Help with dinner for bf's parents

Quoted message said:

My bf's parents are coming to dinner on Saturday night and I'm
stressing over what to make. I don't cook a lot, which doesn't help,
and his mother is a diabetic (but does enjoy dessert). They like
simple meals, so I'm thinking of sticking with a chicken-based entrée.

Any suggestions for a simple and easy yet impressive menu?

Thanks!

How about chicken cordon bleu? Boneless skinless chicken breasts,
butterflied and pounded thin. Ham and swiss in the middle, fold it over,
coat in flour, dip in egg, then breadcrumbs and sautee. It's really simple!
And you can always make a sauce of a roux; butter, flour, milk and then add
swiss cheese and maybe a dash of whiskey or bourbon at the end.

Then serve steamed broccoli or asparagus, sauteed mushrooms, and a light
dessert. Maybe a sherbet?

That would be my suggestion.

kili

[email hidden] wrote:

My bf's parents are coming to dinner on Saturday night and I'm
stressing over what to make. I don't cook a lot, which doesn't help,
and his mother is a diabetic (but does enjoy dessert). They like simple
meals, so I'm thinking of sticking with a chicken-based entrée.

Any suggestions for a simple and easy yet impressive menu?

how about an easy version of 'coq au vin' (chicken with red wine sauce)

6 to 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
3 to 5 cloves of chopped garlic
1 onion chopped
6 ounces of fresh sliced mushrooms (canned 'shrooms will do in a pinch)
2 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of red wine. (merlot works great)
3 or 4 strips of bacon
salt
pepper
corn starch/water slurry

1. cook bacon in a saute pan until crispy, remove and set aside
leaving the bacon drippings in the pan.

2. season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, add them to the
hot saute pan and brown thoroughly on both sides. remove from pan
and set aside.

3. add chopped onions and saute until onions have a nice dark color.
add mushrooms and let them cook for a few minutes. add chopped garlic
and saute for a minute or two but don't brown the garlic. pour in 1
cup of wine and reduce uncovered until wine is nearly cooked away.

4. add chicken broth and bring to a boil. chop up reserved bacon,
add to the pan along with the chicken and any accumulated juices.
reduce heat, cover and simmer for half an hour. remove chicken
to rest / cool.

5. adjust seasoning of cooking liquid if necessary with salt and pepper.
add slurry of corn starch/water and thicken to desired consistency.
serve sauce over chicken. the sauce is also really good over mashed
potatoes or rice.

This is a pretty easy dinner; the chicken is a little spicy w/ the
pepper, but mostly just flavorful. The sauce is really nice with the
onions and some white or brown rice, and a simple green veggie such as
broccoli or green beans goes nicely alongside. Add a salad, too, if you
want. My parents really like this meal, and you can do a lot of it
ahead -- just put the chicken and onions into the oven, and then all you
have to do is cook the rice and veggies while the chicken cooks.

Chrissy Pepper Chicken

Mix up 2T olive oil, 2T soy sauce, 2T honey, 1T white vinegar.
Add 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, 1/2 tsp. paprika, 1/2 tsp. allspice, 1 tsp.
freshly ground black pepper (not canned -- grind it fresh!), and 1/4
tsp. cayenne.

Add the chicken (8 boneless, skinless breasts) and marinade in the
fridge for at least one hour (overnight is fine).

Slice up a few onions, saute in a little olive oil for a few minutes,
til starting to turn translucent, but not brown (you can do this ahead
and refrigreate). When ready to cook, throw the onions into a casserole
dish sprayed w/ a little PAM, then put the chicken on top, and pour the
marinade over. Bake at 375F for about 30 minutes. If you like
mushrooms, clean and chop some up, and throw them into the dish during
the last 10 minutes of cooking.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
My bf's parents are coming to dinner on Saturday night and I'm
stressing over what to make. I don't cook a lot, which doesn't help,
and his mother is a diabetic (but does enjoy dessert). They like simple
meals, so I'm thinking of sticking with a chicken-based entrée.

Any suggestions for a simple and easy yet impressive menu?

Thanks!

Go here:

http://vgs.diabetes.org/recipe/index.jsp

They have some GREAT recipes.

click on poultry

If its cool enough spike the bakes apple recipe with cinnamon.

Dimitri

Ummmmmm, should diabetics be given food with alcohol in it? This is an
honest question, as two diabetic friends of mine do not drink any
alcohol. I had the distinct impression from them that alcohol was
something diabetic people should avoid. Maybe it's okay if the dish is
cooked to the point where the alcohol burns off, leaving just the
flavor behind.

For menu ideas... how about a roasted chicken? They're pretty easy to
cook, delicious and impressive. They can be elaborate or simple. Just
sticking a lemon, a small orange or an onion can flavor the dish
nicely. To keep them moist, the single best thing to do is to baste
often.

Melissa

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Ummmmmm, should diabetics be given food with alcohol in it? This is an
honest question, as two diabetic friends of mine do not drink any
alcohol. I had the distinct impression from them that alcohol was

The best thing to do with diabetics is to *ask* them. Depending on what
kind of diabetes they have and how severe it is, they may or may not have
a very restricted diet.

