In this thread, we help Kevin to plan a "welcome home" meal for his wife
 

I have 10 days til she gets back. She's at some journalism institute for newspaper/yearbook teachers who majored in other things in college (she was a music major).

At any rate, I *never* cook the food. Honestly, I don't even really know how. I figure it can't be really hard though. I can generally follow directions. Cooking is just generally applying heat to food, right? How hard can it be?

What are some decently fancy/elaborate meals I could prepare? Assume I know nothing about food preparation... which is true.

ETA: I don't have to be too impressive. She'd be really impressed if I just boiled chicken or something. Expectations are low for this one.

What are some foods that she likes?

Do you want to fix some kind of casserole ahead of time or plan on grilling, etc.?

What does she like?

The apartments we're in came with a natural gas grill. They later removed them to save on their insurance. Since then, the only grilling we can do is in a grill pan. We have a decent one, so the sacrilege aside, I guess that's a possibility.

She doesn't like fish (except salmon in a can). She enjoys shrimp, hates crab... not a fan of lobster, but that wasn't in the cards anyhow. She also doesn't like beets.

Other than that? Casserole is a possibility.

This is one of my favorite things to fix for guests, because I can make it ahead of time & just heat it up. Also, it's a meal in itself -- the only thing else you might serve with it is a green salad.

DANISH SPAGHETTI

Ingredients:
1 (12 oz.) Pkg. vermicelli or thin spaghetti (cooked)
1 medium onion chopped
1 small jar chopped mushrooms (drained)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 can chicken broth (I like the roasted garlic flavor broth)
1/2 pound pork breakfast sausage
1 package Frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
1 (8 oz.) Can tomato sauce
1/2 pound Velveeta
2 cups cooked cubed or shredded chicken (I buy the pre-cooked packages that are made for salad toppings)
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

Cook sausage until brown. Drain and pat dry with paper towels to remove as much grease as possible. Saute onion in large skillet in 1 tablespoon butter until transparent. Add spinach, mushrooms, tomato sauce, chili powder, and chicken broth. Simmer a few minutes. Melt Velveeta in microwave with 1/2 cup water to thin (about a minute at a time: Cook 1 minute, stir, cook another minute, stir, until thin and smooth). Add Velveeta to mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked noodles and mix well. Fold in cooked chicken gently. Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick spray and pour mixture into dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Freezes well.

This recipe for Danish Spaghetti serves/makes 6

::thinks it doesnt matter what you make for dinner, but rather what you're offering for dessert :P ::

(ok im in a pervy mood, sue me)

Orange Tequila Chicken

In a bowl, combine a few cups of Orange Juice, a couple tablespoons of oil, a tablespoon of the following: cumin, parsley, chilipowder, oregano and a teaspoon of: nutmeg, ginger. Add a shot or two of tequila (depending on how much of a "bite" you want it to have), lime juice and about an 1/8 cup sugar. Mix well. Put chicken (quaters or breasts work well) in a glass baking pan. Cover with orange mix. Put in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight, if you have time. Preheat the oven to 350. When the oven is ready - put chicken in and bake for approx 35 min. (Depending on the kind of chicken - it will be done when it's white-white all the way through). OR - if you don't want to use the oven, you can do it in a frying pan on the stove. Turn the heat on med-high and turn frequently. For extra flair, towards the end, add more sugar (about a quarter cup) and turn the heat up to high to turn the orange mix into a glaze.

Generally anything she doesn't like, she likes... and on occasion, I've tricked her into eating things she doesn't like and she was fine with it.

Ah.. she also hates brussel sprouts.

Here's her food blog:

http://www.kelliskitchen.blogspot.com/

I'm considering just doing something I can't screw up.. like spaghetti... just boil some noodles and pour some sauce on them, right? I'll bet the sauce even has instructions on the back...

