I get the super great privilege to have Andrei and Valer ia Ze sorin at our home for lunch tomorrow. They are Birobidzhan (far east Russia). Serving foreigners is one of THE most exciting things I ever do. I want to make a special memory at the table.
What could I serve? I asked them what they'd like their last American lunch to be and they said they like everything. The only thing I know I want for them is a chance to try Broom's Blooms ice cream, so I hope we can go there for dessert.
Meanwhile, this is a 1:30 lunch which I want to have mostly prepped today, because I am dog tired when I get home from church and seldom host guests at nap time! But this is their only chance before leaving early Monday for home.
So....let me paint the picture: they will be traveling, so it needs to be "safe" for the digestive system. I'd like it to be bright and colorful. I don't really want to mess with the grill. Something with protein for the vegetarians (my folks are coming) and something similar (preferably) for the carnivores. Something hot and something cold. And not corn. They had corn on the cob last night and there's leftover corn at my mom's where they're staying. They love it, but ...
Suggestions, anyone?
TUNA SALAD MELTS: I made it this way which everyone loved:
4 cans white albacore
1/2 cup mayo (eyeballed)
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
10 baby carrots finely chopped
dried savory, dried parsley,celery salt, a few cranks of black pepper
Made a day ahead to let flavors gel.
Fresh croissants, shredded cheddar
Bake in regular oven at 400 for 5 mins (same time as paninis)
Good cold, too.
EGGPLANT, RED PEPPER, and FETA PANINIS
Serves 5
New York Rye Bread, cut into ten 1/2" slices
1 medium eggplant, cut into semicircles (easy to handle this way)
1 lg red pepper --cut across to keep whole "rings" (stays on bread better)
feta cheese, crumbled
apricot preserves (I used Polaner All Fruit)
dijon mustard
good olive oil
soft butter
Lay eggplant semicircles in large frying pan. Cover with 1/8" water. Boil till tender but not mushy, turning once. Remove from pan. Do the same thing with the peppers. Then saute both together in same pan, using olive oil, salt and pepper. (You can saute in olive oil the whole time, but I find it gets too oily.)
While veggies are cooking, spray a cookie sheet with Pam, and spread out bread on it. On one side of each sandwich, spread a thin layer of dijon. On the other, a thin layer of apricot preserves. My pref: Put hot veggies on dijon side and crumbled feta cheese on the apricot side. Close sandwich. Spread soft butter over top and bottom. Roast at 400 for 5 minutes, turning once. Serve hot. MMM!!!
4 comments:
Fruit salad, potato salad (you could even buy this), a fancy lunchmeat tray that you make up yourself ahead of time. You could do roasted veggies in the oven. Roast at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes turning once. Whatever veggies you like (I usually do peppers, red, green, yellow, zucchini, yellow squash, onions and marinade in either Gazebo Room Greek dressing or Italian dressing.)You could cut the veggies up today and marinade tonight. All you would have to do is throw in oven and turn once. I don't really have any vegetarian ideas for your parents. Add homemade lemonade or iced tea or a good store-bought lemonade. Just some thoughts… You could do homemade chicken salad sandwiches or ham salad sandwiches. American lunches are easy, simple and fast.
I like your suggestions. This week I tried a new veggie sandwich that consists of grilled eggplant, red pepper, feta cheese,dijon mustard and apricot jam on French bread. I'll probably make that up for whomoever wants it, plus a chicken salad . Hadn't thought of that! I think croissants with chicken salad would be great! And I want a fruit salad with blueberries that I need to use up. Got a recipe for a blueberry-inclusive salad?
Per your request, I actually don't know a recipe for a blueberry salad. However, I had a green salad at panera bread this week that had blueberries. If I remember correctly, there was a bed of mixed greens and on top was blueberries, strawberries, and pineapple with poppyseed dressing. It would taste good with some walnuts thrown in for some crunch. It was delicious!
Thanks. Danielle. That is EXACTLY the kind of salad I'm wanting to put together.
My menu at this moment is:
Grilled Veggie Sandwiches
Tuna Melts (my folks eat fish so they might want the protein)
Reinvented Baby Greens and Blueberry Salad
Sliced Canteloupe
Craig Rogers' Old Bay Chicken Wings
(soaked overnight in equal parts beer, vinegar, and water--then next day sprinkled with Old Bay)
Peach Tea (just using what I made today plus fresh peaches in the glasses)
Broom's Blooms Ice Cream !!
Walnuts would be wonderful in that salad, but I am still recovering from a broken tooth that got fixed this week and my dad loves nuts but
should avoid them for health reasons. So I'll skip them this time.
Thanks so much, friends. NOw if I could just find that cleaning fairy.... I spent so much time setting my table and doing dishes I don't have the energy for floors and bathroom, but I will ask for more grace to keep up the pace! It's a rare opportunity to bless foreigners at my table, and I love to do it, but I think I fuss too much. I get really girly about talbe settings. Ironically, seven out of ten ppl tomorrow will be GUYS.
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