Quoted message said:

something diabetic people should avoid. Maybe it's okay if the dish is
cooked to the point where the alcohol burns off, leaving just the
flavor behind.

The alcohol burns off very slowly, much more so than most people think.
It takes several hours before *most* of it is gone. From the rfc FAQ:

4.7 Cooking with alcohol

A 1990 study by E. Augustin et al. found evidence that alcoholic
beverages retain from 5 percent to as much as 85 percent of alcohol
after cooking. This study has been used in the following table
published by USDA (edited for readability).

COOKING METHOD ALCOHOL RETAINED (%)

No heat, stored overnight 70
Stirred into hot liquid 85
Flamed 75
Stirred in, then baked or simmered for:
15 min 40
30 min 35
1 hr 25
1.5 hr 20
2 hr 10
2.5 hr 5
Not stirred in, baked for: 25 min 45

--
Dan Abel
Sonoma State University
AIS
[email hidden]

Thanks, everyone for the great suggestions. I don't anticipate the
alcohol being a problem since she does drink a social class of wine. To
be on the safe side, I think I'll do Chicken Cordon Bleu (I've actually
made that in the past) or the Pepper Chicken since I know everyone
coming likes chicken breasts.

Thanks for the link Dimitri. I'm sure to use that for future dinners
(and perhaps dessert this time).

Quoted message said:

My bf's parents are coming to dinner on Saturday night and I'm
stressing over what to make. I don't cook a lot, which doesn't help,
and his mother is a diabetic (but does enjoy dessert). They like simple
meals, so I'm thinking of sticking with a chicken-based entrée.

Any suggestions for a simple and easy yet impressive menu?

Thanks!

Simplify, simplify, simplify.

Cook something you have made before so you know how it's supposed to
turn out.

Remember that a diabetic is supposed to eat a very low-carb diet, not
just low sugar.

Roast chicken, green salad, carrot sticks, green beans?

I'm sure you will get some good dessert ideas here.

gloria p

Puester wrote on 27 Apr 2005 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

My bf's parents are coming to dinner on Saturday night and I'm
stressing over what to make. I don't cook a lot, which doesn't
help, and his mother is a diabetic (but does enjoy dessert).
They like simple meals, so I'm thinking of sticking with a
chicken-based entrée.

Any suggestions for a simple and easy yet impressive menu?

Thanks!

Simplify, simplify, simplify.

Cook something you have made before so you know how it's supposed
to turn out.

Remember that a diabetic is supposed to eat a very low-carb diet,
not just low sugar.

Roast chicken, green salad, carrot sticks, green beans?

I'm sure you will get some good dessert ideas here.

gloria p

fast and easy...but needs at least 4 hrs to overnight to firm up in the
fridge.

@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format

Alan's Dreamsicle Delight Pie

pies

1 large tub Cool Whip; least 12 oz.)
1 pkg (8 oz.) fat free cream cheese, softened
1 small box sugar free vanilla pudding
1 small box box sugar-free orange gelatin
1 small can pineapple tidbits (i used crushed)
1 small can mandarin orange slices
1 low-fat graham cracker crust

Yeild: makes 1 over-filled or 2 normal pies.

Cream together the container of cool whip with the fat-free cream
cheese.
Blend until smooth. Add vanilla pudding and orange gelatin over mixture
slowly and mix well until very smooth. Gently fold in pineapple and
orange
slices, pour into pie shell and refridgerate several hours (4+) or
overnight.

I used 1 tub of cool whip for the filling (the ultra fat free). I
garnished
from another tub of cool whip (the low fat).

You can substitute different fruits and different jello's or serve this
parfait style. Coco in the garnishing coolwhip is a nice change.

Use a chocolate crumb or graham Waffer Crumb pie shell.

Awsome taste.

Contributor: Alan Boles

Yield: 2 pies

Preparation Time: 15

** Exported from Now You're Cooking! v5.66 **

--
No Bread Crumbs were hurt in the making of this Meal.
Type 2 Diabetic Since Aug 2004
1AC- 7.2, 7.3, 5.5, 5.6 mmol
Weight from 265 down to 219 lbs. and dropping.
Continuing to be Manitoban

"Puester" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

My bf's parents are coming to dinner on Saturday night and I'm
stressing over what to make. I don't cook a lot, which doesn't help,
and his mother is a diabetic (but does enjoy dessert). They like simple
meals, so I'm thinking of sticking with a chicken-based entrée.

Any suggestions for a simple and easy yet impressive menu?

Thanks!

Simplify, simplify, simplify.

Cook something you have made before so you know how it's supposed to turn
out.

Remember that a diabetic is supposed to eat a very low-carb diet, not just
low sugar.

Roast chicken, green salad, carrot sticks, green beans?

I'm sure you will get some good dessert ideas here.

gloria p

The idea that diabetics are supposed to eat little carbs is most certainly
not true, at least since the discovery of insulin and the other drugs used
to treat diabetes.

You don't even know whether the individual is type 1 or type 2 diabetic.

del cecchi