You can't screw this up, its so easy & takes less than 15 minutes to prepare:

Chicken with Broccoli and Garlic Sauce

2 tsp olive oil
3 medium garlic clove(s), minced, or more to taste
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp dried thyme, or 2 tbsp fresh minced thyme, or to taste
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cup broccoli, florets
1 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 cup cooked brown rice, kept hot


Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Season chicken with thyme, salt and pepper and add to skillet. Cook until browned on all sides, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes.

Add broccoli to skillet, cover and cook 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of broth, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/2 cup of broth and add mixture to skillet. Simmer until mixture thickens, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Serve over rice. Yields about 1 cup of chicken mixture and 1/2 cup of rice per serving. Its designed to serve 4 small portions, or two larger portions.


Edited to add, after looking at her food journal she appears to be very health conscious, so this is the perfect recipe. (I can't cook either, I make a slamming bowl of cereal & a perfectly toasted bagel & thats about it. ;)) Good luck!

Get her favorite take out and put it on a nice fancy plate. Light candles and CLEAN THE HOUSE so it's spotless when she gets home. Then put the effort you would have put into cooking into doing the dishes and helping her unpack and do her laundry.

At least thats what I would tell my hubby! :D

I think things like spaghetti, while good, can be very heavy for a summer meal, especially after a trip. Can you get fresh shrimp in OKCity without paying an arm and a leg? If so, here's what I would fix for my wife for a summer "welcome home" meal:

Fresh shrimp, steamed:

Boil water, add seasonings if you want to (like Old Bay), drop the shrimp in the boiling water and boil until nice and pink -- literally a few minutes. You want to do this when you're ready to sit at the table so the shrimp will still be hot. It's just boiling water -- you can't screw this up.

If you want to, peel the shrimp before she gets home and cook it unpeeled, but in my family we always served it unpeeled, especially if we were having company. Put a large bowl on the table and peel as you eat; what this says is that conversation and being together are at least as important as eating, since peeling frees your mouth up to talk. It makes for a nice, leasurely and relaxed meal, perfect for catching up.

Corn on the cob:

If you're feeling really cooking challenged, leave it in the shucks and microwave it on high for 4 minutes per ear. If you're only slightly more adventurous, shuck the ears, rub with butter and pepper, wrap each ear in foil with a few raw onion rings, and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

Green Beans

Probably about a half pound of fresh green beans will do. In advance, snap the ends off the beans, and break them into bite-sized pieces. Also in advance, roast 1/4 -1/3 cup chopped walnuts in the microwave (about 30 second on high should do it -- be careful, they keep cooking a little after you take them out, so you don't want them to roast quite all the way in the microwave.

Since we're keeping this simple, get a package of the already-cooked, heat-in-the-microwave bacon. Cook 3 or 4 slices per the directions, and then crumble it (which will be easier if you let the bacon cool first). Hold on to the paper towel or wax paper (works better) that you cooked the bacon in. This can be done somewhat in advance, too.

When you're getting ready for supper, bring water to a boil. When it comes to a boil, drop in the beans. Cook them for about 3-4 minutes, then pour them in a colander and blanche them by running cold water over them. (This stops the cooking and sets a bright green color.) Take the paper you cooked the bacon in and grease a skillet. Toss the beans, the walnuts, the crumbled bacon, about 1/4 cup of bleu cheese and some cracked pepper into the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cheese is really melted and coating the beans. Serve warm.

It may sound complicated, but it's really not at all. It just tastes complicated.

For dessert, I'd get something really good from a bakery.

And of course, wine or beer.

If you plan ahead by having the table set before she gets home and doing in advance what you can, like snapping the beans, peeling the shrimp (if you're going to do that before cooking), wrapping the corn and setting the table, the whole thing can be thrown together in 20+ minutes.

The house cleaning project is well underway.

what about instead of doing plain spaghetti, do some tortelini? or make lasgana, I've got an excellent easy recipie my mom uses that is delish! Or you could always do a "fiesta" theme and do tacos which are pretty simple to make.

Lasagna.. I could probably cook the kind that comes premade at Sam's... probably..

As for tacos, we had those the night before she left.

