Pick a "theme" and run with it.

Asian: Miso soup, Stir fry (so many to choose from - beef and broccoli, cashew chicken etc), brown rice, green tea ice cream

Indian: Naan, butter chicken or a curry, lentils, rice, mango ice cream or smoothies

American: Cream soup, casserole, veggies, apple pie

German/swiss: beer, fondue, black forest cake

French: onion soup, anything from Julia Child, crepe suzette

You can keep it simple or go all out

To keep the theme going...

Italian: Crisp chopped salad, Lasagna Roll-Ups or regular pan lasagna, garlic bread, Italian Ice for dessert since it's light.

Mexican: Cerviche, Chicken Enchiladas Verde, beans, rice, flan

/tricia

I've started a recipe box just full of menus that I've made including where I got the recipe from and how well the dinner was received. It helps me with menu planning and keeps me from duplicating too much. I also try to serve items that can be cooked ahead or baked in the oven so I don't spend a lot of time fussing instead of enjoying my company.

I recently had friends over and served a roast breast of turkey au jus, cranberry orange chutney, bourbon pecan smashed sweet potatoes, and cauliflower done up and flavored like stuffing instead of stuffing. I always do appetizers before hand with drinks and usually if the guest asks what they can bring, I say dessert so I don't have to worry about it.

Another successful dinner, I made a roast pork loin in the crockpot. It was so tender, juicy and delish.

I've also done chicken casserole that's made with egg noodles and sour cream and mushrooms and swiss and sherry...then I just need a veggie and a salad and some crusty bread for dinner.

Baked pork chops with polenta (with fried onions and grated parmesan cheese) with applesauce is always a winner.

Sometimes I'll make a hungarian meal: usually chicken paprikash or hungarian goulash with wilted cucumber salad...

sometimes I do more polish with kielbasa, pierogis and sauerkraut....

sometimes I do more italian....chicken in a tomato sauce with peppers, onions, mushrooms served over pasta.

If the co. is open to it, I love to bake a stuffed cod filet...quick, easy and tasty....but so many have said they don't like fish, so I always ask first.

And of course for Easter and the cousins, it will be a classic: baked ham with pineapple chunks, scalloped potatoes, baked beans....

If I do have to do dessert, I try to do something easy and universally liked....coffee ice cream with maple syrup and pecans....macerated fruit with grand marnier over pound cake squares...rice pudding in the crock pot...and they all taste extra delish since I serve them in a margarita glass and they look so fancy!

Or if I have time and chocolate lovers over, I so enjoy molten chocolate baby cakes which I make with Trader Joe's dark belgium chocolate. Yikes!

Oh my! So many GREAT ideas! Thank you all so much! DH and I will both enjoy trying these ideas out. I donâÂÂt consider myself a good cook, so I always try new dishes first.

Annie, my group likes fish, can I get your recipe for the stuffed cod filet? It sounds delicious!

I love the idea of a Theme - really helps! And I look forward to trying all of these suggestions.

Sincere thanks to all on this wonderful forum.

Jeri

I think that in place of hajikami, you could use any pickled ginger, but I would not leave it out of the cod dish any more than I would serve sushi without wasabi and ginger.

You might want to try making sushi yourself - it is really easy if you have a bamboo rolling mat and the right ingredients. I often buy the sushi rice already cooked at my local Japanese market, - otherwise I cook it myself using this recipe:

Shari Rice (for sushi)

Ingredients: / Half Recipe:

2 cups Japanese pearl rice / 1 cup rice
1 tbsp dried kelp (konbu) / 2 tsp dried kelp
2-1/3 cups water / 1 cup plus 2-1/2 tbsp water

Seasoning

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar / 2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar /.. 1/4 tsp salt

Wash the rice and drain it in a colander. Place the rice in a heavy covered saucepan and allow to sit for 1/2 to 1 hour.

Add 2-1/3 cups water to the pan, along with the kelp in a teaball. Place the pan on medium heat, and when the water begins to boil, remove the teaball. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rice cool for 10 minutes without removing the lid.

Heat the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt until everything dissolves. Allow to cool.

Place the rice in a large bowl, add the seasoning liquid, and stir with large wooden spoon, fanning all the time -- I use a stand fan, but a ceiling fan works also, although not as well.

Keep rice covered until ready to use.

Most of my entertaining is done outside, and I have three barbeques plus a smoker. I generally grill only with Mesquite charcoal/wood, and my favorite fish to barbeque is salmon because it has enough fat to absorb the smoke. Chicken and Italian sausage are also good, but lately we've been cooking them in the electric smoker. Jumbo shrimp and lobster are also good grilled, but lean fish are not.

What is your weather like? Do you entertain outside or inside or both?

Lars

hahaha! Of course you can have my recipe for the stuffed cod fillet....I go to the fish store and say, "May I have some stuffed cod fillet"! Then I bake it and drizzle it with fresh lemon juice before serving....

Lars - We are in So. Cali and should start to do more outside. I do have a Smoker that so far I only used for the Turkey at Thanksgiving. That came out very good and I will make a point of using it more. Good call!

Annie - LOL! I was in Whole Foods the other day and saw some Ceder Wrapped fish. Not sure what all it contained, veggies and ??? It looked amazing! I definitely want to try it for DH and myself. It sort of feels like cheating serving it to guests - is that being silly? I suppose if it is delicious, others won't care who prepared it either! :-)