Please Help With A Cocktail Party, Again, Please? - Page 3

Quote:

Originally Posted by durangojo 

a looonng time ago while i was away on a trip my DH phoned to ask how long it took to toast a bagel in the microwave.. i asked how long he had tried to 'toast' it?  10 minutes he replied.   when i could finally manage to pick myself up off the floor and speak without choking or laughing i gave him the skinny.....you can't.  now he just sticks to putting cereal in a bowl...... sometimes it just makes me wonder how all the 'great' chefs are men! oy!....still makes me laugh when i think of it though...

joey

I'm glad you asked how long he was at it lol. 

I do have a few friends (men) that cook and they make good food.  But watching them cook makes me want to hurl myself out of a window.  They're so slooooooow!  Can't multi-task.  It's like, if we're going to eat pasta shouldn't the water be boiling by now?  "Oh no, we have to set the table first."  The only man I actually enjoy watching cook is Jamie Oliver, he's speedy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaneohegirlinaz 

… so Mister K~girl has decided that we should have more people over to the house.

… he’s been working (did I mention that he took up a part time job just to keep busy?) with this guy and he wanted to invite him and the wifey over for dinner. 

Once again I remind him, with people who are relative strangers; people would more comfortable coming over for cocktails and then serve them “heavy pupus” or h’ordeuvres.

… this shindig is for only four people, I was thinking mini meatballs in red sauce, garlic shrimp skewers, and croute de ta with a Green Goddess dip? 

Sound well rounded?

So retro!  Why not swedish meatballs then?

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaneohegirlinaz 

hmmm ... swedish you say ... I have the crum-y-est recipe, but if you could throw me a bone ...

By crum-y-est do you mean bad??  I have a good recipe for swedish meatballs finally!  This is a recipe from a friend on another forum, names have been replaced with asteriks.  I've made them and they are sooo soooo yummy.  I actually even skipped the browning process once and just cooked them all the way through in the oven and they turned out tender and delicious.

Köttbullar (Swedish Meatballs)

600 gram minced beef 
400 gram minced pork 
100 ml dried breadcrumbs
300 ml milk 
50ml finely grated onions, raw
15 ml salt 
1 teaspoon of pepper 

A dash of allspice
 

2 eggs (oops I forgot to put them in and my meatballs were still wonderful so if you can't have eggs you could leave them out. Next time I will add them

Sautee the onions in some butter until soft and glassy.


Soak your breadcrumbs in the milk for 10 minutes. Then, using your hands, mix your other ingredients into the milk/crumb combination. Mix until combined but do not overmix. 


In a medium sized bowl, add some water and a tablespoon of oil. You will use this to dip your hands in to stop the meatballs sticking to your hands as you roll them. Using your damp hands, grab about a heaped tablespoon of the mix and roll it gently into balls about the size of walnuts. Place the meatballs on a wet chopping board so they will not stick. Continue until you have used all the mix to make meatballs.


Heat some butter in a frying pan, and fry the meatballs in batches so they are browned all over. Place them on a foiled lined or non-stick oven tray. Once all the meatballs have been browned and placed on the oven tray (or trays as space dictates), put it in the oven and bake at 175 degrees celcius for 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through (I checked by cutting one open). 


While the meatballs are in the oven, get your peeled, washed and diced potatoes on to cook so you can make the mash potatoes. 

Also make the gravy, this recipe is provided again by ******* and is the way her Dad does it.

400 ml of beef stock
3 tablespoons of plain flour
200 ml cream, plus a little more if needed
2 teaspoons of soy sauce
salt and pepper to season

In a cold pot, add the cream and flour with a little stock until it forms a smooth paste. Then add the rest of the stock, whisk to combine and place on a medium to high heat. Whisk until it reaches boiling point and then turn it down to a simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the soy sauce, salt and pepper, and if the sauce has thicken to much a little bit more cream.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koukouvagia 
 The only man I actually enjoy watching cook is Jamie Oliver, he's speedy.

who cares if he's speedy....guess it's one of those days i just feel like 'misbehavin' but jamie can move as slow as he wants and take as long as he likes in my kitchen..... he doesn't even have to cook anything actually...just talking about food works for me.

joey

whadaya gonna do sherif...lock me up? 

i know i posted this on another thread, but go with FUN food....swedish meatballs are not fun.....it's a party! go southwest or mexican and have a fiesta in your mouth!

joey

Quote:

Originally Posted by durangojo 

whadaya gonna do sherif...lock me up? 

i know i posted this on another thread, but go with FUN food....swedish meatballs are not fun.....it's a party! go southwest or mexican and have a fiesta in your mouth!

joey

Maybe you're right, swedish meatballs aren't that much fun, they don't do a song and dance anyway do they?

It's too early in the morning for me to do math.  I never follow the directions for seasoning though, I always add what I think is best.  It makes a lot of meatballs but they're so good they don't stay in the fridge more than a day or 2.  They're great for dinner with a side of boiled new potatoes or mash.  The sauce for these is really yummy so I don't know what you're talking about, how could it stink?  The only difference between this and italian meatballs is instead of herbs and cheese it has allspice.  And since your friend doesn't like italian I'd avoid the red sauce.... I don't eat anything swimming in red sauce either so I understand her trepidation lol.

You know what, it's just you and another couple isn't it?  When I invite another couple over for the first time my go-to dinner menu is steak, risotto and salad.  Can't go wrong.  If I want it to be more fun and get everyone involved I have a pizza party.  All I do is make the dough, the sauce, and prep all the toppings.  Then I give each person their dough ball or roll it out for them and each person makes their own pizza.  Making pizza is a great ice breaker and it really loosens up the atmosphere and promotes nice conversation.  Sometimes people are hesitant to get their hands dirty but eventually everyone gets into the fun.  Prepare a caesar salad ahead of time, and you're golden.