Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dinnerparty

September dinner party ideas

rossination — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:33:44 -0800

Late summer dinner party ideas? We are planning a dinner party for mid-late September and I'm trying to come up with some ideas for a menu. As much as I love to cook with fresh (local) fruits and vegetables, I don't usually give much thought to seasonal cooking, so I thought it would be fun to try to highlight foods that really capture the end-of-summer vibe (something like this squash and chickpea stew).

Some details:
-- Vegetarian meals preferred, although some meat/fish is definitely OK (we will have one non meat eater). Either way, we tend to prefer meat as an accent/seasoning, as opposed to the main course.
-- We don't have a grill, but we do have a broiler.
-- Other than the meat thing, we're a pretty adventurous bunch, and I'm willing to source weird ingredients if the recipe is worth it.
-- Dessert ideas are also welcome, as are wine/beer/spirits pairings.

Feeding the hordes

AnnaRat — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:03:34 -0800

How much food do I need for 14 or 15 people for dinner? I know what I want to cook, but am not sure how much of each dish I should prepare. I have two vegetarians, three pescatarians, 1 person who definitely doesn't eat seafood, 1 person who is unlikely to eat any vegetables.

I will put some snacks out with drinks to start, but intend to move on to eating dinner fairly soon as it is not intended to be a late night. There is also dessert.

I will have to assess the furniture situation, but I think people will be sitting to eat, but not necessarily at a table (should this affect how much they will eat).

I remember once seeing some sort of catering rule that suggested as you multiple the number of people and add further dishes, you only need to multiple each dish by a lower number, as they will eat less of each thing. Might have been on eGullet, but can't find it now.

Any ideas for how much I should cook of the following:

Lamb and date tagine - recipe has 1kg of lamb and says it serves 6-8. In my experience, it serves about 4 hungry people if that is the only dish. I was considering just doubling this, given the other dishes.

Spicy prawns - how many medium size prawns per person? I was thinking 3-4 each.

There will also be a vegetable tagine and one or two salads, cous cous, and some bread. I feel ok about estimating these items.

Bonus for any recipes for salads or other side vegetable ideas (or legumes) that would fit with the above vaguely Moroccan themed meal.

Single Gaijin male seeks help with main course at dinner party

indiebass — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:51:50 -0800

I will be hosting a Japanese dinner party on Sunday night. What should my main course be? Specifically my regular dinner club is getting together, and each month we choose a different theme. I'm hosting, so I chose Japanese food. I'd like to do something that's both easy and impressive. (and wouldn't we all, right?)... so what would you suggest? I have done a little bit of Japanese cooking for myself (I own Mr. Bento, see previous discussion) so I have a few things already in my place, and I don't mind going to H-Mart to pick up some extras. There'll be about 10 people, so I guess "one-pot meal" style would be ideal, but I'm up for anything that doesn't take a lot of deep frying (I just don't have the space for that). Thanks, hive mind!

Potluck Dinner Party Menu Ideas

theora55 — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 17:06:01 -0800

It's time, once again, for a menu idea for an annual potluck at my house. Past successes have included veggie lasagne, rice noodles w/ peanut sauce, chicken/spinach curry, potroast, chicken wings, potatoes au gratin, corn pudding. Health conscious, veggie friendly, no red meat (the potroast was popular, but I made a nonmeat alternative, and that's a lot of extra work). Preferably not incredibly untidy to eat, as it's buffet and laps. No Canned "Cream of" Soups. Money is not unlimited, so no lobster or caviar. I like to cook, but nothing terribly complicated. @ 15 people. Considering: Pad Thai or Thai Spring Rolls. White Bean, Green Chili & Chicken Soup. Chicken pot pie (biscuit top crust).

Alexander, could you pass the ribs?

mdonley — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 20:53:35 -0800

If you could invite *anyone* from all of history to your house for dinner, who would you invite, and why? Further details, and reasons why this isn't chatfilter: I'm an English teacher in Indonesia and there's an activity I do where I divide students into groups and ask them to choose 10 people from a list of historical figures (plus two of their own choosing) to invite to a dinner party. They decide on the guest list and reasons for inviting people, seating arrangements, the menu, and any entertainment options.

The issue I have is that the list neatly provided on the worksheet is from 1988, features only 7 women, 10 people who aren't religious or political leaders, and 15 non-Westerners on a list of 60+ people, and the people it does feature includes people like Anwar Sadat and Mikhail Gorbachev. I'd like to update the list and make the activity more representative of today's world, as well as including more "minority" voices and non-politicians.

I've seen things like "The 100" but those lists seem really tilted towards the heavy movers-and-shakers of history while neglecting thinkers, artists, and other people who'd make fantastic guests at a dinner party. In this vein, note that the people don't have to be important or influential, just well-known enough to be discussed by secondary school/university students.

So, then, who's coming to dinner at your place? Feel free to list as many people as you want.

Cuba Libre!

special-k — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 16:34:20 -0800

What's your favorite Cuban meal? CubanFoodFilter: I’m throwing a dinner party for a friend who will soon be spending time doing research in Central / South America. I’ve been told that she loves Cuban food but I’ve never made it before. Can you suggest some authentic Cuban recipes that are not too hard to make?

I have a some idea of what I want to make but please share recipes that you’ve enjoyed making before. In particular, I’m looking for at least one vegetarian recipe (which isn't a salad) and dessert ideas.

How do you impress your dinner guests?

CunningLinguist — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 05:06:28 -0800

Dinner Parties! I'm looking for impressive recipes. How did you last knock your guests' socks off? A few minor restrictions and links to previous great threads inside. My ideal dinner party recipes would involve minimal last minute rushing around, so while simple-yet-elegant dishes like seared fish or sauteed chicken breasts would seem like a good plan, in fact they are a pain if you have six or eight guests. But I also want dishes that look good. The last time I had people over I made a traditional coq au vin, which was insanely good and involved no last minute work at all, but didn't look very pretty no matter how much parsley I sprinkled.
I found great ideas in previous answers about starters and puddings, chipotle dishes, ginger recipes, Seattle fish recipes, special dinners for two, favorite recipes to impress, Christmas dinner for grandparents and vegetarian entertaining. Looking for more - how did you last make your guests ooh and ahh without spending all evening in the kitchen instead of having cocktails with them?

Should I bring a gift to dinner at a prof's house?

muddgirl — Wed, 27 Apr 2005 16:01:53 -0800

EtiquetteFilter: An undergraduate professor of mine invited his entire class to a traditional Indian dinner at his house tonight. It is somewhat mandatory, as we will lose points on our final paper if we don't show up. Should I bring a gift, and if so, what? Dinner is in 1 hour, so hurry please!

Games for a Dinner Party

squirrel — Fri, 25 Mar 2005 09:09:19 -0800

We're having a dinner party that should go on to the wee hours. We want games. We're hosting a dinner party for 8-10 active and fun adults (all 30-somethings) who are pretty much up for anything once they've had a few glasses of wine and what have you. We want some fun games you can play in a big house (ours has 3 floors, two patios, and a big yard). Roll playing, solve the crime, that sort of thing.