Anniversary Dinner ?

Question

My parents 16th wedding anniversary is in September. I am making them a surprise (or it will be until September before the week of) dinner. I need recipes for a main course,dessert and an appetizer. Please Help.

5 Stars to BA

Answer 1

Do you have any more info? Their fav kind of food? Do they drink wine/beer/champagne? Do they like chocolate or vanilla?? Salad or soup?

Answer 2

September is fall so I would do a fall theme dinner.

Salad

stuffed pork chops

sides - stuffed acorn squash or stuffed hubbard squash , or roasted potatoes and one other vegetable of your choice.

desert - carrot cake or an apple cobbler

buy boneless thick pork chops (either you can make a pocket in them so you can stuff them or ask your meat department where you buy them.)  I make my stuffing by sauteing chopped onions, celery, slice mushroom ( only if you like them) in a sauce pan, then I get Italian sausage (take it out of the casing and break it apart and fry until cooked & drain. I then go back to my sauce pan and mix 2 boxes of stuffing mix and follow directions on box cook add sausage and mix.

stuff the pocket of the pork chops. Bake

I use the same stuffing for my squash the only thing I mix it with some of the squash when you shell it out.  

If you make squash I boil first to make them tender then cut in half and clean insides out (throw away seed part) then scoop some of the insides out and mix with stuffing and stuff bake into squash and bake.

Roasted potatoes I clean and cut potatoes in cubes toss with oil (either vegetable or olive oil put Italian seasoning on them and grated cheese and toss and bake until tender.  

Answer 3

fondue would be fun - interactive, entertaining, lengthy

you do all the prep & they cook it.  go with broth or oil for meat (beef strips) & cheese for bread & veggies

Answer 4

mushroom and camembert melt is fantastic.  Plus you can substitute all the ingredients for whatever you want, I did it without the pesto and on white bread.  easy and yummy.

A stir fry is simple enough, you don't want to stress yourself, a 3 course meal is exhausting to put together.  Or you could do a malibu chicken, very filling and delicious.

And my personal fav dessert, blueberry crumble.  can be made with any in season fruits.  just add icecream.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

Answer 5

country beef vegetable soup

3/4 gallon water or beef stock

2-3 large onions, sliced

2-3 lbs of beef chunks cut into 1 1/2" cubes

2-3 tablespoons flour (for dredging)

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 stalks of celery, sliced, strings removed

3 tablespoons beef soup base or bouillon

2 tablespoons wine (sherry, port or marsala)

4 potatoes, peeled, cut into 2 inch cubes

6 large carrots, peeled, sliced into 1/2" coins

2 bay leaves

2 16 oz bags frozen mixed vegetables (optional)

1 16 oz can tomato sauce or 1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 tablespoon fresh basil (optional)

1 tablespoon fresh garlic, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon flour (for thickening, optionally)

garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper, to taste

Select lean, less expensive cuts of meat. By choosing a pot roast and slicing into cubes yourself, money can be saved over pre-cut stew beef. Cut and cube beef, slice onions and celery. You can optionally choose to prepare fresh parsnips or turnips at this time, for a heartier vegetable mix. Mince garlic.

Dredge beef in flour and sauté in olive oil until browned, adding garlic during last few minutes of browning. Add wine to remove browned bits from bottom of pan. Add water or stock, bay leaves and tomato sauce or ketchup. If you have beef broth it can be used to good advantage in place of bouillon or water; reduce bouillon or soup base to 1 teaspoon for added flavor, if desired, when using beef stock; add and bring to a boil. If you have no broth available, soup base is preferred over bouillon.

Add basil, if desired, and 2 whole bay leaves. Other seasonings may also be added at this time (a pinch of oregano, a dash of garlic or onion powder, salt and pepper, etc - season to taste).

Reduce heat to low. Stew may be transferred to a CrockPot at this time).

If cooking on the stove, simmer for an hour or two or until onion is transparent and tender. Stir in cubed potatoes, sliced carrots and frozen vegetables, if using, during final 40 minutes of cooking, and simmer just until vegetables are fork tender.

Or, if using a slow cooker, set to low, add remaining ingredients at the start and leave to simmer for several hours or more, until ready to serve.

During final 1/2 hour of cooking, soup may be thickened, if desired, by sprinkling on and stirring in 1 tablespoon of flour; or stir 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch into 1 cup cold water or broth, then add. Other methods are to add 1 tablespoon Wondra or potato starch. The thicker you choose to make the soup, the more stew-like it becomes.

Remove bay leaves before serving.

Served either with thickener or without, as your family likes it; this makes a hearty and nutritious dish which can just as easily be served in a pie crust as the filling for a beef pot pie, or serve with dumplings.

This is even better the next day!

Ground beef casserole

1 pound extra-lean ground beef

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1 tablespoon minced jalapeno peppers, or diced mild chile peppers

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (about 12 to 15 ounces) corn with peppers, drained

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

4 medium potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking dish (2 1/2 to 3 quart size). Heat oven to 350°.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef, breaking up, and the onions and celery. Cook, stirring, until beef is browned and vegetables are tender. Add garlic and peppers; cook, stirring, for about 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cumin.

In the prepared baking dish, arrange half of the sliced potatoes, then top with half of the corn and ground beef mixture and half of the cheese. Repeat the layers, ending with the remaining cheese. Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Serves 6.