Sauteed Shrimp and Pasta with Garlic Toasts

Ingredients:
Shrimp
Spinach Linguini
Garlic Bread: bread, garlic, butter, lemon juice
Parmesan cheese

spinach linguini is pretty, tastes good and makes a dish look really elegant-- it's in the same aisle as the rest of the pasta!

Cook the pasta and put in a serving bowl. Pour a quick drizzle of olive oil over the top and mix it in.

Prepare the shrimp-- I like to buy the pre-trimmed and ready to cook kind--- throw a drop of oil in a pan and saute -- they're pretty much done the moment they hit the pan. You'll know b/c they change color. Add to the top of the pasta. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.

Cut your bread into slices. Melt the butter and add it to a little bowl with minced garlic. Spread onto the bread. Spritz the bread with lemon juice. Toast.

Serve and enjoy with a chilled white wine. Very easy-- this can be done in less than 20 minutes.

That sounds really good--lasagna! Easy to do (better to bake it in the oven than microwave it). Do you guys like raspberry cheesecake? I remember Sam's having these huge cheesecakes of every variety. Do that, a bottle of wine, and you're all set :-)

This is the way to go!

Lasagna, cheesecake and wine...she'll have her calories for the rest of the week. LOL. But she'll probably appreciate it.:)

Orange Tequila Chicken
 

Oooo . . . sounds good. It's easy, and with brown rice and fresh veggies - yum.
For bonus points, make a Chocolate Indulgence Cake - get the mix from www.bakerscatalogue.com or you can even order pre-baked goodies.

I love recipe threads on this site!

My suggestion would be to find any Rachael Ray recipe. Hers are SO EASY to follow and she literally tells you step-by-step how to prepare the entire meal, versus getting recipes for each of the dishes and then having to guess about when to do what. I have 2 of her cookbooks and not only has everything I've ever made from them been so simple, they are always delicious as well. Oh and generally they're pretty quick too. They don't necessarily take "30 minutes or less" like they advertise because that's often assuming that, for instance, the garlic is already chopped, vegetables peeled, etc., but nonetheless they are much quicker than most other recipes. Good luck!

Because nothing says a romantic "welcome home" like Sam's Club.

Seriously, cheesecake from Sam's is fine if you're hosting a bunch of people. But for a welcome home for the wife, if you're not going to make a dessert yourself, go to a good patisserie or bakery (the one at the grocery store probably doesn't qualify) and get a nice dessert that is obviously made for two people to share.

Ah, but will she feel so stuffed that she won't want to do anything, um, active afterward?

Speaking as a wife whose husband is not much of a help in the kitchen(except for the occasional steak on the grill, and the cheese enchiladas I taught him to make) I can pretty much guarantee you that your wife will be happy with just about anything that you cook. When my husband cooks, it could be chili dogs and I would be thrilled. If you lived closer I'd invite you over and teach you to make something mildly impressive, but since you are far away here is what I suggest:

1. Get a bag of salad from the grocery store with all of the stuff already in the bag i.e. Caesar Salad. Don't put the dressing on until right before you eat, or else the lettuce gets wilted and gross.

2. Spaghetti with meat sauce is easy. follow instructions above - essentially brown the meat, drain the grease, add the sauce.You can even cut up some veggies and saute them and add to the sauce. It makes for a nicer sauce that seems more homemade Don't over cook the spaghetti, al dente is a good thing.

2a. You could also do linguine with a lemony garlic shrimp too. Super easy. I'll give you a recipe...it's a bit lighter than spaghetti and meat sauce as well.

3. If you want to do an easy dessert, get a box of brownie mix from the store, make them (follow the recipe on the box, it's not hard you usually need eggs, vegetable oil, and maybe some water) and get a pint of vanilla ice cream. Warm brownies and ice cream are a nice easy dessert.

4. Get a bottle of wine, some flowers (my husband gets me flowers when I go away and it's always nice to come home to flowers), and maybe put on a good CD.

