Am I aiming too high?

As soon as we get our new kitchen appliances I want to have a dinner party for my parents and my ILs. Now, I tend to be a very simple cook (ie: pork chops, tacos, pasta, grilled stuff) and both sets of parents are great cooks. I really want to make a fantastic meal and I want them to love it. My parents will tell me everything is wonderful (even if it isn't) but my MIL tends to pick things apart and tell me what I did wrong (she doesn't do it to be a biatch, that's just 'her way') So anyway, I came up with what is an incredible menu, but I'm wondering if I'm aiming too high. Here's what I was thinking: beef carpaccio for an appetizer, spinach ravioli with tomato garlic cream sauce for second course, then tri colored salad with gorgonzola vinagrette, and baby lamp chops with herbs, garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus for the main course. I was also going to make chocolate fondue for dessert.
I was thinking, rather then test all of it out on them for the first time, that I could make one at a time for DH and I. Do you think it's doable?

Re: Am I aiming too high?

I think it is doable. Nothing on your list seems to be difficult and the key to is to make anything that you can in advance. Such as the vinagerette, the sauce for the raviolis, prep the lamb chops, peel/cut potatoes and put in water, chop/slice the fruit for the fondue. It sounds like a wonderful meal!! Don't know if you have a Cosco membership but they have beautiful racks of lamb (at a good price) that you could slice into individual chops.

Good luck and let us know how everything turns out.

Re: Am I aiming too high?

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Posted by nferrandi

As soon as we get our new kitchen appliances I want to have a dinner party for my parents and my ILs. Now, I tend to be a very simple cook (ie: pork chops, tacos, pasta, grilled stuff) and both sets of parents are great cooks. I really want to make a fantastic meal and I want them to love it. My parents will tell me everything is wonderful (even if it isn't) but my MIL tends to pick things apart and tell me what I did wrong (she doesn't do it to be a biatch, that's just 'her way') So anyway, I came up with what is an incredible menu, but I'm wondering if I'm aiming too high. Here's what I was thinking: beef carpaccio for an appetizer, spinach ravioli with tomato garlic cream sauce for second course, then tri colored salad with gorgonzola vinagrette, and baby lamp chops with herbs, garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus for the main course. I was also going to make chocolate fondue for dessert.
I was thinking, rather then test all of it out on them for the first time, that I could make one at a time for DH and I. Do you think it's doable?

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The beef carpaccio is what throws me- I cook a lot and very complicated things and this would throw me.. I guess if you get the meat from a butcher- it would work.

Also- keep it simple- the best food is fresh food cooked simply- i throw tons of dinner parties and this is always the best way...

A lot of those foods are heavy- I don't know if I would pair garlic cream sauce with a gorgonzola vinagrette wih mashed potatoes with chocolate fondue- it's a lot of food and your guests will need a fork lift to get out of your house! I would either skip the carpaccio or the ravioli

Re: Am I aiming too high?

Try buying a pre-marinated pork loin. Its simple and tasty, just bake it.

Since I have no idea how long to cook anything big (roasts, turkey breast, etc.), I got a meat therometer. I got one that sticks into the meat and comes out of the over that you can set.

Re: Am I aiming too high?

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A lot of those foods are heavy- I don't know if I would pair garlic cream sauce with a gorgonzola vinagrette wih mashed potatoes with chocolate fondue- it's a lot of food and your guests will need a fork lift to get out of your house! I would either skip the carpaccio or the ravioli

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I know it sounds like a lot of food, and it is, but my parents and my IL's throw coursed dinners. They're used to eating this much. The thing with them is that I have to have smaller portions, because trust me, they will want to try everything!

I also tried the pasta over the weekend and it came out really good. I used half and half instead of heavy cream, so the sauce wasn't to thick or heavy. I may try the lamb chops tonight.

Re: Am I aiming too high?

Make room for me
Sounds delicious