use a thick-bottomed covered pot, such as a dutch oven, just large enough to hold roast and vegetables. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil on medium high heat (hot enough to sear the meat). Sprinkle and rub salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning all over the meat. Brown roast in pot, all over, several minutes on each side. Don't move the roast while a side is browning, or it won't brown well.
2 When roast is browned, lift up the meat and add garlic and chopped onion to the bottom of the pan. Let the roast sit on top of the onions. Add 1/2 cup of red wine. Cover. Bring to simmer and the lowest heat possible to maintain a low simmer (we cook our roast on the warm setting of our range)*.

3 Cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until meat is tender. (If you are using a pressure cooker, cut the time by half). Near the end of the cooking, add carrots, cook until tender, about an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with roasted red potatoes and greenbeans with almond slivers a fresh green salad to start and a classic white cake with silver bells that says Happy 25th.

For TRI-TIP I use my Mother in-laws recipe - super easy - Just put the tritip into a crock pot or Dutch oven top with 4 cups strong black coffee, 3 tablespoons yellow mustard, 4-6 cloves of garlic, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground pepper cover and cook on a medium to low (250) for 4-6 hours serve with mashed yams (with brown sugar butter) broccoli florets and a Cesar salad for dessert have Chocolate Mousse (use the one in the box and top with cool whip)

If you will be having wine serve either with a Redwood Creek Merlot and if you like Champagne chill a bottle of Mumm Blue lable or Gloria Ferrer.

Have fun!

Answer 4

I have a good chicken recipe, but be warned that I don't use measurements when cooking anything except pastry. This chicken is very tasty and extremely moist.

Clean one whole chicken

peel 20-30 cloves of garlic but DO NOT chop or crush
peel one onion, but chop into large rough sections
core and cut two apples(one yellow, one red) and cut into chunks

Melt one stick of butter in a pan.

Brown the chicken in the butter, then remove to cool.

place onion and garlic into the pan used to brown the chicken. Just as onion barely begins to turn clear, add apple chunks

As apples begin to soften, remove all ingredients from pan and allow to cool slightly, then spoon into cavity of chicken.

Wrap chicken in waxed paper (two layers). I do this by wrapping around with one sheet, then wrapping again lengthwise.

Place chicken bundle into a brown paper sack. Small chickens fit perfectly into a lunch size sack.

Cook at 350-400 for an hour to an hour and a half, depending on oven. Chicken is done when juices run clear. if you take it out too early, just place it back into a pan and continue cooking with foil over it until done.

Answer 5

appetizer- stuffed mushrooms (can be bought at Sam's Club in the freezer section) Heat and serve. EASY!

salad-7 layer salad (recipe on the Internet-- very good and can be prepared the night before) EASY!

Main Course-linguine pasta with grilled chicken and Alfredo sauce(grill the chicken in a fry pan or on a flat griddle, buy the Alfredo sauce already made in the jar, and pasta in the box) very easy--but good.

Bread-garlic bread sticks (buy already prepared in the box in the freezer section) heat in oven just before serving. Also have extra Alfredo sauce to dip bread sticks in. EASY!

dessert- Italian Creme Cake (Sam's also sells a great one. )Just used one for a House warming party. Everyone raved over it.
You can serve this menu and everyone will think you are the best hostess ever. Your Mom and Dad will be very proud and the food will be great! This whole menu is very simple and easy.
Good Luck!

Answer 6

A little classier than pot roast or tri tip would be a London Broil. This is a simple and elegant meal. Pair with a Shiraz or Merlot to bring out the smoky flavors in the meat. If you're not a wine drinking group: I'd suggest still using cooking red wine with the meat and use less salt (cooking wine has salt added).

My menu for you is this: London Broil with dilled baby new potatos, haricots vert with cranberries

Protein: London Broil: 8oz per guest (1/2lb.)
HEAVY DUTY aluminum foil.
3 cloves of garlic.
2 Tbsp. Liquid smoke (this is usually in grocery stores by the steak sauce, and it's not usually very expensive, but can't be replaced by anything, it's must-have).
Splash of red wine that you're serving with dinner.
Salt and Pepper liberally.

Seal that meat up (even two layers) with all these ingredients in the aluminum foil, make a really nice tight package and put it in the oven at 275-280F for 4 hours. It comes out sooo tender, so perfect, it's incredible. Carve into slices against the grain, serve with a little sauce of equal parts grey poupon and sour cream, just warmed in the microwave or in a small pan, don't boil it!

Starch: Roasted Dilled new potatos:
washed little bite-sized red new potatos, tossed in olive oil
salt, pepper
2-4 Tbsp Olive oil (whatever it takes to coat, don't overdo)
2 Tbsp butter
sprinkle liberally with dried dill weed
Bake with the broil for the last two hours in a shallow baking pan: try to get a single layer. If you can't find bite-sized red potatoes or fingerling reds, use larger red potatos and cut into 1 inch or so bite-sized pieces.

Vegetable: Haricots Vert with Cranberry
2 Tbsp butter
finely chopped shallot about the size of a golf ball
2 cups of whole green beans, ends snipped and washed well
1/8th cup dried cranberries
splash of white wine (cooking wine is fine)
salt and pepper (white pepper if you have it)

Almost right before you're ready to eat (this goes quick), heat the butter to crackling in a 12" saute pan so it's just starting to turn brown: add the shallots and stir fry them till they start to turn translucent, add the green beans and cranberries, and heat them through, don't cook them till soggy and don't burn them, they should be like stir fry veggies, splash the dish with white wine and serve immediately.

Plating: Spoon a bit of your sour cream and dijon sauce in a circle in the center of the plate. Place the meat in the pool of of sauce. Carefully arrange some of the new potatoes around the Broil, and arrange some of the green beans on top of the meat, they'll think you went to chef school or something: it'll blow their minds, but all these dishes are very easy, and very hard to "screw up" for a beginning cook.

Don't stress yourself with homeade dessert if you're not a fairly experienced cook, go get a pie or something, sometimes just some fancy cookies and a scoop of ice cream beat anything.

Answer 7

A great place on line to get recipes is www.allrecipes.com
Here is a menu I have come up with using this site:
Pot Roast (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Beef-Pot-Roast/Detail.aspx
Carrots with Dried Cherries (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Carrots-with-Dried-Cherries/Detail.aspx
Homemade Rolls (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Blue-Ribbon-Overnight-Rolls/Detail.aspx
Saucy Cherry Cake (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Saucy-Cherry-Cake/Detail.aspx
Apple-grape Drink (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Apple-Grape-Drink/Detail.aspx

The pot roast is better if made a day ahead and re-heated. The rolls are also to be made the day before then baked the next day. This is a good thing as you will have less to worry about the day of the dinner.

Answer 8

can you find out what they had for their first date or perhaps at their wedding dinner. it is a bit nostalgic and they might find it romantic.
good luck.

Answer 9

Just take them to "Chuck E Cheese"....

Answer 10

http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/Recipes/RecipeTemplate?recipe_id=83633

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes/dinner-party

try looking at these sites.