I also encourage Rotisserie chickens from the grocery store, salad, and maybe some rice from a box. If you can read, you can make rice. Maybe I should have my husband read this thread.:o

Kevin - let me know if you want a more impressive pasta suggestion with shrimp. Rigatoni with butternut squash sauce and shrimp is great. You can test it out on yourself first, and if it sucks go for the easier stuff.

I know it sounds dumb, but you can also check out a betty crocker kids cookbook...I got my first cookbook at 5.

You are a smart man Mystic. I agree wholeheartedly.

I'm not Kevin but I'd love both recipes!

Ditto on the Rachael Ray suggestion. You might pick up a copy of the current issue of her magazine (June/July). It has some really easy looking recipes in it, including one for Spinach salad with shrimp and feta cheese that I'm making tomorrow night.

Also, if you have a Whole Foods in your area, GO THERE. You can choose just about anything ready to cook, from italian dishes to seafood/meat/poultry, as well as amazing cheeses and produce. They'll even tell you how to cook whatever you're buying!

I'm with the several posters who have said lasagna. I have a recipe from my BH&G cookbook that I could post if you want and there are a bunch of cheats in there. For example instead of chopping of fresh tomatoes, you used canned ones, etc. It takes about half an hour of prep time and less than an hour to cook. Every guy that I've made it for has always been impressed. I should also add that while I love to bake (and I'm great at desserts), I'm not the best cook in the world.

Spaghetti would also be pretty easy.

You might as well suggest he pick up a copy of Martha Stewart Living, Oprah or Cosmo while he's at it.

Maybe it's just because (a) I'm really not a lasagne fan to start with and rarely eat it if I have a choice -- yes, I know, guys are supposed to love lasagne, but I can count on one hand the times I've had it and thought it was anything more than "eh," and I'd still have three fingers unused; (b) the fact that I know that if I was fixing lasagna for my wife, she'd want something like spinach lasagne, which is even less appealing to me than "real" lasagna; and (c) my feelings about spaghetti pretty much match my feelings about lasagne, but if I was going to fix pasta, I'd stay away from lasagna and spaghetti, as well as heavy, tomatoey sauces. The linguini with shrimp, for example, I think sounds a lot better. (But I still vote for plain old steamed shrimp -- you just can't beat that in my book.)

Unless, of course, Kevin knows his wife loves lasagna or spaghetti, in which case what do I know.

While I've been told that I make some of the world's best lasagna, I'm with MysticCat on this one. She's probably had a lot of fancy meals while she's been at the Conference, and would love something more normal, and lasagna is just... heavy.

I think you'd do better with either marinated steak or chicken, sauteed or grilled, a baked potato and a good salad. Work on the really classy dessert, even if it's pastries from a bakery, Godiva liquor, or strawberries with champagne poured over them.

Having a sparkling clean tub and special bath salts or bubbles wouldn't be out of the question, either. You want to say, "I love you and I'm happy you're home!", not, "You remind me of a goose that's about to become pate de fois gras!"

Bon appetit!

I'm with the others that suggest lasagne. Kevin, it's easy, comforting, and as an added bonus: you'll have leftovers, which means she won't have to cook the next night...or two. And it's way more impressive than spaghetti.

Everyone loves the lasagne I make, but they don't know that I just follow the recipe on the back of the Barilla lasagne pasta box. You don't even have to cook the noodles! Buy the noodles, the mozzerella, parmesean and ricotta cheese, and two jars of the marinara sauce of your choice. If you want to add meat, buy some. The ingredients are all on the box if you forget. Then follow the directions on the box.

I'd serve it with a green salad, and if you want a dessert, I'd do something light like a raspberry or lemon sorbet.

