and so it starts...

[verbicide]

I've invited my friend Amy T. and her exceptionally awesome husband Mike over for dinner on Sunday night.

Amy is a vegetarian; Mike and I are not. So I'd like to find a menu that can easily work for both omnivore and vegetarian.



I'm warning myself to stay calm and not over do it. Amy is an amazing cook and we bond over it all the time and I want to make something special. But then I don't want to get so caught up in it because I think that sucks the fun out of a dinner, too. She doesn't need me to have a seizure making something super frou-frou. This is a casual Sunday night supper, it doesn't have to be 12 courses, which is always my inclination.

I want the menu to be somewhat rustic, but cohesive. And I want it to look reasonably pretty. I don't mind putting in a bit of effort, but I want it to be done in an afternoon, and without me passing out from exhaustion.

I've been going over my repertoire and just can't decide. The menu options (so far) are:

- roasted tomato basil soup paired with a simple green salad
- fresh pasta? grilled pizza? gourmet burger bar? panini?
- vegetable dish (asparagus? potatoes? spinach?)
- cherry pie (from Saturday)

They're going snowshoeing earlier and I was also thinking of just making a hearty stew or soup or chili and serving it with some fresh bread and a green salad.

Or I could make Paki food. Which would be easy enough--two curry types (one meat, one not). Rice. Start with a cucumber and tomato salad with raita for dressing. Homemade naan.

Or Mexican food. A pan of enchiladas, half with meat, half with goat cheese. Starter of chips, salsa, and guacamole. Rice and beans.

I don't know if I want to fuss with running back and forth to the grill (like with pizza or naan or burgers). It'd be great to do a roasted vegetable lasagna that could be pulled out of the oven. Serve it with some homemade pesto-cheese bread.

Gourmet burgers could be fun, though. On those Macrina brioche buns with all kinds of fun gourmet toppings... (with obviously a black bean burger or something for Amy). Sweet potato fries with garlic and parsley.

Hrm. I keep vacillating. Now I'm strongly leaning towards Mexican food. Cherry pie isn't so cohesive witih Mexican food, though. Or Italian or Pakistani, I suppose. But somehow dessert is okay as a wild card.

I love my vegetarian friends and I refuse to make their portion of my dinner an afterthought. But it makes menu planning a little crazy since I am such a raging carnivore, too.

Must go home and pore over cookbooks, too.

Comments

[merhawk]

Mmmmm.... curry.

That'd be my vote. Well, along with the cherry pie, of course!

[richboye.livejournal.com]

Mmmm naan.

I could eat a meal consisting only of naan.

[jeff-nw.livejournal.com]

I'd second that...

your grilled naan are, well, spectacular. I think I inhaled 15 of them the last time you made them. So, I'd vote for the Paki food (mainly because I want you to make extra and save me some : ) ).

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

You ate like two! But I did think I could send some channa masala your way on Monday via Amy :D

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

Likewise. SO good.

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

There is this new curry recipe I've been thinking of trying...

[str8ontilmornin.livejournal.com]

It all sounds great! Definitely go with what willl take less time so you are able to enjoy yourself and your company.

And truth be told, I rarely give a thought to vegetarian menus if it doesn't pertain to my job. And forget it if gluten free is an issue.

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

I also wouldn't have developed a vegetarian repertoire if it weren't for Jeff. But, whaddaya gonna do.

And you're right--I don't want to be stuck miserably in the kitchen forever.

[rolypolypony.livejournal.com]

ALL of that sounds good! The lasagna might be best - one dish to satisfy both omnis and veggies!! YUM!

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

It is probably the easiest option! I think it's going to come down to what *I* want to eat for dinner tomorrow night. *grin*

[rolypolypony.livejournal.com]

Makes sense to me! I am sure whatever you decide will be extra yummy!!

[margotheangel.livejournal.com]

How about the tomato soup (I made one that had roasted bell peppers and roasted garlic, too - that was good), salad, and quiche? I think quiche is still delicious with no meat (I can't eat meat in it because I eat kosher-style), and I think that goes with the rustic/cherry pie theme.

The Pakistani food sounds delicious - I'm a huge fan - but it just sounds like a lot of work for you.

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

It's a great idea, but the problem is I actively want meat in my meal. I'm a little stubborn that way. :)

The one point for the Paki food--I could do most of it well in advance (except for grilling the naan). But I'm still not sure!

[margotheangel.livejournal.com]

The lasagne might be really good, then - it would be pretty easy to make a small pan of cheese lasagne and a pan of meat lasagne. Although then you probably couldn't do the tomato soup - it might be too much tomato.