Unexpected Dinner Guests.. TONIGHT! HELP!

[Rora]

Okay, I don't cook. Well, I do.. but not well. And I typically just unfreeze things, add two frozen sides (hello frozen broccoli and carrots!) and wah-la! It's not great, DH sweetly doesn't complain, and I'm learning.

BUT...

DH just texts me to let me know his parents flew in for a SURPRISE visit (from NV) to see us...

My house is thankfully clean but dinner was going to be pizza tonight. MIL won't eat pizza and now I'm stuck.

I have 3 ginormous chicken breasts I'm thawing (DH and I can split one-- they are that big).. what can I do with these? I don't want to use frozen sides tonight (gotta impress MIL..) and I need something easy but yummy!

Please, if anyone has any suggestions or recipes, I will send you virtual hugs and many thanks!!

TIA.

 

[happygirl]

Okay, I don't cook. Well, I do.. but not well. And I typically just unfreeze things, add two frozen sides (hello frozen broccoli and carrots!) and wah-la! It's not great, DH sweetly doesn't complain, and I'm learning.

BUT...

DH just texts me to let me know his parents flew in for a SURPRISE visit (from NV) to see us...

My house is thankfully clean but dinner was going to be pizza tonight. MIL won't eat pizza and now I'm stuck.

I have 3 ginormous chicken breasts I'm thawing.. what can I do with these? I don't want to use frozen sides tonight (gotta impress MIL..) and I need something easy but yummy!

Please, if anyone has any suggestions or recipes, I will send you virtual hugs and many thanks!!

TIA.

Chicken alfredo a nice salad and bread

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Ha! I would do a chicken caesar salad with crusty bread and a light dessert (older folks like pie or cobbler!).

I'm laughing because I had a thread like this a couple of weeks ago. Not everyone liked the caesar salad idea - I wound up doing lasagna and meatballs instead. But during the cooking and cleanup I was wishing I did the salad!

My inlaws are light eaters so this is something they'd love. And it's fairly easy as well.

 

[golfgal]

Baked potatoes-simple, easy and most people like them. There is nothing wrong with using a frozen vegetable with this either .

 

[bethbuchall]

If my husband told me that his parents had flown in to surprise me, he'd better also have dinner reservations made. Actually, I have the sweetest in-laws who would be perfectly fine eating the planned pizza.

Are they boneless breasts or bone-in breasts?

 

[monkeybug]

Chicken alfredo a nice salad and bread

This is a good alfredo recipe and it's super easy-
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/08/guiltless-alfredo-sauce/

 

[The_Alice]

For the chicken, here's a really good recipe that never fails. You will need 1 can of whole berry cranberry sauce, French Salad Dressing and Onion Soup Mix. Mix the berries along with half a bottle of the French Dressing and one packet of the Onion soup mix. Pour over chicken in a glass pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. I sometimes serve this over a bed of citrus flavored cous cous.

Here's a great side that is tasty and goes with most any protein you can make!

Roasted Red Potatoes
4-6 Small-Medium Red Potatoes
Olive Oil Spray
Rosemary
Kosher Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prep cooking sheet with olive oil spray. Take large pot and fill 2/3rds with water and start to boil on stove. Add teaspoon of olive oil and pinch of salt to water.

Clean Potatoes. Then slice in half, then half again. Then take large wedges and slice them in equal sizes (look like wedges when you get done). Repeat until all potatoes are sliced into wedges. Add potato wedges to water and allow to come to boil. Test after about 8-10 minutes for tenderness. Once tender drain potatoes and then spread in an even layer on prepped cookie sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil, Rosemary (long stalk is preferred), and Kosher Salt (to taste). Bake at 400 until golden (usually about 35-40 minutes depending on the oven.)

HTH!!

 

[rascalmom]

Need more info -

Are you wanting to use just what you have on hand, or can you make a trip to the store?

I'd start with a light, fresh salad. Offer a light dressing.

I'd dredge the chicken breasts in panko bread crumbs & bake....or pan cook with a very slight amount of olive oil.

Fresh grilled asparagus, baby new potatoes.

A simple ice cream in a pretty dish for dessert - this was a last minute visit after all! Garnish with berries or other fresh fruit if you want to "spiff" it up.

 

[klacey1]

I agree on the chicken alfredo-- pasta is super easy and good alfredo tastes yummy. Like PP said, a big garden salad and either crusty Italian or garlic bread would be perfect.

 

[need2cruise]

Here's my go to's (recipes are from different sites I visit):

Honey Baked Chicken

4 split chicken breasts
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp melted butter
2 tsp mustard
paprika

Place chicken in glass dish, mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Bake on 350 for about an hour (or until chicken is done).

OR

BBQ Pepper Jack Chicken
• boneless chicken breasts
• seasoned salt
• Sweet Baby Ray’s or another BBQ sauce
• pepper jack cheese slices
If the chicken breasts are frozen, go ahead and put them on the hot grill. Let them thaw a bit and then sprinkle them with seasoned salt. If they’re already thawed you can add the seasoned salt before you put them on the grill. Cook them until they are nearly done, then baste with barbecue sauce. Top each chicken breast with a slice of cheese, letting it melt before removing the chicken from the grill.