If you want to give her a real "warm belly" kind of meal, nothing is better than some good 'ol southern soul food. I have a fabulous recipe for chicken and dumplings that will blow her mind. It's really easy to make and the hardest part is rolling out the dough for dumplings. Another great thing about chicken and dumplings is that it won't fill you up so terribly that you can't move and your choices for sides are rather endless since it tastes wonderful with anything! I'll make some suggestions, but you can vary them based on your own personal tastes :)

Ingrediants/ Materials:
1 small whole chicken
A box of Bisquick (and ingrediants listed on the back that are required for biscuits)
All-purpose flour (make sure it isn't the self-rising kind)
Salt
Pepper
Wax-paper
Roller

Directions:
1. Clean chicken and chop it. Do not remove the chicken from the bone! And make sure that the chopped pieces are large enough that they will not fall apart when boiling! Boil the pieces until it is tender, you may want to sprinkle some salt and pepper into the pot as it is boiling. When the chicken is tender, turn off the heat and remove ONLY the chicken. Leave the water/natural juices in the pot!

2. After the chicken has cooled to a manner where it is easy to handle, remove all of the meat from the bones and place into a bowl. You'll notice that as you are removing the meat, juices will gather at the base of the plate. Take these juices and just pour it on the removed meat that is in the bowl, this will ensure it stays moist and add lots of great flavor. Put some salt and pepper on the chicken in the bowl, cover and set to the side.

3. On the back of the Bisquick box, there are multiple recipes depending on how you plan on using the mixture. Follow the preparation directions for BISCUITS. As you are mixing the dough in a bowl, sprinkle pinches of flour into the mixture. Once the mixture is kind of sticky, take a few more pinches of flour and cover all the sides. This will ensure that it is smooth enough to handle and won't stick all over the darn place!

4. Wet the back of the wax paper (just the corners will suffice) and lay it on the counter, that way the paper won't move on you! You will want to make sure this is a long peice of paper. Put lots of flour on the exposed side of the paper, you want a good thin covering all over it. Remove the dough mix and begin to roll it out with your roller. You want it to be about as thin as a slim cd jewel case (ya know, the extra cases you buy for all of your burned cds). As you're rolling the dough, you might find it helpful to cover your roller in flour. Simply cut them into about 2" squares and stack them onto a plate. Sprinkle flour inbetween each stack so the squares don't stick together.

5. Add about 4-5 cups of water to the pot that was used to cook the chicken. Bring this to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the bisquick squares, as well as the excess flour on the plate. Add your bowl of chicken, salt, and pepper. Leave the heat where it is at so that it continues to boil. You may have to GENTLY stir things around to make room in the pot for the chicken and expanding dough. Cover and let everything boil for about 10-15 minutes. The dumplings (bisquick) should be fluffy by this time meaning they are ready to eat!!

Sides:
Green Beans
Cornbread (white)
Salad

Neat tip for green beans:
1. Sautee some onions and fresh garlic. Once this is done, add your can of green beans, just a pinch of garlic powder, and salt. Let it boil until warm! Tastes soooo good this way. Yum.

Now I know it sounds like you are using lots of salt and pepper in this dish, but most of it cooks off. It may also sound difficult, but once you start cooking the dish- it's really easy.

Also a wine like Pinot Grigo (sp?) tastes wonderful with this meal!

Nearly any desert will do. You can actually find some really great tasting frozen cheesecakes in the frozen section at your local grocery store. I personally adore http://www.edwardsbaking.com/ brand pie slices (especially the oreo cream pie!).


Oh and if you feel really daring... I can give you some great Pakistani recipes. I mostly cook Pakistani food and haven't had a complaint yet! Spicy, healthy, and just oh so yummy.

Good luck!!!!!

Kevin...here's an idea...get the steamed shrimp...get the house cleaned....and get some candles and have an indoor picnic...in the living room....or...whereever u have enough room to stretch out

Sooooo....you have a couple of days left. Whatcha gonna do?

Mmmmm . . . chicken n dumplings!
 

Gotta disagree on the cornbread, though. It should be yellow - and cooked in an iron skillet.
Also, don't tell anyone, but Glory canned greens are good - and nothing goes better with c&d than greens (don't forget the pepper sauce.)

So Kevin --

What did you end up doing?

I think they're still.... doing the dishes.