Hey, you good cooks-What would impress you?

Mocoondo wrote:
We both enjoy cooking and entertaining and have taken classical cooking courses at Le Cordon Bleu, so we enjoy working in the kitchen. We rarely eat out and usually do a full on multi-course meal every night. For me, spending time in the kitchen, enjoying a cocktail or glass of wine, or three, or more, and preparing an enjoyable meal is a great way to unwind and de-stress.

Our home is set up in such a way that we can entertain and be involved with our guests while still being in the kitchen doing our thing. A lot of times, they enjoy watching us prepare the meal. We host for dinners quite often, occasionally but less frequently for Sunday brunch. We usually prepare dishes that we know beforehand the guests will enjoy, and we always try our best to make the experience over the top for our friends. Dinner at our house usually consists of multiple courses throughout the evening with the actual main course served later, say 8-9 or even 10PM. We are not the type to meter cocktails and adhere to a rigid schedule. When each course is ready to be served, we eat. If you are at our home, it's a generous pour each and every time. If guests end up overserved, then a good evening was had by all.

We usually start with some sort of interesting theme and work from there. For example, last Saturday, we had a group of our boating friends over (outside of RVing, we are boat owners) and we re-created the meal which passengers enjoyed on the final evening aboard Titanic. It was a fun night.

To each, His own. Your idea of entertaining sounds, as if you don't consider it a success unless all the guests have been, 'overserved' with generous 'pours'. Do you prepare for all of these drunken guests to spend the night, or do they take a taxi home? Do you have any friends that don't drink, or are in AA? I'm sorry, but I would not permit guests at my home, to drink to excess. I would consider that, as equal to the Titanic's maiden voyage.

We both enjoy cooking and entertaining and have taken classical cooking courses at Le Cordon Bleu, so we enjoy working in the kitchen. We rarely eat out and usually do a full on multi-course meal every night. For me, spending time in the kitchen, enjoying a cocktail or glass of wine, or three, or more, and preparing an enjoyable meal is a great way to unwind and de-stress.

Our home is set up in such a way that we can entertain and be involved with our guests while still being in the kitchen doing our thing. A lot of times, they enjoy watching us prepare the meal. We host for dinners quite often, occasionally but less frequently for Sunday brunch. We usually prepare dishes that we know beforehand the guests will enjoy, and we always try our best to make the experience over the top for our friends. Dinner at our house usually consists of multiple courses throughout the evening with the actual main course served later, say 8-9 or even 10PM. We are not the type to meter cocktails and adhere to a rigid schedule. When each course is ready to be served, we eat. If you are at our home, it's a generous pour each and every time. If guests end up overserved, then a good evening was had by all.

We usually start with some sort of interesting theme and work from there. For example, last Saturday, we had a group of our boating friends over (outside of RVing, we are boat owners) and we re-created the meal which passengers enjoyed on the final evening aboard Titanic. It was a fun night.

Interesting set of responses.

If I invite someone to dinner, I always put my best efforts into this....and while that doesn't always mean prime rib and lobster, I try to ensure that the meal is memorable.

The point of invitation to dinner is to either get to know folks or to continue existing relationships and, as noted, that can be done over pizza and beer as well as with prime rib and an outstanding Cab. However, as a host, I don't feel that I've done my job unless I put as much effort into the meal as I can....for planned meals. For drop-ins, or spur of the moment, I still try and make a decent meal, but it ain't going to be slow smoked prime rib.

All of that being said, the DW and I DO NOT have a formal dinner party very often....instead, even if the menus is the same, we keep it pretty informal and,as often as not, centered around the kitchen or the grill where cocktails are shared as the cooking is wrapped up.

Who gets invited for dinner and doesn't know what is being served before they get there? Every dinner party I've ever had or gone to the menu is pretty clear ahead of time and in fact, most guests and certainly myself, always volunteer to bring something. I can't ever remember getting invited to someone's house and wondering what's for dinner when I get there.

I think there are a lot "It depends" involved. The dinner where you know no one else doesn't really sound casual to me. If it were somewhat formal I would expect everything to follow suit. Most dinners that I've been invited to were casual with everyone knowing several people and were pretty much advertised as such. meals at these always followed the theme.

I have done the same thing, but again they are unexpected.

mockturtle wrote:
Grilled cheese sandwiches, properly made, are delightful and so is good soup. I have hastily prepared these for unexpected company on more than one occasion. And at least ice cream and cookies for dessert. :)

Yum. I'll be right over. :B

I would concur that, when you are invited to dinner you should be able to expect that some effort was made to provide an enjoyable and ample meal. OTOH, if you drop in, you should expect 'pot luck', which may involve soup and sandwiches.

Grilled cheese sandwiches, properly made, are delightful and so is good soup. I have hastily prepared these for unexpected company on more than one occasion. And at least ice cream and cookies for dessert. :)

SDPat wrote:
I think the elitist attitude that inviting someone for a meal and having to serve a gourmet meal is making home entertainment almost extinct. Some people are just plain afraid to compete with their more kitchen savvy friends for fear of looking cheap or being labeled a poor hostess. There is nothing wrong with inviting friends over for a pot of chili or vegetable soup (and maybe a couple of brews) and bowl of M&Ms for dessert! The breaking of bread is supposed to be for catching up on each other lives not to one-up each other! Some of our favorite get together meals with friends include Bobbi’s Indian tacos, Lisa’s shepherd’s pie, Fay’s corned beef and cabbage, Fran’s Fleischkuekle, Mike’s deer chislic or my bean soup and homemade bread. None of which are expensive and we don’t care how many times they serve it to us! We all bring sides in Tupperware and serve on paper plates and drink out of cans or bottles..those damn wine drinkers expect a glass!:R We aren’t much on the “presentation” aspect but tend to focus on friendship. Oh yes, I can prepare a 5 star meal and set a table that Martha would be proud of…but I have a lot more fun at our impromptu Saturday or Sunday night meals.

I think you are being the elitist here. I Have been to many a dinner that consisted of very simple foods and loved those parties. But to open a can of soup and fix a sandwich for a dinner guest is an insult. Better to meet for coffee.

Let's tweak this post a wee bit. What do I do to impress my dinner guests? Aside from a variety of homemade tried-and-true recipes, we love leftovers, and I make certain that no one leaves my table hungry!

This second reason came about when one of my wife's co-workers returned a dinner invitation. They served a rather small one-dish meal which she and her husband proceeded to carefully divide into four equal parts. While my wife and I both "cleaned our plates," the host and her husband left from 1/4 to 1/3 of their servings which then disappeared into the garbage disposal. They didn't "do leftovers."

Good conversation didn't quite make up for the rumblings in our stomachs and we stopped for cheeseburgers on our way home.

Later meals together were at local restaurants.

Before someone responds with an economic reason for this particular meal, let me mention that, in their backyard, the husband had duplicated one of the greens from his country club.