Sides:


Au gratin Potatoes
• 1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, unpeeled
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 2 Tbs. flour
• 1 1/2 cups hot milk
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 tsp. parmesan
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt and pepper
• extra cheese for the top
Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until tender. Cool and cut into 1/4″ slices. You can peel them if you like, but I like the rustic look and flavor of leaving the peels on. Layer the slices in a buttered casserole dish.
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the garlic and cook it for a minute over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for another minute. Whisk in the hot milk, stirring constantly. Stir in the cheeses and keep stirring until it’s all melted and smooth.
Pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes and top with extra shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. You can also brown it up under the broiler for a minute, if you like.

Oven Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms

Ingredients:
-1 bunch of asparagus (we used two bunches so we'd have leftovers!)
-1/2 package white mushrooms
-olive oil
-salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste

Directions:
1. Wash and chop asparagus into one inch pieces. Slice mushrooms.
2. Add both vegetables to a baking dish. Lightly coat with olive oil, mixing to ensure that everything is evenly coated.
3. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
4. Roast at 400F for approximately 30 minutes, to desired tenderness.

OR Pasta

Fire Roasted Pasta
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
• olive oil, for sauteing
• 15 oz tomato sauce
• 15 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes, lightly drained
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 3 slices Provolone cheese, diced or 1/2 cup shredded
• 1/4 cup Parmesan
Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the other ingredients and simmer about 10 minutes or until the cheeses have melted. Serve over hot pasta.

 

[Hannathy]

Or go the comfort food route
and bake the chicken breasts in cream of chicken soup, Make rice and then use frozen peas and carrots. Or any other veg. you prefer.

Start with a bag of salad if you are first course type people.

 

[Rora]

If my husband told me that his parents had flown in to surprise me, he'd better also have dinner reservations made. Actually, I have the sweetest in-laws who would be perfectly fine eating the planned pizza.

Are they boneless breasts or bone-in breasts?

MIL is insisting they eat a homecooked meal for dinner tonight since they had "such a long flight" eating "air-plane food". DH was so apologetic and said he had no clue about this. He's pretty POed at his mom..
and you're lucky!! Wanna trade in-laws?

They are boneless.

Need more info -

Are you wanting to use just what you have on hand, or can you make a trip to the store?

I'd start with a light, fresh salad. Offer a light dressing.

I'd dredge the chicken breasts in panko bread crumbs & bake....or pan cook with a very slight amount of olive oil.

Fresh grilled asparagus, baby new potatoes.

A simple ice cream in a pretty dish for dessert - this was a last minute visit after all! Garnish with berries or other fresh fruit if you want to "spiff" it up.

I am willing to go to the store but would rather use what I have on hand.. which isn't too much. I do think I've got some panko crumbs and olive oil though...

THANK YOU ALL! If anyone has any other thoughts, keep them coming! I'm going to call DH in about 15 minutes to see what he thinks would work best-- his mom is picky. Poor DH had to take off the rest of the day to go pick them up at the airport...

Again, I really appreciate all your help!

 

[The_Alice]

I just thought also, you could blanche asparagus. I used to avoid it b/c I wasn't sure what it was but soon found it to be REALLY easy and it also locked in the flavor of the asparagus. Here's Martha's take

Basically you prep a pan of boiling water, once it comes to a boil place the asparagus in for 7-9 minutes, until tender. Then have a prepped bowl with super cool water (I add ice cubes). Once the boiling is done, take the asparagus and place it in the cold water.

 

[bgirldeb]

If I flew in at the last minute to 'surprise' someone, I wouldn't expect for them to prepare dinner for me.

I like the food suggestions on this thread, though!

 

[need2cruise]

You can cut up any veggies you have in your fridge and mix them with some olive oil, blasmic vinegar, garlic salt, basil, salt and pepper, toss in a pan and bake them to have roasted fresh veggies. This is an amazingly good side dish and easy to put together!

 

[Lauralee]

This:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/

These taste great without the herbs on top too; I usually use sea salt and cracked pepper.

For the chicken breasts, I'd marinate them in Italian salad dressing while the potatoes are boiling, then cook them on the grill or on a grill pan on the stove.

Add a tossed salad or other green veg.....you've got dinner!

 

[golfgal]

Here's my go to's (recipes are from different sites I visit):

Honey Baked Chicken

4 split chicken breasts
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp melted butter
2 tsp mustard
paprika

Place chicken in glass dish, mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Bake on 350 for about an hour (or until chicken is done).

Do you use yellow mustard or dry mustard for this? It sounds good

 

[need2cruise]

Here's my go to's (recipes are from different sites I visit):

Honey Baked Chicken

4 split chicken breasts
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp melted butter
2 tsp mustard
paprika

Place chicken in glass dish, mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Bake on 350 for about an hour (or until chicken is done).

Do you use yellow mustard or dry mustard for this? It sounds good

Just regular mustard--it is sooo good too!

 

[Sugardimples]

I would buy a couple rotisserie chickens and a ceasar salad (bagged mix). That's about as "home cooked" as I would get with no notice.

Or maybe buy some fried chicken and potato salad.

 

[My2Cinderellas]

You are much nicer than i would be. But then I can't see my ILs flying in unannounced and demanding that DH leave work early to pick them up and then demanding a hot home-cooked meal either. Time for some ground rules here.