Needing ideas for something special to cook Monday for dinner?

Question

My parents are coming home Monday and I want to cook something special Monday night and have it waiting for them. I'm going to the store later on today, to buy something, but I need ideas so I can look up recipes and know what to buy.

Anyone have any ideas?

Answer 1

ooh i dunno...

1) Italian food, maybe something like spaghetti or lasagna

2) Caesar salad

3) good old-fashioned dumplings.

hope i helped...

well not as much as everybody else who answered did...

they gave some pretty fantastic answers...

Answer 2

This is delicious;

Fettuccini Carbonara

5 teaspoons olive oil

4 shallots, diced

1 large onion, cut into thin strips

1 pound bacon, cut into strips

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 (16 ounce) package fettuccini pasta

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Saute shallots until softened. Stir in onion and bacon, and cook until bacon is evenly browned. Stir in garlic when bacon is about half done. Remove from heat.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain pasta, then return it to the pot.

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, cream, and shredded Parmesan. Pour the bacon mixture over the pasta, then stir in the cream mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 6.

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You can make some garlic bread or some nice Caesar salad on the side. You can get some good wine too if you drink.

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If you need a good recipe for Caesar salad, here it is;

6 cloves garlic, peeled

3/4 cup mayonnaise

5 anchovy fillets, minced

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cups day-old bread, cubed

1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

Mince 3 cloves of garlic, and combine in a small bowl with mayonnaise, anchovies, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cut the remaining 3 cloves of garlic into quarters, and add to hot oil. Cook and stir until brown, and then remove garlic from pan. Add bread cubes to the hot oil. Cook, turning frequently, until lightly browned. Remove bread cubes from oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Place lettuce in a large bowl. Toss with dressing, remaining Parmesan cheese, and seasoned bread cubes.

Serves 6.

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Garlic toast

1 (1 pound) loaf Italian bread

5 tablespoons butter, softened

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the broiler.

Cut the bread into slices 1 to 2 inches thick.

In a small bowl, mix butter, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Spread the mixture evenly on the bread slices.

On a medium baking sheet, arrange the slices evenly and broil 5 minutes, or until slightly brown. Check frequently so they do not burn.

Remove from broiler. Top with cheese and return to broiler 2 to 3 minutes, until cheese is slightly brown and melted. Serve at once.

Serves 10.

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You can make a delicious tiramisu for dessert;

6 egg yolks

1 1/4 cups white sugar

1 1/4 cups mascarpone cheese

1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream

2 (12 ounce) packages ladyfingers

1/3 cup coffee flavored liqueur

  

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate

Combine egg yolks and sugar in the top of a double boiler, over boiling water. Reduce heat to low, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and whip yolks until thick and lemon colored.

Add mascarpone to whipped yolks. Beat until combined. In a separate bowl, whip cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold into yolk mixture and set aside.

Split the lady fingers in half, and line the bottom and sides of a large glass bowl. Brush with coffee liqueur. Spoon half of the cream filling over the lady fingers. Repeat ladyfingers, coffee liqueur and filling layers. Garnish with cocoa and chocolate curls. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

To make the chocolate curls, use a vegetable peeler and run it down the edge of the chocolate bar.

Serves 12.

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Or you can make a delicious panna cotta -

A traditional, easy, and delicious Italian custard.

1/3 cup skim milk

1 (.25 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pour milk into a small bowl, and stir in the gelatin powder. Set aside.

In a saucepan, stir together the heavy cream and sugar, and set over medium heat. Bring to a full boil, watching carefully, as the cream will quickly rise to the top of the pan. Pour the gelatin and milk into the cream, stirring until completely dissolved. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and pour into six individual ramekin dishes.

Cool the ramekins uncovered at room temperature. When cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight before serving.

Serves 6.

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Answer 3

Try some Indian vegetarian recipes.. curry as well as dessert.

http://indian-veg-food.blogspot.com

Answer 4

A simple roast chicken or lamb with roast potatos/carrots/pumpkins baked with it...with a salad.  Or a casserole/stew with beef, potato, carrot, paprika, tomato paste, herbs.

Answer 5

We just had my in-laws over for my mother-in-law's birthday dinner.  We decided on a mostly Italian-themed dinner.  Here's what we made:

Bruschetta:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/racha...

Grapes, pears, and brie cheese

Avocado and walnut salad with raspberry vinaigrette

Garlicky Angel Hair with Grape Tomatoes:

http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recip...

Shrimp Scampi:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-...

Roasted Mushrooms with Rosemary:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/v...

Creme Brulee (we used Amaretto instead of orange liqueur):

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-g...

Italian sodas (my in-laws don't drink alcohol):

http://www.torani.com/recipe/type/italia...

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Another option:  One of my favorite recipes is the Tuscan Lamb Skillet from Better Homes and Gardens.  It's very easy to make, but it tastes great and looks impressive.  I serve it with a tossed green salad and balsamic vinaigrette.  For the starch, I buy a loaf of Italian country bread to dip in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  The cremes brulee would be great to serve after this -- you could also do a strawberry shortcake, since it's summertime!

Tuscan lamb skillet:

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-de...

Strawberry shortcake:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/v...

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Have fun cooking, and I hope this gives you some inspiring ideas!